Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States New York State New York City Brooklyn Undertaker's Ledgers

Undertaker's Ledgers

Records of the dead describe the myriad odd ways people used to die.

Brooklyn, New York

Added By
Luke Spencer
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Undertaker’s Ledgers at Green-Wood Cemetery   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The spine of one of the large volumes.   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
Undertaker’s Ledgers at Green-Wood Cemetery   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
Undertaker’s Ledgers at Green-Wood Cemetery   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
Undertaker’s Ledgers at Green-Wood Cemetery   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
Undertaker’s Ledgers at Green-Wood Cemetery   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The Gothic revival gates that mark the entrance to Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery house the welcome center and the cemetery's offices. But buried deep in the basement vaults, along side the mausoleum keys, lies the largely unseen archive of morbid knowledge known as the undertaker’s ledgers.

These ledgers were written in the late 19th century, in large tomes measuring 2 feet across. They fill row upon row of shelves and contain the day-to-day business of the undertaker, namely whom he buried where, and most fascinatingly, why.

For each person the undertaker buried that day, he recorded their names, where they were born and lived, whether they were married, single, or widowed, where they died, which plot they were buried in, and finally, how they left this world.

Looking through the undertaker's ledgers one of the first things you notice is that in the late 1800s, almost no one died of the Grim Reaper's current favorites such as Cancer or Heart Disease. Rather, the deceased were stricken with such Gothic-sounding illnesses as phthisis, Bright’s disease, cholera infantum and scarlatina. Littered across every page are causes of death that sound as if they come straight from the pages of Edgar Allan Poe: opium inebriety of the heart, suicide by cutting throat, overdose of laudanum, killed by streetcar, hit on head by horse's hoof.

These Victorian records, as with similar undertaker's ledgers in cemeteries the world over, are closed to the public. Access to the records can be gained by volunteering with the Green-Wood Cemetery Historical Society, itself an immensely worthwhile pursuit that may make it into the funeral ledgers of the future.

Related Tags

Cemeteries Graveyards Objects Of Intrigue Death

Know Before You Go

The ledgers are not available for public viewing.

Community Contributors

Added By

Luke J Spencer

Edited By

Rachel, Martin, AF, willbradley...

  • Rachel
  • Martin
  • AF
  • willbradley
  • Molly McBride Jacobson

Published

December 29, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green-Wood_Cemetery
Undertaker's Ledgers
500 25th Street
Brooklyn, New York, 11215
United States
40.656368, -73.995261
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Brooklyn Theatre Fire Memorial

Brooklyn, New York

miles away

Grave of Governor DeWitt Clinton

Brooklyn, New York

miles away

William Beard's Grave

Brooklyn, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Brooklyn

Brooklyn

New York

Places 241
Stories 45

Nearby Places

Brooklyn Theatre Fire Memorial

Brooklyn, New York

miles away

Grave of Governor DeWitt Clinton

Brooklyn, New York

miles away

William Beard's Grave

Brooklyn, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Brooklyn

Brooklyn

New York

Places 241
Stories 45

Related Stories and Lists

Take a Peek at the Haunting Sounds and Sights of an After-Dark Cemetery Party

cemeteries

By Megan Roberts

Enter the Mausoleum With this Video from Atlas Obscura’s Cemetery Soirée

cemeteries

By Dylan Thuras

Related Places

  • Framingham, Massachusetts

    Graves of John Cloyce & Abraham Rice

    In 1777, two men were killed after being struck by lightning at the same time.

  • Entrance to the old crematorium in Wedding.

    Berlin, Germany

    Silent Green Kulturquartier

    Concerts, art, offices, and a café in what used to be Berlin's first crematorium.

  • A beautiful tomb.

    Aguascalientes, Mexico

    Los Ángeles and La Cruz Graveyards

    Legends, sculptures, and unique tombs can be seen lurking in these connected cemeteries.

  • Victoria, British Columbia

    Ross Bay Cemetery

    This stately Victorian-era burial ground overlooking the Pacific Ocean is home to the graves of some of British Columbia's most famous figures.

  • The backside of the grave, which features the fudge recipe.

    Logan, Utah

    'Kay's Fudge' Gravestone

    Kay Andrews's recipe was so good, her family immortalized it in stone.

  • Two foam-green crypts with planters.

    Oaxaca, Mexico

    Panteón General (General Cemetery)

    This graveyard boasts a medley of diverse and imaginative funeral architecture.

  • The grave of Florence Irene Ford.

    Natchez, Mississippi

    Grave of Florence Irene Ford

    Florence’s mother built a stairway down to her daughter’s coffin so she could comfort her during storms.

  • Wheeling, West Virginia

    Sweeney Punch Bowl

    The largest piece of cut lead crystal adorned a grave for 75 years and is now the shining star of a glass museum.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.