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

  When President Ulysses S. Grant died on July 23, 1885, two undertakers were called to prepare his remains. At the suggestion of Grant's physician, Dr. John Douglas Ebenezer Holmes was contacted. Holmes brought his patented invention, the “Corpse Cooler Casket,” to preserve the body in the summer heat until the embalming process could be carried out. Later, Reverend Stephen Merritt Jr. arrived to handle the embalming process with associates Daniel Harrigan, Felix Sullivan, and a small group of assistants. Sullivan was an expert in embalming who had previously worked on President Garfield and had recently opened the New York School of Embalming. Meanwhile, Merritt had taken over his family's undertaking business in the 1870s and was one of the most well-known and respected undertakers in New York City. Harrigan handled the funeral arrangements for Albany, while Merritt took care of those in New York City.However, conflict arose between Merritt and Holmes over payments and libel...

Pro basketball star Dwayne Alonzo "Pearl" Washington got his nickname from Hall of Famer Earl "the Pearl" Monroe. At the age of eight, Washington was already a NYC  playground legend. Not surprisingly, while in high school he became the most highly recruited basketball player in the country. Ultimately, he chose Syracuse, at which he was named Big East rookie of the year. Washington also played for the NJ Nets. He died from a brain tumor at the age of 53. He is buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Queens, New York.