Head of the River's "Forgotten" Cemetery - Estell Manor, NJ
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member Math Teacher
N 39° 18.700 W 074° 49.283
18S E 515398 N 4351378
As you are heading east on Head of the River Road and are approaching the Head of the River Church and cemetery, look to the left of the road, just before you come to the entrance on the right. You will see a small clearing and ..........
Waymark Code: WM5Z0J
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 03/04/2009
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Raine
Views: 16

For years, this abandoned cemetery was all but lost and forgotten. Recently, it was rediscovered (at least part of it) and cleared out a little. Right now there are only 5 graves (possibly 7) and a couple of nubs which may have been markers at one time. There may be more graves in the woods but there is very little information available to support this. The cemetery is at least 200 years old.

Head of the River and its surrounding graveyard were for Methodists. Curiously enough, across the street was (for years) an abandoned graveyard for Baptists, who had to be buried separately. "One of the buried Baptists is Reverend Grooms, who lost out because of his beliefs not once, but twice. First his fellow Baptists shunned him for wanting to preach at a Methodist church, and he became an outcast because of this decision. Then, despite trying to unite with the Methodists and even being allowed to preach at their church, he still wasn't permitted to be buried among them. He wanted to join both groups but ultimately was never completely accepted by either....Also buried here are Mrs. Grooms, the Grooms' 2 children, and another Reverend, Isaac Bonnell." Source

There are also other sources which mention this place. In Beck's More Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey, there is a mention of graves across the road that were apparently forgotten and overgrown. I read a few other articles that had also mentioned a tiny graveyard separate from the one around the church. These articles I read were in the town's anniversary pamphlet released a few decades ago I ran across in a library in Atlantic County.

Earliest Burial: 01/01/1643

Latest Burial: Not listed

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RDOwens visited Head of the River's "Forgotten" Cemetery - Estell Manor, NJ 09/16/2010 RDOwens visited it
miatabug visited Head of the River's "Forgotten" Cemetery - Estell Manor, NJ 06/11/2009 miatabug visited it

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