GreenWood Cemetery Brooklyn, NY

As mentioned I love to photograph headstones for genealogy and I love wandering the cemeteries, admiring gravestones, marveling at fancy tombs with beautiful stained glass, and spotting famous names.

In the spring I was on a weekend jaunt to Brooklyn and had recently found out my great-great grandparents were buried in GreenWood Cemetery. I knew my great-grandfather and grandmother were buried there and had visited their site before but had no clue my g-grandmother’s parents “my great-greats” were there too! NO their name is NOT Schultz and I have no clue who the Schultz are but my great-great grandparents are buried there as well as my great -grand mothers sister and brother.

One of the wildest things about GreenWood is that right there in the heart of Brooklyn, living in the cemetery are feral Monk Parrots! YES, I said parrots! The monk parrots are tolerated at the cemetery by its management and considered a benefit. WHY? Because unlike the pigeons which use to roost there in the front gate prior to the parrots arrival, their excrement does not damage the structure. As mentioned we were there in the spring and the parrots were all busy building their amazing nests in the tall spires, the nest are quite intricate and built only out of twigs. How did the parrots get there?? The story goes that during the 60’s the parrots were escapees from a container at John F. Kennedy International Airport, they were to be shipped to unauthorized pet shops, the parrots -- originally from Argentina -- are now successful Brooklynites and have learned to live under NY conditions, amazing! They even have their own calendar! And a song on YOUTUBE! (check Parrots of Brooklyn)

GreenWood dates back to 1850, the entrance to the cemetery is grandly gothic, there are said to be appox. 600 thousand graves spread out over 480 acres. It is an amazing place to wander. There are hundreds of notable graves, while there we visited Leonard Bernstein and Louis Comfort Tiffany, and of course the grandparents. Here is the entrace gates.


And some famous graves...you can click on photos to enlarge...


The cemtery was just bursting in pink, it looled like pink snow on the walkways...
and another


hope you like the pics I have so many I do not know which to choose!!



This tomb was so interesting ... all sorts of animals...click on pic for detail


you can actually take a tour of the place ... So if you are ever in Brooklyn stop by and see this amazing place!

I wish I could show you all my pictures!! Enjoy!