The History of Deptford Township’s Green Cemetery
Developed 150 Years Ago as a Grand Victorian Burial Ground
Historic Green Cemetery (geo location: 39.82728,-75.14316) sits on a sloping hill in Deptford Township just southeast of the City of Woodbury. For the last 150 years, it has been the final resting place for some of the area’s most prominent and influential families. Styled after the Victorian cemeteries of the time such as Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA and Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, PA, Green Cemetery was beautifully landscaped with many rare trees planted to enhance its park-like atmosphere. Bringing to life the vision of its founder, mayor and successful businessman Dr. Lewis M. Green (1817-1894), we need to travel back in time to 1858 to fully understand the history of the cemetery.
In 1858, the members of Woodbury’s Methodist Episcopal Church purchased two acres of land on Egg Harbor Road just outside of the city limits. This purchase was made after the church’s original graveyard was full. This graveyard sat behind and to the side of the church which was located where the Woodbury police station stands today at S. Broad & Barber Ave. It was about an acre in size and within thirty years was filled to capacity. The remains from this graveyard were removed to the new cemetery and reinterred. For the next twenty-nine years, members of the church were laid to rest here. In 1877, the Church sold the two-acre cemetery to Dr. Green.
21 Acres
Dr. Green would purchase two adjoining tracts of land from Elizabeth Fine and William Izard for a total of twenty-one acres. The entire property would become what we know now as Green Cemetery. Dr. Green would make many improvements on the land, establishing pathways and importing, according to newspaper articles at the time, 2,000 trees to further bring his vision of a rural cemetery to life.
On May 20, 1887, the cemetery’s first officers were elected as follows: Dr. Green, president, Joseph D. Green (1864-1910), secretary-treasurer and four counsellors, Charles W. Starr (1839-1900), George E. Pierson (1837-1921), W. Harrison Livermore (1840- 1914), Adon W. Cattel (1829-1902) and Rev. Joseph L. Roe (1838-1919). The Reverend was the only charter member of the Board not buried in the cemetery. This group would steward the cemetery until Dr. Green’s death on Jan. 2, 1894.
As per the will of Dr. Green, the responsibility for the care of the cemetery was passed on to his children, Joseph, George G. (1842-1925) and Mary A. Lupton (1853-1932). Under the care of Mary Lupton, the cemetery flourished. She would continue to make improvements to the cemetery, the most noticeable being the wrought-iron fence fronting the cemetery. Installed in 1925 at a cost of $6000, the fence still stands and was recently straightened, and missing sections were replaced. After Mary’s death in 1932, the responsibility fell to her daughter, Maud Lupton (1880-1973). It would be during this time that Green Cemetery would host one of its most famous residents, Asa Redrow (1885-1977). Asa was the sexton and caretaker for the cemetery for over fifty years. Much of that time was spent living on the cemetery grounds in a one-room structure with no electricity or running water.
Post-WWII Decline
After World War II, the cemetery saw a decline in plot sales due in part to larger cemeteries opening up in the area. Over the next couple of decades, the cemetery slowly fell into disrepair. In 1974, new trustees would be appointed including the great-grandson of Dr. Green, Jack B. Green. Unfortunately, this was not enough to save the cemetery from once again becoming untenable.
The cemetery received a boost in 1985 when local businessman, Herbert Budd, purchased the cemetery. He made several lasting improvements such as paved pathways and a comprehensive survey of the grounds. Soon after the purchase, Mr. Budd sold eleven acres of the cemetery for residential use. While initially successful in stopping the sale in 1994, the eleven acres were eventually sold, and the Greenfield sub-division was built.
2020 Turnaround and Repairs
By the turn of the 20th century, the cemetery again became overgrown and forgotten. Over the years, several attempts were made to bring the cemetery back without success. Then in 2020, new Trustees were appointed and they got to work restoring the cemetery to its former prominence. Volunteers began clearing debris, dead trees and trash, repairing broken and fallen stones and clearing the relentless growth of ivy covering every part of the cemetery. Slowly, the Green Cemetery began to take shape again. The Trustees were also able to retain a portion of the cemetery separated from the main cemetery by the housing development. This section known as the “K” section contains the remains of three Civil War veterans, several adults and many children. The area also contains forty-two marked graves that do not appear in the cemetery records. These stones are numbered, and some contain initials. It is believed these were remains removed from the Strangers Burial Ground in Woodbury in 1913 and re-interred at Green’s. The Trustees are happy to report that they are open and accepting new burials.
Some notable facts and burials about the cemetery:
- There are 1,500 burials
- The first burials were William Widerfelt (1846-1860) in the old Methodist section and Mary Mathers (1810-1887) in the Green section
- The oldest readable tombstone is Catherine Clare (1803-1831)
- The oldest birth date is Robert Clare (1776)
- There are 85 Veterans buried (more research is pending) including:
- Robert Clare (1776-1872) War of 1812
- 44 Civil War veterans, five of whom died in service
- Edward Pierson (1879-1900) Philippine Insurrection
- William Bonsal (1896-1918) Gloucester County’s first casualty of World War I
- William Beck (1923-1944) Gloucester County’s first casualty of World War II His remains were returned and interred in 1947
- Erwin Hect (1923-1945) World War II casualty. His remains were returned and interred 1949
- Four Centenarians:
- Mabel Evans, 103 (1900-2003)
- Margaret A Redfield, 103 (1840-1944)
- Mary Caverley, 102 (1835-1937) first cousin of Civil War General and U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant
- Nellie W Davison, 100 (1898-1998)
- Other Prominent Burials:
- Clarence Borden (1891-1930) First Delaware Bridge police officer killed in line of duty
- David O. Watkins (1862-1938) New Jersey Governor, State Attorney and Woodbury Mayor
- William Dopson (1837-1930) Woodbury’s first police officer
- Samuel Pancoast Comly (1849-1918) Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy
- Albert Wilson (1866-1963) Woodbury’s first automobile dealer
- Joseph Wilson (1856-1918) Founder of The Woodbury Daily Times
