Union Cemetery (The Van Blarcom Burial Ground)

151 Franklin Avenue

Wyckoff, NJ 07481

https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/688580/union-cemetery

https://www.facebook.com/people/Wyckoff-Historical-Society/100064722099119/

Preserving History: Wyckoff Historical Society’s Efforts at Union Cemetery

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/mediabatch/13650290?m=19905

The historical sign for the Union Cemetery at 151 Franklin Avenue in Wyckoff, NJ

The marker sign put up by the Wyckoff Historical Society

The walled garden just outside the cemetery in bloom

The Union Cemetery was originally the resting place of the Van Blarcom family and the right hand side of the cemetery has the Van Blarcom family plot

One of the descendants of the family, Ethel Van Blarcom Green donated money for the preservation of this family plot.

The Biography of Ethel Van Blarcom Green:

(From the Wyckoff Historical Site)

If you at all familiar with the Wyckoff Historical Society’s recent activities at Union Cemetery, you may know that the 250 year-old site was the original Van Blarcom burial site. The name can be traced to the early 1700s when the first Van Blarcom family settled in New Jersey. The oldest legible headstone dates to 1764.

What you may not know, is that Ethel Van Blarcom, a direct descendant, bestowed a significant financial contribution to the Society beginning in 1978, with her wish that her beloved family cemetery be maintained. Although she lived in California for most of her adult life, Union Cemetery obviously held a special place in her heart, and she wanted to see it survive. The Society has Ethel’s hand-written letters that confirm her generous donation. She also continued to renew her Society membership until 1984.

However, it wasn’t until 2019 that the current trustees decided it was time to use the funds for its intended use, and honor Ethel’s wishes. Several headstones were repaired, new fencing is being installed, and yearly grounds maintenance is conducted, thanks, in part, to Ethel’s generosity.

It was at this time that Society trustees, Doris Noerr, Melanie Long, and Linda Vreeland, dove into genealogy websites and Society archives to learn more about Ethel’s life and to particularly find a photograph of her. 

“After several week of research, we obtained Ethel’s death certificate which led to contacting her niece Naomi who is now 92,” said Society president, Lynn Groel-Lynch. “To our delight, she had a photo of Ethel and her husband, Roy Green that we believe is her 1916 wedding photo.”

Ethel was born in Paterson in 1897 and lived to the age of 89. She and Roy moved to the Los Angeles, California area most likely around the time of her mother’s death in 1933. The couple had no children.

“We are still in the process of contacting a few descendants, and those we’ve spoken to have been happy to share what they know about Ethel,” said Melanie Long. “We also will install a plaque in her memory near where her father, Edward is buried in Union Cemetery. There are thousands of Van Blarcom names as they were the one of the prominent families in our area’s farming community, and after all these years, the Society is thrilled to finally honor the legacy of one very important Van Blarcom, Ethel Van Blarcom Green. As they say, ‘It’s never too late’”.

The current history of the Union Cemetery:

(Wyckoff Historical Society website)

The original Grange sign from the 1960s at the Franklin Avenue entrance of Union Cemetery was weathered and fragile. The Wyckoff Historical Society recently replaced the old sign with one that is also hand-lettered, and includes the Grange logo which was barely visible on the old sign. Two new posts display the new sign.

The Ackerman and Terwilliger families are buried to the left/northern side of the cemetery

The Terwilliger family plot

The resting place of James Terwilliger’s tombstone

To the right of the pathway around the cemetery to the south is the Van Blarcom family plot where on the oldest graves is that of John Van Blarcom, a veteran of the Revolutionary War.

The resting place of Revolutionary War veteran, John Van Blarcom

https://patch.com/new-jersey/wyckoff/birth-of-a-nation-revolutionary-officer-remembered

The original section of the Van Blarcom family plot dating back to the Revolutionary War

The later burial section of the Van Blarcom family

The resting place of Daniel and Rebecca Van Blarcom

The Terwilliger family has two sections of the family plot in the northern section of the cemetery

The Ackerman family’s plot is to the middle most northern end of the cemetery

The Mallinson/Westervelt family has the further most family plot of the cemetery

The cemetery is so peaceful and relaxing to walk around. The Wyckoff Historical Society has done a wonderful job maintaining the property. Even though it is the resting place of many family plots, it’s still a very welcoming place and you can feel it as you walk the paths. There is a respect of remembering the people of the past that can be felt here

As you walk the pathways, you visit the people who have contributed to the growth and history of Bergen County and the surrounding area. They shaped their communities from before the Revolution War to today.

My video of visiting the cemetery and the families that rest here.

The History of the Cemetery:

(From the Wyckoff Historical Society website)

The Union Cemetery on Franklin Avenue dates back to the first half of the 1700s, when Johannes Van Blarcom set aside an area of his property to become a burial place. The earliest readable stone is from 1764 and thought to mark the grave of a slave girl because there is no surname given. Johannes Van Blarcom’s daughter, who died in 1725, is alleged to be buried there also. Various community groups have volunteered to maintain the cemetery, including the Wyckoff Historical Society. In 2018, dead trees, underbrush, and poison ivy were removed.

Most are early Van Blarcom family members as the cemetery was one of the original family cemeteries.