Tag: BergencountyCaregiver.com

Old Spring Valley Burial Ground Viola Way Paramus, NJ 07652

Old Spring Valley Burial Ground Viola Way Paramus, NJ 07652

Old Spring Valley Burial Ground

Viola Way

Paramus, NJ 07652

(201) 265-2100 (Borough of Paramus, NJ)

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=8345

https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/1608044/spring-valley-cemetery

https://www.interment.net/data/us/nj/bergen/springvalley/index.htm

Open: From Dawn until Dusk

Admission: Free; please do not walk on other people’s property

My review on TripAdvisor:

The historical marker that leads you to had path to the cemetery

History of the Cemetery:

(From the Historic Marker sign)

The historic cemetery directly in the rear of the Behnke farm contains the graves of descendants of early settlers in this area including a least two local farmer-militiamen of the American Revolution, Jacobus Brouwer and Henry Banta, as well as the grave of Cornelius Demarest, who served in the 22nd regiment of the Union Army during the Civil War (From Paramus Rotary sign).

The only way into this tiny cemetery is through z path located on Viola Road

The historic little cemetery is rich in history of the first families of Bergen County including Revolutionary War and Civil War veterans

The cemetery is the resting place of members of the Banta, Bogert, Terhune, Van Saun, Demarest, Kipp and Voorhis families

The Van Saun family graves

The Bogart family graves

The graves of the Van Saun family

The graves of the Kipp family

The graves of the Demarest family and of Cornelius Demarest of Civil War fame

Elizabeth Demarest, wife of Cornelius grave

These graves I could not figure out who they were

The graves of the Banta family

The graves of the Voorhis family

The grave of Sara Huyler, wife of John Van Saun

The graves were so covered in mold that I could not see who these people were

There is a quiet elegance to these historical cemeteries. Their well known family members relics of a past that now forgets them.

Who is buried here:

(From an survey done by George Budke in 1916)

??, B. P., d. 1780
Ackerman, Margaret, b. 10 Feb 1764, d. 6 Sep 1805, birth year may be 1767*
Banta, Abram C., b. 6 Nov 1852, d. 16 Nov 1886
Banta, Agness (Van Saun), d. 21 Dec 1862, age: 78y 4m 15d, w/o Cornelius H. Banta*
Banta, Benjamin Duryea, d. 3 Oct 1856, age: 5y 8m 19d, s/o Henry & Anna Maria Banta
Banta, Catharine (Terhune), b. 6 Aug 1823, d. 27 Jun 1890, w/o Cornelius H. Banta
Banta, Charles Augustus, d. 7 Oct 1861, age: 3m 20d, s/o Henry & Anna Maria Banta
Banta, Cornelius H., b. 13 Mar 1819, d. 18 Nov 1904
Banta, Cornelius H., d. 17 Aug 1854, age: 84y 5m 9d*
Banta, Elizabeth (Lake), d. 4 Sep 1817, age: 67y 8m 18d, w/o Henry Banta
Banta, Garret Hopper, d. 14 Feb 1850, age: 7m, s/o Henry & Anna Maria Banta*
Banta, Henry C., d. 13 Sep 1821, age: 22y 8m*
Banta, Henry H., d. 29 Feb 1864, age: 69y 10m 16d
Banta, Henry, b. 15 Sep 1796, d. 31 May 1798, age: 1y 8m 15d*
Banta, Henry, d. 12 Aug 1817, age: 66y 1m 18d, h/o Elizabeth Lake, Veteran of the Revolutionary War
Banta, Jane, d. 12 Jun 1875, age: 97y 2m 16d, w/o John H. Banta
Banta, John H., d. 29 Jun 1855, age: 83y 6m 7d
Banta, Lavina (Zabriskie), d. 16 Jan 1862, age: 70y 4m 12d, w/o Henry H. Banta*
Banta, Lavinah Sobriskie, d. 7 Feb 1850, age: 3y 11m 10d, d/o Henry & Anna Maria Banta*
Banta, Lidia (Van Saun), d. 22 Feb 1804, age: 32y 5m, w/o Cornelius Banta*
Banta, Sarah, d. 8 Aug 1845, age: 2y 6m 24d, d/o Cornelius H. & Catharine Banta*
Bartholf, Maria, d. 18 Feb 1870, age: 70y 5m 9d*
Begart, Rebecca, d. 12 Dec 1807, age: 1y 11m 6d, d/o Samuel & Ettie Begart
Bertholff, John, d. 8 Apr 1852, age: 86y 9m 15d*
Bogert, Albert I., d. 22 Sep 1861, age: 84y 10m 3d*
Bogert, Jacob A., d. 10 Dec 1866, age: 76y 8m 19d*
Bogert, Jane (Kipp), d. 3 Jun 1853, age: 74y 3m 7d, w/o Albert I. Bogert*
Bogert, John A., b. 26 Mar 1748, d. 25 Oct 1823, age: 74y 6m 30d*
Bogert, Rachel (Van Saun), b. 15 Feb 1798, d. 1 Sep 1846, age: 48y 6m 16d, w/o Jacob A. Bogert*
Bogert, Samuel A., d. 24 Jul 1867, age: 61y 8m 23d
Bogert, Samuel I., b. 31 Mar 1778, d. 13 Apr 1830
Brouwer, Yacob, d. 26 Aug 1784, age: 58y, Veteran of the Revolutionary War*
Cundlah, C. A., b. 14 Apr 1828, d. Jan ?, age: ??
Debaun, Effie (Demarest), d. 13 Dec 1862, age: 75y 8m 7d, w/o Peter C. Debaun, formerly wife of Samuel I. Bogert*
Demarest, Aaron, d. 14 Mar 1838, age: 57y 6m 18d*
Demarest, Christina (Bogert), d. 5 Dec 1868, age: 82y 5m 12d, w/o Aaron Demarest
Demarest, Cornelius A., d. 27 May 1883, age: 66y 8m 5d, Civil War Veteran
Demarest, Eliza (Banta), d. 6 Jan 1883, age: 65y 8m, w/o Cornelius A. Demarest
Demarest, Elizabeth, b. 16 Jul 1792, d. 23 Mar 1869 *
Demarest, Nicholas, b. 3 May 1759, d. 6 Feb 1811, age: 51y 9m 3d
Kipp, Albert, d. 28 Jan 1852, age: 66y 7m 18d*
Kipp, Araminta, d. 30 Dec 1853, age: 15y 4m 25d*
Kipp, James Bogert, d. 25 Sep 1848, age: 21y 10m 1d*
Kipp, John, d. 28 Feb 1862, age: 50y 19d
Kipp, Rachel, d. 21 Jul 1854, age: 63y 10m 23d, w/o Albert Kipp*
Kipp, William B., d. 21 Apr 1856, age: 65y 4m 11d
Van Arsdale, James, d. 21 Apr 1855, age: 51y 5m 5d, Deacon*
Van Saun, David, d. 8 Mar 1825, age: 56y 5m 3d*
Van Saun, Isaac L., b. 1 Nov 1778, d. 24 Apr 1850, age: 71y 1m 23d
Van Saun, Isaac, b. 17 Mar 1749, d. 9 May 1832, age: 83y 1m 22d
Van Saun, Jane (Ackerman), b. 4 Apr 1754, d. 6 Oct 1822, age: 68y 6m 2d, w/o Isaac Van Saun
Van Saun, Jane (Demarest), d. 9 May 1870, age: 57y 5m 9d, w/o Lucas I. Van Saun*
Van Saun, John C., d. 1 Mar 1849, age: 74y 7m 4d*
Van Saun, Kastyne, b. 1 Jul 178?, d. 5 Feb 1791*
Van Saun, Leah (Brower), d. 5 Jun 1859, age: 93y, w/o David Van Saun*
Van Saun, Lucas I., d. 31 Oct 1848, age: 34y 4m 15d
Van Saun, Margaret, d. 5 Sep 1832, age: 23y 11m 15d, w/o Albert Z. Van Saun*
Van Saun, Maria, b. 13 Jul 1829, d. 6 Apr 1836, d/o Albert & Margaret Van Saun*
Van Saun, Rachel, b. 5 Dec 1821, d. 28 Jun 1839, age: 17y 6m 23d
Van Saun, Sarah (Huyler), d. 20 Feb 1854, age: 76y 10m 17d, w/o John C. Van Saun*
Van Voorhis, Jane, d. 19 Aug 1805, age: 1y 8m 2d, d/o Hendrick & Wantea Van Voorhis*
Voorhis, Albert I., d. 20 Nov 1879, age: 73y 10m 20d
Voorhis, John L., b. 26 Apr 1791, d. 22 Feb 1849, age: 57y 9m 26d
Voorhis, Lucas J., d. 4 May 1855, age: 30y 8m 25d
Westervelt, Jane (Ackerman), b. 29 Jul 1769, d. 2 Jul 1851, age: 81y 11m 3d, w/o Henry Westervelt
Wortendyke, Cornelius, d. 12 Feb 1843, age: 3y 10m 12d, s/o Cornelius & Lydia Wortendyke*

Denville Museum Diamond Spring Road Denville, NJ 07834

Denville Museum Diamond Spring Road Denville, NJ 07834

Denville Museum

Diamond Spring Road

Denville, NJ 07834

(973) 625-1165

https://www.denvillemuseum.org/

https://www.facebook.com/denvillehistoricalsociety/

Open: Sunday 10:00am-2:00pm/Monday-Saturday Closed

Admission: Free

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46392-d33235821-r1010531601-Denville_Museum-Denville_Morris_County_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

The front of the Denville Museum at Diamond Spring Road

The front sign for the Denville Museum

The beautiful stained glass sign outside

The front sign of the museum

The front gallery of the museum

The back part of the front gallery of the museum

The Denville Museum is an interesting and beautifully organized museum in Downtown Denville, NJ that tells the history of Denville and the surrounding communities. The collection starts with a collection of Native American artifacts and Revolutionary era household objects.

The early foundation of the Denville community is displayed in the front case

The Native American artifacts in the collection

The museum has an extensive amount of artifacts from the progression of the area from the Native Americans to the Dutch settlers who then populated the area leading to the progression of modern farming and commercial trade in the area.

The farming display with many items from the Ayres Farm

My blog on the Ayres Farm:

The Ayres/Knuth Farm Foundation 25 Cooper Street Denville, NJ 07834

Artifacts from the Ayres Farm

Children’s items from both the Ayres Farm and from the community including a handmade cradle

Farm equipment and home furnishings and portraits of Ayres family members

Items from the Ayres Farm

As the community entered the post-Revolutionary War era to the Civil War era, the area entered both its agricultural and industrial boom period.

Artifacts from the Civil War and post war commercial era. Many of the artifacts are an early example of companies that still exist today.

Civil War era items of residents of the community

Presidential items from the Civil War period of both President’s Lincoln and Davis

Commercial items and tombstone etchings of the period

The manufactures of commercial products of that era. Many of these items are early examples from the modern Nabisco company. These were some of the original tea biscuit containers.

The exhibition of World War One artifacts on display

School and town events

The town parades and artifacts from the town

The display of town merchant items

The creation of and growth of trade on the Morris Canal that once ran through the town is on display as well with pictures and artifacts.

The Morris Canal display and some school house artifacts as well

More town artifacts

The order of St. Francis once had a building with a school here and as the order died out, they sold the building in town

These are some of the artifacts from that time

Some more of the artifacts from St. Francis

A display on the old Denville Theater

Another Ayres Family display

Historical items from the town

Military items from the community

More Military items

More Military items from the War years

The last display I admired before I left for the afternoon was the Denville Shack display on a popular restaurant that was once in town. These popular restaurants used the dot the sides of local highways from the early 1960’s through the early 1980’s.

The display from the Denville Shack

Some of the items from the old restaurant plus other artifacts

Some other town artifacts with a set of armor that was found in town.

The Denville Museum was a delight to visit. It was loaded with interesting displays and town artifacts that not only talk about the founding of the town but how it has come into its own as a modern town and a bedroom community of New York City.

There’s a lot to experience here.

French Burying Ground Patrolman Ray Woods Drive New Milford, NJ 07646

French Burying Ground Patrolman Ray Woods Drive New Milford, NJ 07646

French Burying Ground

Patrolman Ray Woods Drive

New Milford, NJ 07646

https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/1652365/french-burying-ground

https://www.nj.gov/dca/njht/funded/sitedetails/FrenchHuguenotCemeteryandHuguenotChurch.shtml

https://patch.com/new-jersey/newmilford-nj/the-french-burying-ground

Open: Dawn to Dusk

Admission: Free, the gates are open across from the baseball field.

My review on TripAdvisor:

The sign for the French Burying Ground

The historic marker in the front of the cemetery

The French Burying Ground

The French Ground is a small historic cemetery once sat next to the French Church and the David Demarest House, that has since been moved to the Bergen County Historical Society site.

The Demarest House at the Bergen County Historical Society

The graves of members of the Bogert, Demarest and Christi families

The History of the French Burying Ground:

(from the New Jersey Historic Trust)

Thought to be oldest cemetery in Bergen County, the French Huguenot-Demarest Cemetery was established in 1677 as the final resting place for prominent French Huguenot and Dutch settlers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. David Demarest purchased approximately 2,000 acres of land along the east bank of the Hackensack River from Native Americans in 1677 to establish a colony of French-Huguenots.

The cemetery is all that remains of the original French-Huguenot colony and has more than four dozen descendants of Demarest family buried on site. The Borough of New Milford acquired the property in 2018 and has been working closely with the New Milford Historic Preservation Commission to plan for its restoration and future interpretation.  

The French Burying site sign

The cemetery (technically a graveyard since there was a church once here) is the final resting place of many of Bergen Counties Revolutionary War veterans as well as many prominent families including the Demarest, the Bogert and the Christie families. These were some of the founding families of Bergen County.

The graves of the prominent Bogert and Van Saun families

The cemetery has a quiet elegance about it with the many different styles of tombstones and the sheer history of these families and their contributions to the creation of our country.

The historical marker notes the cemetery was first used in 1677 after an agreement with the Native Americans

The back part of the cemetery

Members of the Bogert family

Members of the prominent Bogert family

Members of the prominent Demarest family with Revolutionary War veteran Reverend John Demarest

Members of the prominent Demarest family

The historic marker of the original church site

There are many of the veterans of the Revolutionary War buried at the site some of which survived the battles and went on to have productive lives in their communities.

Veteran John Van Norden

Veteran Uzal Meeker

Veteran John Demarest

Veteran Cornelius Bogert

Veteran Willimpie Bogart Demarest

The grave of Patriot Abraham Demarest

This cemetery, like the rest of the small cemeteries and graveyards that dot Bergen County show the history and significance of these families contributions of the residents of early Bergen County and how they shaped the founding of this country.

Video tour of the Cemetery:

Dover Area Historical Society/Dr. Condict House 55 West Blackwell Street Dover, NJ 07801

Dover Area Historical Society/Dr. Condict House 55 West Blackwell Street Dover, NJ 07801

Dover Area Historical Society/Dr. Condict House

55 West Blackwell Street

Dover, NJ 07801

(973) 361-3525

https://www.dovernjhistory.org/

https://www.facebook.com/p/Dover-Area-Historical-Society-100064333946339/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46397-d27043890-Reviews-Dover_Area_Historical_Society-Dover_Morris_County_New_Jersey.html

The Dover Area Historical Society at 55 West Blackwell Street

I visited the museum on a private tour during Memorial Day and got to see all three floors of the former doctor’s home, Dr. Condict, whose practice was once on the first floor of the home.

Several rooms in the house on the second and third floors of the old home were going through renovations when I was visiting or exhibitions were going to be remounted, so the museum was in transition when I visited.

The first floor of the museum was dedicated to the town history with exhibitions of the Army/Navy members of the community for Memorial Day.

There was an exhibit of the historical buildings that line the downtown area and the neighborhood surrounding the downtown.

There were pictures of local leaders of the past and an exhibition by local painter, Bea Cook

Artist Bea Cook’s biography

The collection of the art from the artist on what Dover, NJ looked like during the early part of the last century. She gives a creative look at the day to day life of people whose lives started to change after the opening of the Morris Canal and affluence started to take hold in this former farming community.

A painting of Downtown Dover in the 1800’s

Local leaders and the former Mayor of Dover

The former foyer by the front door of the house held a local uniform and pictures lines the walls of what the downtown looked like in the late 1800’s to the 1920’s.

The display for Memorial Day Weekend in May 2025

The Grandfather clock in the foyer with its beautiful celestial details.

The foyer and the stairs leading to the second floor are lined with photos of Dover through the last 100 years.

Photos of former businesses that once lined the downtown area

The upstairs galleries are lined with pictures on the growth of the town with the opening of the Morris Canal and the moving of crops and consumer goods from the rural areas to the cities like New York City and Newark.

The main gallery on the second floor of the history of the growth of the community is organized with pictures and artifacts of the era.

The growth of the community with the coming of the canal

The second floor galleries are filled with items displaying the rapidly changing community. As the more products were being sold to the cities, that affluence translated living in this area of the state.

The changes of the town with the opening of the canal and immigration to the area.

The second floor Library of town records and community information was being organized when I visited.

The history of the Dover Fire Department was on display on the second floor

https://www.dover.nj.us/cn/webpage.cfm?tpid=3460

The history of the Dover Police Department was also on display

https://www.dover.nj.us/cn/webpage.cfm?tpid=2386

Local organizations artifacts on display on the second floor

The second floor also displayed Dr.Condent’s daughter’s room and memorabilia from her life in this house.

Family artifacts on display in Dr. Condict daughter, Dorothy’s old bedroom

The display of Dorothy Condict Rogers bedroom in her former home

https://www.newspapers.com/article/rutland-daily-herald-obituary-for-doroth/42052305/

Family items in the bedroom

On the third floor of the home, there are two rooms under renovation, one of which will be dedicated to the growing Hispanic population of the current community and their contributions to the town.

The other room right now is dedicated to the high school marching band and many artifacts from over the years.

High school history and pictures

History of the area

The Dover Area Historical Society:

As I headed back down, I read the history of the town and of the Dover Area Historical Society.

The history of the Society

More town artifacts on the first floor

The History of the Dover Area Historical Society:

(From the Dover Area Historical Society website)

The Dover Area Historical Society had its origin on May 4, 1966 when Mr. Willy Pederson called a special meeting at town hall for any citizens interested in local history. Fifteen people were at the first meeting and from this nucleus the society was born. The society was incorporated as a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization named the Dover Historical Association. The name was changed to the Dover Area Historical Society in 1967.

From the very beginning, a museum location would be a problem. Two different store front locations were tried in the downtown, but abandon a short time later. The Johnson Storage Building on East Blackwell Street, the second oldest building in Dover at the time, dating back to before the Civil War, was being considered when Dover General Hospital offered the Bonnieview Estate located next to the hospital.

The Bonnieview mansion was built in 1876 for Alpheus Beemer and his wife Margaret. Mr. Beemer established a silk mill and Hurd Park and was the founder of the Nation Union Bank of Dover. Upon his death, the widow sold the property to Edwin Ross in 1885, a descendant of Betsy Ross, designer of the American Flag.

In the early part of the 20th century, Bonnieview becamse the popular Pine Terrance Inn, a gracious country retreat visited by such notables as President Grover Cleveland, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and well known personalities of the day. With the onset of Prohibition, the estate was sold to Harry Schwarz who later sold it to Dover General Hospital.

The historical society moved into the mansion house on June 18, 1970 with a 10-year lease with the hospital. Just one year into the lease and after over $30,000 in repairs and renovations, the hospital terminated the agreement and ordered the building be vacated in three months. For the next 27-years, the historical society would remain homeless, hosting its monthly meetings in various churches and meeting halls around town.

In 2004, the First Memorial Presbyterian Church of Dover was trying to decide the fate of the old doctor’s house, known as the “church house” at 55 W. Blackwell Street. Knowing the historical society had been actively seeking a museum, the church offered to site to the organization for a 25-year period provided the group pay for all expenses of operating the house and performed repairs and renovations bringing the house up to town standards.

Today, many of our programs meet at 7:00 pm the museum house the third Tuesday of each month and some programs, including walking tours and other events meet on other days at appropriate times. Our trustees and officers usually hold a business meeting at the museum on the third Wednesday of each month.  The museum house is open to the public for self guided tours from 6:30 to 8:00 pm on the evenings when the monthly business meetings are held. Check our calendar for scheduled meetings and events by clicking on “Calendar” in the black strip under the header on this page and follow the links. Anyone wishing to become a member or wanting further information can call the society at 973-361-3525. Please leave a message and we will return your call.

It was an interesting tour of the Society, with each floor covering a different aspect of the history and growth of the town. You can see how the area changed from a sleepy farming community to a bustling town with the coming of the canal system to even more changes with the automobile, the World Wars and immigration to both the country and to the community. Several displays are being worked on so there will be more to experience and see when you visit in the future.

Walking Downtown Dover, NJ:

After touring the museum, I walked Downtown Dover, NJ and got to see all the wonderful stores and restaurants to visit. It really is a beautiful downtown area.

The current downtown with the historical society in the background to the right.

After I toured the museum and the grounds, I walked Downtown Dover. There are a lot of interesting Colombian and Mexican restaurants that line the Main Street of Dover.

I stopped at Pan Pizza Bakery at 27 East Blackwell Street for some lunch. What a wonderful selection of hot and cold items to choose from.

Pan Pizza Bakery at 27 East Blackwell Street

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pan%20Pizza%20Bakery/111568472216530/#

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Restaurant_Review-g46397-d27154615-Reviews-Pan_Pizza_Bakery-Dover_Morris_County_New_Jersey.html?m=69573

I ordered a Chicken and Potato Empanada, a Mango jelly doughnut and a Papas Rellanes, a Chicken and Potato dumpling. Everything was delicious. There is a wonderful selection of baked items to choose from.

My lunch that afternoon, the Empanada, the Papas Rellanes and the sugary Mango doughnut

The Chicken Empanada

These were really good

The Chicken and Potato Papas Rellenes

These were a meal onto themselves

The Mango doughtnut

The Mango doughnut was sweet and sugary

The selection is excellent and the prices are very fair

After a trip to the Dover Area Historical Society, I highly recommend a trip to the Pan Pizza Bakery for a snack. Then continue your walk around town. There are so many different shops and restaurants to experience in this vibrant and quirky downtown.