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Historical Note: Bernardsville was still part of Bernards Township up until 1924. Cemeteries are one of the best sources for historical research and MLH leverages many burials in cemeteries to understand families and their history. Before St. Bernard’s cemetery, the Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church cemetery was used as early as the mid-1700s.
The Cemetery Tied to the Bernardsville Church
St. Bernard’s Cemetery in Bernardsville, New Jersey, is a historic and serene burial ground closely associated with St. Bernard’s Episcopal Church. Consecrated on July 2, 1903, by Bishop John Scarborough, the cemetery was established on land generously donated by Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Stevens, prominent members of the local community.
As you can see by the 1873 map above, the area mainly was untouched from development with the only thing to edge the cemetery property was the building of the railroad in 1870 where a very distinct left turn occurs to traverse alongside what is now Route 202, which has been a road going back to pre-revolutionary war times. Well, there was one thing deposited near the cemetery, called the sandpit, another story that takes us back 10,000 years. We’ll add that to the end of this research.
St. Bernard’s Cemetery
The cemetery serves as the final resting place for several distinguished families who played significant roles in the region’s history, including the Stevens, Pyne, Kean, Frelinghuysen, Millicent Fenwick, Pierrepont, Blair, and Ballentine families. Among them is Joseph S. Frelinghuysen Sr., a U.S. Senator from New Jersey (1917–1923) and a member of the influential Frelinghuysen political dynasty.
Property records indicate that the parcel is 15.62 acres according to the actual deed, but the cemetery’s website states the thirteen-acre cemetery is organized into three sections: the Lawn, Dogwood, and Beech sections, each offering distinct settings designed to cater to different aesthetic and spatial preferences, ensuring that families can select a setting that best honors their loved ones.
Cemetery Design
Located near the cemetery’s entrance, the Lawn Section features larger grave plots compared to other areas. This section is ideal for those seeking more spacious plots, allowing for prominent headstones or family monuments.
The Dogwood Section, named for its beautiful dogwood trees, offers vibrant blooms in the spring and ample shade during the summer months. The Dogwood Section provides a picturesque and tranquil environment, appealing to those who appreciate a natural and serene setting.
The Beech Section is characterized by its peaceful and serene atmosphere, with monuments that are flush with the ground level. This design choice creates a harmonious landscape, offering a subtle and respectful memorial space.
Historical Figures In the St. Bernard’s Cemetery
| Name | Gravesite | Photo | Bio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Livingston Stevens |  | | The St. Bernards Cemetery land was originally donated by Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Stevens, with additional acreage being given by their daughter, Mrs. Mary Stevens Baird. Robert’s grandfather |
| Millicent Vernon Fenwick |  |  | Millicent Hammond Fenwick. Born Millicent Vernon Hammond in New York City on February 25, 1910; died on September 16, 1992, of heart failure at her home in Bernardsville, New Jersey; second of three children of Ogden Haggerty Hammond (a financier and state representative) and Mary Picton Stevens Hammond – Grave Info |
| Clinton Ledyard Blair |  |  | Clinton Ledyard Blair and his Grandfather, John Insley Blair, and his Father founded the investment banking firm Blair & Company, building their Blair & Co. building on 24 Broad Street (on the Northwest corner of Exchange Place/Broad Street) in New York City. He was also governor of the New York Stock Exchange, a director of Lackawanna Steel, the Green Bay & Western Railroad, and many other corporations. Blair was both Commodore and Vice Commodore of the prestigious New York Yacht Club. Grave Info |
| Clarence Douglas Dillon |  |  | Served as the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from 1961 to 1965 and the U.S. Ambassador to France. Clarence Dillon (born Clarence Lapowski) was an American financier and namesake of Dillon, Read & Co., an investment bank. In 1957, Fortune Magazine listed Dillon as one of the wealthiest men in the United States, with a fortune then estimated to be between $150 and $200 million. The Clarence Dillon Public Library in Bedminster, NJ, is named in his honor. The library was established in 1982, shortly after Dillon’s death. It was named in his honor to recognize both his legacy in the Bedminster area and the contributions of the Dillon family. |
| Joseph Sherman Frelinghuysen |  |  | US Senator. Served in the Spanish-American War as a 1st Lieutenant in the Ordnance Department. Elected as a Senator from New Jersey to the United States Senate, serving from 1917 to 1923. He was the nephew of US Senator Theodore F. Frelinghuysen and the cousin of US Congressman Peter Hood Ballentine Frelinghuysen. |
| Herbert Rivington Pyne |  |  | United States Senator, Son of Percy and Maud Payne. Eight other relatives are also in the cemetery. |
| Robert Winthrop Kean |  |  | Robert Winthrop Kean – US Congressman. Served in the United States Army in the Mexican Border expedition of 1916, and in World War I as a 1st Lieutenant with the Fifteenth Field Artillery, Second Division. Elected to represent New Jersey’s 12th District in the United States House of Representatives, serving from 1939 to 1959. He was the Great-great-grandson of South Carolina Continental Congressman John Kean, the nephew of US Senator John Kean, and son of US Senator Hamilton Fish Kean. He was the father of 68th New Jersey Governor Thomas Howard Kean. |
| George Browne Post II |  |  | Son of George Browne Post, the famous architect and Wall Street financier, who died at his Kenilwood home on Bernardsville Mountain. |
| Richard Vliet Lindabury |  | Became general counsel for the Prudential Insurance Company. He was a trustee of Stevens Institute of Technology. Lindabury also owned an estate and farm called Meadowbrook Farm in Bernardsville, New Jersey, which he bought in 1892. There, he raised Guernsey cattle. During the late 1800s, the farm was much more extensive, once over 1,000 acres, and included the Bernardsville Town Hall and pond. He retained about 269 acres when he purchased the farm. Grave info | |
| BONUS: My Friend….. John Placko |  |  | Estate manager of George Ludlow Lee’s/ Conklin Basking Ridge estate. Mailman, beekeeper, who was a friend of Irwin Richardt and a good man I met in Basking Ridge, and would bring him breakfast, and we would go and swap John’s honey with Mr. Richardt’s home-farmed Liberty Corner maple syrup. |
Bernardsville’s St. Bernard’s Church
Bernardsville’s St. Bernard’s Church was established on October 22, 1896, during a period when the Somerset Hills area was predominantly influenced by the 16th-century Protestant theological system based on the teachings of John Calvin, known as Calvinism. His beliefs included Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints, collectively known as the acronym TULIP. St. Bernard lived 400 years before Calvin.
The growth of grand estates in Bernardsville created a demand for an Episcopal place of worship closer to the local community. The architectural firm of Napoleon LeBrun & Sons was commissioned to design the church in the English Gothic style, utilizing schist stone laid in a random ashlar pattern. The cornerstone was laid in 1897, and the church officially opened on June 29, 1898. It was consecrated later that year on November 3 by the Bishop of New Jersey.
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