Then & Now - The Cutler Lot

One of my favorite resources on the early history of the Cemetery is Henry Churchill's 1858 Guide Through The Rural Cemetery Containing Illustrations of All The Principal Monuments, Tombs, Etc.; The History of Its Formation; The Rules and Regulations For Its Preservation, Etc. With A Steel Engraved Plan of The Grounds.  The title is quite self-explanatory and the book itself deserves a future post of its own.  The last several pages include the aforementioned "principal monuments," some of which no longer exist and some of which are greatly altered.

One such engraving which caught my attention was the lot of T.R. Cutler.  It shows a simple shaft with what appears to be a bit of carved drapery atop.  There is a little evergreen tree beside it and the whole is enclosed with a variety of ironwork;  a chain with tassels stretches between low stone posts, an arched arbor or trellis frames the monument, and there is a marvelous little gate with a spiral design. 

A search of the Cemetery's burial records placed in one of my favorite sections to explore these days; that secluded little hollow between Consecration Lake and Ravine Side Way (see the previous post on Solomon Van Rensselaer and Correspondence of The Boston Traveller). 

The Cutler lot has changed greatly since the engraving above was published.  Like many lots in the Cemetery, it has long since lost its iron adornments.  As expected, the arched trellis and that lovely spiral gate are gone.  The marble shaft lies flat on the ground, but small boundary markers with the letter C help to identify the lot.  The inscription is not visible and there are thick patches of green moss growing on the stone, though one can still see the carved drapery.  The evergreen in the engraving is also gone and a twiggy bush is growing wild beside the topped stone.

 

This lot was the property of Timothy Rockwood Cutler.  The first burial here was of Rebecca Hillman. Cutler.  She died on December 23, 1853 at the age of twenty-six.  She was the first wife of the lot owner.  The second burial was that of Timothy R. Cutler, whose trade was listed in the city directories as "millinery and bonnet bleaching" at 536 Broadway.  The son of Martin Cutler and Sophia Rockwood, he was born in Holliston Massachusetts on May 3, 1822 and died in Brooklyn on April 4, 1891.  His second wife, Mary, was Rebecca's sister.  She died at the age of sixty-eight on December 17, 1897 and was the final burial recorded for this lot.  

The 1880 census indicates that Timothy and Mary H. Cutler had three sons residing at home;  William (age twenty, a clerk on a boat), John H. (age eighteen, a store clerk), and Timothy (age seventeen, a student).  The household also included a twenty-eight year old Irish-born servant named Laura Shaunessey.  By his first wife, Timothy R. Cutler had at least one child, a daughter named Ida.  

Newspaper clippings also note that Mr. Cutler was a member of the Albany Burgesses Corps, a private military company founded by Captain Thomas Bayeux in 1833.

The Appleton Monument

This massive granite monument with its carved palm fronds atop and heavy granite coping enclosing the lot was erected for a well-to-do Albany merchant named William Appleton.

William Appleton, who resided at 188 Washington Avenue, is listed in old city directories as being in the produce business with stores located at 71 Quay Street and 4 and 87 Bowery (now Central Avenue).

Born in Goodmanham, Yorkshire in 1811, William Appleton came to Albany after the loss of a substantial inheritance and entered the grain and malting businesses.  Later, he would also own a number of barges which traveled up and down the Hudson River between Albany and New York City.  He would also become one of the largest owners of real estate in the Albany area. 

In 1844, William Appleton married Jerusha Frisbee; they would have eight children.

A decade and a half after his death in 1870, Appleton was remembered with great respect:

His life though quiet and retiring was full of good deeds. He was, in an unostentatious way, one of the most benevolent of men and many poor people of Albany to whom his death brought sadness can testify to his kindness and liberality.  Highly esteemed by all who knew him, he was one of the most welcome of friends and companions and his extensive knowledge of a wide range of subjects made him very interesting in conversation. He was a model husband and father and with his family he was exceptionally liberal and painstaking. His home was the place of all places where he loved to spend his time and upon it he lavished care and expense without stint.

(from the Bi-centennial History of Albany County)

His monument, which cost $9,000 when it was commissioned, was the work of William Manson.  The Scottish-born Manson not only created several noteworthy monuments for the Cemetery (including the eagle-topped column honoring Colonel Mills), but also worked on sculpted elements for the interiors at the New York State Capitol and Court of Appeals.

The capstone of the Appleton monument was said to be the largest single piece of granite used for a monument at the time and reportedly weighed over twenty tons.

The Appleton lot stands along a low path at the northwest corner of the South Ridge and is just across from a series of impressive hillside vaults, including the Egytian-inspired Brinckerhoff-Pumpelly crypt. 

In the past, a small set of steps just behind this lot led down to the Moordanaers Kill and Tawasentha Lake, a small ornamental pond which has since been drained.

(While the lot is badly overgrown in the above photo, it had been mowed and cleared by my next visit.)

 View of the Appleton lot from the early 1890s.