Holy Trinity Lutheran Cemetery, Woodland Drive, Middletown, Monmouth County, NJ

Transcription:

Text researched, transcribed and © May 2001 by Trevor Kirkpatrick / photographs and page design © June, 2001 by David Podmajersky

The 100 acre farm remained in the Truax family until September 21, 1827, when Samuel Truax, jr. died and the homestead was divided into lots and sold at public auction to pay his debts. Thomas Truax, Samuel's son, purchased at public sale 40 acres of the homestead farm including the house and burying ground. He remained on the farm with his mother, Hester, and brother, Philip. In early March, 1832, Hester died and on April 2, 1832, Thomas sold the 40 acre homestead to George Henry Evans. George was a newspaper printer and land reformer from New York. According to the deed, "the said Thomas Truax reserving a privilege in a half acre of land on the westside of the tract, set apart for a burying ground."

On February 2, 1856, George H. Evans died at the homestead farm from a severe cold which he contracted while working on the farm in January. He was buried in the Truax burying ground adjacent to the Truax family plot. George died leaving a considerable amount of debt, $2,786. The 40 acre farm was sold at sheriff's sale on May 11, 1857 by Judge Alfred Walling of Keyport, administrator for the estate of George H. Evans dec'd of Granville, and was purchased by Ezekial R. Thompson of New York City and Warren Palmer of Granville (Keansburg). Ezekial had purchased 34 80/100 acres of the "Old Homestead" with the cemetery "set aside as a privilege in a half acre for a burying ground."

On October 20, 1864, the farm was sold to Jane E. and Orville O. Jones of Brooklyn, NY and was then conveyed by them to Edward D. G. Jones of Pittsfield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Edward then soold the farm on December 15, 1868 to Thomas McArther of New York City. Thomas then sold the lot on April 7, 1869 to Rebecca and Clarissa L. Wood of Granville. Clarissa willed her estate in July, 1894 to her brother William Wood of Keansburg who married the Phebe Ann Ramsey, widow of William Ramsey, sr.

On May 22, 1905, Eliza Selma Ramsey, administrator for Phebe Ann Wood (widow of William Wood of Keansburg) sold the "Old Homestead Farm" to Kate Rowe, widow of John Rowe, a relative of the Truax family. On July 28, 1905, Kate Rowe sold the farm back to Eliza Ramsey. The last deed in which the Old Truax Burying Ground appears was on February 21, 1914 in which Eliza S. Ramsey and William W. Ramsey, her husband, sold to the Clayton-Linton Realty Company for the consideration of one dollar and other consideration 7 75/100 acres "excepting thereout, however, the western most point of the above described tract, being the strip of land on the northside of and adjoining the cemetery, one hundred and thriteen feet along the cemetery by forty-three and four-tenths feet wide, being that portion of the above described property lying North of the cemetery or burial ground, and the parties of the first part reserve the right of ingress and egress to and from the said cemetery for themselves, their heirs and assigns, and the property hereby conveyed along the westerly and northerly lines." This was the last deed mentioning the cemetery. From that point on in 1914, the cemetery remained in the Ramsey family and their heirs until eventually becoming tax exempt and borough property. Today the Borough of Keansburg maintains the property by contract.

Below is a listing of people buried in the Old Truax Burying Ground based on 17 years of genealogical and historical research by the author. The cemetery has been broken into two sections, the Palmer and the Wood. The Wood section contains about five generations of the truax family, as well as some friends of the familt. The Palmer section contains many of the family of Doctor Warren W. Palmer and Captain William and Melvina (Willis) Mason. This is actually an extension of the Wood section but because the cemetery was considered two separate cemeteries by the Borough of Keansburg until 1986, we will leave them as two seperate "sections" of the old Truax Burying Ground.

A listing of individuals buried in the Palmer Section based on research:

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