The Historic Jersey City and Harsimus Cemetery

The Historic Jersey City and Harsimus Cemetery is located at 435 Newark Ave, Jersey City, NJ.  It consists of about six acres of land and unfortunately became abandoned and neglected over the years.  However, in 2008 they created a new board of directors and it is being cleaned up and cared for by the Board and a group of dedicated volunteers.

According to their website the cemetery was formed in about 1829.  The cemetery was one of the very first Garden Style landscape cemeteries established, which revolutionized cemeteries across the nation. It was also the first cemetery companies founded in the state of New Jersey.  The cemetery is home to hundreds of Civil War Veterans, as well as, veterans of many wars.  Legend also has it the there is an underground railroad connection, which played a major role in the freedom of thousands of slaves during the Civil War. The tunnels may still exist below the cemetery's hills and hidden crypts.

Along with all of this history and buried heroes from America's wars, foreign and domestic, lies an unknown veteran of World War I, and my great uncle John McConville.  You may recall that I posted about Uncle John not too long ago.  I found that he was buried in Jersey City Cemetery mainly because he married a Methodist and the church would not allow him to be buried in Holy Name or Holy Cross.  He is buried here with his wife, my aunt Gertie.  Her name was Gertrude Rothchild McConville, with members of her family.

I had called the cemetery a few months ago to attempt to locate his grave.  After a few e mails back and forth, I got my answer:

Hi, Tom  - I have some info for you.

Both John & Gertrude McConville are buried together in Block #41, Plot #8, Grave 1.   He was 68.  She was 71 - both died of heart failure (good to know for present family members....) 

This family plot was purchased by  Mary B. Rothchild of 107 Wayne Street, JC.  Later the deed was transferred to Mrs. Mildred Strand of 117 Van Wagenen Ave. 

In  this plot are 7 persons as follows:

John and Gertrude McConville

Frank Stroud -1973 and Mildred Strand - 1993

Walter Rothchild - 1981 and Harold Rothchild - 1995

Edward Rothchild - 1982

This e mail came from Eileen Markenstein, president of the Board of Trustees. With this info in hand, I got my trusty cemetery partner, my son Tom, and off we went on an adventure to find an uncle he had never met, (and I barely remember).  We got to the cemetery and and met "Digger" who is on the grounds almost everyday.  He got out a map and showed us to the general area of Block 41, Plot #8.  I had some trouble at first, then realized that this was probably her family's plot so the main name on a headstone is probably Rothchild.

After a short walk on a nice afternoon we came upon this stone:

That name on the stone in the center is familiar, and yes right there on the left if the one I have been looking for:

I doubt that I would have ever found this stone, had it not been for Eileen Markenstein, "Digger", and the rest of the volunteers that run this cemetery.  So Thank you.  

I find that I still have one question from this venture: What is a Harsimus?