With summer vacation over and work and school back into full swing, autumn is a season of reflection for many, with the changing weather and the turning colors of leaves a reminder of transitions in life and a reminder of relatives from the past.
A temperate fall afternoon at Weehawken Cemetery on Bergen Turnpike in North Bergen revealed a diverse picture of those who have passed on via their gravestones, plots, and vaults. North Bergen has the most cemeteries in the county, with seven, some once designated for specific towns.
Each headstone and its engraving tell a story: sometimes a detailed one, sometimes a simple one. Some stones bear sculptures: Hearts, crosses, and more.
How Weehawken Cemetery took on its name is not totally clear, but Anthony Vainieri Jr., manager of the Vainieri Funeral Home in North Bergen, said it may have to do with the layout of the county more than a hundred years ago.
“[North Bergen] probably had the land available at the turn of the (20th) century,” he said. More densely populated towns like Hoboken and Weehawken likely did not, so their residents were buried outside of town.
The answer may even date back to Civil War times, he said.
Whatever the reasoning, Weehawken cemetery does not house only the deceased from that township. Individuals who have passed include those from Union City, West New York, and other Hudson County towns.
Other North Bergen resting places are the Grove Reformed Church cemetery, Flower Hill Cemetery, Hoboken Cemetery, Machpelah Cemetery, Bergen Crest Mausoleum, and Garden State Crematory.
Joseph Passantino may be reached at JoePass@hudsonreporter.com.