| Record Group: | Mercer Cemetery at Trenton |
| Series: | Burial Records, 1846-1973 |
| Accession #: | Unknown, 1990.094, 1993.092 |
| Series #: | PMERC001 |
| Guide Date: | 3/1994 (JK) |
| Volume: | 2 c.f. [4 boxes, 6 card drawers] |
Content Note | Contents
Institutional History The
consolidation of land for the creation of Mercer Cemetery reportedly
took place in 1841, with plot sales and interments commencing
in 1842 (see Graveside Dispatch in "Research materials,"
item #7 below). It was not until 23 February 1843, however, that
"Mercer Cemetery at Trenton" was incorporated by the
New Jersey Legislature with Charles C. Yard, Joseph C. Potts,
Samuel Lloyd, Alexander H. Armour, David Witherup and Joseph A.
Yard as corporators (P.L. 1843, p. 105). By this charter, the
cemetery association was authorized to hold and dispose of lands
not exceeding five acres. The corporation's earliest recorded
land transaction was the purchase of a lot on Clinton Street and
the Assunpink Creek from Alexander H. Armour for $1 on 2 May 1843
(see Mercer County Deed Book E, pp. 530-532). The cemetery's land
was augmented in 1850-1851 with adjacent lots purchased from David
Witherup, John and Eliza Yard, Mr. Armour, Joseph C. and Elizabeth
Potts, and Elias and Anna T. Cook (see Mercer County Deed Book
R, pp. 289-298; Book T, pp. 404-406). |
|
The
records in this series constitute a near complete account of burials
in Mercer Cemetery at Trenton. The earliest original record included
is the general burial ledger begun by David Witherup, the cemetery's
first superintendent (item #1). Entitled "Record of Deaths
in Mercer Cemetery," this volume spans the period 1846-1861
and provides the name of the deceased, the date of burial, and a
brief plot reference. The series also contains loose burial and
transit permits, burial orders, and other miscellaneous items from
the years 1871 and 1880-1920 (in boxes 2-3). These papers were indexed
by H. Ryan in 1976 (item #3). They are also indexed, along with
the "Record of Deaths," in a card file located in the
Archives search room. |
| Search Room | |
| -- | Card file index to burials |
| Box 1 | |
| 1. | "Record
of Deaths in Mercer Cemetery," D. Witherup, Supt., 18 February
1846 - 16 November 1861 [1 vol.]. |
| 2. | Miscellaneous papers, 1880s-1890s [7 items, heavily taped]. |
| 3. | "Burial List Compiled from Permits and Cemetery Forms" by H. Ryan, 1880-1920 [photocopy]. |
| 4. | Superintendents' "Burial Records," 1895-1973 [photocopy]. |
| 5. | Sexton's burial book, 1895-1934 [photocopy, typescript of part of #5 above]. |
| 6. | "Records of Mercer Cemetery, Trenton, N.J., to Year 1934" [tombstone inscriptions] by Elizabeth O. Weber (Mrs. Robert), Penelope Hart Chapter, D.A.R., Pennington, NJ, ca. 1934 [bound photocopy]. |
| 7. | Research material. |
| Box 2-3 | |
| -- | Burial permits, transit permits, etc., no date, 1871 and 1880-1920 [all heavily taped, many folded]. |
| Box 4 | |
| -- | Lot book, completed 1 March 1897 [1 vol., photocopy]. |
| Created
January 2006 |
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Relative to research and mail reference services - archives.reference@sos.state.nj.us Relative to records transfers and donations - archives.collections@sos.state.nj.us |
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