In Livingston: Ely Cemetery To Open For Veterans Day 2015

The Livingston Historical Society will open the historic Ely Cemetery, located on Hillside Avenue, for public tours on Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11, from 2 to 4 p.m.

According to a release, the cemetery was established by Captain William Ely, a veteran of the French and Indian War, on a rood (quarter acre) of his land in 1777 when his daughter Elizabeth Ely Jones and her second husband, Frederick Jones, and their infant son, Benonni, all died within two weeks of each other.

The cemetery is the private burial ground of generations of Ely’s and other prominent families with whom they intermarried. Notable internments include the monuments of Smith Ely, Jr. who was mayor of New York City in 1877-1878, as well as two terms as a US Congressman; Edwin A. Ely, author of Personal Memoirs and generous benefactor of the Livingston Library and Julia Smylie Dow, widow of Major Charles A. Smylie a New York Socialite. The cemetery also contains several examples of antique sandstone slabs, granite headstones and marble tablets.

The public is invited to informal tours free of charge. Donations will be accepted to help with the upkeep of the historical landmark.

Photo courtesy of the Township of Livingston

Photo caption: A Livingston resident studies the headstone of Captain William Ely founder of the historic Ely Cemetery.