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2025 Historic Evening Cemetery Tour

Enjoy the 2025 Historic Cemetery Tour Videos

Washington Township has a rich history beginning with Native Americas of the Lene Lenape tribe from 1000 years ago and the first European settlers in the area in the late 1730s.

These German immigrants settled in the valley and on what is now called Schooley’s Mountain to start a new life of farming and the occupations supporting farming in the 1700s.

This old Union Church Cemetery is one of the finest 18th century burial grounds in New Jersey. The cemetery contains 281 known grave markers, many carved in German, dating from 1766 to 1869. Included are the graves of six known Revolutionary War Veterans.

As we begin recognition of the 250th anniversary of the birth of our nation, In October 2025, we called attention to 10 residents who lived here in the late 1700s and are buried in the cemetery. The tour features the stories of the people and their families so you can get a sense of what the town was like.

Featured Former Residents on our 2025 Cemetery Tour

Click on the names below to view each video. To view the entire tour, go here for our special playlist. Please note: Each video was recorded at the gravesites, and lighting conditions affected how they appear compared to the live experience.

1.    Mattias Thomas (1735-1793) farmer and militiaman

2.    Christoph  Kern (1728-1796) Immigrant, farmer

3.    David Welsh (1757-1830) legislator and judge

4.    Mattias Dufford (1738-1816) farmer

5.    Judith Trimmer Dufford (1746-1798) farmer

6.    Andreas Flock (1712-1779) immigrant, farmer

7.    Lawrence Hager (1735-1800) blacksmith

8.    Captain William Welsh (1747-1821) farmer militiaman

9.    Dorothea Welsh (1751-1828) farmer

10. William Dellicker (1779-1845) merchant and postmaster

Our Mission

The Washington Township Historical Society (WTHS) is dedicated to preserving and promoting public interest in the history of Washington Township and surrounding areas.

Join Us

For $15 you can be a WTHS individual member, or join as a family for $20 here: wthsnj.org/membership-4/

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WTHS is a 501c3 nonprofit organization under the Internal Revenue Code. Membership dues and donations are fully tax deductible.