Friends of Maple Grove Cemetery - "Where History Comes Alive"

Friends of Maple Grove Cemetery - "Where History Comes Alive" A non-profit organization created to increase public awareness & appreciation of the cemetery's park-like ambiance as well as its history & culture.

The Friends of Maple Grove is a non for profit organization whose mission it to show that Maple Grove Cemetery is far more than a burial ground. It is a an undiscovered natural gem, serene park and center for wild life here in Central Queens.. It is a place where learning about the lives of those who came before us can illuminate our own lives. It is a spiritual haven and quiet place for meditati

on. We are also a community organization to educate about the history of our residents, collaborate with other community groups and provide free and cultural events throughout the year.

06/23/2026

Congratulations to our friend Sue Nanka-Bruce, warden at the Church of the Resurrection, for her many years of support for this historic church on the border of Richmond Hill and Kew Gardens on 118th St. & 85th Ave. We wish Sue the very best as she starts a new chapter in her life in North Carolina! We look forward to seeing you when you come back to Queens to visit!

https://nylandmarks.org/news/celebrate-hpf-people-sue-nanka-bruce-church-of-the-resurrection/ #:~:text=This%20month%20we%20are%20featuring,repeat%20Historic%20Properties%20Fund%20borrower.

Day of Play Remembrance (Belated)In March 2024, the United Nations General Assembly established 11 June as the Internati...
06/22/2026

Day of Play Remembrance (Belated)

In March 2024, the United Nations General Assembly established 11 June as the International Day of Play to highlight the role of play in happy, healthy childhoods.

Belatedly, we recognize the relevant contributions of toy and costume manufacturers, Martin (1872-1951) and Charles Sackman (1877-1946).

Per a notice in the Brooklyn Eagle, the Sackmans founded Sackman Brothers Co. circa 1907. The company made children's play suits such as a baseball uniform called the official Dizzy Daffy Dean Base Ball Play Suit, made in the 1930's. The company also made a Buck Rogers outfit and helmet, a Roy Rogers outfit, and many others. The factory address was listed as 23 E 22nd St. (Manhattan) on Martin's WWI Draft Card. The Sackman Brothers Co. showroom was located at 200 Fifth Ave., from ads dated between 1935 and 1955.

Martin and Charles lived in Brooklyn and various neighborhoods of Queens. They were both veterans of the NY National Guard.

The Sackman brothers are buried in a family plot with Martin's wife, Helen; their two sisters, Minnie and Gertrude; and their father, Isaac Henry Sackman. (Their mother, Annie Lister Sackman, died in 1889, when the family was living in Princeton, Illinois.)

Rest in peace.

Juneteenth Remembrance #2We honor the family of Myrtle E. Hodge (age 1), who died of pneumonia in 1922 at Kingston Ave....
06/22/2026

Juneteenth Remembrance #2

We honor the family of Myrtle E. Hodge (age 1), who died of pneumonia in 1922 at Kingston Ave. Hospital in Brooklyn.

Myrtle's family tree has deep roots in Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island. Census records confirm that most of Myrtle's ancestors had been in New York since at least the late-18th century.

Slavery was not eradicated in New York until the first part of the 19th century. Thus, Myrtle's family members were almost certainly brought to New York from Africa involuntarily.

Myrtle's ancestors lived side-by-side with descendants of the well-known Dutch families of New York. In 1850, her great-great-grandparents, Mahalalel and Margaret Miller Payne, lived next to the Rapalye family in Flushing, Queens. An 1860 Census listing for Myrtle's great-grandparents, John and Jane Johnson Holmes, shows them living in Flatlands, Brooklyn, in a Remsen family household.

Myrtle's great-great-grandmother, Margaret Miller Payne, was highly esteemed in the local African American community. When Margaret died in Brooklyn in 1889 (age 85), her obituary stated that she was known by all as “Mother Payne.” For many years, she worked with the Catholic Farm and the Howard Colored Asylum (Weeksville, Brooklyn). Margaret was also a prominent member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Born in Amityville, Margaret's remains were returned to Long Island, interred in the Westbury Quaker burying ground.

Men of Myrtle's family were also leaders. Her father and 8 of her 9 brothers were veterans; they are buried in various national cemeteries. Myrtle's great-grandfather, Francis Johnson, was a Civil War veteran. He fought with Company I of the 26th Regiment of the United States Colored Troops.

Myrtle is buried in a large communal lot in the South Border section.

Rest in peace.

________________
Credit to Findagrave user, Aislin, for research on Margaret Miller Payne.

“Riot” on Kaiser Ave. (South Ozone Park)On June 21, 1918, the “Long Island News” section of The Brooklyn Daily Times fea...
06/21/2026

“Riot” on Kaiser Ave. (South Ozone Park)

On June 21, 1918, the “Long Island News” section of The Brooklyn Daily Times featured an article about an angry mob that tore down the street signs on Kaiser Ave (today, 142nd Place). The mob then “destroyed the signs utterly” by burning them in a “monster bonfire.”

Who was the instigator of this uprising? What was the source of the rage?

Captain Frederick Lorin Foote, resident of 60 Kaiser Ave., was the ringleader. His motivation was a rather personal grievance against the Kaiser of Germany. The previous year, Captain Foote had been in command of a commercial vessel, the Margaret B. Rouss, when it was torpedoed by the Germans in the Mediterranean Sea. The Captain had narrowly escaped the incident with his life!

Immediately upon returning home to his South Ozone Park neighborhood, Captain Foote commenced his campaign to remove the word “Kaiser” from his street's name. He and his fellow residents had petitioned borough officials to switch to the less-triggering moniker, “142nd Place.” The residents, in fact, had successfully secured a promise that the street would be renamed. However, the officials had failed to follow through on their promise in a reasonable amount of time. Hence, the residents' rage boiled over!

Captain Foote died of tuberculosis in March of 1928. His address, as listed on his death certificate, was “142nd Place.”

Captain Foote is buried in a plot owned by the Richmond Hill F. & A. M. Lodge No. 892.

Rest in peace.

Wishing our community Happy Father's Day!
06/20/2026

Wishing our community Happy Father's Day!

At Maple Grove Cemetery, we are honored to care for the resting places of two remarkable basketball legends: Anthony Mas...
06/19/2026

At Maple Grove Cemetery, we are honored to care for the resting places of two remarkable basketball legends: Anthony Mason and Dwayne Alonzo “Pearl” Washington.

Dwayne “Pearl” Washington, born in Brooklyn in 1964, became one of New York’s great basketball treasures. He was a playground legend, Syracuse University star, and NBA player whose grace, speed, and famous “Shake and Bake” moves made him unforgettable.

He rests only a short distance from Knicks legend Anthony Mason. Though they wore different uniforms and followed different paths in the game, they remain forever connected here at Maple Grove through talent, determination, and the brotherhood of sports.

This week, when Friends of Maple Grove shared that Anthony Mason is buried here, the response was overwhelming with more than 88,000 views from people who still remember, still care, and still speak his name.

We are proud to honor both Anthony Mason and Dwayne “Pearl” Washington. Sportsmanship is part of the American spirit:. Respect, teamwork, competition, and grace. These legends may be gone, but they are not forgotten.

A Juneteenth Remembrance We honor the Christian family and their 40+ descendants and relatives buried in family plots at...
06/19/2026

A Juneteenth Remembrance

We honor the Christian family and their 40+ descendants and relatives buried in family plots at Maple Grove Cemetery.

Siblings, Sallie Christian Clayton-Berkely, Thomas Christian, Jr., and Ella Christian Hewlett, were all born into slavery on Hickory Hill Plantation in Ashland, Virginia. Ella's husband, Milton Hewlett, also was enslaved on that plantation. Sallie and Ella each had several children; some of them were born into slavery as well.

Members of the Christian family began migrating to New York City well in advance of the period known as The Great Migration (1910-1970). Sallie's son, George W. Clayton, was one of the first 800 burials at Maple Grove, after he tragically drowned at the Jersey Shore in 1880 (age 20). Quite a few other family members were buried in the 1880s, 1890s, and early 1900s.

In 1924, Sallie's grandson, George Frederick Clayton, became the first African American promoted to Pharmacist-in-Charge at a Liggett's Drug Store (8th Avenue and 130th Street in Harlem). Liggett's was the largest drugstore chain in the city at the time, and it had a practice of employing black clerks, pharmacists, and managers in its Harlem stores.

Sallie, Thomas, and Ella, had another sister, Bettie Christian Brown, who remained in Virginia. Bettie's daughter, Landonia Brown Garland, is buried in Maple Grove Cemetery with several generations of her descendants. Notably, Landonia's son, Charles H. Garland, was an esteemed aide to John D. Rockefeller, Jr. for 37 years. After Charles's death, his widow, Odell Sawyer Jones, continued the acquaintance with the Rockefellers and supported Nelson Rockefeller Jr.'s gubernatorial campaign.

Landonia Brown Garland also had a daughter, Pauline Garland Jones. When Pauline passed away, her obituary described her as having been a pioneering black student at Hunter College. The obituary also described Pauline's family as a “civil rights family.” Pauline's older son, Dr. James Paul Jones, was a graduate of New York University. Her younger son, Haywood Garland Jones, Sr., was a graduate of Lincoln University (an HBCU near Philadelphia). Haywood was also a WWII Veteran. He was the family's most recent burial in 2004.

Rest in peace.

_________
A thank you to Crystal M., a Hewlett descendant, for kindly sharing her research on her ancestors.

Wishing our community a joyous Juneteenth filled with love, freedom, and unity.
06/19/2026

Wishing our community a joyous Juneteenth filled with love, freedom, and unity.

Maple Grove honors Knicks legend Anthony Mason. Your spirit lives on.
06/18/2026

Maple Grove honors Knicks legend Anthony Mason. Your spirit lives on.

We presented an iPad to our essay contest winner at the 5th Grade Graduation Ceremony on 6/26/26 at PS99 in Kew Gardens!
06/17/2026

We presented an iPad to our essay contest winner at the 5th Grade Graduation Ceremony on 6/26/26 at PS99 in Kew Gardens!

Address

12715 Kew Gardens Rd
Kew Gardens, NY
11415

Telephone

+13478786613

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