Monfort Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Monfort Cemetery is located 250 feet (76.2 m) east of the intersection of Port Washington Boulevard (NY 101
) and Main Street in Port Washington
, New York
, United States
. It contains 118 graves of some of the earliest Dutch settlers
of Cow Neck (as today's Port Washington was then known) and their descendants, buried from 1737 to 1892. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1988.
The cemetery is a small, nearly square plot surrounded by tall oak trees. It is fenced off and locked, not open to the public. The graves are arranged in 13 rows by family.
Originally it was part of the 110 acre (44 ha) Rapelje farm. The 1 acres (4,046.9 m²) property was separated from Rapelje's farm and sold in July, 1786 to members of the Onderdonk, Schenck, Hegeman and Dodge families. The earliest-dated markers are those of Andries Onderdonk and his wife Geertruy, which date to 1731 and 1738 respectively. Other bodies were reburied there prior to the Rapeljes' sale of the property and its official designation as a cemetery in 1796.
All headstone
s face west. The markers, mostly sandstone
but for a few in marble
, show a variation in styles consistent with their time periods. Eighteenth-century markers are sandstone detailed with "soul effigies", a tripartite lobed top with a face in the center and other decoration in the wings. By the end of that century and the beginning of the next, the lobed top was plain, the inscriptions began with "In Memory" or "In Memoriam", and there are at least two marble headstones with the willow
-and-urn
motif common in neoclassical
gravestones from the 1820s on. The last graves, from the late 19th century, are made of unadorned marble, common to that time. All the tombstones seem to rise naturally out of the ground, moldy and ancient.
The Monforts, one of the families with ancestors buried in the cemetery, owned and continued to maintain the cemetery not only throughout its period of active use but for almost a century thereafter. In 1984 Burtis Monfort transferred it to the town of North Hempstead, which has maintained it ever since.
(1740-1793) was one of the signers of North Hempstead's Declaration of Independence from then-Loyalist
Hempstead
during the Revolution
. Andrew Onderdonk (1756-1793) was a captain in the militia and later a New York State Senator
. Joseph Onderdonk (1766-1852) was present at George Washington
's inauguration
as a young man and would later introduce modern techniques to local agriculture and serve as a district highway supervisor for North Hempstead. In addition, Henry Onderdonk Jr. (died 1886) was a Long Island historian who married his first cousin, Maria Onderdonk and wrote such books as "Revolutionary Incidents of Queens County."
New York State Route 101
New York State Route 101 is a long state highway in northwestern Nassau County, New York, United States. It runs north–south as Port Washington Boulevard from NY 25A in Flower Hill, west of Roslyn and north of Manhasset, to Astor Lane in Sands Point...
) and Main Street in Port Washington
Port Washington, New York
Port Washington is a hamlet and census-designated place in Nassau County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the community population was 15,846....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It contains 118 graves of some of the earliest Dutch settlers
Dutch colonization of the Americas
Dutch trading posts and plantations in the Americas precede the much wider known colonization activities of the Dutch in Asia. Whereas the first Dutch fort in Asia was built in 1600 , the first forts and settlements on the Essequibo river in Guyana and on the Amazon date from the 1590s...
of Cow Neck (as today's Port Washington was then known) and their descendants, buried from 1737 to 1892. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1988.
The cemetery is a small, nearly square plot surrounded by tall oak trees. It is fenced off and locked, not open to the public. The graves are arranged in 13 rows by family.
Originally it was part of the 110 acre (44 ha) Rapelje farm. The 1 acres (4,046.9 m²) property was separated from Rapelje's farm and sold in July, 1786 to members of the Onderdonk, Schenck, Hegeman and Dodge families. The earliest-dated markers are those of Andries Onderdonk and his wife Geertruy, which date to 1731 and 1738 respectively. Other bodies were reburied there prior to the Rapeljes' sale of the property and its official designation as a cemetery in 1796.
All headstone
Headstone
A headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. In most cases they have the deceased's name, date of birth, and date of death inscribed on them, along with a personal message, or prayer.- Use :...
s face west. The markers, mostly sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
but for a few in marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
, show a variation in styles consistent with their time periods. Eighteenth-century markers are sandstone detailed with "soul effigies", a tripartite lobed top with a face in the center and other decoration in the wings. By the end of that century and the beginning of the next, the lobed top was plain, the inscriptions began with "In Memory" or "In Memoriam", and there are at least two marble headstones with the willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
-and-urn
Urn
An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...
motif common in neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
gravestones from the 1820s on. The last graves, from the late 19th century, are made of unadorned marble, common to that time. All the tombstones seem to rise naturally out of the ground, moldy and ancient.
The Monforts, one of the families with ancestors buried in the cemetery, owned and continued to maintain the cemetery not only throughout its period of active use but for almost a century thereafter. In 1984 Burtis Monfort transferred it to the town of North Hempstead, which has maintained it ever since.
Notable burials
Some of those buried at Monfort played important roles in early local history. Martin SchenckMartin Schenck
::The article is about Martin Schenck . For Martin Schenck , see Martin Schenck von Nydeggen.Martin Schenck was an American civil engineer and politician from New York. He was New York State Engineer and Surveyor from 1892 to 1893.-Life:He graduated C.E...
(1740-1793) was one of the signers of North Hempstead's Declaration of Independence from then-Loyalist
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
Hempstead
Hempstead (village), New York
Hempstead is a village located in the town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 53,891 at the 2010 census.Hofstra University is located on the border between Hempstead and Uniondale.-Foundation:...
during the Revolution
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. Andrew Onderdonk (1756-1793) was a captain in the militia and later a New York State Senator
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
. Joseph Onderdonk (1766-1852) was present at George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
's inauguration
Inauguration
An inauguration is a formal ceremony to mark the beginning of a leader's term of office. An example is the ceremony in which the President of the United States officially takes the oath of office....
as a young man and would later introduce modern techniques to local agriculture and serve as a district highway supervisor for North Hempstead. In addition, Henry Onderdonk Jr. (died 1886) was a Long Island historian who married his first cousin, Maria Onderdonk and wrote such books as "Revolutionary Incidents of Queens County."