Oradell

[intellectual]

Along Kinderkamack Rd.,  in northern Oradell, there is a historic marker at the intersection of Soldier Hill Rd., designating the place where Washington retreated north to, before going south toward Trenton in 1776...about a mile and a half south there is a buryground, with about a dozen stones- gated, with a chain link fence, but no marker.. does any one know the relevance, if any, to the retreating army.. This site is at the eastern end of RIDGEWOOD RD, , two blocks east of Kinderkmack...

[Mike T]

The Marker on the corner of SHR and KKR references the Steenrapie Encampment of 1780. With regard to the cemetery, from Oradell Biography of a Borough, by J. Irving Crump, 1969. "Besides the mill owned by Miss Waite's grandfather, there was another mill just north of the Oradell Avenue bridge. According to Miss Waite, it was originally owned and operated by another branch of the Van Buskirk family, John Van Buskirk and his son Luke. She said this was probably in the 1780's. Luke ultimately inherited the mill and continued to operate it for some time, but finally sold it to Jacob Voorhis, who with his family owned a great deal of property in this general area. It was this family that established and maintained for years the little cemetery on the knoll overlooking the river at a point at the eastern end of Ridgewood Road and Genther Avenue, and which is believed to have been started as early as the 1770's. Miss Waite said that the history of that sacred little spot was written after years of study and research by Miss Catherine Van Buskirk and read before the annual meeting of the Bergen County Historical Society in April 1925.  At the time, 15 stones were still standing, the oldest of which bore the following inscripition: In Memory of Henry Van Voorhiesen Who died March 6th 1803 age 72 years and 25 days. The last intermet to be made there was in 1858, when the son of Henry Van Buskirk and Margaret Voorhis was buried.
Originally, the little burying ground was surrounded by a cast iron fence which, unhappily, was destroyed by vandals. Many of the old stones were tipped over and broken too, but more recently a new fence has been erected and many of the old stones reset and, in general, the little cemetery made to look presentable once more. It is gratifying to know that this restoration work was done by the members of the Oradell Volunteer Fire Department, and that the members have accepted responsibilty for the perpetual care of this historic but long neglected spot".

[intellectual]

thanks as a kid i lived just west of kinderkamack bordering ther pontiac dealership and had weondered about the place then i tyhiunkj the stones were illegible, but i could have been too creeperd to try to actualy read them,, i've seen the van buskirk name around maybe something to due with a first family of oradell along with the landmanns , there is a 1957 BOOK TITLED  GEORGE WASHINGTON AND THE BEAUTIFUL GIRL FROM NEW JERSEY A KATARINA VAN BUSKIRK WHO WAS IN A PLOT W/CONSPIRATORS IN 1776 TO KILL WASHINGTON WHILE STILL IN NYC WITH THOMAS HICKEY,,THE TEXT STATES THAT THE TALE IS BASED ON TRUTH FROM US AND B RITISH ARCHIVES, THAT AFTER THE PLOT WAS DISCOVERED , SHE BEING A LAUNDRESS, WHO WAS THE INSIDE CONNECTION, WASHINGTON FORGAVE BOTH VAN BUSKIRK AND HICKEY,,,THOUGH CARRIED OUT A MOCK EXECUTUION OF HICKEY WITH A HARNESS TO PREVENT HIM FROM STRANGLING ON HIS ROPE,,HE HAD RESCUED VAN BUSKIRK FROM A MADAM WHO HAD HER CAPTIVE AFTER THE [PLOT FELL THREW And rewarded him, hickey for bravery as he freed van buskirk from her captivity, was washington in the steenraPIE ENCAMPMENT ,,?? FROM THE REGULAR ODD THINGS HAPPENING IN THE HOUSE FROM TIME TO TIME ,IOHAD CONJECTURED THAT WASHINGTON MAY HAVE KEPT HIS HEADQUARTERS ON THE PROPERTY REGARDING THE SOLDIER HILL CAMP AS THE PRESCENCE OF SPIRITS WERE FREQUENTLY  APPARENT THANKS AGAIN.. AS THINGS ARE I AM MEETING WITH a Landmann descendant this weekend whose grandfather founded the OFD

[intellectual]

p.s. is Anderson rd thru cresskill & closter named after andre's alias???