When French -born New Yorker, Louis Bonard, died in February of 1871 he left his entire estate --valued at $250,000 --to ASPCA founder, Henry Bergh. Bonard, an animal lover, wanted Bergh to use the money to continue his good work. This will was contested, unsuccessfully, by siblings of Bonard --siblings he had been estranged from for many ears --on the grounds that Bonard was insane given his belief in metempsychosis (reincarnation). During the proceedings in Surrogate Court, a number of witnesses were called, including a physician and several acquaintances of Bonard’s. One of these acquaintances testified that Bonard believed that after death “the soul passed into the body of some animal.” On May 16, 1871, Bonard’s body was removed from a receiving vault at Green-Wood Cemetery and buried in a plot nearby the cemetery’s main entrance. Bonard’s monument was paid for out of estate funds, overseen by Henry Bergh, and cost $600.00.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 Taphophiles
For May's American Cemetery & Cremation , I interviewed 5 popular Instagram taphophiles. In the article they talk about why they ph...

-
This monument is to the DeFeo family, who were all murdered in their Amityville, LI home in November of 1974. Ronald DeFeo Sr., his wife L...
-
"A Pocket of Peace," a profile of Hartsdale Pet Cemetery, in Westchester, New York, is the cover story for November's Americ...
-
At the 1972 funeral of Jackie Robinson, 2,500 people packed Riverside Church in New York City. New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, NY C...
-
Hungarian-born journalist and newspaper publisher, Joseph Pulitzer, was born Jozsef Politzer in 1847. Several years after the death of his ...
-
Way back when, the first significant monument I was introduced to at Green-Wood was the "bride." So significant was this that I ...
-
Frank Costello, born Francesco Castiglia, was luckier than most of his mob cronies --he died a natural death at the age of 82. Having surviv...
-
One of the most ornate monuments in Green-Wood is that of Charlotte Canda, who died in 1845, on her 17th birthday. Canda’s death was th...
-
One of the most unique mausoleums to be found in Atlanta’s Oakland Cemetery is that of successful Atlanta businessman, Jasper Newton Smith. ...
-
For May's American Cemetery & Cremation , I interviewed 5 popular Instagram taphophiles. In the article they talk about why they ph...
-
This Norman Revival hillside tomb, which contains the remains of the Lispenard Stewart family, was designed by James Fenwick in 1889. The...
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.