Jim McGovern has lived in Livingston, and has been passing by the Northfield Baptist Cemetery on West Northfield Road, for over 30 years. So when he saw it becoming very overgrown, he and his wife, Joanne Brenckle, became very concerned.
About a month ago, he recounts, “Joanne and I were walking by it and talking again about how the cemetery is so overgrown you can hardly see most of it from the roadway anymore. She said, ‘So why don’t we do something about it?’” That idea came to fruition after a conversation with their friend, Christine Sablynski, “semi-retired” managing editor of the Tribune. The three were at the home of a mutual friend, and began talking about what was going on in Livingston. Mc-Govern inquired about the cemetery, and Sablynski informed him that it was owned by the Northfield Baptist Church. The church building had been sold a few years ago, she explained, although the congregation was still in existence and had continued to meet at the home of its long-time pastor, the Rev. Peter Picos, and his wife, Joy. Since Rev. Picos’ death in 2022, however, the centuries-old graveyard has become badly overgrown.
McGovern sought guidance from Renee Resky, an old acquaintance who is a township employee and a member of the Livingston Historical Society. She put him in touch with the Rev. Picos’ widow, Joy. McGovern and Brenckle then contacted Mrs. Picos, and received her blessing to start cleaning up the cemetery.
The first step, McGovern says, was to cut down the overgrowth at the entrance on Northfield Road so they could access the property more easily.
Next was mowing and weed whacking. And more intense clearing. Over the years, dozens of saplings have sprung up that need chopping down and uprooting. Grass and weeds over two feet high have obscured numerous graves throughout the property.
It’s been nothing but plain hard work, but luckily, McGovern and Brenckle have been able to call upon friends to help – friends who don’t even live in Livingston and who had never heard of the Northfield Baptist Cemetery, but who were nonetheless willing to help. In fact, the couple has organized a “work party” for an upcoming weekend, had have received promises of future help from those friends who cannot attend that day.
Will this end up becoming an ongoing “forever” maintenance project? “We haven’t gotten that far yet!” laughs McGovern. “It’s going to take a while to get everything cleared to the point that it will look like it used to. Then I guess we’ll see what happens.”
In the course of clearing the edges of the cemetery, McGovern and Brenckle have found long-covered 200-plus-year-old headstones that have toppled over or become damaged.
“We’re just starting to explore what can be done with them, but it will definitely not be this year,” McGovern says.
Seeking a Bench and a Plot Map As the clean-up continues, Mc-Govern notes that he has two requests of anyone who would like to help. “When this is all cleaned up, we’d love to put in a garden bench – or two. So if you have one to donate, we’ll be happy to take it off your hands,” he says. “And I’m looking for a plot map.”
Although he has access to a general list of burials in the cemetery, he has not been able to get hold of an actual plot map, which lists the names of those interred and the exact locations of their graves. “That would be a huge help as we get to the point of fixing up the headstones.”
But that’s many months away. For now, McGovern and Brenckle are still “hacking away” at the overgrowth. It’s become a labor of love, with an emphasis on the word “labor.” But fortunately, they have a lot of help from their friends.
Anyone who would like to donate a bench or has a copy of the cemetery’s plot map can contact Sablynski at the Tribune, 973-992-1771.
A “Revolutionary” History The Northfield Baptist Cemetery is the third oldest in the community, and dates back to the late 1700s.
The oldest headstone still visible is that of Lydia Meeker, who died on March 6, 1795, at the age of 36. She was the wife of Jonathan Meeker, who was the tenth son of Timothy Meeker Sr., one of Livingston’s original settlers.
Timothy Meeker, Sr. is also buried in the cemetery. He was involved in the Horseneck Riots of 1745, and with his ten sons, four sons-in-law, and grandson, fought in the Battle of Springfield during the American Revolution.
Other Revolutionary War veterans whose final resting place is there include Epaphras Cook,Abner Ball, andAnthony King. Cook served during the French and Indian War and in the Revolutionary War, was a private under the command of Captain Elijah Squier, another Livingston pioneer.
Ball, later a pillar of the community, enlisted in the Continental Army in 1776 at the age of 16 and served throughout the entire Revolutionary War. King enlisted at the age of 19 and fought at Ticonderoga in New York State. He saw battle at Woodbridge and Short Hills, New Jersey; at Germantown, Pennsylvania; and was present at the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown.
Livingston’s first firehouse was erected on a lot at Oak Street and LivingstonAvenue, donated by Mrs. Sarah Harrison. The cost of the new firehouse was $2,090.
