Thanks to the tireless efforts, both physically and monetarily, of John R. Johnston and his wife C. Lynne Johnston the “Griggs Burial Plot” located in Flemington, Hunterdon County, New Jersey has been reclaimed. The thick undergrowth has been cleared, a new fence has been erected and a monument in memory of the ten people who are buried there has been put in place, all thanks to John R. and C. Lynne Johnston.

Griggs Burial Plot

The "Griggs Burial Plot” is located 300 feet south of Route 202 and 4200 feet east of the Route 31/202 traffic circle in Flemington, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. It measures 50 feet by 50 feet and is situated on a knoll and is distinguished by the presence of a large mulberry tree which can be seen in the background of the above "After Reclamation" picture. The first burial took place in 1806 and the last in 1857. The land that the cemetery sits on probably first came into the Griggs family under the ownership of John Griggs who died ca 1805 and who married Catherine Bower. This John Griggs did inherit land from his father Daniel Griggs but it is not clear if the burial ground sits on that part of the land given to him by his father or whether it sits on land that John Griggs bought in later years. We know that the burial ground was located on his land because in the will dated 2 Apr 1805 of Joakem Griggs, John’s brother, Joakem Griggs states the following: "It is my will and I do desire that my brother John, or if he should not be living, or omit to do it that my other executors hereinafter named, shall build, or cause to be built a stone wall round the grave yard on my brother John's plantation, and I do order that the expense thereof be paid by my executors out of my estate." In his will, John Griggs left his land to his two unmarried daughters, Sarah and Elizabeth Griggs. They are both buried in the burial plot. Sarah died in 1853 and then after the death of Elizabeth in 1857 the property was sold at auction in 1858 to Thomas Hill for $55 an acre. Theodore Hill next acquired the property and then willed it to his daughter Hanna H. Williamson. In 1941, Hanna H. Williamson conveyed the premises to Clarence Alles. In July 1986, 151 acres were conveyed to the current owners, Voorhees Associates, by Clarence Alles and Marie Alles Schomp.

As can be seen from the above picture, the memorial monument has the Griggs family name on the front of it along with the Griggs Coat-of-Arms. The picture on the right is a photo of the back of the monument which states the following across the top: IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO ARE BURIED HERE AT THE “GRIGGS BURIAL PLOT”. Under that it goes on to list the ten people who are buried there along with their death dates and ages. In the lower right hand corner are the names of John and Lynne Johnston with the date December 2008.

When the project first started only three out of the ten headstones could be found. Fortunately as the landscaper cleared the undergrowth the other seven were found, although some were broken and in need of repair. That work is currently being done. The picture on the left shows three of the headstones that have been set in place. The one in the foreground is the headstone of Sarah Griggs who died in 1853 daughter of John Griggs. The headstone in the middle is that of Elizabeth Griggs who died in 1857. She was the sister of the above mentioned Sarah. The headstone in the background is that of Abraham Gulick who died in 1831 and was married to Jemima Griggs.

The headstones in the picture on the right are those of Henry Maskel who died in 1812 and his wife Elizabeth (Moore) Maskel who died in 1833. Henry’s headstone is the one leaning up against his wife Elizabeth’s. You can see the base of Henry's headstone just to the left. Henry’s is one of the headstones that were damaged and it is in the process of being repaired. Henry and Elizabeth Maskel are the only two people that are buried in the Griggs Burial Plot that have no known relationship to the Griggs family. If anyone knows what that relationship might be, please contact us.

This is one of the currently unidentified headstones, but as more of the headstones are repaired and identified, the identity of this headstone will no doubt come to light. As more pictures of the headstones are made available and more are identified this site will be updated.

Burial Chart There are ten people buried in the "Griggs Burial Plot" and they are set forth in the chart below. Please note that the people buried here are in "white" boxes with "black" lettering. While the people in “green” boxes with “white” lettering are not buried at this cemetery, but are included only to show relationships. Once again we would like to thank John and Lynne Johnston for all of their hard work and monetary contributions to “THEIR” Griggs Burial Plot Project; they have done a fantastic job and now the rest of us get to enjoy it too. John and Lynne can be reached at clynne.johnston@gmail.com Any additions or corrections to the above please contact Frank Griggs at frankgriggs@juno.com Last updated on 6 May 2009