Frequently Asked Questions

---

Who Owns Greenwood Cemetery?

Greenwood Cemetery is owned by and cared for by Greenwood Cemetery Preservation Association, Inc.

Who has the records for Greenwood Cemetery?

Sadly, no one. The records should that should have been kept by the local government were not. To the best of our knowledge, partial records are on file with the St. Louis Genealogy Society and with Western Manuscripts Dept – UMSL. The descendants of Solomon Rooks, the last owner of Greenwood Cemetery (prior to the Friends of Greenwood) should have the original 1945-1993 records and descendants of Adolph Foelsch have the original 1874-1906 records. At this time, the most complete database of burials at Greenwood Cemetery is owned and maintained by the Records and Research committee of the Friends of Greenwood Cemetery, Inc. This database is the result of independent research. We are more than happy to share information from our records on an individual basis but copies of the complete database are not available at this time.

Is Greenwood the oldest African-American cemetery in the St. Louis area?

No, it is neither the oldest nor the largest. There are 12 African-American cemeteries in the St. Louis area. Four are older than Greenwood and one is larger:

Quinette Cemetery (Kirkwood) 1866 – 1 ½ acres

First Baptist Church of Chesterfield Cemetery (Chesterfield) 1868 – ½ acre

Union Baptist Church Cemetery (Chesterfield) 1868 – 2 acres

Mount Pleasant Baptist Church Cemetery (Wildwood) 1872 – 1 acre

Greenwood Cemetery 1874 – 31.85 acres

Washington Park Cemetery (Berkley) 1920 – 38.85 acres is the largest