FRENCH CEMETERY PHOTO TOUR

The French Cemetery is located on the Ives Branch of the Wading River on ground willed to the Presbyterian Church by John Leek, Sr. in the late 1700's. No evidence has surfaced that the cemetery was connected to an early Presbyterian Church on the property, although that may be a possibility. The cemetery appears to have been used by succeeding owners of the adjacent Saw and Grist Mills - the French and the Cramer families. It is no longer in active use.

For more information on the French Cemetery, go to page 7 on the following link . . . BASS RIVER GAZETTE, ISSUE #5. Use your browser's BACK ARROW to return to this page.

French Cemetery Location Map

The French Cemetery is on Hammonton Road (Rt 542), adjacent to the Ives Branch of the Wading River. A private home can be seen just a stone's throw in back of the cemetery. It's GPS coordinates are 39.591540,-74.466040.

The French Cemetery From Hammonton Road (Rt 542)

The French Cemetery is nestled in a small clearing just off Hammonton Road, Rt 542. It is easy to miss because of its small size. If you look closely you can see a house in the backgrond, through the woods.

Three French Stones

Three French Family stones stand in a row, memorializing Thomas, Hannah, and Francis French.

The Charles (1872-1844) and Elizabeth (1777-1864) Loveland stone can be seen in the background. This modern day stone is obviously not original to the times of the burials.

The Mysterious Williams Stone

To your left, facing the cemetery, you will see the Williams Family tombstone inside concrete posts that, at an earlier time, would have held an iron pipe railing. Old red bricks appear to mark some of the graves in front of the stone toward Hammonton Road (Rt 542).

The inscriptions facing the road read, from top to bottom . . . Mary Williams (1849-1863), William Williams (1851-1878), and Samuel Williams (1858-1865). All were children of William and Hannah Williams from Wading River.

The inscriptions on the rear of the stone, facing the woods, read, from top to bottom . . . Jemima Allen (1786-1853), Oliver B. Williams (1862-1862), Sarah E. Williams (1844-1848), and Maria Williams (1841-1841). All the Williams listed were also children of William and Hannah Williams.

The identity of Jemima Allen is our first mystery. It is likely that she is somehow related to the Williams family, as she is listed on the 1850 Little Egg Harbor census as living with the William and Hannah Williams family at Wading River. Unfortunately, the census does not document her relationship to the family.

Our second mystery involves who erected the tombstone and when was it installed? The uniform inscriptions indicate they were all carved at the same time, and the style of the tombstone indicates that it was erected some time after the burials, the last of which was in 1878. It, likely, was erected by a member of the Williams family, as whoever ordered the tombstone had knowledge of the birth and death dates for the inscriptions.

Now, for our third mystery . . . The parents of the six Williams children listed on the tombstone, Wiliam and Hannah Williams, are buried in Miller Cemetery in New Gretna. Why isn't the family buried together?

If anyone has any specific knowledge or a theory that would shed some light on these mysteries, please email us by clicking here . . . WILLIAMS STONE MYSTERY.

Unknown Markers and Mounds

There are evidence of unnamed burials as one can see unmarked field stones and slightly raised dirt mounds in parts of the cemetery. The account book that was kept by the Cramer family, who owned the property after the Leek and the French familes, documents a few burials that existing tombstones do not mention. Perhaps these names lie under the unmarked field stones and raised earth mounds. To read Elizabeth Perinchief's "Batsto Citizens Gazeete" article on the Cramer Account Book, please click here . . . GO TO the Cramer Account Book.. Use your Browser's BACK ARROW to return to this page.

The Memorial Marker

A granite Memorial Marker identifies the cemetery as the French Cemetery. We do not know who erected this marker or when it was erected. Why the Memorial Stone identifies the graveyard as the French Cemetery is also a mystery, as there appears to be no written or other documentation identifying the property as such. In fact, the Cramer Account Book, mentioned above, calls the cemetery the "Mill Cemetery". Perhaps the fact that the oldest existing tombstones are engraved with French family names was the deciding factor. The marker's claim that the cemetery is one of the oldest in South Jersey is also dubious. If anyone can shed some light on these questions, please email us by clicking here . . . FRENCH CEMETERY QUESTIONS

Primary Navigation