May 9: John Brougham
May 9: Actor John Brougham, dubbed “The American Aristophanes” for the more than 100 plays, mostly comedies, that he wrote, was born on this date in 1814 and died in 1880.
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May 8: Joseph William Kay
May 8: On this date in 1928, Joseph William Kay, who is credited by some with coining the phrase “Old Glory,” was interred at Green-Wood.
May 7: William Livingston
May 7: William Livingston, first governor of the State of New Jersey and delegate to the United States Constitutional Convention, died in 1790 and was interred in New Jersey; his remains were later moved to the Wall Street Church Burial Ground and were finally brought to Green-Wood on this date in 1844.
May 4: Charles Pratt
May 4: On this date in 1891, Charles Pratt, petroleum tycoon who founded and endowed Pratt Institute, died.
May 3: William McKnight
May 3: William McKnight, born on this date in 1842, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his steadfast actions as a gun captain aboard the USS Varuna during its April 24, 1862 Civil War attack on Forts Jackson and St. Philip, which protected the entrance to New Orleans, Louisiana.
May 2: Adolph Libaire
May 2: Adolph Libaire was born on this date in 1840. He earned the Medal of Honor at the Battle of Antietam, Maryland, when, as a captain in the 9th New York, he seized the regimental flag, after all 8 men of the color guard had been shot down, and led his men forward against the Confederate position.
May 1: Cornelius Garrison
May 1: On this date in 1885, Cornelius Garrison died. He who was elected the reform mayor of San Francisco in 1853 and championed an “African” school to educate blacks, advocated giving blacks the vote, introduced a city beautification program, and brought gas lights to the streets.
April 30: John Nicholas Genin
April 30: John Nicholas Genin, famous hatter on Broadway, opposite St. Paul’s Chapel, died on this date in 1878. It was Genin who proposed a pedestrian bridge to help customers get to his side of that busy thoroughfare (called Loew Bridge, it was built in 1866 and torn down two years later).
April 29: Joseph Perry and the Schermerhorns
April 29: Green-Wood’s comptroller, Joseph Perry, reports on this date in 1842 that an agreement has been reached with the Schermerhorns to purchase 85 acres from them at $350 per acre. The Schermerhorns soon built their mausoleums on the land that they had owned and sold to Green-Wood.
April: 28: John Britton
April 28: On this date in 1837, John Britton was born. He would serve in the Civil War as major of the 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry, fighting in 48 battles and being severely wounded several times. Years later, he lost his eyesight as a result of one of those wounds; he died in 1897.