According to Newsday, history buff and Merokean Charlie Rubin stumbled upon something strange right outside his daughter's front door – a 238 year-old headstone that was missing from a local cemetary for more than three years.
The article said,
Rubin's Internet research revealed the headstone had been missing from Monfort Cemetery, roughly a mile away, for three years.
His inquiries ultimately led him to North Hempstead Town historian Howard Kroplick, who used his pickup truck to retrieve the roughly 35-pound stone from the 18th-century Thomas Dodge House, where Rubin's daughter rents an apartment.
The marker, Newsday goes on to say, was that of 2-year-old Elizabeth Schenck who died on May 23, 1774. She was the daughter of Martin Schenck of Manhasset.
The headstone was originally discovered by an architectural historian during renovation of the Minne Schenck farm house at the Old Bethpage Village Restoration. The headstone was entrusted to the Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society and was temporarily relocated to the Dodge Homestead in Port Washington, which is maintained by the Historical Society. Subsequent research by the Historical Society determined that the headstone was missing from the Montfort Cemetery in Port Washington. For the past several months, the Trustees of the Historical Society have been discussing the return of the headstone to its proper resting place. Unfortunately, Mr. Rubin did not check with the Historical Society, and made an incorrect assumption that he had “discovered” the stone. Based on this assumption, Mr. Rubin contacted the North Hempstead Historian and authorized the removal of the headstone from the Dodge Homestead, without the knowledge or consent of the Historical Society. Fortunately, this situation has now been remedied. Thanks to the North Hempstead Town Historian, the headstone will soon be returned to the Montfort cemetery where it belongs. Representatives of the Cow Neck Peninsula Historical will be present to witness this historic event.