New Jersey Cemeteries and Tombstones : History in the Landscape

In this sweeping tour of New Jersey's burial sites from the seventeenth century through the dawn of the twenty-first, readers will discover how headstones are much more than place markers for the deceased. From the earliest memorials that were once used by Native Americans, to some of the elaborate structures of the present day, historians Richard Veit and Mark Nonestied use grave markers to tell an off-beat account of New Jersey's history that is both fascinating and unique. In detailed descriptions, the authors explain what cemeteries and their gravemarkers say about different individuals and the communities in which they lived. Images that decorate seventeenth-century headstones, such as skulls, hourglasses, and crossed bones, speak to the brevity of life in the colonial world. Eighteenth-century cemeteries reflect the distinctive cultures that sprang up in the state at that time, ranging from the unadorned marble markers used by Quakers, to rich brown sandstone used by settlers in the central and northern regions of New Jersey. By the Victorian era, markers were transformed into elaborate monuments and mausoleums as New Jerseyans honored their dead relatives with a cavalcade of obelisks, pillars, ornate statuary, and sculpture. Today's tombstones continue to mirror New Jersey society. A life-sized Mercedes Benz headstone in a Linden cemetery, for example, reflects the materialism of the new millennium. Also considered are modern-day novelties such as pet cemeteries and what they mean for modern culture. Having visited more than 900 state burial grounds, and interviewed dozens of owners of monument companies, this richly illustrated book is essential reading for history buffs and indeed anyone who has ever wandered inquisitively through their local cemeteries. "Comprehensive in scope and fascinating in detail, this volume will stand as a model of scholarship and will be a treasured reference."-R. Alan Mounier, author of Looking Beneath the Surface: The Story of Archaeology in New Jersey

From the earliest memorials used by Native Americans to the elaborate structures of the present day, Richard Veit and Mark Nonestied use grave markers to take an off-beat look at New Jersey's history that is both fascinating and unique.
New Jersey Cemeteries and Tombstones presents a culturally diverse account of New Jersey's historic burial places from High Point to Cape May and from the banks of the Delaware to the ocean-washed Shore, to explain what cemeteries tell us about people and the communities in which they lived. The evidence ranges from somber seventeenth-century decorations such as hourglasses and skulls that denoted the brevity of colonial life, to modern times where memorials, such as a life-size granite Mercedes Benz, reflect the materialism of the new millennium. Also considered are contemporary novelties such as pet cemeteries and what they reveal about today's culture. To tell their story the authors visited more than 1,000 burial grounds and interviewed numerous monument dealers and cemetarians.
This richly illustrated book is essential reading for history buffs and indeed anyone who has ever wandered inquisitively through their local cemeteries.

Richard Veit is an associate professor in the Department of History and Anthropology at Monmouth University. He is the author of Digging New Jersey's Past: Historical Archaeology in the Garden State, winner of a 2003 New Jersey Historic Preservation Award.

Mark Nonestied has been a staff member of the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission since 1991. He currently serves as the director of exhibits and programs at a historic site in Piscataway.

In this sweeping tour of New Jersey's burial sites from the seventeenth century through the dawn of the twenty-first, readers will discover how headstones are much more than place markers for the deceased. From the earliest memorials that were once used by Native Americans, to some of the elaborate structures of the present day, historians Richard F. Veit and Mark Nonestied use grave markers to tell an off-beat account of New Jersey's history that is both fascinating and unique.In detailed descriptions, the authors explain what cemeteries and their gravemarkers say about different individuals and the communities in which they lived. Images that decorate seventeenth-century headstones, such as skulls, hourglasses, and crossed bones, speak to the brevity of life in the colonial world. Eighteenth-century cemeteries reflect the distinctive cultures that sprang up in the state at that time, ranging from the unadorned marble markers used by Quakers, to rich brown sandstone used by settlers in the central and northern regions of New Jersey. By the Victorian era, markers were transformed into elaborate monuments and mausoleums as New Jerseyans honored their dead relatives with a cavalcade of obelisks, pillars, ornate statuary, and sculpture.Today's tombstones continue to mirror New Jersey society. A life-sized Mercedes Benz headstone in a Linden cemetery, for example, reflects the materialism of the new millennium. Also considered are modern-day novelties such as pet cemeteries and what they mean for modern culture.Having visited more than 900 state burial grounds, and interviewed dozens of owners of monument companies, this richly illustrated book is essential reading for history buffs and indeed anyone who has ever wandered inquisitively through his or her local cemeteries Why study historic cemeteries Early American burial grounds and gravemarkers New Jersey's colonial gravemarkers From graveyards and burying grounds to cemeteries Victorian valhallas : from markers to monuments New technology, new tools : the professionalization of the industry New immigrants, new traditions Alternative gravemarking traditions, or, When a gravestone isn't a gravestone Mansions of immortality : the evolution of New Jersey mausoleums Modern marvels : the new cemetery aesthetic New Jersey's burial grounds past and present Appendix A : cemeteries visited Appendix B : New Jersey's historic stone carvers.