FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com may 14, 2015 • THE COURIER SUN 3 CIVIL WAR SAILOR DISCOVERED IN MAPLE GROVE CEMETERY BY ANGELA MATUA [email protected] @Angela Matua After years of searching, the Friends of Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Gardens found the burial site of a Civil War Navy sailor. The Friends of Maple Grove Cemetery, a volunteer organization that works to promote the historical and cultural relevance of the cemetery, discovered that Joseph Teagle, an African-American Civil War sailor, is interred at the historic graveyard. Carl Ballenas, president of the Friends of Maple Grove Cemetery, said his organization is still trying to piece together more information about the sailor but with the help of the U.S. NY Colored Troops 26th Regiment, have found information about his service and what he did after his retirement from the Navy. Ludger Balan, the historian for the U.S. 26th Regiment, said cemetery records tipped them off to the discovery and he, along with the Friends of Maple Grove, searched for Teagle’s tombstone. “We started looking for it just like a needle in a haystack and finally we came across the stone that had actually been broken off,” Balan said. Though Teagle’s tombstone had been damaged, his time at the Navy had been clearly marked on it, which was all the proof Ballenas needed to be certain it was Teagle. A photograph was found of Teagle on the USS Lehigh, the ironclad ship he served on from 1861 to 1865. Teagle, who was born a slave in Virginia in 1839, moved to Jamaica Joseph Teagle (top left), a Civil War sailor who served in the Navy, was discovered in Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Gardens. once his service was over. He worked for the wealthy Crane family as a coachman and also worked as a farmer and domestic servant, according to old documents at Jamaica Library. According to the cemetery’s interment book, Teagle died in April 1899 of a stroke at the age of 60. Ballenas also discovered a Leah Teagle buried next to Joseph Teagle. He said because of the age, he believes she is Joseph Teagle’s mother. Unlike the Union Infantry Federal Unit, Balan noted, the Navy was integrated since the beginning of the Civil War in 1861. On June 7, the Friends of Maple Grove along with the U.S. NY Colored Troops 26th Regiment will host a Civil War Living History Weekend to honor the 140th anniversary of the cemetery and the 150th anniversary of the Civil War’s conclusion. The 26th Regiment will have historical interpreters on hand to illustrate the life of an African-American Civil War soldier from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cemetery will also display several artifacts Photo courtesy of Matthew Brady from the 1800s and host a memorial service to honor Joseph Teagle. Ballenas said the ceremony will also showcase another discovery the cemetery made. Congregants of the Shiloh Church, the first African- American church in Manhattan founded in 1822, were moved to the Maple Grove Cemetery after the church relocated in 1837. Shiloh Church was frequented by abolitionist and writer Fredrick Douglas and, according to Balan, was built by Civil War soldiers. Pol calls for early mosquito spraying in south Queens BY ANGELA MATUA [email protected]/@AngelaMatua Weeks before summer’s official arrival, Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder called on the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to launch a preemptive strike on mosquitoes in southern Queens that may potentially carry the deadly West Nile virus. Goldfeder said the area — including Howard Beach, Hamilton Beach and the Rockaways — is particularly susceptible because of the increase in “zombie properties” following Hurricane Sandy in 2012. These abandoned locations, according to Goldfeder, are ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Last year, Goldfeder put forth a three-point plan to eliminate these zombie homes, including a push to ease the foreclosure process and a call to create a registry for vacant properties that could be monitored by the city. He has also worked with city agencies to encourage mosquito spraying and rodent baiting at the blighted properties. “Families in southern Queens and Rockaway are at increased risk from the dangers of West Nile virus,” Goldfeder said. “The higher rate of abandoned properties and construction projects throughout the community following Sandy has only increased our potential for mosquito breeding. That’s why I’m calling on the city to take action and protect the health and well-being of our families as we head into summer.” Roger Gendron, president of the Hamilton Beach Civic Association, said residents must also take precautions to protect themselves and others from mosquito bites. “Homeowners are asked to do their part throughout the mosquito season by eliminating any standing water,” Gendron said. “Who then is responsible for the homes that have been left abandoned and untouched since Superstorm Sandy? This is an important issue that needs to be addressed by the city.” Goldfeder urged DOHMH Commissioner Mary Bassett to work with the Department of Environmental Protection to locate and clean out clogged catch basins. He also called for action by the Sanitation Department in enforcing lot cleanings. As of press time, he hadn’t gotten a response from either. A representative for the DOHMH said the department uses preventative measures to reduce mosquito populations and the threat of West Nile, including applying larvicide in every New York City storm sewage catch basin this month. Larvicide is also applied by helicopter three times during mosquito season to wet, marshy areas that are known to be breeding areas. “We conduct weekly surveillance for West Nile virus activity throughout the city, and adulticide will be applied to carefully delineated areas only if the threat to humans is imminent in those areas,” the representative said. “Spraying adulticide in populated areas before we have any evidence of WNV activity is neither appropriate, nor will it help protect public health.” The representative also encouraged residents to report standing water on private property by calling 311 or visiting the DOHMH website. Last summer, four people and 200 mosquito pools in Queens tested positive for the virus, according to DOHMH. West Nile activity was reported several times in Howard Beach, Hamilton Beach, Lindenwood and the Rockaways.
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