The Olde
Presbyterian Burial Grounds
On March 8, 1763, Obadiah Ayers conveyed to the Presbyterian Committee
in Hardwick (which was the original name of this township) a certain
piece of ground "on which lo of land a meeting house was built by the
Presbyterian congregation" and the Old Historical Burial Grounds was
established as the first burial ground in Hackettstown. One hundred
years later, in 1863, it was declared full. The frame meeting house was
built on land purchased from Obadiah Ayers II, the first settler in the
area of whom there is a written record, in 1763.
It is estimated that there are somewhere between
800 to 1,000 people buried in the cemetery, and 29 of the interred are
Revolutionary War Soldiers. Isaac Smith, one of those soldiers, was
born in 1753 and died on February 7, 1825. He was a colonel of the
First Regiment, Hunterdon. He resigned on February 15, 1777 to accept
the appointment of Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Of the
255 headstones that remain standing today, 60 of them belong to
children.
The Old Burial Grounds Committee continues to
restore and repair the stone wall that surrounds the yard and the
headstones contained within, preserving both Hackettstown's important
historic heritage and her contributions to the Revolutionary War.
Prose
and Poetry
Local resident Gerard A. Geiger has written several poems about some of
Hackettstown's historical landmarks and monuments. Read his tributes to
the Soldiers Monument and the Olde Presbyterian Burial Grounds.
If you would like to
contribute information to this site, please forward it to the Webmaster.
Submissions are subject to review and publication is at the discretion
of the Hackettstown Historical Society.
Support the Burial Grounds
Established in
1763, the Olde Presbyterian Burial Grounds was the first burial ground
in Hackettstown. It is the final resting place for members of many of
the Hackettstown's ancestral families.
For volunteer
opportunities or more information, please contact the Olde Burial
Ground Restoration Committee at (908)-852-5941
Revolutionary
Soldiers
Many of
Hackettstown's sons served proudly in America's war for independence.
Twenty nine Revolutionary soldiers are interred in the Olde
Presybterian Burial Ground, located on Main Street, Hackettstown.
Many of
Hackettstown's sons served proudly in America's war for independence.
Twenty nine Revolutionary soldiers are interred in the Olde
Presybterian Burial Ground, located on Main Street, Hackettstown.