Township
of
Livingston, NJ
357
South Livingston Ave.
Livingston, NJ 07039-3994
Phone (973) 992-5000
Fax (973) 535-7967
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Livingston Historical Society presents: Gravemarkings in New Jersey Cemeteries The Livingston Historical Society will present a program about interesting grave markings found in our State cemeteries on Monday, January 25, 2010. Mark Nonestied and Richard Veit, co-authors of “NJ Cemeteries and Tombstones: History in the Landscape,” a Rutgers University Publication, will provide a slide show of unusual head stones illustrated in their book. The program will be held at the Livingston Community Center, 204 Hillside Avenue, Livingston at 7:30 pm. Having visited more than 900 state burial grounds, historians Veit and Nonestied use grave markers to tell an off-beat account of New Jersey's history that is both fascinating and unique. In a sweeping tour of the State's burial sites from the 17th century through the dawn of the 21st, they discovered how headstones are much more than place markers for the deceased. Veit and Nonestied will explain what cemeteries and their grave markers say about different individuals and the communities in which they lived: from headstones of skulls, hourglasses and crossed bones that speak of the brevity of life in the colonial world, to 18th century cemeteries that reflect the distinctive cultures of that time, ranging from unadorned marble markers used by the Quakers to rich brown sandstones used by the settlers in the central and northern regions of New Jersey. By the Victorian era, markers were transformed into elaborate monuments and mausoleums of obelisks, pillars, ornate statuary and sculpture. Today's tombstones continue to mirror New Jersey society. A life size Mercedes Benz headstone in a Linden cemetery, for example, reflects the materialism of the new millennium. Cremation and memorial parks are also introduced. Richard Veit is an Associate Professor in the Department of History and Anthropology at Monmouth University and a member of the Association for Gravestone Studies. Mark Nonestied is Director of Exhibits and Programs for East Jersey Old Town Village, a project of the Middlesex County Cultural & Heritage Commission. He has lectured widely on NJ cemetery topics. The
public is invited to attend the meeting, free of charge. Refreshments
will be served.
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