Gardens of Stone --- A Cemetery Blog by Alexandra Kathryn Mosca

  It's been some time since I've photographed the Roeder mausoleum. After Saturday morning's funeral, I took a walk through the cemetery grounds, revisiting --and photographing-- some of my favorite sites. It was a misty (even rainy at times) and cloudy day, which made for optimal photography. also got a decent shot of the interior. The sandstone mausoleum resembles a castle and it holds the remains of Rev. Dr. Charles W. Roeder, who served as the longtime pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Roeder, who belonged to an old Dutch family, also served as the chaplain of a local army and navy post.

It took me three determined attempts to locate the grave of author Mario Puzo, buried in North Babylon Cemetery (not to be confused with Babylon Rural Cemetery) on Long Island. The third time was the charm, and I finally found it. On Sunday evening, after dinner, my cousin joined me in the search. We split up and walked through the rows of the cemetery.  Despite coming across many noteworthy monuments, I still couldn't find Puzo's grave. Suddenly, it occurred to me that he might be buried in the small --and less occupied-- graveyard across the street.  It turned out that it was another section of the cemetery, and I spotted Puzo's grave nestled within some bushes as soon as I entered. He is buried with his wife Erika who died in 1978. Surprisingly, the rose granite monument makes no mention of his fame as a writer.  Standing before the grave, I couldn't help but recall the day long ago when, as a teenager, I and some friends eagerly made our way into the city to see the...

  The catacombs beneath old   St. Patrick’s Cathedral, are a unique historical site, and among the few remaining catacombs in the  U.S. A network of underground tombs and passageways, these catacombs hold a rich history that is closely connected with the early history of Catholics in New York City. They were used for burials and religious ceremonies, and some of the earliest Catholic settlers in New York found their final resting place here.   While St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue gets the lion’s share of attention as the center of Roman Catholicism in New York City, the Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral in lower Manhattan was the focal point of the church in the city for decades. Located at the intersection of Mott and Prince Streets, Old St. Patrick’s was the first cathedral for the Diocese of New York when it was completed in 1815. The building was also the largest Catholic church in the United States at that time. Many Catholics began to gain promine...

  Cemeteries can be great resources for genealogical research. Here are some tips to get you started,