Second Stop, part 2: St. John Cemetery, Middle Village Queens - Anne Hinch-Henry

When visiting St. John Cemetery with Cousin Pete on April 24, 2021, we visited several graves of our ancestors, one of which was our great great grandmother, Annette "Anne" Hinch-Henry. She is my Grandma Earle's paternal grandmother. All my research into her life has revealed such terrible sadness. Doesn't she look like Julia Roberts though?

Annette was born on February 22, 1868 in Barnamelia, County Wicklow, Ireland to James Hinch and Jane Kavanaugh-Hinch. She was the 4th of 6 children; 5 girls and 1 boy. Her mother died in Ireland but I can't find a record for the date or the cause. Her brother also died young. The family lore was that he drown in a local river but the death record I found, which might not be him really, states he died in a workhouse. 

It was her uncle, Charles Hinch, who made his way to the United States and acquired enough wealth to secure some property in Jamaica, Queens, New York and bring his family and his brother's family over from Ireland. Charles and James Hinch are buried in St. Monica's Cemetery which was also one of the cemeteries Peter and I visited on April 24. I plan to blog about that soon.

Annette married Victor Henry on June 18, 1895. The couple had 6 children, 3 of which died as infants and two of which she outlived. Yes, she buried 5 of her 6 children. And then in a very dramatic event, her husband killed Annette's cousin, Mary Hinch-Cassidy before turning the revolver on himself on June 8, 1908. Tragedy after tragedy, Annette survived until the age of 84. She died on March 2, 1952 in Pearl River, NY where she was living with her daughter Jane Henry-Edsall.

She is interred in St. John Cemetery in Section 18, Row O, Grave 78. And yes! She has a headstone. 

You can see she is interred with Edward Reed who died when he was 16 years old. Edward was a child that Annette fostered and died while in her care. My great uncle Bobby Henry shared the details of Edward's death with me many years ago. Eddie was suffering with stomach pains so Annette took him to a doctor who told the kid he was faking his illness so that he didn't have to go to school. That night Eddie died in his sleep from a ruptured appendix. More tragedy this poor woman had to endure. It comforted me to see Eddie recorded on that headstone with Annette.

I called St. John Cemetery to learn what that name Nolan is doing on the bottom of that stone. That is not a surname I have run into in my genealogy research. Apparently the plot was purchased by Daniel Nolan. Daniel is not interred in the plot but there is a third burial there, one not listed on the stone. Daniel's cousin of some ilk, Louis Lanzerett (about 1859 - 10 Aug 1918) of Woodhaven, Queens, New York. Daniel Nolan is so common a name I can't be sure any of the ones are find are the right person. Maybe someday I will figure out the connection but for now I am grateful Daniel provided my great-great grandmother a beautiful place to be laid to rest.