If you think you have an ancestor buried in the Old Dutch Burying Ground, be certain you are looking in the right location. The adjacent Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is a much larger property containing interments from the middle of the 19th century through the present. If the individual in question died after 1849, chances are good that the interment was in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery rather than the Old Dutch Burying Ground, especially if the individual was not known to be a member of the congregation of the Reformed Church of Tarrytown.
There are approximately 1,700 interments in the Old Dutch Burying Ground, the majority from the mid 18th century through the late 19th century. The Friends of the Old Dutch Burying Ground does not keep or have access to the records of the church, but we are happy to share information from our own research. Email us at info@olddutchburyingground.org.
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, which surrounds the Old Dutch Church and its burying ground, is a separate entity incorporated in 1849 and currently contains about 45,000 interments. The cemetery office is able to confirm burial of specific individuals by date of death. Contact the office during business hours: Monday through Friday, except major holidays, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Fees may apply for research time and photocopying. Sleepy Hollow Cemetery does not keep or have access to records of the Old Dutch Church or its burying ground.
Just getting started and having trouble figuring out the difference between a first cousin twice removed and a second cousin once removed? You need this table of consanguinity provided to us by our friends at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.
Institutions and organizations.
The following institutions and organizations may provide assistance in genealogical matters. Most charge a fee for services provided. None is affiliated with the Old Dutch Church or its burying ground.
In New York state birth and death certificates and marriage licenses are filed with township government. Contact town clerks or NYS Bureau of Vital Statistics for copies of those documents. For example, if you seek a record of a marriage in the village of North Tarrytown (now Sleepy Hollow) in 1949, you would need contact the Town of Mount Pleasant.
Village of Sleepy Hollow
Incorporated as North Tarrytown in 1874, the village changed its
name to Sleepy Hollow in 1996. This village is located in the township of
Mount Pleasant.
Village Clerk, 28 Beekman Avenue, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591
www.sleepyhollowny.org
914-631-0533
Town of Mount Pleasant
May have records of vital statistics for individuals who resided
in what is now Sleepy Hollow (formerly North Tarrytown). Some of its records
predate the incorporation of the village of North Tarrytown in 1874.
1 Town Hall Plaza, Valhalla, NY 10595
www.mtpleasantny.com
914-742-2300
Village of Tarrytown
Incorporated in 1870. This village is located in the township of
Greenburgh.
Village Clerk, 21 Wildey Street, Tarrytown, NY 10591
www.tarrytowngov.com
914-631-1652
Town of Greenburgh
May have records of vital statistics for individuals who resided
in what is now Tarrytown. Some of its records predate the incorporation of
the village of Tarrytown in 1870.
Town Clerk, 177 Hillside Avenue, Greenburgh, NY 10607
www.greenburghny.com
914-993-1500
New York State Bureau of Vital Statistics
Birth, death, and marriage records, after 1881.
www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/vr/forms/genealogy.htm
Westchester County Archives and Records Center
Holds deeds, wills and estates, naturalization records, and veteran
records from 1680 to present.
www.westchesterarchives.com
914-231-1500
Westchester County Historical Society
Its collection includes papers of many Westchester families, genealogical
files, colonial and federal census records, maps, and much more. Holds records
from 1680 to present.
www.westchesterhistory.com
914-592-4323
Historical Society Serving Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow
Its library contains a collection of local publications.
1 Grove Street, Tarrytown, NY 10591
914-631-8374
Westchester County Genealogical Society
Facilitates sharing and exchange of local information.
P.O. Box 518, White Plains, NY 10603-0518
www.rootsweb.com/~nywcgs/
Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness
For those unable to travel to distant archives, local volunteers
will research genealogical records.
www.raogk.org
Cyndi’s List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet
An extensive, cross-referenced list of genealogical resources.
www.cyndislist.com
NYGenWeb - Westchester County, NY
Identifies regional resources for those researching family history.
www.rootsweb.com/~nywestch/index.htm
National Archives and Records Administration, Northeast Region
Federal records including census, military, courts, immigration,
and much more.
201 Varick Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10014
www.archives.gov
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Family History Center
Local center provides access to most of the microfilms and microfiche
in the main LDS Family History Library.
801 Kitchawan Road, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
914-941-9150
www.familysearch.org
Books.
William Graves Perry’s The Old Dutch Burying Ground of Sleepy Hollow in North Tarrytown New York: A Record of the Early Gravestones and Their Inscriptions is one source of information on early interments that can be readily found in local libraries and historical societies. Following are titles currently in print that pertain to the Old Dutch Church, its burying ground, and the community that is now Sleepy Hollow.
First English Record Book of the Reformed Dutch Church
in Sleepy Hollow
Formerly the Manor Church of Philipsburgh, Now the First Reformed
Church of Tarrytown.
Ed. by Edgar Mayhew Bacon. 122p., paper. (1931) 1997
www.higginsonbooks.com
Old Dutch Burying Ground of Sleepy Hollow:
A Record of the Early Gravestones & Inscriptions.
192p. (1953) 1991
www.higginsonbooks.com
Chronicles of Tarrytown & Sleepy Hollow
Edgar Mayhew Bacon. 163p. (G.P. Putnam's Sons; 1907) 1997.
www.higginsonbooks.com
The Place Names of Historic Sleepy Hollow & Tarrytown
Henry Steiner (1998), 2004, 224 pp.
www.willowbendbooks.com
