Calvary Cemetery is located at 49-02 Laurel Hill Blvd. in
WoodsideWoodside is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered on the south by Maspeth, on the north by Astoria, on the west by Sunnyside and on the east by Elmhurst and Jackson Heights. Its ZIP code is 11377. Some areas are widely residential and very quiet, while others are...
in the
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
borough of
QueensQueens is the largest in area, the second-largest in population, and the easternmost of the Five Boroughs which form New York City. The Borough of Queens' boundaries are identical to those of the County of Queens , a subdivision of the State of New York in the Northeastern United States.Located on...
,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The cemetery is managed by the Trustees of
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New YorkSaint Patrick's Cathedral is adecorated Neo-Gothic-style Catholic cathedral church in the United States. It is the seat of the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, and a parish church, located on the east side of Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets in midtown Manhattan,...
. It is one of the oldest and largest cemeteries in the United States.
In 1847, faced with
choleraCholera, sometimes known as Asiatic or epidemic cholera, is an infectious gastroenteritis caused by enterotoxin-producing strains of the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Transmission to humans occurs through eating food or drinking water contaminated with Vibrio cholerae from other cholera patients...
epidemics and a shortage of burial grounds in
ManhattanManhattan is one of the five boroughs of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.New York County, which has the same boundaries as the Borough of Manhattan , is the most densely populated county in the United States, with a 2008 population of 1,634,795...
, the
New York State LegislatureThe New York Legislature is the term often used to refer to the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York. Under the New York State Constitution, there is no such thing as the "New York State Legislature"...
passed the
Rural Cemetery ActThe Rural Cemetery Act was a law passed by the New York Legislature on April 27, 1847, that authorized commercial burial grounds in rural New York state. The law led to burial of human remains becoming a commercial business for the first time, replacing the traditional practice of burying the dead...
authorizing nonprofit corporations to operate commercial cemeteries.
Discussion
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Calvary Cemetery is located at 49-02 Laurel Hill Blvd. in
WoodsideWoodside is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered on the south by Maspeth, on the north by Astoria, on the west by Sunnyside and on the east by Elmhurst and Jackson Heights. Its ZIP code is 11377. Some areas are widely residential and very quiet, while others are...
in the
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
borough of
QueensQueens is the largest in area, the second-largest in population, and the easternmost of the Five Boroughs which form New York City. The Borough of Queens' boundaries are identical to those of the County of Queens , a subdivision of the State of New York in the Northeastern United States.Located on...
,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The cemetery is managed by the Trustees of
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New YorkSaint Patrick's Cathedral is adecorated Neo-Gothic-style Catholic cathedral church in the United States. It is the seat of the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, and a parish church, located on the east side of Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets in midtown Manhattan,...
. It is one of the oldest and largest cemeteries in the United States.
In 1847, faced with
choleraCholera, sometimes known as Asiatic or epidemic cholera, is an infectious gastroenteritis caused by enterotoxin-producing strains of the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Transmission to humans occurs through eating food or drinking water contaminated with Vibrio cholerae from other cholera patients...
epidemics and a shortage of burial grounds in
ManhattanManhattan is one of the five boroughs of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.New York County, which has the same boundaries as the Borough of Manhattan , is the most densely populated county in the United States, with a 2008 population of 1,634,795...
, the
New York State LegislatureThe New York Legislature is the term often used to refer to the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York. Under the New York State Constitution, there is no such thing as the "New York State Legislature"...
passed the
Rural Cemetery ActThe Rural Cemetery Act was a law passed by the New York Legislature on April 27, 1847, that authorized commercial burial grounds in rural New York state. The law led to burial of human remains becoming a commercial business for the first time, replacing the traditional practice of burying the dead...
authorizing nonprofit corporations to operate commercial cemeteries.
Old St. Patrick's CathedralSaint Patrick's Old Cathedral, or Old St. Patrick's, is located at 260-264 Mulberry Street between Prince and Houston Streets in Manhattan, in the City of New York...
trustees had purchased land in
MaspethMaspeth is a small community in the borough of Queens in New York City. Neighborhoods sharing borders with Maspeth are Woodside and Sunnyside to the north, Long Island City to the northwest, Greenpoint to the west, East Williamsburg to the southwest, Fresh Pond and Ridgewood to the south, and...
in 1846, and the first burial in Calvary Cemetery there was in 1848. By 1852 there were 50 burials a day, half of them the
IrishIrish Americans are citizens of the United States who trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,495,800 Americans reported Irish ancestry in the 2006 American Community Survey. The only self-reported ancestral group larger than Irish Americans are German Americans...
poor under seven years of age. By the 1990s there were nearly 3 million burials in Calvary Cemetery, the cemetery was also used for the film The Godfather for the funeral of
Don CorloneVito "Godfather" Andolini Corleone , is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather, as well as Francis Ford Coppola's trilogy of films based on it, where he was portrayed by Marlon Brando in The Godfather and by Robert De Niro in The Godfather Part II.-Character overview:In Puzo's...
.
Organized crime
- Vito Bonventre
Vito Bonventre was a New York mobster involved in bootlegging with Brooklyn mobster Cola Schiro throughout the Prohibition era.Bonventre later served as underboss to New York mob boss Salvatore Maranzano during the Castellammarese War...
(1875-1930), mobster
- Anthony Carfano
Anthony Carfano , also known as "Little Augie Pisano", was a New York gangster who became a caporegime, or group leader, in the Luciano crime family under mob bosses Charles "Lucky" Luciano and Frank Costello.-Early life:...
(1898-1959), mobster aka "Little Augie Pisano"
- Gandolfo "Frankie Marlow" Curto (1890-1929)
- Joe Diamond (Natale Evola) (1907-1973)
- Stefano Ferrigno (1900-1930)
- Joseph Lanza
Joseph A. "Socks" Lanza was a New York labor racketeer and a member of the Genovese crime family.Born in Palermo, Sicily, Lanza immigrated to the United States and settled in New York working as a handler in Lower Manhattan's Fulton Fish Market...
(1904-1968), racketeer; mobster
- Thomas Lucchese
Gaetano "Tommy Gunn" Lucchese, also known as "Three-Fingers Brown," "Three Fingers," and "Tommy Brown" was a New York mobster who was a key ally of Charlie Luciano during the 1920s and co-founder of the New York Lucchese crime family.-Early life and Prohibition:Lucchese was born in Palermo,...
(1899-1967), mobster
- Ignatius "Lupo the Wolf" Lupo
Ignazio Saietta also known as "Ignazio Lupo" and "Lupo The Wolf" was a Black Hand leader, extortionist and murderer who was recognized as one of the leading New York mafia bosses in the early 1900s....
(1877-1947)
- Joe Masseria
Giuseppe "Joe The Boss" Masseria was an early Mafia don in the United States. He was boss of what is now called the Genovese crime family, one of the New York Mafia's Five Families, from 1922 to 1931.-Early days:...
(1879-1931)
- Peter Morello
Peter "The Clutching Hand" Morello , also known as "The Old Fox", was the last leader of the Morello crime family and top advisor to Joe "The Boss" Masseria...
(1870-1930)
- Dominick Napolitano (1930-1982), mobster
- Bonaventura "Joseph" Pinzolo (1887-1930)
- Benjamino "Lefty Guns" Ruggiero (1926-1994)
Entertainers
- Nancy Carroll
Nancy Carroll was an American actress.-Career:Christened Ann Veronica Lahiff in New York City, she began her acting career in Broadway musicals. She became a successful talkies actress because her musical background enabled her to play in the movie musicals of the 1930s...
(1903-1965), actress
- Lorenzo da Ponte
Lorenzo Da Ponte was an Venetian librettist and poet.- Life :...
(1749-1838), opera librettist
- Tess Gardella
Tess Gardella was a white Italian-American who is best known for her stage persona of "Aunt Jemima". She performed on both stage and screen and always in blackface. In 1927, she originated the role of Queenie in the classic stage musical Show Boat...
(1897-1950), actress who played Aunt JemimaAunt Jemima is a trademark for pancake flour, syrup, and other breakfast foods currently owned by the Quaker Oats Company. The trademark dates to 1893, although Aunt Jemima pancake mix debuted in 1889...
- Patrick Gilmore
Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore was an Irish-born composer and bandmaster who lived and worked in the United States after 1848. Whilst serving in the Union Army during the Civil War, Gilmore wrote the lyrics to the song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home", the tune he took from an old Irish antiwar folk...
(1829-1882), "Father of the American Band"
- Texas Guinan
Mary Louise Cecilia "Texas" Guinan was a saloon keeper, actress, and entrepreneur.- Early life :...
(1884-1933), actress and saloon-keeper
- Robert Harron
Robert "Bobby" Harron was an American motion picture actor of the early silent film era. Although he acted in scores of films, he is possibly best remembered for his roles in the D.W. Griffith directed films Intolerance and The Birth of a Nation...
(1893-1920), actor
- James Hayden
James Hayden was an American actor. Apart from starring on Broadway, he is perhaps best known for playing Patrick 'Patsy' Goldberg in the film Once Upon a Time in America....
(1953-1983), actor
- Joseph E. Howard (1878-1961), American composer ("Emerson and Howard")
- Patsy Kelly
Patsy Kelly was a Tony Award-winning American stage and film comedic actress.-Career:Kelly was born Bridget Sarah Veronica Rose Kelly in Brooklyn, New York to Irish immigrants and made her Broadway debut in 1928. In 1930 and 1931, she performed for producer Earl Carroll in his popular Sketches and...
(1910-1981), actress
- James Murray
James Murray was an American movie actor.-Background:Born in The Bronx, New York, James Murray went to Hollywood in the 1920s to try to succeed as an actor. After several years of work, mostly as an extra, with little hope of a starring role, he was "discovered" by director King Vidor, who saw...
(1901-1936), actor
- Nita Naldi
Nita Naldi . was an American silent film actress. One of the most successful actresses in Hollywood during the "Roaring Twenties", she was often cast in the role of the "femme fatale"/"vamp", a persona first popularized by actress Theda Bara.-Early life:Born Nonna Dooley in New York City into a...
(1897-1961), actress
- Arthur O'Connell
Arthur O'Connell was an American stage and film actor. He appeared in films in 1941 and television programs...
(1908-1981), actor
- Una O'Connor
Una O'Connor was an Irish actress who worked extensively in theatre before becoming a notable character actress in film.- Life and work :...
(1880-1959), actress
- William J. Scanlan (1856-1898), Singer
- Wini Shaw
Wini Shaw was an American actress, dancer and singer.Born Winifred Lei Momi in San Francisco, the youngest of 13 children of Hawaiian descent, Wini began her entertainment career as a child in her parents' vaudeville act...
(1910-1982), actress
- Joe Spinell
Joe Spinell was an American character actor, who appeared in numerous films from the 1970s to the 1980s.-Biography:...
(1936-1989), actor
- Bert Wheeler
Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey were a famous American film comedy team of the 1930s who are almost totally unknown by today's public, although vintage-film buffs have rediscovered the team via cable television and home...
(1895-1968), comedian
Military figures
- Michael Corcoran
Michael Corcoran was an Irish, American general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and a close confidant of President Abraham Lincoln. He led the 69th regiment into action at the First Battle of Bull Run. Corcoran also led the regiment to Washington, D.C...
(1827-1863), American Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
Colonel of 69th New York Irish Volunteers
- Thomas E. Corcoran
Thomas E. Corcoran was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the Siege of Vicksburg. He was awarded the medal for rescuing his crewmates during the sinking of his ship, the , in...
(1838-1904), American Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
Sailor and Medal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed on a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes themselves "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while...
recipient
- Francis J. Herron
Francis Jay Herron , was a Union general during the American Civil War.-Biography:Francis J. Herron attended the Western University of Pennsylvania, but left at the age of sixteen without completing his degree to become a bank clerk. In 1855, he joined his three brothers in Dubuque, Iowa, where...
(1837-1902), American Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
Union Army Major General and Medal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed on a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes themselves "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while...
recipient
- Patrick Kelly (d.1864), American Civil War
The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
Colonel of 88th New York Volunteer Infantry, and commander of the Irish BrigadeThis article is about the unit of the United States Army during the Civil War. For other Irish Brigades, see Irish Brigade.The Irish Brigade was an infantry brigade, consisting predominantly of Irish immigrants, that served in the Union Army in the American Civil War...
- Thomas Patrick Noonan, Jr. (1943-1969) Vietnam War
The Vietnam War or the Second Indochina War was a Cold War military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1959 to 30 April 1975...
Medal of Honor Recipient
- Eliakim Parker Scammon (1816-1894) American Civil War
The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
Union Army Brigadier General (grave unmarked)
- Robert Augustus Sweeney
Robert Augustus Sweeney was a sailor in the United States Navy and is one of only nineteen servicemen, and the only African American, to receive the Medal of Honor twice, both for peace-time actions.-Biography:...
(1853-1890) United States NavyThe United States Navy is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. As of 31 December 2008, the U.S. Navy had about 331,682 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 283 ships in active service and more than...
Sailor and Double Medal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed on a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes themselves "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while...
Recipient.
Politicians
- John Fox
John Fox was a nineteenth century politician, mechanic and merchant from New York.Born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, Fox immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1840, settling in New York City, New York...
(1835-1914), U.S. Representative from New York and member of the New York City Council
- Patrick Jerome "Battle-Axe" Gleason (1844-1901) last mayor of Long Island City
- Alfred E. Smith (1873-1944), Governor of New York State and 1928 U.S. Presidential candidate
- Timothy Sullivan
Timothy Daniel Sullivan was a New York politician who controlled Manhattan's Bowery and Lower East Side districts as a prominent figure within Tammany Hall. He was euphemistically known as "Dry Dollar", as the "Big Feller", and, later, as "Big Tim"...
, U.S. Representative in Congress (1903-1906; 1912), long-term member of New York State Legislature and sponsor of the Sullivan Act which sought to curtail illegal gun possession.
- Robert Ferdinand Wagner (1877-1953), U.S. Senator from New York State
- Robert F. Wagner, Jr.
Robert Ferdinand Wagner, Jr., usually known as Robert F. Wagner, Jr. served three terms as the mayor of New York City, from 1954 through 1965....
(1910-1991), Mayor of New York City
- Robert Wagner III (1944-1993), president of the New York City Board of Education, son of Mayor Robert Wagner, Jr., and grandson of Senator Robert Wagner
Sports
- Willie Keeler
William Henry Keeler in Brooklyn, New York, nicknamed "Wee Willie", was a right fielder in professional baseball who played from 1892 to 1910, primarily for the Baltimore Orioles and Brooklyn Superbas in the National League, and the New York Highlanders in the American League.- Biography :Keeler...
(1872-1923), Hall of Fame baseball player
- Joseph Scoini (1904-1925), professional boxer, Harlem Welterweight champion
- Martin Sheridan
Martin John Sheridan was "one of the greatest athletes this country has ever known" according to his obituary in the New York Times. He was born in Bohola, County Mayo, Ireland and died in St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan, New York, the day before his 37th birthday, a very early casualty of the...
(1881-1918), four-time Olympic gold medalist in the discus and shot put
- Mickey Welch
Michael Francis Welch Born as Michael Francis Walsh was a 19th century Major League Baseball starting pitcher. He was the third big league pitcher to accumulate 300 career victories...
(1859-1941), Hall of Fame baseball player
Others
- Steve Brodie (1863-1901), Brooklyn bookmaker, claimed to survive Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States, stretching 5,989 feet over the East River, connecting the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn...
jump
- Mary Laetatia Martin (1815-1850) (see Martyn
Martyn, or Martin is the surname of one of The Tribes of Galway, Ireland.-Family history:The Martyn family were one of a select group of 14 families of mixed Irish, English, Welsh, French and Norman descent who became the premier merchant and political families in the town of Galway during the late...
), heiress, novelist
- Edward McGlynn
Father Edward McGlynn , American Roman Catholic priest and social reformer, was born in New York City of Irish parents, Peter and Sarah McGlynn. His parents had immigrated in 1824, and his father became a contractor, acquiring a small fortune before dying in 1847, leaving a widow and ten children...
(1837-1900), reformist Catholic priest
- Claude McKay
Claude McKay was a Jamaican writer and poet. He was a communist in his early life, but after a visit to the Soviet Union, decided that communism was too disciplined and confining. He was never an actual member of the Communist Party...
(1890-1948), poet, journalist, novelist
- Annie Moore (1874-1924), the first immigrant to the United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to pass through the Ellis IslandEllis Island, at the mouth of the Hudson River in New York Harbor, is the location of what was from January 1, 1892, until November 12, 1954 the main entry facility for immigrants entering the United States; the facility replaced the state-run Castle Garden Immigration Depot in Manhattan...
facility
- Joseph Petrosino
Giuseppe "Joe" Petrosino was a New York City police officer who was a pioneer in the fight against organized crime...
(1860-1909), NYPD's first Italian-American detective, founded the Bomb Squad
- Sarah Rabassa (1928-2006) worked in belt factories for twenty cents an hour, in the garment center of New York, and her son loves her.
- Hubert J. Treacy Jr. (1913-1942) FBI Special Agent killed in the line of duty on March 13, 1942, Abingdon, VA.
- Hubert J. Treacy Sr. (1877-1938) NYC Fire Dept. Chief of the Bureau of Repairs and Supplies, 1919-1938.
External links