New Jersey Cemetery Records Research Guide

Finding out details needed for family trees and other ancestry projects can be made much easier if you use New Jersey cemetery records.

In fact, many people who do genealogy charts rely on New Jersey cemetery records to help get the job done. When it comes to looking for details like this, you can rely on private, public, national and even hard to find cemeteries.

New Jersey Cemetery and gravestone inscriptions are a rich source of information for family historians.  For Definitions of all Cemetery Terms See Symbols on Gravestones and Their Interpretations

In fact, the state of New Jersey has three national cemeteries:

  • Beverly National Cemetery
  • Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery
  • Finn’s Point National Cemetery

Any of these or the other numerous cemeteries in the state can help with your New Jersey cemetery records search. The data you retrieve could very easily be the link between hitting a roadblock and finding all the missing data you need.

About These Types of Records

New Jersey cemetery records can be a valuable source of information, yet many people do not even realize this until they use them.

For example, you may be able to find out from New Jersey cemetery records data such as:

  • a full legal and maiden name of a person
  • the deceased’s original place of birth if different from where the person died
  • names of a spouse, children or other useful family member details

Keep in mind while there are certain ways to occasionally find New Jersey cemetery records free of charge, in most cases there is a fee involved.

However, this can be quite well worth the fee because you could get such valuable data, data you do not already have or could not obtain any other way.

New Jersey cemetery records can be easier to track if the person was affiliated with an organization or a member of the military. You may also have better luck with New Jersey cemetery records if you know the county where the person lived or the church he or she attended. Obviously the more information you start your search with, generally the better the results may be.

However, it is possible to track down the New Jersey cemetery records for someone even if you have little to start with.

Research In New Jersey Cemetery Records

The Genealogical Society of New Jersey has been working on transcribing grave markers across the state. Rutgers University holds the largest collection of those transcriptions.

A “master index” is also available for certain cemeteries and lists those buried according to surname. The society has published (1994-2002) cemetery locators for three counties.

Those counties are Monmouth, Mercer, and Morris. It has also published many grave transcriptions in the Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey, which it produces.

The New Jersey chapters of the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) have also amassed a large collection of records from the state’s cemeteries.

Copies of those collections can be found at Rutgers University, as well as at the New Jersey State Library.

The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, New Jersey Historical Society, New York Public Library and Gloucester County Historical Society all have large collections of information on New Jersey cemeteries.

Some cemetery inscriptions from the state have also been published in “The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record” and in other books and collections.

Famous People Buried in New Jersey Cemeteries

County Name / Date / Cemetery Description
Bergen Vandross, Luther
4/20/1951 – 7/1/2005
George Washington Memorial Park
Singer.
He became famous for his soulful, romantic ballads and his many collaborations with such stars as Dionne Warwick, Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson.
Camden Robertson, William
6/21/1821 – 8/10/1888
Old Camden Cemetery
Civil War Union Army Officer.
He served during the Civil War as Colonel and commander of the 24th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry.
Camden Whitman, Walt
5/31/1819 – 3/26/1892
Harleigh Cemetery
Poet.
Considered one of America’s foremost men of letters, Whitman was born on Long Island, NY.
Essex Edison, Thomas Alva
2/11/1847 – 10/18/1931
Edison National Historic Site
Inventor.
He was born in Milan, Ohio.
Essex Graham, Andrew J.
1830 – 5/21/1894
Rosedale Cemetery
Author.
He developed the shorthand system known as “Graham’s Shorthand”.
Mercer Cleveland, Grover (Stephen)
3/18/1837 – 6/24/1908
Princeton Cemetery
22nd and 24th United States President, New York Governor.
A Democrat, he was first elected President in 1884, defeated in 1888, and reelected in 1892, becoming the only United States President to serve two non-consecutive terms.
Mercer Kanka, Megan
12/7/1986 – 7/29/1994
Saint Mary’s Cemetery
Murder Victim.
She was murdered by a neighbor, Jesse Timmendequas and it was later discovered that he had been released from prison after having served time for child molestation.
Mercer Mercer, Hugh
1725 – 1/12/1777
Princeton Battlefield Site
Revolutionary War Continental Brigadier General.
Studied medicine in Scotland.
Middlesex Beamer, Todd Morgan
11/24/1968 – 9/11/2001
Brainerd Cemetery
September 11th United Flight 93 Passenger.
A high school athlete in baseball, basketball and soccer, he attended Fresno State University and Wheaton College.
Middlesex Johnson II.
, Robert Wood

3/7/1905 – 5/21/1905
Elmwood Cemetery
Businessman, pharmaceutical magnate, philanthropiSt. Son of Johnson & Johnson founder Robert Wood Johnson and his second wife, Evangeline Armstrong.
Monmouth Lombardi, Vince (Vincent) T.
6/11/1913 – 9/3/1970
Mount Olivet Cemetery
Hall of Fame Professional Football Coach.
Legendary for his discipline, his approach to football fundamentals, and his facility with words and inspirational quips.
Ocean Hindenburg Disaster Memorial
–
Naval Air Warfare Center
On May 6, 1937, the hydrogen-fueled dirigible exploded as it was circling the central New Jersey plains.
The memorial, which rests at the exact site of the explosion, was dedicated in 1987 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the disaster.
Hangar Number One, where the giant airship was kept between flights, has been declared a National Historic Site and still remains on the edge of the landing area within sight of the memorial.
Union Houston, Whitney Elizabeth
8/9/1963 – 2/11/2012
Fairview Cemetery
Recording Artist, Actress, Entertainer.
Regarded as one of the finest female vocalists of her generation, she began her musical career singing as a member of the New Hope Baptist Church junior gospel choir.
Union Moore, Dudley (Dudley Stuart John)
4/19/1935 – 3/27/2002
Hillside Cemetery
Actor, Comedian.
He is most remembered for his roles in the films “10” and “Arthur.

New Jersey Cemeteries

Cemetery Name Cemetery City
Harleigh Cemetery Camden
Rosedale Cemetery Linden
Rosehill Cemetery and Crematory Linden
Mt. Pleasant Cemetery Newark
Cedar Lawn Cemetery Paterson
Princeton Cemetery Princeton
Riverview Cemetery Trenton

New Jersey Cemeteries & Graveyards Links

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