New Jersey Cemeteries And Tombstones

New Jersey Cemeteries and Tombstones presents a culturally diverse account of New Jersey's historic burial places from High Point to Cape May and from the banks of the Delaware to the ocean-washed Shore, to explain what cemeteries tell us about people and the communities in which they lived.

This illustrated guidebook to New Jersey's old burial grounds is unique, not just for New Jersey, but for anywhere in America. Janice Kohl Sarapin introduces you to the history and lore of old graveyards. She shows you how to read epitaphs, how to date gravestones by style, how to restore an abandoned graveyard, and how to find out the stories of the people buried there. She describes more than 120 fascinating old burial grounds throughout the state (including the cemeteries of African-Americans, Jewish communities, and other ethnic and religious groups). She provides full directions and details about what makes each one special as well as suggestions for planning your visit and for educational activities to use with children and adults.

Excerpt from Inscriptions on Tombstones and Monuments in the Burying Grounds of the First Presbyterian Church and St. Johns Church at Elizabeth, New Jersey: 1664-1892 The settlement of Elizabethtown was the first within the bounds of New Jersey made by New England people. The Purchase of the land from the Indians was made by John Baily, Daniel Denton and Luke Watson of Jamaica, L. I., October 28, 1664, and the Patent granted by Gov. Nicolls to Capt. John Baker, John Ogden, John Baily, Luke Watson "and their associates," confirming the Indian deed, bears date December 1, 1664. John Ogden of Northampton had bought out Denton's interest, and Capt. John Baker of New York was probably allowed an interest in consideration of his services as interpreter. Gov. Nicolls when he signed this patent was no doubt ignorant of the deed from the Duke of York to Berkley and Carteret made on the 24th day of June previous. Dr. Hatfield in his history of Elizabeth, thinks it probable that a formal occupation was made upon the land between October and December 1664, and that occupation by actual settlers soon followed. Mr. William A. Whitehead, in his last edition of East Jersey under the Proprietors, gives proof that when Gov. Philip Carteret arrived in 1665, but four English-speaking families were to be found in New Jersey, pioneers of the Jamaica Colony. The patent granted by Governor Nicolls and the Indian purchase were relied upon in after years by the citizens as giving them a good title independent of that of Berkley and Carteret, but the latter grant was prior to the Nicolls patent and a vast amount of litigation was caused by these conflicting grants, lasting until the Revolutionary war put an end to it. The first meeting house was of wood and of a very humble style of architecture. It was replaced by a new church in 1724, fifty-eight feet in length and forty-two feet in width. An addition in the rear of sixteen feet was made in 1766. On the night of January 25, 1780, a party of British troops and refugees, numbering nearly four hundred, crossed on the ice from Staten Island to Trembly's Point and were led by three Elizabethtown tories by the nearest and most retired route to the town. Here they secured a few prisoners, plundered many of the inhabitants, burned the Court House and Meeting House, and retreated with haste by way of De Hart's Point without loss. Washington spoke of this event a day or two after as "the late misfortune and disgrace of Elizabeth Town." The erection of a new church was commenced in 1784, and completed in 1789. It forms a part of the present edifice, and was extended and improved many times before it reached its present dimensions. Dr. Kempshall in his historical discourse, delivered January 25, 1880, in celebrating the Centennial Anniversary of the burning of the church says: "The lot on which the house was built included the present burying-ground, and extended on the west to the river (so called), and contained about eight acres. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Experience the rich history of Morris County, New Jersey with this unforgettable collection of tombstone inscriptions and monument descriptions. With detailed information on the people and families buried in the area's historic graveyards, as well as fascinating architectural details of the monuments themselves, this book is an invaluable resource for genealogists, historians, and anyone interested in the local history of Morris County. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

There are so many cemeteries and family burial grounds all over New Jersey, many of them have been around since the 1700's and 1800's when the state was full of farmland and woods. Land owners would use a spot on their farm to bury their family members, others may have been buried by a church that was functioning at the time, but may now be long gone. The farmland is also disappearing rapidly, giving way to new homes and roads. So what happens to the cemeteries or family burial grounds? Some of them are in plain site on the side of the road, while others are off the beaten path hidden from view. The visible ones are usually fairly well maintained by a church or a person who volunteers their own time to look after them, but the hidden ones are not as lucky. Many of them have simply been forgotten, lost in time. They are overgrown with brush, poison ivy and trees. Most of the tombstone names and writings have eroded away with time and have been damaged by falling tree limbs, wind, or vandalism over the years. These sacred places are in danger of being lost forever, some are already gone.