For as often as I have wandered the grounds of Calvary and other New York City cemeteries I have, with the exception of groundskeepers and cemetery workers, never approached any live person. I go to these places (Calvary in particular) for the distractions of personal histories, not to meet and mingle.
With some trepidation I walked up to a gentleman at Calvary on Saturday. He did not appear to be mourning an ancestor. He was taking pictures — lots and lots of pictures — of the mighty Johnston Mausoleum, a structure that has interested me for many years.
The Johnston Mausoleum is bigger than many houses. It is so large that it would appear to have functioned not just as a crypt but as a full chapel. Conspicuously visible to drivers on the nearby Kosckiuszko Bridge, this great tomb even makes an appearance in “The Godfather” (See my then-and-now analysis of the funeral scene of that movie here).
I approached the man at Calvary because of his apparent interest in the mausoleum, and to ask if he knew anything about it. I thought he might be a researcher or historian. He knew as much as I, meaning nothing. I offered up my theory, based on a burst of misguided research I did about a year ago, and that ended our conversation.
Having never met anyone with a mutual interest in this palatial crypt I found that the encounter, however pointless, re-energized my interest in the question of who built the majestic Johnston Mausoleum.
I found my answer, and the story is indeed interesting, as the tomb is occupied by prince and pauper alike.
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John Johnston, the head of the dry goods firm of J. & C. Johnston, Broadway and Twenty-second-street, and one of the best known merchants of this city, died of heart disease Sunday evening at his residence, 7 West Fifty-third-street. He was born on the banks of Lake Erne, County Fermanagh, Ireland, in 1834, and came to America in 1847. Settling in New-York, he obtained a situation with Ubsdell & Pierson, engaged in the dry goods trade on Canal-street, remained with them for 17 years, during which time his sterling qualities secured him rapid promotion, and in 1864 left their employ and, with capital saved during his term of service, started the present house of J. & C. Johnston, on the corner of Ninth-street and Broadway. The depreciation of values following the close of the war caused widespread mercantile disaster during the earlier years of the firm’s existence, but Mr. Johnston’s able management and rare financial ability carried it safely through this very critical period, which saw the downfall of many old-established houses.
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John Johnston died May 17, 1887, seven years after brother Charles and seventeen years before his other brother Robert A. Johnston. John Johnston’s full obituary from the New York Times (which I transcribed) appears to the right, and summarizes the life and fortunes of a man much loved and respected by his peers.
John Johnston led the J. & C. Johnston company, and the J. & C. Johnston department store at Broadway and Twenty-Second Street was a popular source for dress silks and other fabrics. The store was among the most successful of its time, prospering during an era when similar companies frequently went bankrupt.
The fortunes of J. & C. Johnston took a drastic turn for the worse after John Johnston’s passing. Responsibility for the company passed to Robert A. Johnston, at whose helm the business failed. The bleak account of Robert A. Johnston’s demise, also transcribed from a New York Times obituary, recounts a spectacular fall from grace:
“Mr. Johnston possessed millions when the business came to him through the death of his brothers, but he lost all in a few years, and in 1888 the house went out of existence. He retired to his palatial home at Mount St. Vincent, on the Hudson. Later the place was sold at foreclosure and the house burned, the owner having a narrow escape. Since then he had lived alone in a barn on the property, refusing charity. He was found sick with pneumonia and insane ten days ago.”
This obituary makes tantalizing reference to the mighty structure that has fascinated me for years: “[Robert Johnston's] body … will be immured in the magnificent family mausoleum built many years ago at a cost of $300,000 in Calvary Cemetery.”
The dismal circumstances of Robert Johnston’s death did not cost him a space in the family mausoleum. The mausoleum’s presence today echoes the success and personal fortunes of the Johnston name while housing the man who wasted it.
No mention of survivors is made in any of the Times obits for the Johnston brothers. The obit for John Johnston says he died of “heart disease” while the write-up of the funeral service says that he “died suddenly.” The latter words, I know from experience, are often code for saying that a death was a suicide.
That is just some gawky speculation, though. I am good at gawky speculation. I expect to fill in more and better facts for this story.
This story may interest me far more than anyone else, but it is nice to share for anyone else interested in the story behind the great Johnston Mausoleum at Calvary. I have several photos of the structure at the Johnston Mausoleum section of my Cemeteries and Graveyards photo series.
6 Comments
I have read your account of the Johnston Family in USA and would like to read any recent information you have on the same. My father, John Johnston, RIP, Co Fermanagh, N Ireland, was a descendent of the Johnston Family you have written about. There was a newspaper article (printed in an Irish newspaper) published when a legacy was sent back to The Johnston Family in Boho, Co Fermanagh in the early 1900′s. I have read this but do not have a copy and would dearly love one. My father and his siblings received the legacy and it improved their lives immensely. It was a Godsend when farming was the lifeblood of their community. I have only heard stories of how the older generations managed their farms and admire their intelligence when education was limited to say the least. There were hard times and my father was the youngest member of five, whose parents both passed away when he was approximately five/seven years old. His aunt and uncle reared the family.
As I grew up, I only heard short accounts of emigration and how my father learned of his ancestors being in New York. As a proud member of this family, I would like to be able to tell my children about their Grandfather and his family history. Myself and my brother are the only two remaining members of the family to still carry the Johnston name. This is why I would like to know more and keep the name of my father and his family alive in my lifetime.
Any articles you have would be welcome.
Thank you for your time, Kathleen
Kathleen – It’s exciting to hear from you! I had done no small amount of research into the Johnston brothers, and your message could motivate me to resume that project. I had found a handful of articles in various newspapers of the day, with one front-page story about the mighty mausoleum at Calvary. I, too, would be interested in seeing the article you mention from the Irish paper in the early 1900s, and any other materials you can point us to.
I read on another website that the Johnston Mausoleum which is made of Quincy granite cost $50,000.00 when construction started in 1880. By 1883 it still had not been completed and the cost had risen to $67,000.00. The final cost was $100,000.00 making more sense than $300,000.00 which was an exorbitant amount of money at that time.
I read that source, too, though off hand I can’t recall where it was. An old newspaper archive, I think? I have seen widely varying accounts of what the Johnston tomb cost, but none of the sources had any citations for their numbers, so I am not sure what to believe. I have also done some new research into the structure the past many months but have yet to collate it or add it to these pages.
I’ve always wondered who the Johnston’s were.
I’m a funeral director and get to Calvary often.
First Calvary is my favorite cemetery. I too
wander around, it’s such a peaceful place
especially in the spring. Thanks for your info.
Thi sounds like a case for History Detectives on PBS. Sorabji, have you contacted them? They can do a very thorough job and it seems worthy that they may accept this as an assignment.
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