Stillwater Cemetery is a

burial ground A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

located in the village of Stillwater in Stillwater Township, Sussex County, New Jersey in the United States. The cemetery has been in use for over 260 years. The earliest burials are recorded to have taken place in the 1740s following shortly after the first settlement of this area by

Palatine Germans Palatines (german: Pfälzer), also known as the Palatine Dutch, are the people and princes of Palatinates ( Holy Roman principalities) of the Holy Roman Empire. The Palatine diaspora includes the Pennsylvania Dutch and New York Dutch. In 1709 ...

in the middle of the 18th century. These early German graves are noted for their intricately carved

headstone A headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a stele or marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. It is traditional for burials in the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religions, among others. In most cases, it has the deceased's name, da ...

s and footstones which feature unique German funerary

symbol A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different conc ...

ism and in many instances, archaic German text. The cemetery was also the location of the first two buildings to house the Stillwater Presbyterian Church which in its early years was first a union church serving both the Lutheran and German Reformed faiths.Schaeffer, Casper M.D. (and Johnson, William M.). Memoirs and Reminiscences: Together with Sketches of the Early History of Sussex County, New Jersey. (Hackensack, New Jersey: Privately Printed, 1907), passim. During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, it was known as the "Dutch Meeting House". It is presumed that the first structure used by this congregation was a rudimentary church made of logs, dating from as early as 1745 to 1750. Subsequently, a second structure built from local fieldstone was erected 1769–1771. This stone church structure was used by the congregations from 1771 to 1837 when it was abandoned for a Greek Revival frame structure built a quarter mile north from this site. The fieldstone structure was razed in 1847 and according to local tradition the stones from the building's walls were used to construct a stone wall along the cemetery's southern and western perimeter. A stone carved with the year "1771"—believed to be the original cornerstone for the church—was incorporated into the cemetery's gate.

Notable burials

Located within the cemetery are several dozen veterans of the French & Indian War, American Revolution, War of 1812, and American Civil War. *

Casper Shafer Casper Shafer ( 17 December 1784) was among the first settlers of the village of Stillwater Township, New Jersey, Stillwater along the Paulins Kill in Sussex County, New Jersey, Sussex County, New Jersey in the United States. A successful mille ...

(1712–1784), early pioneer, miller, member of Provincial Congress of New Jersey and New Jersey General Assembly (1776–1779) *

John George Wintermute John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Seco ...

(1711–1782), early pioneer of StillwaterWintermute, Jacob Perry. ''The Wintermute Family History''. (Columbus, Ohio: The Champlin Press, 1900).

References

External links

* {{coord, 41.0322, -74.8818, region:US-NJ_type:landmark, display=title Cemeteries in Sussex County, New Jersey Pre-statehood history of New Jersey Stillwater Township, New Jersey 1740s establishments in New Jersey

Notable burials

See also

References

External links