This cemetery includes memorials for those likely left buried at the three burial grounds of the First and Second Reformed Dutch Churches and the one burial ground that predated the construction of the First Reformed Dutch Church building in 1656.

These burials occurred from 1642-1801 in 4 separate locations. As one filled up, the church expanded to the next. Very few of these remains and headstones were moved elsewhere and most remain where they were originally placed. The locations and their history are as follows:

1. 1642-1656: Near Madison Avenue (described as north of Madison Avenue and Church Street). The first Dutch church was built and burials were placed around it. No record is able to be found of what happened to these remains.
2. 1656-1658: At the intersection of State & Broadway. The First Reformed Dutch Church was built here in 1656 as a wooden structure. In 1715, it was replaced with a stone structure. The churchyard was filled within 2 years. Burials listed as "in" the church actually occurred under the church building. These were for prominent church members and continued after the churchyard filled in 1658. 110 burials (possibly more) were noted to have been "in" (under) the church at this location. The 1715 church was demolished in 1806 and some (but not all) of the burials in and around the church were moved to the already full Beaver Street location below. The Beaver Street space problem was solved by placing dirt over some of the existing burials there, and reburying those from this burial site on top of those. Proving that not all burials were removed from here when the church was demolished in 1806, in 1851 workers accidentally dug into the 1715 church foundation and happened on two coffins. These were placed in the vault of the 1811 Second Reformed Dutch Church (see below).
3. 1658-1789: Beaver Street burial ground. With the above churchyard quickly filled up, the First Dutch Reformed Church continued its burials a couple of blocks away at a location enclosed by the current Beaver, Hudson and Pearl Streets. In 1806 (17 years after this location was full and no longer being used for new burials), the headstones here were laid flat, covered with 3 feet of dirt, and construction began for the Second Dutch Reformed Church. This church was constructed on top of these burials which were left in place and are mostly still there. The burials in the "footprint" of this building where the foundational supports were dug out were exhumed and placed in the vault of the Second Reformed Church which was completed in 1811.
4. 1789-1801: Eagle Street burial ground. When the above location was full in 1789, the First Dutch Reformed Church expanded to this area west of Eagle Street and south of State Street. Some of these burials were moved in 1801 to the next location but not many. Burials that remained here were happened on in the 1980s during a construction project.

Burials at the above 4 sites are appropriate to list as memorials in this cemetery as no concerted efforts were made to move any burials in bulk from any of these 4 sites. The specific burial location for each of these burials can be determined by the burial date.

Very few of the headstones from the 4 above locations are known to have ended up at Albany Rural Cemetery including those that were accidentally uncovered during various construction projects at these site and were moved from one church vault to the next.

After the above 4 sites were full, burials began taking place at what is now Washington Park. This was from 1801 to 1868 at which time arrangements were made to move these burials to Albany Rural Cemetery. A cemetery reading was done in 1866 at the Washington Park burial site, but did not include all stones for some reason. This reading was published so that relatives could move their loved ones to a location other than Albany Rural Cemetery in 1868 which some did. However, no good records were found as to which of these Washington Park burials went where. Estimates sit at about 4000 burials having been moved from here to Albany Rural Cemetery. It is also felt that there may have been many unmarked remains left in Washington Park which are still there.

Those buried at Washington Park are appropriately listed in the Albany Rural Cemetery's Find-a-Grave site. However, many others who were left at the above 4 sites are inappropriately listed as being at Albany Rural Cemetery as well.

Known stones from the above 4 locations that did end up at Albany Rural Cemetery include:

In 1881, the Second Reformed Dutch Church was abandoned and a new church was built on Madison and Swan Streets, the Madison Avenue Reformed Church. This church had a vault beneath its bell tower that housed remains moved from the vault of the Second Reformed Dutch Church. See above #2 and #3 regarding stones kept in the Second Reformed Dutch Church's vault. These were moved to Albany Rural Cemetery when the Madison Avenue Reformed Church burned down in the 1930s.

Twelve stones dating 1721-1789 and some unidentified remains were found during construction at the Beaver Street burial ground in 1883 and were also put in the Madison Avenue Reformed Church's bell tower vault. These were then moved to Albany Rural Cemetery to be placed with those moved from the Washington Park area in 1868.

In 1836, there were also a couple of stones including the 1711 stone for Albany's mayor that were accidentally excavated at the Beaver Street site and may have ended up at Albany Rural Cemetery.

In summary, the remains from the above 4 listed locations that ended up at Albany Rural Cemetery included the 12 stones mentioned above, and a few others found accidentally during construction activities. 20 names were on a list of stones and identified remains that were moved to Albany Rural Cemetery from the bell tower vault beneath the Madison Avenue Reformed Church when it burned down in the 1930s.

This list includes:

David Van der Heyden and his wife, Gertrude; Catilina Bogert; Elezebet Waldren, wife of Willem; John Waters; Johannes Van Schaick; Maria Dow, wife of Johannes Gansevoort; Eliesabet, wife of Abraham H. Wendell; Harmanus Wendell and wife, Catherine; William Phelen; Lydia Van Veighten, wife of William Bloodgood; Jeremiah Field, Elijse, wife of Frans Wenne; Anthony Van Schaick; William Lush; Gertrude Lush; Neeltije, wife of Thomas Lansing; Gysbert Fonda; and Maria Besset, wife of Abram Bogert.

It is possible that a few others early headstones may have ended up at Albany Rural Cemetery but no concerted effort was made at the above 4 sites to move them from their original burial location.

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"The first Dutch Reformed cemetery was located near the southern side of the city stockade - between today's Beaver and Hudson Streets. Previously, notable members were buried beneath the church.

By the 1780s, the church cemeteries were full and burial places were no longer appropriate for the heart of a developing urban center. At that time, the Albany common council designated a block of land bounded by today's Eagle, Hawk, Lancaster, and State Streets as the city's municipal cemetery. The city plot was apportioned to the following four churches and to leading Albany families.

"Churches in Albany before 1776

Dutch Reformed

Lutheran

St. Peters Anglican

Presbyterian

With the rapid growth of Albany's population following the American Revolution, the first city plot soon proved inadequate. By 1801, a new cemetery had been opened on public land near the western edge of the settlement just above newly laid-out Washington Square. A few years later, the Eagle Street block was subdivided into lots for development.

Four times as large as its predecessor, the Washington Park Cemetery was bounded by State, Robin, Hudson, and Knox Streets and also was divided into discreet church and family plots. Unlike its predecessor, it included a section for Negroes and another for strangers. Many new graves were created to accommodate the needs of a booming city and to bury those who died during the Cholera Epidemic that swept Albany (as many other populated migration destinations in the United States) in 1832.

Fueled by constant immigration, the city of Albany continued to grow and to expand. By 1818, building lots had been laid out facing Washington Square and now surrounded the cemetery on three sides. By the 1840s, houses were built on those lots. Snipe Street also was extended through the heart of the cemetery. However, the Washington Park Cemetery was used until 1868 when the last remains were relocated to Albany Rural Cemetery. A few years later, the one-time city cemetery was transformed into part of Washington Park."

http://exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov//albany/dead.html

The current location of any particular grave (and whether it was actually moved) that was buried within the city prior to 1868 is uncertain.