Basking Ridge’s Oldest Cemetery

NOTE:
Warren, Far Hills, and Bernardsville were all part of Bernards Township in the early 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Cemeteries remain a primary source for historical research, and MLH leverages many sources from cemeteries to validate early settlers and local history.

Cemeteries showcase some of history’s greatest reminders of where we came from. Many people new to the area are unaware of the local history until you trace it back to some of the originating families that chose this area in the early 1700s. Our historical journey takes us to the Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church cemetery in Bernards Township. New Jersey.

In 1701, East and West Jersey’s fourth governor, Col. Andrew Hamilton, and the Proprietors sought to settle the East Jersey province, appointing John Harrison for that purpose. Harrison made large purchases from the Lenni Lenape Indian tribe. As many have read, John Harrison, agent of King James II, purchased the area from Chief Nowenoik of the Lenapes, a real estate package of 3,000 acres for the equivalent of $50.

Seven Early Settlers

The Meeting House That Became a Church

In Baskingridge, some Scotch Presbyterian families who had settled there were worshipping in a log meeting house which they had erected a year or two previously.” The church can make a case for having been founded in 1716, but it was settled in 1717. The Basking Ridge congregation was recognized by the first Presbytery in the U.S., located in Philadelphia, in 1729.

The Trustees of the Presbyterian Congregation included James Pitney, Henry Rolfe (Newbury, MA), Mordecai McKeene, George Pack, Samuel Rolfe (Henry’s son), Daniel Morris, Thomas Riggs, and Obadiah Ayres (John’s son). That log cabin structure lasted until 1747, when a better structure was built. The Ayres lived in the area for over 100 years. The deed was not recorded until 1763.

Building on John Ayrer’s donation, in 1728, John Budd of Philadelphia (he was from Phia) donated 100 acres to the Basking Ridge congregation for the continued use of the meeting house.

The Presbyterian congregation of New Brunswick was later founded in 1738, and Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church became a part of it. John Cross was the first Moderator. The congregation believes John Cross is buried adjacent to the church, but his grave has not been found. There are 35 of Cross’s descendants buried here. He had one son, Robert (who had 11 children: 8 sons and 3 daughters) and two daughters.

Basking Ridge’s Oldest Cemetery

MLH has visited the BRPC cemetery on multiple occasions. It’s one of the best places to validate the area’s demographics, ethnicity, and European migration trends to Somerset County from the European continent. Headstones and American flags showcase a significant part of Basking Ridge’s participation in the Revolutionary War, as many soldiers and sympathizers of the independence cause are buried in the cemetery.

Basking Ridge Cemetery Tidbits

• 1139 people are buried in Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church (BRPC) cemetery (Source: BRPC provided data).
• The graveyard is one of the best-preserved in the County. The deed for it bears the date Feb. 8, 1731. The oldest gravestone there is Henry Haines, who died June 9, 1736, but there must have been earlier interments.
• 208 families are buried in the graveyard. (Source: BRPC-provided data)
• 26 families (13% of the total) take up 50% of the plots in the graveyard.(Source: BRPC-provided data)
• Oldest – Sarah Hodge,107 years old (b, Apr 1742, d.Oct.16, 1849)
• The highest number of ages buried in the cemetery – 30- was 1 year old. #2-21 were 67 years old.
• 35 Revolutionary War soldiers are buried in the graveyard. Source: DAR

Analysis

Based on the data MLH received from the BRPC, we went through several data-cleansing exercises to reach these conclusions. Our total to work with is 1129 burial sites. Based on the cleansed data, 585 women and 537 men were buried in the cemetery. The patterns below showcase burials going back to the 1730s. The family surname with the most sites was the Ayers, with 35 burials. Take a look:

Below is the list of the 35 Continental Army soldiers and Basking Ridge’s original families identified by the DAR’s local chapter (Daughters of the American Revolution). Based on our research into the dates of death of each soldier, none of the Continental Army volunteers died during the Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1781.

Benjamin Alward John Ayers (Ayres) Nathaniel Ayers (Ayres) John Baird George Bockoven John Boylan John Brees Sr. John Brees Jr. Stephen Brees John Carle Jonas Carle Hugh Colwell

Daniel Doty William Doughty James Finley John Hall Samuel Johnson Alexander Kirkpatrick David Kirkpatrick James Kirkpatrick Edward Lewis Thomas Logan Gavin McCoy Jonathan Miller

John Parker Samuel Reynolds Israel Rickey Thomas Riggs Peter Sharpenstine David Simpson Henry Southard James Thompson Jonathan Whitaker Sr. Jonathan Whitaker Jr. Stafford Wilson

BRPC Burial Maps

• Complete BRPC Graveyard Map
• BRPC Graveyard – Finley Section
• BRPC Graveyard – Maple Section
• BRPC Graveyard – Oak Tree Section

Burial Listings

• Burial Listing, alphabetical
• Burial Listing Supplemental (under review)

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