The Traveling Dead Of Patchogue
I first became aware of what I call the "Traveling Dead of Patchogue" while I was researching the ghosts of the Lakeview Cemetery. It was at this time that I first became acquainted with Seba Smith and Elizabeth Oakes Smith and began digging into their lives. More importantly for this section, I also discovered that Lakeview Cemetery was not the original burial place of this famous couple. In fact, I discovered it was the third place they had been put to rest. They were members of the Traveling Dead of Patchogue (more on them later).
There is something extremely unsettling about cemeteries that have been uprooted to make room for progress. It is not uncommon in our society for this to happen, with housing developments, shopping malls and retail spaces often sitting on top of what once was old burial grounds that contain the remains of our ancestors. In many instances, the bodies have simply been left in the ground and the headstones moved, if there were any, to erase the visual evidence of its original use. Many a ghost story is based on tales of restless spirits whose place of eternal rest have been desecrated leaving them to roam the area looking for something or someone that is familiar.
The small town of Patchogue has an unusual amount of these "violated sacred places". Through the years there has been a trail of deceased who were dug up and moved from location to location to accommodate the demands of growth and progress. In many cases individuals were moved more than once. I call these individuals "The Traveling Dead of Patchogue". Who knows. Are some of these restless spirits still haunting Patchogue?
The Ocean Avenue Cemetery
In the early 1800’s, one of Patchogue's original cemeteries was located on the south west corner of what is now Ocean Avenue and Main Street (the other of course was the site of the Lakeview Cemetery). Pictured to the left is what the corner looked like in the late 1800's. This cemetery contained the bodies of some of Patchogue's earliest residents. When it was originally selected as a burial ground, Patchogue was a small rural outpost. As the century progressed, the town and its population quickly began to grow. By 1845, Patchogue had transformed into a bustling town with a growing commercial area along Main Street. The Mulford family, who owned the land where the early cemetery sat, determined that with the growth of this area the land was far too valuable to be used as a cemetery. So in 1859, they decided the bodies had to be moved. Work commenced, and the bodies
of 30 of the earliest residences of Patchogue were disinterred and moved to a patch of land nestled on the far north west side of Patchogue Lake. The new burial ground was named The Old Willow Cemetery(1). Stores and shops soon replaced the headstones and graves of the Ocean Avenue Cemetery, and those who passed by had no idea they were walking on the site of one of the earliest burial grounds in Patchogue and for many the first stop of the traveling dead of Patchogue.
The Old Willow Cemetery Update - In 2011 this gate and the remainder of the fence were removed from the property
Along the south side of Roe Avenue where a small bridge passes over Patchogue Lake can be found an old split rail fence surrounding a heavily wooded piece of property (pictured to the left courtesy of Loren Christie at lorenelizabethchristie.blogspot.com). The fenced off property sits directly on the quiet north west shore of Patchogue Lake, about a mile north of Lakeview Cemetery and Main Street Patchogue. The old fence and empty land looks strangely out of place sitting in the midst of the spreading suburban development that surrounds it. There is a very good reason for its odd appearance. This is the original location of Patchogue's "Old Willow Cemetery", having been converted by its owners to residential property a long time ago.
Originally founded in 1859 by two of Patchogue's most prominent citizens, Austin Roe and Thomas Mulford, the cemetery contained the remains of over 76 early citizens of Patchogue many of whom had been disinterred and moved here from the original Ocean Avenue Cemetery discussed above (2). In addition to a number of the members of the Roe Family, the Old Willows Cemetery was also the original site of the graves of Seba Smth and his equally famous wife, author and early woman's rights advocate, Elizabeth Oakes Smith ( who were both later reburied once again in Lakeview Cemetery). The souls of this quiet remote burial ground rested in peace until 1901, when Mr. Roe and Mr. Mulford determined they wanted to use the land for other purposes. The decision was made to disinter the bodies buried at the Old Willow and relocate them. According to the May, 16th, 1901 issue of the Patchogue Advance, the work was overseen by Austin Roes sons and the town Undertaker, J. Ruland. Most of the bodies were moved to nearby Cedar Grove Cemetery or to other local cemeteries. The Traveling Dead of Patchogue were once again on the move.
Once the bodies were moved the area where the Old Willows Cemetery sat became part of a new housing development, with this section offering beautiful views of the lake.
The Roe Family Cemetery, Roe Street in East Patchogue
The Roe's were one of the more prominent families in Patchogue. One of the most well known members of the family was Austin Roe. He was born on March 2nd, 1748 and was a member of George Washington's famous "Culper Spy Ring". He often rode into New York City to exchange information with another area Patriot, Robert Townsend, who in turn would exchange it with another local revolutionary, Abraham Woodhull. Roe moved to Patchogue in 1798 and founded Roe’s Hotel. Austin Roe died at age 81 in 1830 and was buried with other family members on family land on Roe Street in Patchogue.
But this would not be Austins or the others buried there final resting place. For some unknown reason, most likely to build on the land, in or around 1875 the headstones where removed from their place on Roe Street and placed in the Old Willows Cemetery on the north side of Patchogue Lake. There they rested in peace until 1901, when they were disinterred with the rest of those residing there and moved to Cedar Grove Cemetery, which was newly opened and located along the other shore of the Patchogue Lake. It is here that the headstones, and according to the newspaper article the bodies, of the original Roe family of Patchogue rest today.
A house now sits on the property where the family cemetery on Roe Avenue was originally located.
Elizabeth and Seba's Travels
It was while researching the haunting's at Lakeview Cemetery that I discovered that the famous Elizabeth Oakes Smith and Seba Smith were buried in its confines. It was also during this research that I discovered that this was not the original resting place of the couple. Seba Smith died in Patchogue on July 29th, 1868. According to an article in the Patchogue Advance, Seba was buried in the Austin Roe Private Burial Plot (11/24/1893). The same cemetery mentioned above and more commonly known as the Old Willow Cemetery. In 1868 Lakeview Cemetery did not yet exist.
Elizabeth Oakes Smith died in November 1893 and according to the Patchogue Advance and a number of other sources, she was buried by her husbands side in the aforementioned Austin Roe Private burial plot (Old Willows Cemetery). Sadly, the article states that this once well known lady was buried "unattended by a single mourner".
How than did Elizabeth and Seba end up resting in the Lakeview Cemetery, site of their old homestead? The story gets stranger. Further research showed that they were moved to Lakeview Cemetery in 1901 but not from the Old Willows Cemetery where they were buried earlier. They were disinterred and moved in July of 1901 from the Cedar Grove Cemetery, the burial ground found on the other side of Patchogue Lake (Brooklyn Eagle, 7/23/1901). This means of course that Elizabeth and Seba's bodies were not moved once...but twice. From the Old Willows Cemetery sometime prior to 1901 to the Cedar Grove Cemetery and from there to their final resting place in the Lakeview Cemetery. It seems probable that the bodies were moved to Cedar Grove in anticipation of the closing of the Old Willow Cemetery. But why than move them once again to Lakeview Cemetery? And by who? It seems too much of a coincidence that they ended up buried not 500 yards from the home they once lived in. Could they have been moved by a surviving family member who wanted their final resting place to be at the site where they once lived and had now become a cemetery? At this time, I have found no answer to this mystery. But this we do know. Elizabeth and Seba were charter members of the Traveling Dead of Patchogue.
The Traveling Settler
Among the remains of those early Patchogue citizens that were moved multiple times was one Lieutenant Jonathan Baker. According to an article in the January 14th, 1943 Patchogue Advance, the remains of Jonathan Baker had been moved and were now in Cedar Grove Cemetery where they rest today. What makes Jonathan a special case? That is because the article states that he was one of the original settlers of Patchogue, occupying a farm on what is now the east side of Ocean Avenue. below Baker Street. The Baker family was one of the more respected and oldest families on Long Island and had moved their home from East Hampton just prior to the Revolution.
The article goes on to say that his remains were moved from the "old Baker/ Roe Cemetery nearby a long time ago" and that his gravestone read "born May 22nd, 1704, died January 14th, 1777". He was 74 years old when he died. In actuality, Jonathan Baker was most probably buried first in the old "Ocean Avenue" cemetery which was owned by the Baker family. When the bodies were moved from there in 1859 the Cedar Grove Cemetery did not yet exist (it opened in 1875). Lieutenant Baker was most likely moved along with the other remains from the Ocean Avenue cemetery to the Old Willows cemetery on Roe Avenue, only to be moved again in 1901 when that cemetery moved those buried there.
Jonathan Baker may well have been the charter member of the Traveling Dead of Patchogue.
Cedar Grove Cemetery - Final Stop Of The Traveling Dead
It is here in the Cedar Grove Cemetery that many of the remains of the Traveling Dead of Patchogue ended their journey. The cemetery was opened by a number of prominent citizens of Patchogue in 1875. It is nestled on the east side of Patchogue Lake and is still operated today as and active cemetery. Cedar Grove is home to a "whose who" of Patchogue citizens. Among these graves you will find many of those individuals who were relocated from other cemeteries in Patchogue. Many of these are members of the founding families of the town including the Roe's, Bakers, Mulford's, Gillett's and Robinsons.
It is strange to see so many headstones that predate the 1875 opening of the cemetery and it is safe for one to assume that any gravestones dated prior to 1875 had been moved from other areas.
Shown to the left is the Cedar Grove headstone of one of most well known residents of Patchogue, Austin Roe. Austin Roe was a hero of the Patriot effort during the Revolutionary War and a member of the now well publicized Culper Spy Ring. You can see the small plaque which is in front of his grave identifying him as a Revolutionary War hero.
Post Mortem
I have had a great deal of feedback on "The Traveling Dead of Patchogue". Some of this revolves around the question were the bodies always moved when the headstones were? In my earlier writing of this I did include mention that some reports called that into question. I simply could not find any definitive proof that bodies were left behind but some of the articles were a bit disturbing. Some simply stated only that "the headstones were removed". Thus the speculation that perhaps some bodies still remain in old resting grounds. The other statement I heard from some was that the moving of bodies from cemeteries to re-purpose the areas was not uncommon. Why write and article about it? The answer is that I have never seen so many moved so many times. Yes, you may read of bodies being moved to a new location once. But the Traveling Dead of Patchogue deals with the remains of individuals being moved multiple times in the same community! That my friends is not usual. A restless bunch indeed.
Stations Along The Journey
* Patchogue Family Burial Plots - most headstones and bodies were moved to public or private cemeteries by the onset of the 1900's with housing developments and private homes covering the spots of the original grave sites.
* The Ocean Avenue Cemetery - South west side of 4 Corners. Cemetery closed in 1859 to make room for development. Bodies disinterred and moved to Old Willows Cemetery.
* The Old Willows Cemetery - Closed in 1901 to make room for development. Bodies, including those from the "Ocean Avenue Cemetery" disinterred and moved mostly to Cedar Grove Cemetery. Housing now covers the spot of the old cemetery.
* Cedar Grove Cemetery - Opened in 1875 and still in operation. The final stop for many of the Traveling Dead of Patchogue.
*Lakeview Cemetery - Still in its original location but often abandoned and neglected through the years. Recent outstanding efforts outlined in introduction have brought this cemetery "back to life".
Notes and Credits
(1) - Brooklyn Eagle - 6/30/1900 - "The Old Willow Cemetery"
(2) - Brooklyn Eagle - 6/30/1900 - "The Old Willow Cemetery"
Patchogue Advance - 6/8/1900 - "Willow Cemetery"
Patchogue Advance - 10/16/1936 - "On Central Corner"