A treasured piece of the past is restored
Lost cemetery is cleaned, rededicated in Freehold Township
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
Aroutine hiking trek five years ago through the woods of Freehold Township led to the unexpected discovery of something that people have been trying to locate for years - the Wikoff Hill Cemetery.

The Wikoff Hill Cemetery in Freehold Township has been restored through the efforts of the Freehold Township Historic Preservation Commission with assistance from Centex Homes. The centuries-old burial ground is the final resting place for at least 30 people, including one veteran of the American Revolution. The Rev. Edward Jawidzik (above), who is a member of the Historic Preservation Commission, looks over the grave of that soldier, Hendrick Williamson, during a rededication ceremony.

A rededication ceremony was recently held at the cemetery, which sits on a 1,000-acre parcel of land that was originally purchased in 1702 by John Wikoff, according to Cheryl Cook, the vice chair of the Freehold Township Historic Preservation Commission.

The ceremony held on the morning of June 21 was attended by about 30 people including Mayor Eugene Golub and Township Committee members Dorothy Avallone and Anthony Ammiano. Members of the Historic Preservation Commission, including the Rev. Edward Jawidzik of St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church, Freehold Township, were also present.

PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff

Jawidzik offered a benediction and PatriciaMedley, pastor of the Hope Lutheran Church, Freehold Township, performed a reconsecration ceremony for the grave sites.

Members of the Marine Corps League Cpl. Philip A. Reynolds Detachment, Freehold, were also present, as were Lydia Wikoff, of Manalapan, and her daughter, Susan Clausen.

Lydia Wikoff helped produce information about the cemetery. Her recently deceased husband, Charles, was a direct descendent of the Wikoff family members who are buried at the hilltop cemetery.

According to Cook, the small cemetery that is a resting place for at least 30 people sits on one section of the land on a hill off East Freehold Road. The centuries-old burial ground was basically found when Marshall Siegel, a friend of Cook's husband, Sam, literally stumbled across it while hiking.

When Siegel called her to tell her about his find, she went to work immediately.

"The cemetery has been on the books for eons, but we didn't know its exact location," she said.

In 2003 when Siegel found the cemetery, Cook, Jawidzik and Lydia Wikoff began the job of researching the cemetery and the people who were buried there.

Cook also took on the task of arranging to have the area surrounding the cemetery cleared so that access to the cemetery could be gained. Cook said she and Jawidzik hiked up the hill before the land was cleared and more easily accessible.

"We both realized this was the lost burial ground," she said, adding that members of the Freehold Township Department of Public Works (DPW) and the Freehold Township Shade Tree Commission were instrumental in this part of the restoration process.

Cook said the cemetery was eventually unearthed from a bed of overgrown brush, briars, bushes and dead trees.

The Freehold Township Heritage Society and private individuals also helped to bring about the transformation of this lost historic site.

Employees of the DPW and the shade tree department, along with employees from Centex Homes who were building the Freehold Pointe residential development at Route 79 and East Freehold Road in 2005 all helped to clear the area around the cemetery.

According to Cook, once Centex cleared the land for building, those involved in the restoration process were able to access the cemetery from level ground. She said Centex executives were helpful and very cooperative in allowing members of the Historic Preservation Commission access to the property.

"This could not have been accomplished without the cooperation we received from Centex," she said.

As a sixth-generation Monmouth County resident, Cook believes it is important to keep preserving the history of the community.

"It is especially vital for our young people," she said. "They must learn that progress can exist in harmony with history."

According to a document provided by the Monmouth County Historical Association, Library and Archives, the cemetery was located on a hill "about 180 degrees above mean sea level."

Calling the area "bluff-like," the document records the parcel as "a burying ground of about a quarter of an acre and shaded with a few forest trees."

The document states that John Wikoff "purchased 'near Freehold' 1,000 acres of land, within which tract, is this grave plot."

The document contains a list of 30 names of individuals who are buried in the Wikoff Hill Cemetery. One man buried there is Hendrick Williamson, who died in 1813 at the age of 64 years, 8 months and 12 days. Williamson was a Revolutionary War veteran and is listed in the Roster of the People of the Revolutionary Monmouth County.

"People only lived a short time and they felt their time on earth was so special that they actually gave the exact number of years, months and days they lived," Cook said, explaining why the days, months and years were typically listed on a grave stone.

Capt. Jacob Forman is also buried in the cemetery. The family name of Forman has been on the record books for years, according to Cook, who said the Formans owned a great deal of the land in the area of present-day East Freehold Road. The acres and acres of the Forman family land came to be referred to by residents as the Forman neighborhood.

Cook said the Forman family was among the first settlers in Freehold Township in the late 1600s.

John Wikoff 's home was built on Dutch Lane Road, according to Cook, north of the Forman neighborhood.

She explained that Wikoff may have purchased the land with the burial ground for his own family, but she said it eventually became the neighborhood burial ground.

In addition to the Wikoff, Williamson and Forman families, the cemetery is the resting place for members of the Sutphin family, the Cowenhoven family, the Barcalow family, the Lloyd family and the Antonides family, among others - and many of these names are familiar to Freehold area residents.

The grave markers at the cemetery range in years from the first recorded death of Aeltie Wikoff in 1740 to the last death recorded there in 1849, Sarah Williamson.

Cook said some graves in the cemetery are unmarked. She said there are some small stones with no inscriptions or dates that may have been the marks of passage for stillborn babies or in other cases, for slaves who lived in New Jersey in the 18th century.

Jawidzik said he has always tried to become "physically involved" in the community of whatever parish he is serving. The minister said that when he was asked to become a member of the Freehold Township Historic Preservation Commission, he said yes because it was something that suited his nature and his overall plan to become involved in the community.

"I always tell people that my vocation is the priesthood but my avocation, my hobby, is history," he explained.

Calling the cemetery's condition before the restoration "sad and shameful," Jawidzik said, "It's been said that a cemetery holds a library of stories. You can see the holds a library of stories. You can see the story of America in this sacred spot. Hendrick secured our independence and our liberty from the empire of Great Britain.

"Abraham Lincoln alluded to the fact that slavery was the original sin of America. We believe we have slaves buried here with simple, uninscribed stones. Capt. Jacob Forman represents the prosperity of the Young Republicans. He was a sea captain who sailed out of New York. This cemetery is a snapshot of the United States.

"It is essential that we preserve our historic sites," Jawidzik said. "We must appreciate and know our history because our own history impacts our present and our future."

Jawidzik called the rededication ceremony moving, especially the segment when members of the Marines Corps League Cpl. Philip A. Reynolds Detachment performed a memorial service at the site of Hendrick Williamson's grave.

The cemetery is now completely fenced-in and protected, Cook said, adding that she found the reconsecration ceremony to be quite moving.

"I really felt as though we were doing something special for them," Cook said. "I only hope we haven't disturbed the souls, but I felt it was important to protect them in perpetuity."

Calling the restoration project a team effort, Cook said, "This is our passion. This is what we do. Now the cemetery is protected and I can breathe a bit easier."