Tomb of an Amiable Child

"Erected to the memory of an amiable child St. Claire Pollock Died 15 July 1797 in the fifth year of his age."

Tomb of an amiable child (foreground) with Grant's Tomb and Riverside Church in background (photo taken last March).

On July 15th, 1797 five-year old St. Claire Pollock died. Most likely from a fall down the cliffs of Claremont Hill to the rocky shore of the Hudson. In 1800 George Pollock, either St. Claire's father or uncle, sold the land with the restriction that the grave of the child be kept "always enclosed and sacred". And so it has for 207 years (see photo circa 1900). This is the third monument that the grave has had. Quite coincidentally I walked by on July 16th, one day after the anniversary of Pollock's death. I think there are one or two other single-person burial spots in Manhattan (General William Jenkins Worth is buried near Madison Square Park and Mother Cabrini is resting in Inwood).

New York's best known tomb is across the street from the amiable child. Ulysses S. and Julia D. Grant are interred in Grant's Tomb in the background of the second photo.

Comments

[Pollock Descendant]

Trinity Parish Recs.
Pollock, St. Clair baptized 11/11/1792 by Benjamin Moore.
father: Pollock, George
sponsors: Yates, Mr. Richard Yates, Mrs. Ad. Dyckman, Mr.

[David]

But who was St Claire's mother?

[Edward Sisson]

Catherine Yates, daughter of Richard Yates (the one identified in the parish record cited above as a baptism sponsor) was the wife of George Pollock. Presumably she was the "amiable child's" mother, although I have not tried to verify this in church records. Both George and Catherine Pollock had portraits painted by Gilbert Stuart, as did Richard Yates and his wife (who thus were grandparents to "the amiable child"). The four portraits are owned by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

[joe]

Great info, thanks!