Hunting Trip Gone Wrong: 1777 Cemetery In Essex County To Open For Public Event, Stories

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The Ely cemetery in Essex County, founded in 1777, is home to many notable graves — as well as tragic stories.

The Livingston Historical Society opens the cemetery for a few hours each Memorial Day for an educational event, with the graves as learning tools.

This year, their program is called "Hunting Trip Gone Wrong."

You'll be able to the stories of various historical figures on Monday, May 29.

(For a previous story about the founder of Twizzlers and why he's buried there, see: Death and Twizzlers.)

The Society said, "What was supposed to be a fun hunting trip in the Adirondacks, ended up a tragedy when Judge Charles B. Storrs accidentally mistook Major Charles Smiley for a deer and shot and killed him! Come see Major Smiley’s grave in the Ely Cemetery."

The cemetery will open from 2-4 p.m.

The Society said, "Many do not realize that this piece of rich history exists right in their own backyard, right off of Hillside Avenue directly across from Hillside Terrace. This cemetery was first created in 1777 by Captain William Ely, who was a veteran of the French and Indian War, and who owned a large swath of land here in Livingston. Ely built the cemetery after he suffered a string of tragedies, with his daughter, son-in-law and grandson all dying within two weeks of each other due to a presumed illness (the Historical Society could not determine the exact cause of death)."

They noted, "Since then, many prominent members of the Tri-State Area have been interned at the cemetery, including Smith Ely Jr. who was elected as the Mayor of New York City in 1877. Additionally, members of the Vanderpeol, Dow and Goddard Family have all been interned at the cemetery, as they married into the Ely family."

The last person to be buried in the cemetery was Janet Halsey Olstead, a descendant of William Ely, in 1973, 50 years ago.

"The cemetery currently has many large headstones made of granite with marble tablets, some of which remain in good condition despite being centuries old," the Society notes. "The Livingston Historical Society, with the help of the Public Works Department, has helped to repair and refurbish the cemetery. Now, visitors can come and see authentic local history."

Read a prior story on the cemetery here.