Greenfield Cemetery came into existence after the Civil War when Alexander Turnay Stewart, a prosperous and philanthropic property owner, began the development of Garden City into a showplace.
At that time a cemetery was located in the center of the village but because it interfered with landscaping plans. Stewart offered the townspeople 20 acres of his own land in lieu of the 10 acres then in use and agreed to move those at rest. Removal to Greenfield took place during 1869 and 1870.
The memory of the Civil War was still poignant and in 1888 the people of the Town of Hempstead erected a memorial within the grounds to honor servicemen who sacrificed their lives in the terrible conflict.
