A Guide to New York City Cemeteries

The Graveyard Shift: A Family Historian’s Guide to New York City Cemeteries by Carolee Inskeep

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In its history, New York City has dug up and covered over dozens of burial grounds. Carolee Inskeep tracked them down. Written encyclopedia-style, The Graveyard Shift lists hundreds of graveyards, along with years of usage and some brief historical information. Since Inskeep’s book is designed for family historians, she includes information on where records can be found and contact information.

My chief complaint about the text is that it includes no illustrations: no photos of famous New Yorkers, no beautiful gravestones, no historic photos or other ephemera. The loss is more keenly felt since the little cover photo of a graveyard chock-full of simple crosses and grieving muses — with the Empire State Building rising behind — is really perfect for the book. In my edition, the photo is neither identified or credited. I am guessing it’s taken from Queens. Please correct me if that’s wrong: it’s a place I’d love to see for myself.

You can order your own copy of The Graveyard Shift from Amazon: The Graveyard Shift: A Family Historian’s Guide to New York City Cemeteries

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