The final resting place of a James Jackson, who hailed from somewhere locally, was discovered at the end of October during renovation works at Washington Square Park - one of the best known of New York City's 1,900 public parks.
According to The N
ew York Times newspaper, the sandstone grave marker declared: "Here lies the body of James Jackson who departed this life the 22nd September 1799 aged 28 years native of the county of Kildare Ireland."
The workers expected to find bones because the remains of as many as 20,000 people are believed to be buried there.
However, it is thought that the three foot tall headstone is the first to be found in the area, which served as a burial ground for unknown or very poor people - a potter's field - many years before it was developed into a park known for its iconic archway and its central location within Greenwich village.
Loose bones and intact skeletons have been found there and this is not unusual because many of the dead were buried in shrouds or unmarked wooden coffins - but the headstone was unexpected.
The headstone is in excellent condition and was found only two and a half feet beneath the surface.
Following the find the workers dug seven feet further down but no body was found and there is speculation in the area that it was have been moved previously when the area was covered over.
The area was used by the city as a potters field between 1797 and 1826 as well as a burial ground by at least one church.
The New York Historical Society believes Mr. Jackson resided at 19 East George Street; was a watchman and grocer and that he died from yellow fever, which was rampant in the city at the time.
The discovery aroused some interest in New York with Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe declaring: "We're going to try to unravel the mystery of James Jackson and how the headstone came to be there," as well as find his body.
Kildare historian Mario Corrigan thinks it will be a tricky task but has pledged to consult a genealogist.
"It is a really intriguing discovery but it could prove difficult to find out more about him because parish records in this country did not begin until about 1820. If his death occurred in 1899 instead of 1799 we would have a great chance of finding out more," Mr. Corrigan told the Leader.
Nevertheless he added that if the dead man's surname was not very common then a search could throw up more information about him and he speculated he may have been a Protestant or Presbyterian.
"If we traced either of his parents of any siblings it would be a start and in those times it was not unusual for one family member to emigrate and for the rest to remain at home."
Mr.
