New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-04-28
THE HOPPER BURIAL-PLACE.
REMOVING THE BONES TO TRINITY.
LEvELLING DOWN THE PLOT AT NINTN-AvE. AND
FIFUETII-ST.

FIFHETH-Sr.
Fifty or sixty boys in knee-breeches and red
stockings were dancing all kinds Of antics yesterday
afternoon at Nlnth-aye and Fiftiest around plot Of
ground at the southwest corner The plot extended
some thirty feet the avenue had depth Of eighty
ieet on Fieths II from to nine feet from
the sidewalk and covered with turf. Its exposed
Danks disclosed sort OF fine loam There three
posts upon the lot which had been used for stretching
clothes lines upon and there patches of old tin
roof piled up at SIDE The destructive feature,
however, which attracted the attention OF the boys,
some ten marble aud stone headstones which marked the
graves OF many more persons than that number. The
lot was the old family buryng ground Of John Hopper
ana MS family branching OF among his descendants into
the Strikers the Horns and the varans. John Hopper
was born In 1892 and died In 1919 He owned farm OF
Soo acres covering the now lying between Fifth
ave- and the North River and Fortyseventh and Fifty
fourth sts He left his three sons Andrew. John and
fels 100 acres each, saying to them: Boys, that
all you Will have. You will have to work for living"
And so they armed 1t their father had starting out
from the old Dutch Hopper mansion at Fity-thrd-st.,
ana the North River, which still stands, and earning
livelihood until they passed away and buried in the
family graveyard around which the boys gathered yes
terday.
In 1s46 this whole district was unnhabited save by
stray occupants but In that year Fifticth-st. was
sacreligously cut right through graveyard
side, and Ninth-ave, extended took of slice the
other side Seven OF the bodies OF tho descendants OF
John Hopper dug up and put in grave in an
other part OF the ground.
Yesterday Ellsworth L. Striker the nephew OF General
Garnet Hopper Striker OF Strikers Bay (who died In
1865 ana buried In Trinity Cemetery, superin
tending gang Of who were shovelling away the
loan and getting at the bones OF the dead people, the
purpose OF transferring them TO his lot in Trinity Gene
terry Mr. Striker aud James Alexander Striker are the
sole surviving descendants OF the daughter OF John
Hopper, who married Striker. Ellsworth l.. Striker
wishes 10 flats the old lot and In obedience to
the demands OF the times be has undertaken to remove
the bodesor all that is left OF them. Ho had list OF
twenty names OF those buried although It is be-
leved that people than that in the plot Be
sides the descendants OF John Hopper several slaves who
once served In his family are supposed to be buried
there. Yet stone marks their graves. The head
stones stained and their inscriptions are in many
cases nearly obliteraed The earliest date is that OF
1905. when Rachel Robina Horn was buried there.
Her tombstone bears these lines;
Aficton long time bore
Physirans art was vain.
Aud free me from my pain
Undertaken Elchelberg under Mr. Strikers direction.
beginning the Fifteth-st side. They had not dug
In than three feet before they came on we'll
preserved skeleton The skull especially perfect
The coffin had disappeared; only rotten Il OF ma
hos any dl-cernibo from It's grain, remained The skull
that Of Andrew Hopper, one OF old JOhu Hoppers
sons who died IN 1926. fhe boneS picked up
fully and put In huge wooden box. Then an oval sofia
silver pae dug fro the loan showed that the grave OF
Jenima Horn. who buried In 1914 had been opened
The reverse sido showed that Erasmus Phillips had
handed his name down TO fame us The engraVer OF the
plate.
Tnen the grave opened which contained the seven
bodies removed In 1876. They were nameless. IL was
not known but that the tones s0f old John Hopper were
here for Mr. striker fails 10 mud from the family records
where the founder of the house. buried. Another
silver plate which had TO be- scaped on before the name
could he deoiphered bore the name or Andrew Hopper
yaran, who died In 1926 age fourteen Only pieces OF
bone Indicated where hts body had been placed. .
Nv ths time all the small boys OF the neiBbOrhood had
eatheros about the place They ran up the saes OF the
bank on lits OF the turf ana threw az
one another and then rolled down the embankment
Ever and anon policeman on the summit OF the Dank
drove them away. but they would return one OF them
found perfect tooth In the soil and threw at te hed
of the undertaken There anything but soemnity IN
the surroundings and the jiGes OF the boys The work
until one large box was filled with the Dones OF
the old farmers offspring direct and remote anu the
undertakers took the load to Trinity cemetery
All that left Of some dozen bodies was dug up ana
removed third Of the space being gone over ana the
dirt cared on The undertaken and his men went away
at o y. H. 10 resume their work this morning