Thanks for asking about Hart Island, Patricia. Hart Island (in Bronx County NYC) has been an active burial site for those who died impoverished, or without family contacts, since May 1881. It was the 10th known potter's field in NYC. Other such locations were at today's Washington Square, Madison Square, Bellevue Hospital, NYPL, and Ward's and Randall's Islands. Hart Island's public burial ground is referred to as a "Potter's Field." Here, the deceased are buried in graves with non-relatives, and without individual headstones or markers. Please note, Catholic cemeteries in metro NYC did provided similar free burials for such persons, when the loved one's religion was known. Within the Catholic auspices these burials are called "charity burials." If your ancestor died in a Catholic hospital, and you can't confirm a burial cemetery, check a Catholic cemetery. I am positive that Calvary [opened 1850s] and St John's [opened circa 1881] in Queens NYC had charity burials. I've discovered Hart Island burials in five online search engines, and all do not cross reference with each other. 1) NYC MUNICIPAL BURIALS https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2240477 Clue: Enter a surname, then you have to click into each hit. Some are indicated by a Bronx death. 2) IGG...Death search. http://italiangen.org/ Clue: Enter "Death Search." Prior it about 1916, burials may appear as New York Co., or Westchester] Co. 3) NYC CORRECTION DEPT.---Prisoners perform burials. http://a073-hartisland-web.nyc.gov/hartisland/pages/search/search.jsf 4) HART ISLAND homepage, begins 1980 https://www.hartisland.net/burial_records/search 5) HART ISLAND BURIALS @ Find A Grave http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=65710 Curious about Hart Island? Check out this New York Times article.>>>> http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/10/online-searching-for-those-buried-and-often-forgotten-on-hart-island/?_r=0 I hope this brings you closer to your ancestors, Barb in NY -----Original Message----- Patricia Hammons via hammons7@windstream.net Is the Hart Island grave database on line?