White Plains Presbyterian Church

Twice in the history of the White Plains Presbyterian Church, earlier burials were removed and re-interred elsewhere in the cemetery to make way for building projects. The first time was for the building of a fellowship hall in 1922 and the second time for the building of an educational and office wing and a sanctuary expansion in 1963. While some burials were removed to other cemeteries in the area, 201 persons were re-interred in April 1963 in a dedicated plot marked by four granite markers in the present cemetery. Remains were respectfully placed in boxes donated by Elder Arthur N. Dusenbury, with every attempt to keep family groupings together. The boxes were a standard size of 30” L x 24” W x 16” deep and placed in three rows, with three separate boxes for those who were known at the time to be veterans, and three boxes for remains that were unknown or unidentified. The plot was originally demarcated by chains that have long since disappeared. The location of five veterans of the Revolutionary War were marked by plaques, though we now know that there are at least 18 veterans in the plot.

In December 2019, local Boy Scout Brendan Borowsky of Troop X, which meets at the church, restored the chains and decorative posts in order to honor the memory of those buried here, to invite visitors to contemplate the early history of our county and the church, and to aid genealogical research. The memorial plaque reads:

In memory of the 201 persons originally buried
on the south side of The Presbyterian Church,
including 18 veterans from the Revolutionary War,
the War of 1812 and the Civil War,
re-interred in this plot, April 1963.
Placed by Troop X, 2019

The names of each person buried here is listed below, with their location in the plot by box and compartment indicated according the map below. The names of known veterans are underlined.

For more on the history of the cemetery, see the chapter on the“White Plains Presbyterian Church Cemetery” in the excellent resource published by the Westchester County Historical Society. Patrick Raftery, The Cemeteries of Westchester County, Volume II (2011).