Constable Hook Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Constable Hook Cemetery is the name used to refer to two cemeteries
on Constable Hook in Bayonne, New Jersey
, the extant Bayonne Constable Hook Cemetery and the no longer existing Van Buskerck Family Burial Ground. Both were founded by members of the van Buskirk family, descendents of the cape's first settler, Pieter Van Buskirk
. In 1906 the Standard Oil Company purchased the family land to expand their refinery, already the largest in the world at the time. Myths and historical inaccuracies have led to confusion about the two burial grounds.
The official name of the cemetery is not known, but it was often referred to in documents as "Hook Cemetery", "Bayonne Cemetery", "Constable Hook" et al. It is currently called "The Bayonne Constable Hook Cemetery".
Today part of the cemetery still exists due to a restoration project of the 1980s. The cemetery is surrounded by property owned by International Maytex Tank Terminal. Some remains were relocated to the Moravian Cemetery
on Staten Island
. There are approximately 140 headstones. Information about the graves prior to the 1880s is incomplete.
in about 1736. The cemetery was located on a bluff on the north side of the cape near the homestead and held the remains of early settlers to the region, most of which were disinterred and transferred to other cemeteries. A survey taken in 1903, two or three years before it the cemetery was obliterated, counted 104 headstones. The burial ground became the subject of a court case between Standard Oil and members of the van Buskirck family, who contended the sale to the oil company by one family member in 1905 was illegal. In 1926 the case was finally settled in favor of the oil company.
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
on Constable Hook in Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is a peninsula that is situated between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east...
, the extant Bayonne Constable Hook Cemetery and the no longer existing Van Buskerck Family Burial Ground. Both were founded by members of the van Buskirk family, descendents of the cape's first settler, Pieter Van Buskirk
Pieter Van Buskirk
Pieter Van Buskirk , also spelt Boskerck, is considered the first settler in the Constable Hook area of Bayonne, New Jersey....
. In 1906 the Standard Oil Company purchased the family land to expand their refinery, already the largest in the world at the time. Myths and historical inaccuracies have led to confusion about the two burial grounds.
Bayonne Constable Hook Cemetery
The Bayonne Constable Hook Cemetery was founded in 1849 by James van Boskerck (1791–1856). In 1854 Van Buskirk wrote a will and mentioned 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) of his land situated at Constable Hook off East 22 Street was to be reserved for a cemetery. The cemetery was not opened until December 1854 and plots in the cemetery were sold soon after. Many prominent Bayonne residents were buried there. It was later enclosed by oils tanks of Tide Water Oil Company.The official name of the cemetery is not known, but it was often referred to in documents as "Hook Cemetery", "Bayonne Cemetery", "Constable Hook" et al. It is currently called "The Bayonne Constable Hook Cemetery".
Today part of the cemetery still exists due to a restoration project of the 1980s. The cemetery is surrounded by property owned by International Maytex Tank Terminal. Some remains were relocated to the Moravian Cemetery
Moravian Cemetery, Staten Island
The Moravian Cemetery at 2205 Richmond Road in New Dorp on Staten Island, New York is the largest cemetery on the island. Opened in 1740, it is situated on the southeastern foot of the Todt Hill ridge, and to its southwest is High Rock Park, one of the constituent parks of the Staten Island...
on Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
. There are approximately 140 headstones. Information about the graves prior to the 1880s is incomplete.
Van Buskerck Family Burial Ground
The Van Buskerck Family Burial Ground which has also been known as Constable Hook Cemetery, the old Van Buskirk's Cemeteryand the Constable Hook Graveyard was founded by Pieter Van BuskirkPieter Van Buskirk
Pieter Van Buskirk , also spelt Boskerck, is considered the first settler in the Constable Hook area of Bayonne, New Jersey....
in about 1736. The cemetery was located on a bluff on the north side of the cape near the homestead and held the remains of early settlers to the region, most of which were disinterred and transferred to other cemeteries. A survey taken in 1903, two or three years before it the cemetery was obliterated, counted 104 headstones. The burial ground became the subject of a court case between Standard Oil and members of the van Buskirck family, who contended the sale to the oil company by one family member in 1905 was illegal. In 1926 the case was finally settled in favor of the oil company.