Catharine Hamilton's Vault

This stone plaque is all that remains of the very first private burial vault erected at the Albany Rural Cemetery in 1847. Very little is known about Catherine Hamilton, not even her exact date of death as she was moved to the Rural Cemetery in 1847 from a burial ground in downtown Albany. But, while Catharine's history is forgotten, her vault (which was torn down to due to poor construction and damage) has a fascinating story of its own...however, that's a tale for another day.

The Boyd Monument

The towering Robert Boyd monument at the western edge of the Middle Ridge. This imposing marble features heavy lions' feet on the sarcophagus-style top, a winged hourglass, and tablets bearing the names of the deceased.

Robert was the son of James Boyd, owner of the Arch Street Brewery in the South End. Robert later became a partner in the brewery and lived nearby on South Ferry Street.

Also buried in this lot is a family servant, Cretia Jackson.

The Church Grounds Project

A number of posts here in recent months have featured gravestones found in the Church Grounds section. The more I explore and research this section, the more I am impressed by its historic significance and I have decided to create a blog focusing on the Church Ground burials.

Many of the Church Grounds stones are broken or badly eroded so I know going into this project that I will not be able to transcribe every one, but I want to document as many as I can before time completely erases them.

The new blog can be found at:

The Albany Church Grounds