Gilbert Hatfield Children Graves - Old Union Cemetery, Port Republic, New Jersey

Gilbert Hatfield Children Graves - Old Union Cemetery, Port Republic, New Jersey

Date of Photographs: April 12, 2023
Date of Gallery Update: Fri Apr 14 19:01 EDT 2023
Photographs by John H. Yates

These two children graves are in the Old Union Cemetery, Port Republic, New Jersey. This is the secluded Revolutionary War and Privateer Cemetery located in the woods across Park Avenue from the City Hall. Union Cemetery is across Main Street from the City Hall, and adjoins the Methodist Church lot.

Gilbert Hatfield (1791-1880) and his wife Elizabeth Bertine (1797-1879) are the parents of these two children. Gilbert Hatfield was the first postmaster for Gravelly Landing (renamed Port Republic in 1840), appointed in 1827. He also was a trustee of the Methodist Society of Port Republic. A document found at the Atlantic County Historical Society shows subscriptions toward purchasing the land for a new Port Republic Methodist Church from him in 1837. That would be the second church building, the current building being the third. See History of PCC. ("The first building, built in 1800, was called Smith's Meeting House. ... In 1838 a new church was built which served the community until 1870. ... the beautiful present building was built. The cornerstone of the 1838 church building may be viewed in the vestibule.")

And from his obituary: at the time of his death in Hoboken, NJ in 1880, he was one of the largest property owners in Hudson County, and he co-organized, in 1820, the first rifle corps ever established in New Jersey.

The two graves have been documented on FindAGrave since 2005 but now (2023) gravestone photos and GPS coordinates have been added (my thanks go to the three volunteers responsible, "Joyce Collins", "Crypt Finder" and "The grave hunter"(Danielle Ebron, who added the photos and GPS coordinates). (But as of this writing, they are still listed as being in Union Cemetery, not Old Union Cemetery where they are actually located). See Grave 1 (1832) and Grave 2 (1834).

Finding these graves was more than a year's long quest after discovering them listed on FindAGrave. "The grave hunter" posted the photos and GPS coordinates on FindAGrave, responding to my online FindAGrave request for photos of them from the 2005 listings (with no photos or GPS coordinates). It turned out that I did photograph them in 2012, from the back, at some distance. See photo DSC_0016 at Smith's Meeting House Burial Ground. (Old Union Cemetery). Notice that the memorial stones have been substantially cleaned since 2012.