Emil's Garden Nursery

623 Stewart Avenue Bethpage

Emil Camerlengo, the original owner of "Emil's Garden Nursery' was born in East New York on June 17, 1917. His mother and father (Marie and Francesco Camerlengo) were both born in Italy but didn't meet and marry until they met in Brooklyn. They moved to Central Park in September l917 with three children: Constance, age 3, Madeline, age 2 and Emil, age 3 months. They settled in the house at 623 Stewart Avenue where at age 83 Emil (in year 2000) still resides next to the nursery. When Francesco died November 1934 at age 52. Marie was 42 years old and was left with nine children: Constance was 20, Madeline 19, Emil 17, Jennie 15, Salvatore 12, Anthony 10, Josephine 8, Mary 5 and Gloria 2.In April 1935 Marie lost her son Anthony then 11 years old. It was hard times for the family then but they all stuck together the best way they could mainly by quitting school and trying to find work on the farms, in the laundry -- anything to support the family. Emil worked in construction until he was drafted during World War II and served in the Army Medical Corp in Europe. Salvatore served in the Navy on a destroyer in the South Pacific. After the end of World War II, Emil went back to construction, but his heart was really in farming. He started to give serious thought to starting the nursery in l951, but it wasn't until April 1952 that he opened the nursery next to the house he lived in. His sister Madeline ran the nursery for a year on a trial basis until Emil quit his job in construction and ran the nursery full time. Originally a lot of annuals and some perennials were raised right on the property. Marie Camerlengo passed away at age 86 in July 1976 and Madeline at age 69 in December l984. All the others married, except Emil and Mary who at this writing Nov. 2000) still live in the house at 623 Stewart Avenue. Salvatore's son, Frank Camerlengo now owns and runs the nursery. Since Frank took over in August l976 he is still keeping the tradition of small town businessman. He is making (as Emil did) all the Christmas wreaths by hand. What changed is buying the plants from growers and adding landscaping to the business. You can still see Emil doing what he liked best, growing vegetables in the garden attached to the house and the back of the nursery. Research: Mary Camerlengo, Oct. 25, 2000. Emil passed away in July 27, 2002