These summaries are from the record books of the Staten Island Cemetery in West Brighton. If these are your ancestors, and even if they are not, won't you help us show respect for their memories by contributing to the upkeep of their resting places. Please join us in our work by using the FACSI membership form on the back of this issue and volunteering a few hours of your time.
Record 400 of Staten Island Cemetery, Abraham P. Gibson, Superintendent, shows us that James Wright was buried in Lot 144, rear-west, on Monday, April 9 1900 at 2:00 PM. James Wright was born in Ireland and died at his residence, 96 Castleton Avenue. He died two days before his funeral at 79 years of age. The undertaker was Lawrence Steers.
(James V. Wright: Staten Island deaths, 1900, #398. died 4 Apr 1900 of cardiac paralysis/bronchitis/la grippe. Buried Staten Island Cemetery. Resided West New Brighton. Age 48 years 21 days, married, laborer, born Ireland, in US 50 years [sic]. Parents William and Catharine, both born Ireland. Died at 96 Castleton Avenue (1) West New Brighton.)
Lot 144 was a double lot joined by Lot 143 and owned by Abraham and Cornelius Britton. We searched the FACSI database for Lot 143/144 and found others who were buried there:
Charles H. Malloy, 24, died 1888;
(death not found)
Abraham Britton, 8 months old, died in 1865;
(can anyone find info?)
Abraham Britton, 79, died August 26 1866;
(This is janet's relative - her ancestor Nathaniel Britton Jr.'s brother.)
Isabella Malloy, 61, died in 1890;
(death not found)
Anna Jane Wright, 74, died May 19 1906;
(Jane Wright: Staten Island deaths, 1906, #513. Jane Wright age 75 widow born Ireland. In US 52 years, in NYC 45 years. Died at St. Vincent's. Father: Joseph Barnes b. Ireland. Mother: Catherine. d. 5/19/1906 of chronic interstitial nephritis, buried 5/21/1906, Laurence Steers of West New Brighton in Staten Island Cemetery.)
and Jane A. De Forrest, 68, died May 8 1900 on Prospect Street in West New Brighton.
(Jane A. Deforest: Staten Island deaths, 1900, # 538. 5/8/1900, widow, b. NY, in NYC 20 years, Parents Isaac Kimball b. Rhode Island and Jane A. b. NY. died at Prospect St. West New Brighton, buried Fountain.)
Also buried in Lot 144 was Elsa J. Britton Bush, died 1801. From her early date of death, it is likely that she was buried first at Trinity Chapel and later "removed" to Staten Island Cemetery.
(can anyone find info?)
It can be useful to speculate that these individuals were all family members. A genealogy researcher would take these names and dates and examine death records at the Municipal Archives in Manhattan to determine parents and siblings.
As the only two Wrights in the Britton family plot, James and Anna Jane could be found to have been a married couple
(can't tell from death record - perhaps obit?)
and Anna Jane a Britton by birth.
(no)
John Wright, Record 18, was buried at Staten Island Cemetery on November 26 1876 in Lot 134 in a front grave. He was about 55 years old when he died of general debility and living on Richmond Street in West New Brighton. His funeral was held there at 2:00 PM on Thursday, November 29. The undertaker was John Steers, who was also the Superintendent of Staten Island Cemetery.
(can anyone find this death?)
The FACSI database shows the owners of Lot 134 to have been J. Smith and T. Wright. Also buried in Lot 134 was Thomas Wright, 65 years old, who died October 1 1901 at 73 Jewett Avenue in Port Richmond. He was a Civil War Veteran, Company I 156th New York Volunteers.
(Thomas Wright: Staten Island deaths, 1901, #1070. Thos Wright d. 10/1/1901. Age 65, widow[sic], dyer, b. Ireland, in US 40 yrs in NYC 40 yrs. Parents Thos and Nora Wright both b. Ireland. 173 Jewett Avenue West Brighton.)
James L. Wright, 35, who died in Elizabeth NJ on January 3 1911,
(can anyone find this death?)
George A.H. Smith, 36, who died February 8 1900 in Barrett's Park, and
(can anyone find this death?)
James S. Smith, 45, died November 30 1864, were also buried in Lot 134.
(can anyone find info?)
Both John Wright, Record 18, and James Wright, Record 400, were born in Ireland in the 1820s and both later died in West Brighton. However, we cannot tell from the information in the cemetery records whether they were related or not.