ROCKAWAY RECORDS

-OF-

MO~~IS , N. J., f /\MILIES.

CE.1/E'l'BRY RNCOIWS, CHURCH HISTORY, Jll LI1'AR Y RECORDS, LOCAL HIS1'ORY, GENEALOGIES OF OLD FAJIILIES, NEARLY 20,000 DATA

BY J. PERCY CRAYON

ILLUSTRATED

ROCKAWAY, N. J.: Roc,uwAY PuaLJ,umm Co. 1902

RCSl)¢Ctfullp i)¢dicattd

TO THE MEMORY

Of the best friend I ever knew, ro~ motber.

She would have spoken her regrets, in words of kindnesR ?nd aff,ec'tion to any imperfections, 11ninten1 ional, in the work of her erring boy.

THE AUTI-IOR.

copy r igh L- LJ02 By J.Percy Crayon.

THE ROCKAWAY CEMETERY RECORDS.

In the interest of Jocnl hiRt,ory nucl offlce, much could have been nclde,1. gcuenlogy of the old Mo1Tis County The church nnd mouumentnl records families theRe records hnve been nr­ hnve only pnrtinlly filled this spnce. rnnged. lt is n grnve subject; the Rocknwny wns Rattled as early ns threads of romance were woven mnuy 1720, nncl became n pince of cou. yenrR ago by the houorecl nnmeR now re­ sidernble business in 1780 in the lmild­ 'l(tllecl to memory. ing of the Job Allen Iron Works. •.rra• In the nrrnugemeut the unmes nre clition relates thnt this p11rticular spot given with the dnte of birth and cleat.It, Imel been selected as n buri11l ground, alphabetically and also chrouologicnlly, God's acre, by the enrly families, but with parentage aud family connectiou t,heir nnmes lrnve not been recorded out.­ us for us kuown to the writer. side of t.110 Allen and Jackson families. All the monumental records have been At a later period, 1740 nnd 50,we lrnve n cnrefnlly copied aud compared with goodly number in the immediate vicini­ church 1·ecorcls, fnmily records, local ty, uud those connected with the build­ newspnpe1• files aud other records, and ing of the Church, 1752, nud later those c01Tectecl from the best informal.ion ob­ connected with the church, 1758 to 1768, taiunble. '£he records of burials have the number of nnmes iuc,rensed rnpidly. been c~refnlly recorded by the present Iu the researches of the nncient bori­ sexton, Mr. ,Tobu G. Mott, siuce July nls, many are known to have been 1875, aucl the whole work carefully re­ buried here, but the dates of births and vised by him. '£he average date be­ denths cnnuot now be obtained. Mnny tween death aucl bnrinl has been three of these old families lrnving removed at clnys, nncl the date of dent.It has been n11 early elate and all records have been given aurl corrected front the moun­ tuken. ~i~I~ them. •rraces of mauy of meu ta! aucl other records. these o't :mswered the finnl roll c:1Jl, uud are uow years (1847 to 1802) iu t,hut. r.Olll(regat.ion resting in pence from their patrior.ic the rec01·d showecl 1 hucl ilSsisterl at t.110 and warrior services m this cemetei·y. ~unernls of 65 persous over 70 years of age. Of these 19 were betweeu 80 Cemetery statistics show some stmnge uncl 00; 10 between !JO uud !J-1; nud oue resu!t,a. 'fhe Mol'l'istown Bill of Mor­ wns Haid to be 115 yenrR," From Dr. tality from 1770 to 1776 recorda about, Bnruabns Krng'R fortieth nuniversnry 200 burials there in five year". One hun­ sermon, preached Dec. lll, 1848, we le11ru ch·ecl of these were children below lo that. he 111\cl olttcitit~il at 081 fnnernls, years of uge ; lfi of the whole u nm lier 0 very muny Ul(ecl people. He · hue! died of old uge. The hnrdships and pri­ preachecl 12,000 times, solomuize.d 417 vations of this period, tho want of prop­ 111a1·ringes, bnptizecl 547 children, and er food, clothing and medical nttenduuce received in the church 1180 members. bud 1nuch to do with this, but the Inter Whut u record·! · date records do not show uuy improve• ment 1n · the 11,ortality among those of The oldest Monumental recorcl is of early nge. brown stone, beiug well preserved, bet­ In the 1·ecords where the age is gi veu ter than many others of Inter elate, it is from 1875 to 1899, tweuty-fonr yen1'll, of ~itnnted. in th., vulley near the centrnl t.l1ose bnriecl in the Rockuwuy CemHtery part of the olcl burial ground, ubont mo 49ti died between the age of birth uncl 5 years, more thun one-half of this yarcls back of where the old church wus number clid not n.ttain the age of J locnted on n knoll in therear of the pres­ year. 7-1 cliecl between the n11:e of 5 nncl eu t church. It has this inscription: 3

Here lies the body l en·ors of name or date, or can give auy of l\fory Wife iuformntiou couceruing these persons or o( D1wi