The Cemetery of Mount Pleasant

Serving the Community for almost 190 Years

Location 

     East side of County Road 519

     Alexandria Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey

     Opposite Alexandria First Presbyterian Church, near the intersection of County Roads

     631 and 519, and close to the Alexandria Township Park

The War MemorialContact
     Lou Compton, President of the Cemetery Association

     908-995-4217

Purchase of Plots

     Plots are currently available for purchase.

     Please contact Bob Bachman at 908-996-6672 with inquiries

Genealogy at Mount Pleasant Cemetery and Alexandria Presbyterian Church

      A list of interments at Mount Pleasant Cemetery 

         http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~njhunter/Cemeteries/MtPleasantCemetery.htm 

      Membership, baptism, marriage, or death of Alexandria Presbyterian Church members

         churchoffice@alexpres.org

      A list of Civil War verterans at Mount Pleasant Cemetery  

         http://newjerseycivilwargravestones.org/cemetery.php?cemID=190 

Interments at Nearby Cemeteries

     Bloomsbury Cemetery

          http://www.raub-and-more.com/warrencemeteries/bloomsbury.html    

     Frenchtown Cemetery

          http://www.raub-and-more.com/frenchtown/frenchtownab.html

     Garrison-Tharp Cemetery

          http://files.usgwarchives.net/nj/hunterdon/cemeteries/garrtharp.txt

     Milford Presbyterian Church

          http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~njhunter/Cemeteries/MilfordChristianYard.htm

     Musconetcong Valley Presbyterian Church

          http://www.bowlbyfamily.org/cemetery/index.htm

A Brief History

     During the pastorate of Reverend A.B. Jamison, on December 13, 1913 the congregation of Alexandria Presbyterian Church voted to incorporate the cemetery and release it from the care and custody of the church.  The Mount Pleasant Cemetery Association was then formed which maintains and directs the cemetery to this day.  The cemetery is situated across the street from the church in Alexandria Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey on County Road 519.  It encompasses approximately 9 acres.

     Some of the residents of the Mount Pleasant Cemetery share a bit of local fame and renown. Harry, the devoted slave of John Warnes, was the first African American to be buried there in 1859. Reverend Conkling, the former beloved pastor of Alexandria Church--along with his wife and only surviving child Edward--was interred there in 1888.  William H. Queen, his wife Emma, and his daughter Eleanor, who were horribly murdered in 1917 as they escaped their arsoned home, have found solace there.  Numerous veterans from the American Revolution through the Gulf War rest there as well.   Because the cemetery is older than its records, Mount Pleasant Cemetery holds graves that predate its written data. The earliest recorded deaths are those of James Robins, 5 months in 1831; Mary Robins, 5 months in 1833; and Ephraim Robins, 3 years in 1833.

     Unlike many cemeteries in the area, the Mount Pleasant Cemetery has seen very little vandalism over the years.  Its proximity to Little York-Mount Pleasant Road and its illumination by street lights have curtailed opportunity for nefarious activities.  In the late 1990s a few headstones were toppled by rambunctious youth, but by and large, this quiet little respite has seen little in the way of wanton abuse.  As the visitor meanders over the grassy fields, the only note of decay is the occasional settling of the stones by Mother Nature.

Timeline

     * 1913:  The Mount Pleasant Cemetery was incorporated.     

     * 1925:  The Association installed an iron fence running along the front of the cemetery for a distance of 501 feet.  

     * 1940:  The County Road Department installed curbing along the lawn to prevent the street's rain water from entering the cemetery.

     * 1943:  Lester D. Wilson became the Association’s vice president.  Later, the elementary school in Alexandria Township, New Jersey was named after him.

     * 1947:  The Alexandria Township Honor Roll board was moved from the front of the P.O.S. of A. (Patriotic Order Sons of America) Hall to the cemetery.

     * 1951:  The Cemetery Association agreed with the Alexandria Township Defense Council's request to erect an honor board in memory of those who served in the US forces in World War II.

     * 1962:  A memorial monument was placed at the first gate above the main entrance.  The Cemetery Association donated a plot outside of the gate and pays for its                 perpetual care.

     * 1974:  A metal flag pole, which was formerly in front of the P.O.S. of A. Hall, was erected on the upper side of the main driveway in the old section of the cemetery.