Princeton Cemetery ~ History in Headstones by starship
The Princeton Cemetery, established by the Nassau Presbyterian Church in 1757, has been called the "Westminster Abbey of the United States" by 19th century historian John F. Hageman. It is the final resting place of some of the most illustrious citizens of New Jersey and some who were also important national figures as well. Here you will find graves of those who were notable theologians, a signer of the "Declaration of Independence," academicians, athletes, military officers, prominent Princeton citizens from the American Revolutionary Period, giants of business, those who endeared themselves to Princeton, & an American President, Grover Cleveland!! The oldest surviving monument is that of Aaron Burr, Jr, a colonel in the Army during the time of the American Revolution who also became the Vice-President of the United States from 1801 - 1805. He is probably best known for his duel with Alexander Hamilton. Other notables, to name a very few, are George Gallup, a distinquished statistician & journalist who founded the Gallup Poll; Barbara Boggs Sigmund, one-time mayor of Princeton, sister of TV journalist Coki Roberts, and daughter of the prominent Louisiana Boggs family (Hale & Lindy Boggs); William and Maria Robeson, parents of the legendary Paul Robeson; J. Paul Baldeagle, a Native American who taught in the area for many years and bequeathed his extensive collection of Native American artifacts to the New Jersey State Museum; and Richard Stockton, Jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Pick up a pamphlet guide which lists and locates sites of graves of the many famous people buried in the roughly 19-acre cemetery. You can find this pamphlet at the Princeton Historical Society on Nassau Street. "The life of the dead consists in being present in the minds of the living." Cicero, Orationes Phillipiae*, ca 60 B.C.E.
