Letter to Editor: Clearing Up Confusion on Two Jackson Cemeteries

Melissa O’Connor’s recently had a entitled “Harold Avenue Cemetery”, and I wanted to clear up any confusion that may have arisen from it regarding two separate and distinct “Jackson” Cemeteries, both located in Wantagh. One is the burial ground for the white Jackson family and their descendants, while the other is the cemetery for the African-American former slaves of the Jackson family, and their descendants.

The African-American Harold Avenue Cemetery is located at the southern end of Harold Avenue, on the opposite side of the Wantagh Parkway from Wantagh Avenue.  It is situated on land that was part of 30 acres purchased in 1808 by freed black slave Jeffrey Jackson, from white Revolutionary War veteran Thomas Jackson, whose family formerly owned Jeffrey, his wife Kate, and other African-American slaves.

Twenty-six black Jacksons, including Jeffrey, Kate, their descendants and their African-American friends, are listed as being buried in the Harold Avenue Cemetery.  The last two burials were those of Emeline Jackson, who died on February 7, 1899, and her husband, Henry Titus Jackson, who died on April 8, 1904.  Their final requests were that they be buried in the Harold Avenue Cemetery in Wantagh, with their ancestors.

The white Jackson Cemetery, established in 1744, is located on the east side of Wantagh Avenue, immediately north of St. Frances de Chantal R.C. Church.  This Jackson Cemetery is the final documented resting place of 63 descendants of Robert Jackson, who in December of 1643 co-founded Wantagh, along with Captain John Seaman.  

Among those interred in the white Jackson Cemetery are Revolutionary War veteran Thomas Jackson, and War of 1812 veteran Brigadier General Jacob Seaman Jackson.

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Tom Watson

president