This is the last cemetery Cousin Peter and I visited on our cemetery marathon on Saturday April 23, 2021. St. Monica's Cemetery is located on the southwest corner of Liberty Avenue and 160th Street in Jamaica, Queens, New York.
The cemetery was once the burial yard for a Catholic parish of the same name. The church was built in the mid-1850s but was deconsecrated in 1973. It had been damaged by a series of fires. All that remains today is the facade and steeple which were incorporated into the construction of a child care center for York College in about 2005; just about the time that I got a job at nearby St. John's University.
The church had once been the parish of Mario Cuomo who was the Governor of New York State from 1983 to 1994. He and I are both graduates of St. John's University. (Go Red Storm!) It was also once the parish of my Hinch ancestors who lived in Jamaica; ancestors Peter and I share.
Annette "Anne" Hinch-Henry is our great-great grandmother. Annette was born in Barnamelia, County Wicklow, Ireland on February 22,1868. I often reflect on her life in my blog. It was tough. Her mother died in Ireland, her paternal uncle brought the family over to America. Her husband, Victor Henry, committed a murder-suicide in 1908. He murdered Annette's cousin. Annette had three small children to raise on her own after she had already buried three infants. She took in foundlings, or orphans as we would call them. One of them died of appendicitis while in her care. Then she wound up burying two of her adult children; her youngest son Victor Henry drown in a boating accident at the age of 38 and her older son, my great grandfather Charles Henry, died of cancer at 54.
Her father, my 3rd great grandfather, James Hinch was born in about 1816 in Ireland. James died January 29, 1886 in Jamaica, Queens, NY. He is buried in St. Monica's Cemetery. As are Annette's three infant children: Mary "Annie" Henry (8 December 1897 - 6 April 1899), James Henry (24 June 1904 - 16 July 1905), and Robert Henry (7 February 1906 - 10 February 1906).
I also know that her uncle, Charles Hinch, is buried there as well. Charles was slightly younger than James and I get the sense Charles was a bit better financially. Charles died on January 24, 1895. It was his daughter who Victor Henry murdered; Mary Ann Hinch-Cassidy. She is buried in St. Monica's cemetery too.
I don't know what other Hinch relatives might be in that graveyard because I have not been able to track down who has St. Monica's records. I know these burials because their New York City death certificates state the cemetery.
We also could not get into the cemetery which was locked. We could only peer through the chain-link fence at the spot I know is marked for them. They are that cluster of stones framed by the fence.
The stones are no longer legible but I know it is the spot based on content listed on FindAGrave.com. FindAGrave lists 458 photographed headstones in this cemetery. That is about 84% of the stone in the cemetery, not to mention all the unmarked burials there may be. So its a tiny cemetery. Not the tiniest I've been to but still small. In the whole church yard, the Hinches' stones are the only ones that butt up against each other.
FindAGrave only shows the headstone for Charles Hinch. But from family I have heard that my 3rd great grandfather James is buried right next to his brother.
On my call to the Catholic Cemeteries of Brooklyn, I was told they do not maintain that cemetery. Someone does. I think it's them but I have also contacted York College to see if I they are able to let me into the cemetery but I have received no reply.
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