Lost to time, Fairview Cemetery holds stories of Staten Island’s past. Founded as the North Shore Cemetery Association Inc. on November 18, 1872, Fairview Cemetery has been a final resting place for generations.
Let’s walk through its gates. Fairview Cemetery is more than just a burial ground. It is a chronicle etched in stone.
Here lies John Besson “Jack Brewery” Taylor. He was a West Brighton resident. Taylor pitched in major league baseball’s National League. He played from 1891 through 1899. Imagine the cheers that once echoed for this local hero. He died young at 27 of acute kidney failure and now rests beside his mother. In 2002, Taylor was inducted into the Staten Island Sports hall of fame.
Pause here for a moment. Consider the tale of Mary “Polly” Housman Bodine. Accused of a crime, she was even immortalized as “The Witch of Staten Island” in P. T. Barnum’s museum. After multiple trials, she was found not guilty. Upon her death in 1892, Polly received a proper burial at Fairview Cemetery. Her grave drew the curious for years.
Notice the headstone of William A. Morris. Morris was a West Brighton-based moving and storage company owner. He stood against hate. As a founding member of the Staten Island NAACP branch, he organized patrols to protect a black family. The family moved into an all-white neighborhood in Castleton Corners. He was laid to rest at Fairview Cemetery on September 1, 1951.
Consider Gerard L. Carter’s story. Carter was a New York City police officer. He served in the Housing Police Department in Staten Island. Tragically, he was shot outside the West Brighton Houses in July 1989. Carter now rests at Fairview Cemetery.
Fairview Cemetery also holds a plot maintained by the Seamen’s Society for Children and Families. Donated in 1895, it was for indigent children with serious health problems. The first buried orphan was 8-year-old Olga Holl. She died of influenza in 1895. In November 1999, the Society unveiled a granite headstone. It lists the names of the orphans buried here.
Also interred here is John J. Crawford, Jr.. He was once described as the dean of Staten Island printers and the father of the Staten Island Advance. In 1880, he opened a small printery on Henderson Avenue. He died in 1935 at the age of 82. Crawford is buried at Fairview Cemetery.
On Flag Day, June 14, 2002, the trustees dedicated a flag. It honors all those interred at Fairview.
Take a moment to reflect on Patrick Gorman. Born in Ireland, he served in the 164th New York Volunteers during the Civil War. Wounded in battle, he died a pauper. He was moved to Fairview Cemetery. A Celtic cross headstone now marks his grave. It remembers his service. There are at least 42 Civil War Veterans interred at Fairview Cemetery.
Fairview Cemetery stands as a testament to lives lived. It is a place of remembrance. Its stones whisper stories of courage, resilience, and community.