Tag: Exploring Historic Cemeteries and Graveyards in Bergen County, NJ

Hopper Farm Family Cemetery                                                  Lexington Lane                                                                            Oakland, NJ 07436

Hopper Farm Family Cemetery Lexington Lane Oakland, NJ 07436

The Hopper Family Farm Cemetery

Lexington Lane

Oakland, NJ 07436

https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2247921/hopper-farm-family-cemetery

https://ldsgenealogy.com/NJ/Bergen-County-Cemetery-Records.htm

Open: Dawn to Dusk

My review on TripAdvisor:

The Hopper Farm Family Cemetery is a reminder of what happens when time passes you by and the world changes around you. I went in search for the grave of Andrew Hopper, a veteran of the Revolutionary War. I could not find it.

This historic cemetery is hidden from the road behind two large homes on a tiny hill in the back woods. The only way to access the cemetery is to walk down the utility road off the main road, walk through the woods and walk up through the bush to back of two families back yards.

You can tell by the rotting fallen fence that this cemetery was once enclosed but the fence has since fallen and the cemetery in disarray. Still there is a quiet elegance to it.

The cemetery is in desperate need of clean up and repair as tombstones are broken, fallen and discolored.

Some of the family tombstones have fallen. Still you can see members of the Hopper and Demarest families buried here.

My International Marketing class at Bergen Community College recently did a complete study and marketing plan for the “Bergen250” on the Revolutionary War veterans buried at graveyards and cemeteries all over Bergen County, NJ:

The project:

For a Mapping of all the historic graveyards and cemeteries, I had the students visit all the sites that the Daughters of the American Revolution had researched and I had the students find all the locations, photo the tombstones and create a bio on each of the veterans. I enclosed a copy of their work above.

My blog on the historic graveyards and cemeteries of Bergen County:

https://visitingamuseum.com/tag/historic-cemeteries-of-bergen-county

Members of the Vanderbryck family Maryann and Rachel

The grave of David Hopper

The grave of Susan Storms, wife of one of the family members buried here.

The grave of Peter Bogart, a member of the extended family

One of the broken tombstones that I could not read

Another tombstone in loving memory of a name I could not read

The broken stone of Fredrick Storms grave

The family cemetery sits quiet and neglected in the woods. Most of the tombstones broken and discolored and hard to read.

I took one last look as I walked down the hill and said a prayer to these forgotten people. One what must have once been the family farm sits a development of extremely large and well maintained McMansions. This is the irony of this once prominent family.

The family buried at this cemetery:

(Bergen County Genealogical Society website)

Copied July 4, 1913, By John Neafie New York City.

1. Abraham Verbryck, d. Jan. 8, 1843 ae. 63-11-8.
2. John P. Ackerman, d. Feb. 24-1829 ae. 34-1-4.
3. Rachel, wife of John P. Ackerman, d. Oct. 4,1844
ae. 49-11-22.
4. Martha Ann, d. Apr. 6, 1835 ae. 1 yr. 8 da.
5. Martha Ann, d. Feb. 5, 1837 ae. 2 mos. 7 da.
6. Rachel Ann, d. July 12,1838 ae. 6 mos.
Children of
Abraham and
Susan Hopper.
7. Peter G. Bogert d. 5 Dec. 1859 ae. 76-6-16.
8. Mary his wife d. 5 April 1866 ae. 72-6-21.
9. David Berthoif d. 8 Jan. 1851 ae. 85-2-29.
10. Catharine Storms his wife d. 19 June 1864 ae. 87-2-5.
11. Peter, son of Stephen D. and Eliza Berthoif, d. 19 Nov.1843
ae. 1-7-2.
12. Elizer L. Ramsey (My Mother), wife of Stephen D. Bertholf
d. 18 Dec. 1876 ae. 56-7-5.
13. Stephen S. Berthoif (Brother), d. 28 Oct. 1875
ae. 21-11-17.(same stone as above.)
14. Frederick Storms d. 20 Feb. 1826 in 54th yr.
15. Alice, widow of above, d. 6 Jan. 1859, ae. 81-6-25.
16. John, son of Frederick and Alice Storms d. 29 Apr. 1852
ae. 37-7-10.
17. Susan B. Storms, wf. of Stites Miller d. at San Francisco,
Cal. 16 Dec. 1863 ae. 60 y.
18. Eliza, wf. of Philip Vantassel d. 10 Sept. 1830
ae. 29 y.21 d.
19. Samuel V. Codington b. 19 Jan. 1824 d. 30 Oct. 1834.
20. Mary Ann Verbryck, wf. of William Codington b. 9 Sept.1802
d. 17 Feb. 1835.
21. Samuel Verbryck b. 15 Nov. 1780 d. 16 June 1847.
22. Rachel his wife b. 5 Aug. 1778 d. 13 Dec. 1864.
23. Conrod Lines d. 20 Dec. 1839 ae. 66-2-8 (footstone C. L.)
24. Garret G., son of Philip and Jane Hopper, d. 17 Apr. 1833
ae. 15 mos.
25. Rachel Bogert d. 22 Oct. 1793 ae. 70 y. 22 d.
widow of Lucas Bogert.
26. Rachel dau. of Lucas Bogert d. 21 Feb. 1791 ae. 30-10-4.
27. Lucas Bogert d. 2 Sept. 1777 ae. 57 y. 4 m.
28. Maria Mandevil, wf. of Steven Bartolf, b. 26 May 1736
d.22 Feb. 1813 ae. 76-8-27.
29. Aaron G. son of Patrick and Sarah M. Cronk d. 25 Nov.1861
ae. 6 m. 29 d.

Crooked Pond Cemetery                                                                   1115 Franklin Lakes Road                                                       Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417

Crooked Pond Cemetery 1115 Franklin Lakes Road Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417

Crooked Pond Cemetery

1115 Franklin Lakes Road

Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417

https://www.franklinlakes.org/crookedpondcemetery

https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/1769184/crooked-pond-cemetery

https://www.namesinstone.com/ViewMap.aspx?cemeteryId=399006

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/mediabatch/13620090?m=19905

This mysterious little cemetery sits on a bluff overlooking Crooked Pond in Franklin Lakes, NJ. Unless you are looking for it, it is difficult to find as there are no markers or historical signs to guide you to the path.

You have to park the car across the street, walk across a dangerous road and you come across this small set of stairs that leads to the cemetery. In the pictures online it always looks so well maintained but the afternoon I was there, it had been over grown.

This set of stairs is hidden by the trees and bushes. This leads to the cemetery

This is another example of a small family cemetery

The History of the Cemetery:

(From the Borough of Franklin Lakes, NJ website-Written by Colin Knight)

Generations of Ackerman, Van Winkle, Romaine and other Dutch families are interred on top of the steep hill overlooking the serene body of water originally known as Hopper’s Pond. Owing to the geography, the local Dutch Reformed congregation assumed the name Ponds Reformed Church and established themselves in the Ramapo Valley in 1710. The early history of the Church recalls several changes in location and according to oral tradition services were held in a log cabin on the north side of the pond not far from the burial ground. 

The other end of this small plot

The resting spot sits on a bluff overlooking Crooks pond

The view of the cemetery to the pond below

Among the tombstones are the graves of many members of troops that served in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.

We owe a lot to these Veterans who put their lives on the line for us in the War years. These men and their families helped shape not just the foundation of Bergen County but of the Country as well. These tombstones are of some of the men who fought in the Revolutionary War.

The grave of Gerrit Van Cleve

The grave of Joseph Van Cleve

The grave of Veteran Simeon Van Winkle

These brave soldiers fought in the Revolutionary War with some of their tombstones marker as veterans as others are not.

The graves face Crooks Pond

The tombstone of Veteran Samuel Romine

Samuel Romine’s original tombstone

The Veterans of the Crooked Pond Cemetery:

(From the Borough of Franklin Lakes website-Written by Colin Knight)

The Daughters of the American Revolution stepped up and have been working to restore the cemetery to it’s rightful state. 20 headstones have been restored, and recently, the Veteran’s Administration installed two new headstones for Revolutionary War veteran Samuel Romine and another for War of 1812 veteran Ralph Benjamin Romaine. Crooked Pond Cemetery has fourteen Veterans interred within its bounds, ten from the Revolutionary War, two from the War of 1812, and two who served in the Civil War.

An incomplete list of veterans buried here are John Ackerman; John Folley and Elias Folley; Samuel Romine, Benjamin Romine, and Ralph Romaine; Gerrit Van Cleve and Joseph Van Cleve; Corniess Van Houten, Hendrick Van Houten, and Roeloff Van Houten; and Simeon Van Winkle and Epson Van Winkel.

DeWolf-Haring Cemetery                                                                   84 DeWolf Road                                                                                Old Tappan, NJ 07675

DeWolf-Haring Cemetery 84 DeWolf Road Old Tappan, NJ 07675

DeWolf-Haring Cemetery

84 Dewolf Road

Old Tappan, NJ 07675

https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/1617475/dewolf-haring-cemetery

https://ldsgenealogy.com/NJ/Old-Tappan.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haring%E2%80%93DeWolf_House

Open: Sunday-Saturday Dawn through Dusk

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/mediabatch/13615617?m=19905

The DeWolf-Haring family cemetery sits on a homeowners front yard

The DeWolf-Haring Cemetery is one of the most unusual of the small cemeteries in Bergen County that I have seen. It sits right in front of someone’s front yard.

The cemetery probably at one time sat at the very edge of the farmland which is now a golf club and a neighborhood of McMansions. It shows the progress of the area as the farmland was sold off.

My International Marketing class at Bergen Community College recently did a complete study and marketing plan for the “Bergen250” on the Revolutionary War veterans buried at graveyards and cemeteries all over Bergen County, NJ:

The project:

For a Mapping of all the historic graveyards and cemeteries, I had the students visit all the sites that the Daughters of the American Revolution had researched and I had the students find all the locations, photo the tombstones and create a bio on each of the veterans. I enclosed a copy of their work above.

My blog on the historic graveyards and cemeteries of Bergen County:

https://visitingamuseum.com/tag/historic-cemeteries-of-bergen-county

The gravesite of John Haring

The DeWolf-Haring family; grandparents and grandson

It was interesting that the last person buried here was the wife of Martin DeWolf’s grandson. I am still trying to figure out how they had funeral services on the edge of someone’s front lawn.

The Haring family graves

The grave site sits in front of someone’s driveway

The cemetery is nicely maintained and treated with great respect. I am not sure by either the town or the homeowner.

Old Tappan Cemetery                                                           Washington Avenue North                                                               Old Tappan, NJ 07675

Old Tappan Cemetery Washington Avenue North Old Tappan, NJ 07675

Old Tappan Cemetery

Washington Avenue North

Old Tappan, NJ 07675

https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/1427593/old-tappan-cemetery

https://genealogy.fredquest.com/cemeteries/nj-oldtappan-eckersonfarm/index.html

https://ldsgenealogy.com/NJ/Old-Tappan.htm

Open: Sunday-Saturday: From Dawn to Dusk

My review on TripAdvisor:

The Old Tappan Cemetery is still an active cemetery even though its location in the woods surrounded by McMansions.

My International Marketing class at Bergen Community College recently did a complete study and marketing plan for the “Bergen250” on the Revolutionary War veterans buried at graveyards and cemeteries all over Bergen County, NJ:

The project:

For a Mapping of all the historic graveyards and cemeteries, I had the students visit all the sites that the Daughters of the American Revolution had researched and I had the students find all the locations, photo the tombstones and create a bio on each of the veterans. I enclosed a copy of their work above.

My blog on the historic graveyards and cemeteries of Bergen County:

https://visitingamuseum.com/tag/historic-cemeteries-of-bergen-county

The oldest part of the cemetery sits on the highest bluff overlooking the woods and the street. The Eckerson family burial plot is located here with graves dating back to before Revolutionary War.

The Old Tappan Cemetery sits on a hill in the woods

The oldest part of the cemetery sits on the very top of the hill overlooking the neighborhood

The site houses the graves of the Eckerson and Haring families

The Eckerson family graves

The Wortendyke branch of the family

The graves of Revolutionary War veteran Cornelius Eckerson and his wife, Elizabeth Haring. It looks like someone stole Cornelius’s headstone.

The Eckerson Haring Wortendyke family plots

Within the confines of the property, there were even modern graves of the Eckerson family dating back to about twenty years ago. The Eckerson family is still buried here in the Twenty-First century.