Cemeteries: Topanemus Burying Ground: Freehold, Monmouth Co, NJ Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Lowell Carhart. LC111162@exchange.DAYTONOH.NCR.com USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: Printing this file within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. ____________________________________________________ *************** Background With the first burial in 1697, this 300 year old cemetery is likely the oldest organized burying ground in Monmouth County, and predates the American Revolution by more than seventy-five years. Many of the original settlers are buried here, some of whom were celebrities in their time. Yet, the cemetery is sadly overgrown and subject to vandalism because it is largely forgotten. More than 20 tombstones, most broken, are visible. Others have toppled and are covered with undergrowth and detritus. Three of the graves have been dug up by vandals. Location The Burying Ground is 3.5 miles due north of the Freehold business district and 1,300 feet west of Route 18. It is difficult to locate because it is surrounded on all sides by a housing development. It is a wooded hill bounded on the north by Julian Way, the east by Coltsbrook Road, the south by David Court, and the west by Harness Lane. An access path marked by a small blue sign runs parallel to Weathervane Way and begins 300 feet northeast of the intersection of Topanemus Road and Weathervane Way. The access lane runs in a northerly direction from that point for 1,200 feet through undergrowth. When the land rises abruptly by about nine feet (and you see homes to your left), the south-west corner of the cemetery has been reached. The cemetery covers the hill to the north and east from that point. Size The cemetery is roughly square in shape with dimensions of North boundary -- 301.50' East boundary ---- 323.00' South boundary -- 254.17' West boundary --- approximately 330' (this dimension not indicated on land map.) History of the Burial Grounds and its link to St. Peter's Episcopal Church This section originally published by the Topanemus Preservation Committee in July, 1967. Contributors at that time included Reverend Bernard McKean Garlick, Miss Marion Symmes, Mrs. Clarence Burke, Mrs. Frank Gordon, Mrs. Ira Tilton, Dorothy Ann McCue, Raymond Smith, Clifford (Duke) Burke, and Catby Mace. Indian nomenclature can be found in much of Monmouth County and the surrounding area. One such existing example of surviving Indian culture is in the name of an early seventeenth century burying ground called Topanemus, which means "an elk drinking from a brook that flows from a spring." Perhaps the Indians who had a little village nearby may have named this lovely spot which is a little west of the present village of Marlboro. The clear spring water and little hill certainly would have attracted the Indian because of the accessibility of water and the probable excellent hunting. To this naturally beautiful area came the first weary Scotch and English Quakers seeking a place where they could live in peace, for they had been persecuted wherever they went. In Scotland and England they had been abused, ridiculed, punished, and even hanged until they were driven from their homes by the Stuart kings and the Church of England and migrated to the new World in hopes of attaining religious freedom. The situation in New Amsterdam (New York City) where they arrived was definitely not any better and they were forced to leave there also. This second move brought these persecuted people to East Jersey to the present area of Perth Amboy about 1682 or 1683. Again, the ill-fated group headed by George Scott was not warmly received. An early Quaker, John Reid, the first Surveyor-General of East Jersey, was living in Perth Amboy and advised them to go a few miles inland where there was a settlement that would welcome them. Perhaps in his work as a surveyor, he found Topanemus and had helped many persons to establish themselves there. Another important figure in this early settlement was George Keith of Aberdeen, Scotland, who had been raised as a Presbyterian, but as a young man joined the Society of Friends (Quakers) and became one of their most important leaders. In his capacity as an influential member of the Quaker group, he was a friend and co-worker of George Fox, William Penn, and Robert Barclay. George Keith arrived in America in 1684 after being appointed a Surveyor-General for East Jersey. He ran the line between East and West Jersey, the famous "Keith Line" which was not actually accepted for many years. For his proficiency at his work, the Proprietors gave him large grants of land including seven hundred acres in Monmouth County where he founded the town of Freehold. He established his home in a Quaker settlement near Topanemus where he helped to build a meeting house in which he preached to the people on the Quaker faith. In 1689 Keith moved from Freehold to Philadelphia and there proposed to the Yearly Meeting of Friends a reform to counteract the growth of indifference to fundamental Christian teachings which he felt he discerned among them. The result was a break, and the formation of a new group called "Christian Quakers" or "Keithian Quakers" under Keith's leadership. It is interesting to note that at a monthly meeting of the "Christian Quakers" in 1693 they condemned slavery almost a hundred years before the main body of Quakers did so, and long before other Christians were giving it much thought. Keith returned to London that year looking for vindication of his teaching from the Quakers there, but was disappointed in this. His views continued to grow more orthodox, from the point of view of non-Quakers, and finally in 1700 he was received into the Church of England and was soon after ordained. He returned to the American colonies in 1702 as representative of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel of the Church of England and began one of the great missionary tours of the church. He was determined to convert as many as possible to the Episcopalian beliefs. His journal for the years 1702-1704 gives an account of almost constant travel, preaching, writing, and teaching. He spent much time in Monmouth County and while conducting services at the Topanemus Meeting House on several occasions, he warned the people in fiery words of the fate that awaited them if they did not change their ways. So eloquently and forcefully did he preach that by 1703, the remaining Quakers at Topanemus had joined him in his original separation from the main body of Quakers, and most of its members were now ready to follow him into the Church of England. Thomas Boels, on whose land the Meeting House stood, had become an Anglican apparently even before Keith's arrival, and it was Boels who bequeathed the Meeting House and one and a half acres of land around it to the Episcopal Church. This bequeath constituted the land which is now the Topanemus Cemetery and also marked the beginning of Saint Peter's Episcopal Church of Freehold. There is no doubt that George Keith, the missionary who officiated for the first time as an Anglican (Episcopalian) at Topanemus on October 10, 1702, marking the beginning of Saint Peter's Church, was one of the best known and most remarkable men of his time. The meeting house where the early Quakers came to worship may have looked similar to the picture at left. Historians claim that portions of the meeting house which stood at Topanemus were moved to Freehold and used in the construction of Saint Peter's Episcopal Church located on Throckmorton Street. That this old cemetery and settlement must have been a place of some importance in the early history of this region is proved by the people buried in the little graveyard: Colonel John Anderson, President of His Majesty's Council for the Province of East Jersey; Thomas Warne, a Proprietor of East Jersey, and his wife Mary Lord Carhart; John Reid, Surveyor-General of East Jersey; and others who were members of Grand Juries. Also, that it remains a great historical site is evident by the early family names encrusted on tombstones which had been used as ballast when they were brought in ships from England and Scotland. The ancient tombstones - many of which were moved to St. Peter's Episcopal Church in the 1970s to save them from vandalism -- in Topanemus are characteristic of the type which may be found in any old cemetery of the seventeenth century. During these early days stones were fairly thin pieces of sandstone or slate with rounded or square tops which were encrusted with certain motifs. The death's head with blank eyes and grinning visage seemed to be the most popular around 1720 - 1790. Later, the winged cherubs with fat, happy faces appeared around 1760 - 1810. The next popular design was the willow tree overhanging a pedestaled urn. In rural areas other designs may be found and among those most often used were the crossbones, skull, and hourglass which symbolized the relationship of death and time. Since the intention generally was to have the tombstone basically for the living to remind or warn those left behind that the time will come when death will also come to them, the symbolism was designed to convey this message; therefore, certain features were employed to represent death. However, during this period the theme of resurrection was also observed on stoned. For example, wings were added to the death's head to symbolize victory over death in resurrection. Many of the tombstones in Topanemus Cemetery are composed of sandstone which was plentiful and characterized by a reddish-brown color because of the high iron content. The austerity and harshness of both the shape and engraving of the stones probably were derived from the Puritans of new England where similar tombstones can be found. Those Buried at Topanemus Cemetery The list of burials reproduced here were assembled by Reverend Frank R. Symmes from the gravestones for his book The History of Old Tennent Church which was published around 1904. The following abbreviations and symbols have been used: w = wife of, wd = widow of, s = son of, d = daughter of, ** indicates that the stone was still present in 1999, and a woman's maiden name appears in parentheses when known. Misspellings are verbatim from the tombstones. ** = stone locatable in burying ground in 1999. *************** NAME DATE OF DEATH AGE AT DEATH Charls Abraham, s. James & Jannet Sept. 18, 1760 34 yrs. 3 mos. 21 days James Abraham, (born in Northhamptonshire Sept. 13, 1765 69 years, 6 months, 18 days in Old England) Jannet Abraham, w. James April 3, 1747 43 years, 3 mos. Samuel Abraham March 23, 1760 Anna (Reid) Anderson, w. Colonel John & July 6, 1723 43 years d. John Reid Hannah Anderson, w. Kenneth Aug. 15, 1762 In her 44th year Colonel John Anderson, Once President of March 28, 1736 71 years his Majesty's Council for the Province of New Jersey Lydia Anderson, d. Kenneth & Hannah Aug. 18, 1744 3 years, 11 months, 23 days John Baird, came from Scotland 1683 Aprill 1755 About 90 years and of in his 18th year, an honest Caracter Anne Baird, w. Zebulun Baird Dec. 28, 1794 63 yrs. 4 mos. 11 days John Baird, Jr. Feb. 6, 1747 40 yrs. 10 days Zebulun Baird Jan. 28, 1804 83 yrs. 3 mos. 15 days John Barclay, Esq. Feb. 1786 record undecipherable Katherin Barclay, w. John Esqr. Oct. 26, 1757 June 14, 1705 & d. Charles Gordon Hulda (Browne) Barricklo, w. William R. Apr. 13, 1867 May 18, 1790 John R. Barriclo Feb. 11, 1858 42 yrs. 11 mos. 18 days William Barriclo ** Oct. 1, 1826 38 years. 3 mos. David Browne Dec. 9, 1820 72 yrs. 1 mo. 21 days Mary Browne, w. David Browne Feb. 28, 1813 In her 48th year Sarah Brown, w. Andrew Brown Aug. 8, 1771 27 years, 9 months Mary Carhart, w. Robert Carhart ** Aug. 10, 1737 41 years William Carhart Dec. 3 1747 John Clark March 17, 1777 58 years 16 days Allexander Clark, born in new Jersey; Aug. 7, 1730 37 years died with the cancer ** Elizabeth Clarke, w. William. Clarke. Dec. 25, 1697 42 years Was born in Scotland William Clarke May 1709 Tombstone broken Sarah Combs, w. John Combs Feb. 14, 1824 90 yrs. 4 mos. 29 da. Hannah Cowenhaven Aug. 17, 1758 Margaret Denise, w. Denise Denise, Dec. 18, 1770 22 yrs. 10 mos. 24 days & d. Richard & Sarah Franses Richard Denise, s. Denise & Margaret Aug. 17, 1802 31 yrs. 2 mos. 16 da. Alexander Dove ** Oct. 7, 1736 73 years Jane Dove No dates given No dates given John Driskel Nov. 19, 1804 40 yrs. 11 mos. 6 days John Fenton ** Aug. 5, 1747 77 yrs 3 mos. John Fenton, s. John & Mary ** Apr. 7, 1736 In his 12th year Denise Forman, s. John Forman Nov. 19, 1760 Jonathan Forman May 22, 1758 Daniel Franses, s. Richard & Sarah Nov. 1, 1790 67 yrs. 6 mos. 20 days James Franses, s. Richard & Sarah Sep. 26, 1766 12 yrs. 8 mos. 7 days John Franses, s. Richard & Sarah April 6, 1739 3 years. 7 mos. 24 days John Franses, s. Richard & Sarah March 21, 1759 7 yrs. 1 mo. 21 days Mary Franses, s. Richard & Sarah Aug. 10, 1753 14 years, 4 mos. 16 days Rachel Franses, s. Richard & Sarah Oct. 19, 1791 42 yrs. 1 mo. 14 days Richard Franses Nov. 10, 1795 86 yrs. 9 mos. 9 days Richard Franses, s. Richard & Sarah Nov. 8, 1796 Age not given Sarah Franses, w. Richard Aug. 8, 1809 97 yrs. 11 mos. 12 days & d. Thomas & Mary Warne Thomas Franses, s. Richard & Sarah ** Feb. 20, 1768 30 yrs. 9 mos. 18 days Daniel Grandin, s. Daniel Nov. 11, 1790 67 yrs. Six mos. 20 days & Mary Grandin ** Daniel Grandin, s. Daniel & Sarah ---- 2 yrs. 3 mos. Job Grandin, s. Daniel & Sarah Aug. 3, 1774 21 yrs. 6 mos. 20 days John Grandin, s. Daniel & Sarah ---- 11 mos. Sarah Grandin, w. Daniel Feb. 1, 1761 39 yrs. 2 mos. 20 days Hellana Hankinson, w. Thomas Feb. 19, 1748 41 yrs. 9 mos. 13 days Elisha Holmes ** Feb. 13, 1792 22 yrs. 11 mos. 26 days Jonathan Holmes ** Dec. 26, 1766 About 85 yrs. & 6 mos. Joseph Holmes, s. Jonathan & Rebeckah ** March 23, 1738 16 yrs. 3 mos. 27 days Molly Holmes, w. Samuel April 23, 1773 46 (?) years Rebekah Holmes, w. Jonathan Nov. 10, 1761 70 yrs. 9 mos. Samuel Holmes Nov. 29, 1769 43 yrs. 1 mo. 25 days Adrian Hun ** Jan. 15, 1738 28 yrs. 7 mos. Phebe Hun, d. Adrian & Phebe ** May 10, 1739 9 mos. 17 days Sarah Jolley, d. Wm. & Hannah Feb. 10, 1806 In her 26th year Thomas Killpatrick Jan. 31, 1755 56 years Alice Loyd, w. Timothy, Jan. 29, 1761 About 78 years (she was born in North America) David Lyell (his tombstone has Jan. 28, 1725 55 years a Latin inscription) Mrs. Maddox Jan. 12, 1755 Margaret McCormick Oct. 24, 1760 50 years Joseph Morford Aug. 21, 1765 William Nichols, (for many yrs. April 9, 1743 Born in Dublin, Ireland Oct. 23, 1685 a physician in Monmouth Co.) Sarah Nichols, w. Dr. Wm. April 6, 1755 70 yrs. 2 mos. 4 days Anne Reed, w. John Reed of Mon. County June 4, 1777 92 yrs. 9 mos. Elizabeth Reed, d. John & Sarah ** Feb. 6, 1796 35 yrs. 5 mos. 4 days James Reed, s. John & Anna Dec. 29, 1809 81 yrs. John Reed June 10, 1770 93 yrs. 1 mo. 7 days John Reed ** July 5, 1819 96 yrs. 3 mos. Moyka Reed, w. James & Aug. 11, 1757 22 yrs. 2 mos. 26 days d. Aaron & Catharine Longstreet Sarah Reed, w. John & May 30, 1785 57 years d. John & Anne Wetherill William Reed, s. John & Sarah July 31, 1802 33 yrs. 2 mos. 17 days John Reid (came from Scotland with his Nov. 16, 1723 67 years wife Margaret & three daughters, to New Jersey, Dec. 19, 1683 Margaret (Miller) Reid, w. John ** May 1, 1728 84 years Capt. Samuel Reid Dec. 23, 1802 65 yrs. 9 mos. 11 days Sarah Reid, youngest d. Dec. 23, 1802 65 yrs. 9 mos. 11 days Colonel John Anderson John Rockhed, (2nd son of Thomas Sep. 12, 1737 56 years Rockhed, of Whitsomhill, in the shire of Berwick, upon Tweed, in North Britain.) ** Elizabeth Rue April 24, 1748 Matthew Rue Nov. 5, 1755 Michael Savage, s. Robert. & Hannah March 21, 1748 2 years 7 mos. Anna Smith, w. David ** Feb. 20, 1773 24 yrs. 4 mos. 9 days Susannah Smith, d. John & Hester ** Nov. 14, 1759 19 yrs. 6 mos. 14 days Hugh Taylor, (born at Coates, Aug. 19, 1750 In his 65th year County York, Great Britain) Hugh Taylor, s. Hugh & Letetia Oct. 8, 1763 24 days Latitia Taylor, w. Hugh & Sep. 10, 1801 55 yrs. 8 mos. 10 da d. Richard & Sarah Franses James Throckmorton, s. Job & Mary May 28, 1749 5 yrs. 2 mos. 19 days Job Throckmorton, s. Joseph & Alice Feb. 2, 1765 44 yrs. 1 mo. 23 days Joseph Throckmorton, April 8, 1752 26 yrs. 3 mos. 20 days s. Joseph & Alice ** Mary Throckmorton, w. Job April 19, 1790 66 yrs. 10 mos. 28 days Elizabeth Thomas, w. Encoh David & Jan. 16, 1762 34 yrs. 12 days d. James & Jannet Abraham Rebekah Tice, w. Gilbert June 24, 1757 23 yrs. 3 mos. 20 days Thomas Tyte April 1, 1764 Deborah Warne, w. Thomas Warne March 15, 1731 27 yrs. Joshua Warne Aug. 5, 1758 51 yrs. 7 mos. 13 days Sarah Warne, d. Joshua & Elizabeth Oct. 11, 1742 5 yrs. 11 mos. 6 days Thomas Warne, died with the May 15, 1722 70 yrs. dead paulsey. Born in Plymouth in Devonshire in Great Britain. Lived some time in Ireland. And in the 31st year of his age came over a Proprietor in East Jersey John Williams, s. George Williams Jan. 9, 1759 About 20 years Edward Wright March 15, 1746 It is believed that many more graves existed than are actually accounted for by Reverend Frank Symmes in his History of Old Tennent Church since many stones had been removed or had deteriorated before his arrival.