Old Scots Burial Ground


The Old Scots Burying Ground is located in the Wickatunk section of Marlboro Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The cemetery rise is on Gordon's Corner Road, just west of Wyncrest Road. The cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Old Scots Burying Ground is about an acre in size, about 195 feet above sea level and dates back to 1685. The total number of burials at the cemetery is not precisely known, suggested by Symms, "There are a large number of graves in Old Scots yard without any inscribed stones". Some reports place the number as at least 100 known graves with most headstones of brown sandstone. However, more recent research using ground penetrating radar reported by the Old Tennent Church in 2001 has put the number of confirmed sites at about 122 graves with a possible 140 more unmarked; placing the number at about 262 total graves in the cemetery. In 1945, in an attempt to clean out the site of vegetation and over-growth, a bulldozer was used on the property and as a result some headstones were dislodged and broken stones removed. The defining structure in the cemetery is a tall monument to Rev. John Boyd, created by the J&R Lamb Company. Built to commemorate the first recorded Presbyterian ordination of Rev. John Boyd. The monument is currently owned by the Synod of the Northeast who holds the property deed but it is maintained by the Old Tennent Church. The last identified burial at Old Scots Burial Ground was in 1977.

Structure on site

Oldest Presbyterian Church

Defined in the beginning by the church that the Presbyterians built; the oldest Presbyterian church, starting with a crude structure of logs in 1692. The location was known as "Free Hill" or "the upper meeting house" and was the site of the first recorded Presbytery session. By 1705 a refined church was constructed and a notation in the court record of the location as a "publick meeting house". With Rev. John Boyd as Minister, by 1730 the congregation had grown and the church was removed to Freehold Township. Adjacent to the church was the Old Scots Burial Ground.

Original description

In September 1710, the General Presbytery of Philadelphia wrote a letter to the Presbytery of Dublin Ireland. In the letter they identified the congregation and location of the Old Scots Church. They stated "We have in Jersey only two congregations... one of the two was near freehold, in the province of East Jersey"

The Boyd Monument

In the center of the cemetery is a tall monument of Scottish and Vermont granite and Irish Graystone, surrounded by Scottish thistle carved in the granite. These stones were selected since the men who made up the original Presbytery were from Scotland, Ireland and New England. The monument stands twenty-five feet high, including a spire which was lost in the 1950s. The total cost of the monument was $1300. A fund containing an additional $1000 was raised for the
preservation of the monument and care of the grounds. The monument was created in 1899 by the J&R Lamb Company, after submitting the winning design to the Synod committee. The monument was refurbished in 2002 and the spire was replaced.
The monument was erected in memory of Rev. John Boyd, the first pastor of the church. In 1915, The Presbyterian Synod added John Tennent's name to the monument. A man made mound-like elevation measuring approximately thirty-feet square and 3.5 feet high, supports a late-nineteenth-century monument situated in the approximate center of the site. The base of the monument states "To the untiring effort of Rev. Allen Henry Brown, which led to the erection of this monument this tablet is set as a memorial by the Synod of New Jersey". On another side of the monument written at the base is "Elder Walter Ker" and under his name is "Acts VIII 4"
On one side of the monument there is an inscription: "Erected under the supervision of the Synod of New Jersey in 1899 to recognize the good providence of God in planting the Presbyterian church in this county and to commemorate the first recorded ordination by a Presbytery in the American colonies. The general Presbytery assembling in the Old Scots meeting house on this ground December 1706, ordained John Boyd, who died August 30th 1708 and was buried here." Another side of the monument has a brass plack saying "Continuing in the tradition of John Boyd, The United Presbyterian Church in the USA was formed by merger in 1958, and the Presbyterian church was formed by merger in 1983. This reaffirmation of our reformed tradition made by the Synod of the Northeast in 2002." This was placed on the monument after the 2002 restoration.
Additionally, the following seals were on the gables of the monument:
The Monument was to be originally unveiled on October 18, 1899, it was however delayed in shipping and did not arrive on time for that scheduled event forcing the event to be delayed to the spring. The monument was actually unveiled on June 14, 1900 at 11 am.

Stairs

In 1945, stairs with handrails were added to the site to help ascend to the property from the street.

Signs

There are three signs on the property:
There was an episode of reported vandalism on March 25, 1994. At that time there were several smashed tombstones and some tombstones were removed from the mounts.

Restoration

The first recorded interest in restoration of the site was in 1883 when Gideon C. McDowell encountered the site and was specifically interested in the gravestone of Rev. Boyd. When McDowell first encountered the stone it was "in a neglected state and covered with lichens". He cleaned the stone at that time of the lichens.
There have been a number of additional site restorations over the years:
The first site survey was done in December 2000, a site survey was conducted using electronic metal detecting equipment. The survey uncovered 15 artifacts, of note are 2 matching coffin handles from the 19th century and one ornate coffin handle with the embossment, "Our Darling," was recovered near the Reid family gravemarker. This marker represents three burials: James Reid, Hannah Reid and Emma Reid. It is possible that this handle became dislodged from one of the Reid coffins, perhaps the one belonging to Emma Reid, who predeceased both of her parents.
The second archaeological investigations to be conducted at the cemetery was in 2001. Two passes with ground penetrating radar were done on the cemetery site. On February 2 and again on February 17, 2001 a number of passes were done. At that time, the GPR identified 137 possible burial sites. The GPR survey also identified two areas where the original meeting house may have been located. One area is adjacent east of the monument mound and the other is adjacent west of the monument mound.
As part of the 2001 survey, a total of 11 shovel tests were performed east of the monument mound. They found Twenty-two artifacts including window glass, nails and a clay pipe stem fragment. Testing in an area west of the monument mound, uncovered the remains of an intact dry-laid foundation wall approximately two-feet wide. Artifacts recovered include
several fragments of shell-tempered mortar, a hand-tooled bottle finish, and a quartzite fire-cracked-rock fragment.
Old Scots Burial Ground is considered a State archaeological site and on January 22, 2001; was issued number 28-Mo-294 by the New Jersey State Museum. It has been determined that in addition to the use of the property as a church and cemetery, it is possible that American Indian groups my have utilized this site as well.

Boundary description

Removed headstones

Last NameFirst NameAge at DeathDate of DeathInscription / Additional DetailReference
CraigArchibald73March 6, 1751He was called Captain Craig
HendersonJohn74January 1, 1771He was the first
president of the board of trustees at Old Tennent Church
CraigMary69November 1, 1752
BoydRev. John26August 30, 1708First Pastor of Old Scots Church - Original Tombstone removed to the Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia
FormanJonathan74December 28, 1762Was a judge of the court of common pleas for Monmouth County - son of Samuel Forman and Mary Wilbore.
RedfordMargaret72December 21, 1765
RedfordWilliam841726
Van DornElinor20May 22, 1733"Here Lies Interr'd the body of Elinor, Wife of Abraham Van Dorn and Daughter of Jonathan and Margaret Forman, Who departed this life my the 22 Day Annoq. Domini 1733 Aged twenty years and five months"
TennentJohn Rev.23April 23, 1732Pastor of Tennent Church *
ProbascoAbraham69November 30, 1806Husband of Nellie
ProbascoNellie69September 9, 1806Wife of Abraham
ProbascoMargaret77June 27, 1844Daughter of Abraham & Nellie
ClarkRichard70May 16, 1733Born in Scotland Febreary 10, 1663
ProbascoSarah63August 4, 1828Daughter of Abraham & Nellie
HendersonMichaelAugust 23, 1722
WyckoffMargaret72December 21, 1765
ConoverIraSon of Garret I. Conover and Sarah Schenck
SnyderMaryNee Quackenbush - Wife of Hendrick
SnyderHendrick
WatsonRichard
HendersonJane191722"The first Child ever the Revd. Mr. John Tennent Baptized." - Daughter of John
HanahAmyWife of John Hanah
BoiceJohn
BoiceJane
QuackenbushJacobSon of William
QuackenbushExperience
ReidJames801904
ReidHannah701899
ReidEmma171869