In Lynbrook, Bristol and Mexico disasters are set to beremembered

The ships Bristol and Mexico went down in separate wrecks off the coast of Hempstead Beach in the fall and winter of 1836, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Irish immigrants and crew members. John O’Brien, former county president of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, wants to preserve their story.

The gravesite for more than 100 victims of the shipwrecks, in Lynbrook’s Rockville Cemetery, marked by an 18-foot-tall monument, was in decline for years, due to general neglect, until it was registered as a Town of Hempstead historical site in 2023. Since the gravesite was created, gravestones have been removed without being replaced, taking some of the history of the tragedy with them, making the effort to preserve that history all the more important.

The Ancient Order of Hibernians is holding its annual memorial service for the victims of shipwrecks at the Bristol and Mexico Monument in Rockville Center Cemetery on Oct. 19.

“The monument stands as a testament to the victims,” the AOH  stated in a news release. “They serve as a poignant reminder of the perils faced by immigrants seeking a new life.”

The AOH was founded 188 years ago, when the British government was suppressing Irish culture while famines in Ireland threatened thousands of lives. The organization helped people from Ireland immigrate to the United States.

“These were the families coming into America, waiting to meet their husbands and fathers,” O’Brien said.

The Bristol and the Mexico wrecked within two months of each other. The Bristol approached the Long Island coast in November 1836, buffeted by a storm. In the 19th century, incoming ship stayed at sea during storms, when docking at wooden piers would be treacherous. The Bristol ran aground on a sandbank, was hit by an enormous wave and foundered. More than 70 people onboard died, most of them drowning.

The Mexico made its way toward Long Beach in late December after a difficult Atlantic journey that left it short on food and clean water. It, too, stayed out on the water, this time in a freezing storm. The ship was damaged when it struck a shoal, and more than 100 people lost their lives, succumbing to the cold or drowning. The storm discouraged all but one attempt at a rescue, which successfully recovered 18 people, mostly members of the crew.

A total of 215 people died in the wrecks, and after both, bodies washed ashore for weeks. Grieving family members worked with the Town of Hempstead to find a place — Rockville Cemetery, then known as Sands Hall Cemetery — for a mass grave, which remains an important part of Lynbrook’s history today.

An 1837 issue of the Long Island Star described the community’s reaction to the mass funeral:

“All the incidents of the interment were of the most solemn and oppressive interest. When the young who were present grow old, the scene will remain most distinctly impressed upon their memory . . . Many were observed to be in tears.”

Shipwrecks were common in this period of history — there were some 500 per year near the United States. But the wrecks of the Bristol and the Mexico were extraordinary because of the extreme loss of life.

“People have to remember that human life is a very, very valuable commodity,” O’Brien said. “That’s what we stand for.”

The AOH creates and maintains monuments across the country, and the mound around the Bristol and Mexico monument is in need of reshaping, as well as maintenance of its plaques and benches.

“The reason for making a monument is not for things to be forgotten — it is so that people remember what happened,” O’Brien said.

Next week’s ceremony will include a performance by the Glór na nGael Pipes and Drums Color Guard, the singing of the Irish and American national anthems, and comments by Rockville Center Mayor Francis Murray.

“The importance of this particular ceremony I’m having is immigration,” O’Brien said. “No human should be treated this way — not now, not ever. If they’re trying to make a new life, they deserve the chance, at least.”

The maintenance of the site is made possible by a partnership between the Historical Society of East Rockaway and Lynbrook and the AOH, and donations are welcome. To learn more, visit the Ancient Order of Hibernians website at nassauaoh.com.