Old Bergen's Speer Cemetery is located at 145 Vroom St in the Bergen Square neighborhood of Jersey City, New Jersey , between Bergen Ave. and Van Reypen St.
16-466: Speer Cemetery is frequently confused with the present day Bergen Cemetery owned and operated by Old Bergen Church , a portion of which also fronts on Vroom St but is further east, at Tuers Ave. The two cemeteries always operated independently of each other. The land Speer Cemetery sits on was originally part of apple orchards owned by the Van Waganen family of Apple Tree House fame. After title to
32-561: A building on a lot adjacent to the remaining cemetery grounds have been met with opposition, since it is believed that the land being developed was once part of the burial ground and contains human remains, possibly dating back to the 1660s; the developer has been ordered to hire an archeologist to validate that belief. Old Bergen Church The Old Bergen Church is a historic church congregation in Jersey City , Hudson County , New Jersey , United States. Established in 1660 in what
48-490: Is located at 145 Vroom St in the Bergen Square neighborhood of Jersey City, New Jersey , between Bergen Ave. and Van Reypen St. Speer Cemetery is frequently confused with the present day Bergen Cemetery owned and operated by Old Bergen Church , a portion of which also fronts on Vroom St but is further east, at Tuers Ave. The two cemeteries always operated independently of each other. The land Speer Cemetery sits on
64-598: The 1770s. Old Bergen's Speer Cemetery is colloquially named for Jane Speer and her husband, Abraham Speer, the local undertaker and former sexton of Old Bergen Church during the mid-1800's. They bought the land from the De Mott estate in 1857 and made it a public cemetery, selling burial plots for $ 16 each. Despite Mr. Speers' affiliation with Old Bergen Church, one did not have to be affiliated with any church or religion to be buried in Speer Cemetery. Speer Cemetery
80-478: The 1770s. Old Bergen's Speer Cemetery is colloquially named for Jane Speer and her husband, Abraham Speer, the local undertaker and former sexton of Old Bergen Church during the mid-1800's. They bought the land from the De Mott estate in 1857 and made it a public cemetery, selling burial plots for $ 16 each. Despite Mr. Speers' affiliation with Old Bergen Church, one did not have to be affiliated with any church or religion to be buried in Speer Cemetery. Speer Cemetery
96-495: The cemetery. Additionally, underground sonar was conducted to locate unmarked graves. Contact the Bergen Square Historical Society via their Facebook page for more information. In addition to hundreds of non-denominational interments, Speer Cemetery is the final resting place for dozens of patients of Snake Hill (Laurel Hill) Sanitarium. They were interred in one of the cemetery's two catacombs during
112-407: The cemetery. Additionally, underground sonar was conducted to locate unmarked graves. Contact the Bergen Square Historical Society via their Facebook page for more information. In addition to hundreds of non-denominational interments, Speer Cemetery is the final resting place for dozens of patients of Snake Hill (Laurel Hill) Sanitarium. They were interred in one of the cemetery's two catacombs during
128-616: The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It's rumored that DeMott family members are interred in the second catacomb, though many DeMott headstones are above ground. The earliest surviving gravemarker in the cemetery is dated 1756. Headstones indicate the burial of the veterans of the American Revolutionary War , War of 1812 , American Civil War , and the Spanish–American War . Its last interments occurred during World War I . Plans to construct
144-470: The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It's rumored that DeMott family members are interred in the second catacomb, though many DeMott headstones are above ground. The earliest surviving gravemarker in the cemetery is dated 1756. Headstones indicate the burial of the veterans of the American Revolutionary War , War of 1812 , American Civil War , and the Spanish–American War . Its last interments occurred during World War I . Plans to construct
160-583: The original church and a second church was erected in 1773. This church was also made of sandstone and was located at the corner of Bergen Avenue and Vroom Street. The third and current church was built in 1841 by William H. Kirk and Company and Clark and Van Nest . The Old Bergen Church Cemetery and the Speer Cemetery are affiliated with the church. [REDACTED] Media related to Old Bergen Church (Jersey City, New Jersey) at Wikimedia Commons Speer Cemetery Old Bergen's Speer Cemetery
176-744: The property was transferred from the Van Waganens to Matthias DeMott, it became the Bergen DeMott's family burial ground. It is the oldest and only known family burial ground in existence in Jersey City. The Bergen DeMotts were early settlers to New Netherland first in Esopus (present day Kingston, NY) and later, Long Island, NY before later generations, including Mathias, settled in Bergen, New Netherland (present day Old Bergen, Jersey City) in
SECTION 10
#1732791947850192-504: Was abandoned in the early 1900s and the Speer family records have never been published. The cemetery has been maintained by volunteers for over ninety years. The volunteers' motto is, "Caring For The Forgotten". Cataloging of names from headstones and historical records, including individual deeds and burial records collected by neighbors, volunteers and the Bergen Square Historical Society, make it possible to now verify many who are buried in
208-451: Was abandoned in the early 1900s and the Speer family records have never been published. The cemetery has been maintained by volunteers for over ninety years. The volunteers' motto is, "Caring For The Forgotten". Cataloging of names from headstones and historical records, including individual deeds and burial records collected by neighbors, volunteers and the Bergen Square Historical Society, make it possible to now verify many who are buried in
224-534: Was built in 1841. The congregation was formed in the Dutch colonial village of Bergen in 1660, located across the Hudson River from the town of New Amsterdam in what is today Lower Manhattan . The first services were held in a log schoolhouse. In 1680 an octagonal, sandstone church was built by William Day. The church was located on Vroom Street, between Bergen and Tuers Avenues. The congregation outgrew
240-568: Was originally part of apple orchards owned by the Van Waganen family of Apple Tree House fame. After title to the property was transferred from the Van Waganens to Matthias DeMott, it became the Bergen DeMott's family burial ground. It is the oldest and only known family burial ground in existence in Jersey City. The Bergen DeMotts were early settlers to New Netherland first in Esopus (present day Kingston, NY) and later, Long Island, NY before later generations, including Mathias, settled in Bergen, New Netherland (present day Old Bergen, Jersey City) in
256-726: Was then the Dutch colony of New Netherland , it is the oldest continuous religious congregation in what is today the State of New Jersey. The congregation is jointly affiliated with the Reformed Church in America and the Presbyterian Church (USA) . The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 14, 1973. The original church building was constructed in 1680 and the current edifice
#849150