Restoration of historic Burr cemetery, the resting place of War of 1812 veterans, is complete

A 19th-century cemetery in the Commack Home Depot parking lot that holds the remains of two War of 1812 veterans, and those with names familiar to Long Islanders, has been rejuvenated.

The Burr family cemetery, with eight grave sites, was rededicated Thursday after a $30,000 beautification project. Improvements include the replacement of one of the headstones, cleaning and resetting of others, a new fence, and installation of a flagpole, benches and a plaque.

“This place now has the respect and dignity that it deserves, not only as the final resting place of some of our earlier ancestors of the community, but of two veterans who helped defend the United States when it was threatened,” said Huntington Town Historian Robert Hughes at the event. He was joined by elected officials, local stakeholders and descendants from the families.

Paws of War, a Nesconset-based nonprofit, started the beautification last year after the discovery that two of the graves belong to Cpl. Jacob Burr and his son-in-law, Pvt. Isreal  Scudder. Both served in the 2nd Regiment of the New York Militia during the War of 1812. That war, fought between the United States and Britain, ended with a peace treaty.

Paws of War co-founder and president Robert Misseri said it was an honor to be able to provide dignity to the final resting place of those who fought for America.

The organization pairs service dogs with first responders and veterans, and reunites animals in war-torn areas with American service members.

A $5,000 donation from the Ferro Family Foundation, founded by Huntington Town Board Member Sal Ferro, and $25,000 in materials and labor donations covered the cost of the project, Misseri said.

Four generations of the family of Jacob Burr, whose father, Isaac Burr, was the first of the family to settle in Commack, are interred in the cemetery, Newsday previously reported. At one time the Burr family owned hundreds of acres of land in the area, including where the cemetery is located. A nearby road still bears the Burr name. 

Members of the Wick family, early settlers on Long Island, also are interred there. Isreal Scudder’s headstone had shattered and was replaced during the refresh. The original headstone was buried next to the grave, Hughes said.

The land was developed as a shopping center by department store founder Henry Modell in 1965. To spare the cemetery, he agreed to move the proposed store back 50 feet. A request in 1990 to relocate the cemetery was quickly dropped when it was met with opposition, Newsday previously reported.

Around 2023. information uncovered by an independent historian led to the confirmation that two veterans, Jacob Burr and Scudder, were buried in the cemetery.

Warren Scudder, a ninth-generation descendant of Isreal Scudder, said the family suspected their ancestor was a War of 1812 veteran and were happy to have it confirmed.

“The story of his life is now complete; we’ve closed the chapter,” Scudder said.

He added that when he visited the cemetery in the early 1980s, Isreal's headstone had been shattered and the site was overgrown. While conditions at the cemetery have greatly improved since then, the day's events were encouraging.

“It’s now been preserved and it’s cleaned up to the point that it will have respect,” he said. “People can enjoy it as a historical site, which it is.”

Several speakers noted that on the date in 1983, 241 U.S. servicemen were killed when suicide bombers drove truckloads of explosives into the U.S. Marines barracks in Beirut.

East Northport resident Janet Burr Scherer, a descendant of Jacob Burr’s family, said the day was particularly poignant for its history, and bittersweet as she remembered her son Christopher Scherer, a Marine who died in Iraq in 2007.

“This solidifies the community we live in, and a town that is dedicated to honoring our veterans as well as our rich history,” Burr Scherer said.