-----Original Message----- From: David Roberts <droberts@us.hsanet.net> To: LI-Rooters <LI-Rooters@genexchange.com> Cc: jmrubins@napanet.net <jmrubins@napanet.net> Date: Thursday, January 14, 1999 9:12 PM Subject: [LI-Rooters] Jerusalem Quaker Burying Ground >OK, here's the scoop on Jerusalem Quaker Meeting & Cemetery >Source: LDS film #1036201, item #15 >"Cemeteries of Old Wantagh" by Wantagh American Revolution Bicentennial >Committee; call number written-in on title page 974.7 A1 NO. 198 >This is a film of small books & booklets. There are at least three other L. >I. items beyond 2 on Wantagh on this film; old history of Brookhaven Town - >wonderful ca. 1900 photos!; newer history of Water Mill; Whitney's Account >Book [Woodbury-Syosset vital records of early 19th century]; rest is New >Jersey, Indiana, etc. ... real grab bag of books plus lots of Family >Genealogies from all over the place. >According to the Wantagh book, the first settlement of Jerusalem was at the >modern cross-roads of Wantagh Avenue [N/S] & Jersusalem Avenue [E/W]; the >original settlers were the families of Capt. John Seaman & Robert Jackson >ca. 1644 ... so that's right at the very start of Hempstead Town history. >"Very early" Capt. Seaman allowed Quakers to meet in his home "Cherrywood." >[WOW! I learned that Cherrywood Shopping Center has a historic name .. I >just assumed it was a modern developer's name .. you learn something every >day]. The Jerusalem Meeting was "under the care of" the Bethpage Meeting, >which in turn was under the Jericho Meeting. It seemed this was the >situation for most of the 18th & into the early nineteenth century ... >Quakers in the area met in people's home & had no independent meeting of >their own. >In 1820, Jerusalem was established as a separate Meeting, but like >Bethpage, was under Jericho. Records of the Jericho Monthly Meeting for "18 >of 10th mo 1827" say: "The committee appointed in the third mo. last to >superintend the building of a Meeting House at Jerusalem. Reported it >completed and that the money raised has been all expended." >This building still stands & is used as a classroom/Sunday School by the >Wantagh Baptist Church. >On 2 March 1861 land was purchased adjacent to the Meeting House for a >cemetery. An older Seaman plot with burials dating to 1819 may have been >incorporated into the cemetery. >The Meeting was discontinued 11 November 1908, although the cemetery was in >use until the 1920's. >In 1952, most of the land was sold to the Wantagh Baptist Church; however, >the Quakers kept ownership of the cemetery, with an interesting clause, >that the Baptists must maintain the cemetery. >The complete listing of 200+ graves are shown on this LDS film. We will >eventually get these burial on the Nassau cemetery site of our >NYGenExchange. >I can look up individuals you think might be buried at the Jerusalem >Meeting. >David