The Leatherman was given a new burial this week.
In 1889 this mysterious man who I've talked about on AncestorsAtRest in an earlier blog post, died and was buried at the side of the road. For years he had wandered the country from New York to Connecticut. Earlier this week his remains were dug up and what was found was reburied in a plain pine coffin in a suburban New York cemetery.
No bones remained but some earth and nails from his old coffin were put in his new pine coffin and buried with him in his new resting place.
No one knows the Leatherman's real name; he remains a mysterious figure who begged for food and slept outdoors from the 1850s to his death in 1889.
Specializing in Death Records for Ancestors. Cemeteries, Death Certificates, Coffin Plates, Funeral Cards, Obituaries, Gravestones and more.
Showing posts with label Leatherman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Leatherman. Show all posts
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
The Leather Man
Leather Man' to be exhumed from Ossining
The obscurity behind a 19th-century, leather-clad wanderer who traversed Westchester County and Connecticut for more than 30 years may soon be unearthed.
A recent state Supreme Court ruling will allow a team of scientists to exhume the body of the "Leather Man," a legendary figure who was buried at Ossining's Sparta Cemetery in 1889 and whose true identity continues to stir intense speculation.
"He is one of this country's major historical mysteries," said Ossining Historical Society President Norman MacDonald. "Not only can we give this man a more dignified resting place, but we hope to find out a lot more about him."
The Ossining Historical Society, as owners of Sparta Cemetery, sought the court order so forensic testing could be conducted on the Leather Man's remains and also to rebury him elsewhere on the 2-acre site, MacDonald said.
Presently, the Leather Man is buried in a "pauper's grave," mere steps from busy Route 9 and, as such, a safety hazard. The second-hand headstone — another man's name is etched on the back — sits alone, removed from other plots, at the cemetery's entrance and is easily missed.
http://www.lohud.com/article/20110120/NEWS02/101200398/Famed-Leather-Man-to-be-exhumed-from-Ossining-grave
The obscurity behind a 19th-century, leather-clad wanderer who traversed Westchester County and Connecticut for more than 30 years may soon be unearthed.
A recent state Supreme Court ruling will allow a team of scientists to exhume the body of the "Leather Man," a legendary figure who was buried at Ossining's Sparta Cemetery in 1889 and whose true identity continues to stir intense speculation.
"He is one of this country's major historical mysteries," said Ossining Historical Society President Norman MacDonald. "Not only can we give this man a more dignified resting place, but we hope to find out a lot more about him."
The Ossining Historical Society, as owners of Sparta Cemetery, sought the court order so forensic testing could be conducted on the Leather Man's remains and also to rebury him elsewhere on the 2-acre site, MacDonald said.
Presently, the Leather Man is buried in a "pauper's grave," mere steps from busy Route 9 and, as such, a safety hazard. The second-hand headstone — another man's name is etched on the back — sits alone, removed from other plots, at the cemetery's entrance and is easily missed.
http://www.lohud.com/article/20110120/NEWS02/101200398/Famed-Leather-Man-to-be-exhumed-from-Ossining-grave
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