Many thanks to Gary for his warnings about dangers (from living hominids) lurking at Evergreen Cemetery at 1137 N. Broad St., Hillside, NJ 07205. Now I understand better why the place always seems so DEAD. Despite the cemetery's loveliness, human activity there really seems very minimal. Hopefully the Evergreen management hasn't secretly recruited armed thugs to drum up more burial business. Green-Wood Cem. in NYC (overlooking the Hudson River in Brooklyn) and Evergreen Cem. in Hillside (different from the Queens/Brooklyn Evergreen Cem. that I've had some run-ins with) are two of the most attractive of the large metro NYC cemeteries. I was unaware of these dangers until now and was certainly unaware of them when I spent a few peaceful spring days there a few years ago obtaining photocopies of office burial records and making handwritten copies of gravestone inscriptions of many of my relatives that are were not buried in the much older First Presbyterian and St. Johns Episcopal cemeteries in Elizabeth. Because these older cemeteries, plus others in Newark, were getting crowded, Evergreen was established in 1853-- prior to the 1857 creation Union Co. and its detachment from Essex Co. Evergreen is now mostly in Union Co., but there is also a large adjoining chunk to the northeast in Essex Co. In an official brochure (of the 1980s?), Evergreen Cem. states that it was organized "as a non-profit, interdenominational cemetery in Lyon's Farms on the outskirts of Elizabethtown and Newark on March 23, 1853. The changes in governmental boundaries over the ensuing years has placed the cemetery in two counties, Union and Essex, and three communities: Elizabeth, Newark, and Hillside.....More than 120,000 persons have been buried in Evergreen. Represented among them are descendants of the 80 Associates who settled Elizabethtown in 1664, and the thirty people who arrived in Newark Town in 1666. Several nationally known writers are buried in Evergreen Cemetery. They include Stephen Crane (1876-1900), a poet and author of "The Red Badge of Courage," who is buried in his family plot....." Actually I believe the above dates for Stephen Ctane should be 1871-1900. Although he died in Germany, he is buried at Evergreen near his father, the Rev. Jonathan Townley Crane, 1819-1880, AFN:K57H-QH, and is said to be Jonathan's 14th child. I have Woodruff ancestors and a lot of Crane cousins, and I think its interesting that Woodruff appears to be the most common surname at both Hillside's Evergreen Cem. and Elizabeth's First Presbyterian Cem. And Crane may be a close second or third. The Evergreen brochure ends with: "You are invited to visit Evergreen anytime and enjoy its park-like beauty of trees, shrubs and flowers. On a stroll along its lovely winding roads and footpaths you will note on monuments and mausoleums the names of New Jersey's most illustrious families....." Sadly, according to Gary, you may also encounter some problems with living humans-- and not just the usual harassment by the restless spirits of the deceased. I feel that the often-helpful office staff at these large urban cemeteries tend to be even more helpful when you talk vaguely about a fancy upcoming burial and/or the purchase of some pricey new lakeview burial lots. Or call them on the phone, explaining that you're failing rapidly and are willing to pay almost anything for some deluxe space for a grand private mausoleum (maybe a reproduction of the Taj Mahal), but suggest that you first need some answers to some urgent questions about "old records." However, always avoid the word "genealogy," an especially scary word to cemetery staffers. After all, these people are in the business of burying the dead and not solving all the family mysteries of the living. John (in Chicago, where cemetery staff are usually very nice) <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< << Subj: Visiting Evergreen Cemetery Date: 4/3/00 10:13:19 PM EDT From: [email protected] To: [email protected] For those of you coming from outside the Elizabeth area, please be aware that despite the outstanding groundskeeping and peaceful setting of this large cemetery, it is a dangerous place. People have been mugged, stabbed and shot at (if not shot) in this cemetery. It is attended, but it's quite a distance from front to back. So just use common sense. Lock your car, and try not to get too far away from it. Go with another person if possible. Stick to daylight hours (although I think they lock it up at dusk). Be paranoid and suspicious if you see anything (or anyone) strange. In other words, take the usual urban cemetery precautions..... >> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>