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The Presbyterian Church in Elmont

525 Elmont Road, P.O. Box 466
Elmont, New York 11003-0466

This database contains an index of names of known persons interred in the church cemetery transcribed from the monuments.

Unfortunately, some markers have been destroyed or toppled. The church has no further information on those interred, however, we would appreciate updated information regarding missing names especially for those sites for which there is no information. This continues to be an active cemetery.

The church was first built in 1864, burned (which may explain the loss of records) and rebuilt in 1902 (dates on cornerstone). This was a German church attended by many farmers from Jamaica.

There are photos of each marker/site which will be sent via email upon request.
E-mail: Click Here

The cemetery survey, transcriptions and photos were accomplished by Ms. Lorraine Adams and Ms. Linda Heelan. They have been kind enough to allow their  index to be placed on the German Genealogy Group website in an effort to aid all genealogists. We appreciate their work and effort. 

Church History
(Taken from the 80th Anniversary Booklet of 1944)

Over eighty years ago a group of preachers from East New York carried on religious services at various points on Foster’s Meadow Road (now Elmont Road), and from the efforts of those men the Presbyterian Church in Elmont sprang.

On March 28, 1864, the Cornerstone of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church was laid, and dedication of the church followed on December 26th of the same year. Later the church became affiliated with the Nassau Presbytery (now Brooklyn-Nassau Presbytery) and was known as the St. Paul’s German Presbyterian Church. At that time the pulpit was supplied by students of Bloomfield Seminary, Bloomfield, NJ. The congregation was German speaking and all services were conducted in the German tongue. However, during the pastorate of the Rev. Augustus C. Espach (1903-1938) there was a marked change taking place in the character of the parish. German yielded to English, first to the extent of one English service a month, later two, and then three services a month were conducted in English. Since the coming of the present pastor the transition from German to English has been completed.

In the early years of his pastorate, the Rev. Augustus C. Espach conducted afternoon services in New Hyde Park and Rosedale, and though his endeavors coupled with those of the Willing Workers League of Rosedale, a thriving church was established in that community. At about the same time (October 1903) the other daughter church in New Hyde Park, now the New Hyde Park Presbyterian church, was established by our church.

Prior to the ministry of the Rev. Augustus C. Espach, St. Paul’s was served by Rev. Remi J. Buttinghausen, who began his ministry of this congregation in 1894.

The earlier pastors were Pastor Schmall, who came in 1870, and built the first church parsonage. In the spring of 1878 Pastor Wanderer was installed; in 1888 he was succeeded by Pastor J. P. H. Schweitzer, now ministering to the congregation of the Corinthian Church in Philadelphia.

Thus looking back over eight decades we review our achievements and those whom God called to make such achievements possible. Now, we turn our faces toward the future, confident that in a changing neighborhood and an even more rapidly hanging worked we may find ever-widening fields of service as new and more challenging need arises.