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The South Middllebush Graveyard by Jacob Wyckoff, Middlebush, N. J.

THE SOUTH MIDDLEBUSH GRAVEYARD

1246-*SOUTH MIDDLEBUSH CEMETERY (1700's) SOMERSET, NEW JERSEY (c. LAWRENCE E. WALKER FOUNDATION) copyTHE EARLIEST settlers in the locality where this yard is situated were two Wyckoff brothers, Peter and John, who settled beside each other on the two farms between which this graveyard lies, these farms at the time extending to the Millstone river. When these brothers lost children, or any members of their families, they were buried on the hill between their two homes, on either side of the line between the two farms. Later, when other early settlers moved in, they sought and obtained permission to bury alongside of the Wyckoff families, as they did not wish to inter their dead in the wilderness of woods, as were then the surroundings. Permission was granted for this, and later–in 1811–a written agreement was entered into between the then two owners of the land, Simon Wyckoff and Samuel Garretson of the first part, and Garret Voorhees, Denice Van Liew, Elizabeth Van Liew, Jeremiah Van Liew, John Wyckoff, Peter Voorhees, Leah Garretson, Else Stothoff, John Vanliew, William French, John French, Herman Cortelyou, David Williamson, Rynear Moore, Garret Polhemus and Jacob Wyckoff of the second part, whereby this graveyard property, containing about half an acre, and a right of way to the same, was conveyed to the “Inhabitants of Middlebush” (as represented by the parties above named), on condition that the parties of the second part were to put up, maintain and keep in repair a fence around it. The indenture drawn up stated that for the sum of one dollar to them in hand paid the parties of the first part transferred the land to the parties of the second part (but the parties of the first part, their heirs and estates, to have equity in the same), to be held “in trust forever” as “a burial place for the neighborhood called Middlebush.” This deed was signed and sealed by the parties of the first part and witnessed by Frederick Stothoff and John O. Voorhees. An affidavit to the witnessing was made by one of the witnesses before Asa Runyon of Middlesex County, and was recorded in the Somerset County Clerk’s Office Apr. 3, 1812, in Book F of Deeds, p. 702.

This deed, and also a valuable map of the yard, made about 1860 under the instructions of my father, the late Jacob Wyckoff, of Middlebush, whose memory would have gone back to 1830, and who doubtless learned much about the place of burials where there were no tombstones from his mother, are at the present time in the care of Mr. John T. Polhemus of Middlebush.

While the deed called for “about a half-acre of land,” the graveyard was not really enlarged to the half-acre size until about 1856, when additional room was needed, and a new fence built around the property.

Two incidents connected with this graveyard are probably worth recording here. During the Revolutionary War it was reported that British soldiers skirmishing the country, probably on a foraging expedition (they were then located at New Brunswick under General Howe), were shot at by the inhabitants of the country, and one of them so badly wounded that he died; and it was further reported that his comrades dug a shallow grave in this yard by moonlight, using their bayonets for that purpose, and buried the dead soldier there. This was generally accepted as true, although I know of no local witnesses to the act. Years afterward, when a grave was being dug, the diggers came, at a shallow depth, upon the bones of a man lying diagonally with the other graves, as though buried in great haste, and it was accepted that these were the bones of the British soldier.

As is well known, slavery existed throughout the North as well as the South until the conscience of the people rose against it, and it was abolished by the various Northern States. In New Jersey it was decreed that those already living as slaves should remain such unless freed by their masters, but that no more should be born slaves, and no more slaves should he bought and sold. It thus came about that some of the younger slaves were still living throughout our county and State until well on toward the middle of the last century. Before the yard was enlarged, the front fence stood along the edge of the hill close by the front line of stones as they still stand. Two slaves were buried outside the fence, at the foot of the sloping hillside near the gate. When the yard was enlarged this brought their graves within the boundaries of the yard inside the present driveway. These two graves still plainly show.

Many of the old stones were rudely inscribed at home by the relatives, and some of these have either disappeared beneath the soil, or have become obliterated by the weather. In many cases there never were tombstones. But the map previously referred to notes various such burials, and such are given in the supplementary list below.

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