Death in New York

History and Culture of Burials, Undertakers & Executions

K. Krombie

• Publisher: The History Press
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781439676943
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

Like every aspect of life in the Big Apple, how New Yorkers have interacted with death is as diverse as each of the countless individuals who have called the city home. Waves of immigration brought unique burial customs as archaeological excavations uncovered the graves of indigenous Lenape and enslaved Africans. Events such as the 1788 Doctors' Riot--a response to years of body snatching by medical students and physicians--contributed to new laws protecting the deceased. Overcrowding and epidemics led to the construction of the "Cemetery Belt, " a wide stretch of multi-faith burial grounds throughout Brooklyn and Queens. From experiments in embalming to capital punishment and the far-reaching industry of handling the dead, author K. Krombie unveils a tapestry of stories centered on death in New York.

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1. The Oldest Graves and Artifacts
• 2. Bloodshed and Ambition
• 3. The City’s Building Blocks
• 4. Body Snatching and Other Misdemeanors
• 5. We’ve Been Burying in It a Long Time
• 6. Afflictions Are the Steps to Heaven
• 7. Crime, Punishment and Investigation
• 8. Remnants of Israel
• 9. The Lonesome and the Leftovers
• 10. Victorian Inventions, Techniques and Procedures
• 11. Death Grip
• Epilogue
• Bibliography
• About the Author