In the 1700s and 1800s there were many family burial grounds all over New Jersey when the state was primarily farmland and woods. At that time, land owners would simply select a spot on their property to bury their family members and friends.

Until the 1900s most families cared for their own dead. They prepared, dressed, and displayed their loved ones within the confines of their own home. The body was typically displayed in a coffin that was made at home or purchased from a local carpenter. Later the grave was dug at the family plot.

Caring for your own deceased began to change in the late 1800s. Also during this time period, the family graveyard began moving towards the more park-like settings of formal cemeteries. Soon after, coffin makers began to take on other duties. They offered burial clothes, flowers, preparation of the body, and coordination of the entire funeral service. These tradesmen began to refer to themselves as undertakers, as they were the ones who “undertook” responsibility for funeral arrangements. Around 1900, laws began to appear regulating and standardizing the practice of funerals and burials, and family burial plots fell from use.

Although there are few documents remaining, the Winters family was among the very early settlers in the Hibernia area dating back to the early 19th century. According to records, as of the late 1800s, an occasional interment was made at the burying ground, one of which was Peter D. Henderson, presumably a family friend. It was a simple process. Relatives prepared the ground, opened the grave and buried the deceased.

Peter Delaney Henderson was born on April 6, 1796, in Marcella to Eleazer Henderson and Susan Delany. He married Elizabeth Dunmire (1799-1861) and later Susanna Bostedo (1793-1870) and had 11 children. He died on August 6, 1879. His death certificate shows that he died of congestive fever after a one-week illness.

Other known interments included Jeremiah De Graw and six of his seven children. Jeremiah was born October 6, 1816, and married Hannah Frances (born 1831) on October 20, 1844, in a ceremony officiated by Justice of the Peace, Hubbard S. Fiskle. Historical records note his occupation as a farmer and his residence as Splitrock. Jeremiah died on September 25, 1889.

His children were:

Sarah Ann (January 18, 1845 - May 27, 1867)
Susan Electra (January 25, 1849 - April 8, 1865)
Charles (1852 - October 10, 1871)
Andrew (February 23, 1856 - ?)
Emalene (February 28, 1857 - ?)
Peter (March 11, 1862 - March 12, 1862)
Samuel (October 10, 1864 - January 31, 1935)

With the exception of Samuel, all of the above are listed as being interred in the Winters Burying Ground in Marcella, NJ. Samuel is buried in the Marcella Union Cemetery.

The January 11, 1900 edition of the Rockaway Record newspaper shows that an infant named William Henderson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Henderson (unknown relation to Peter D. Henderson as records show Peter had two sisters and no children named Michael), died on January 9, 1900, from inflammation of the lungs. Reverend William Stout of Hibernia officiated the interment at the Winters Burying Ground. By all accounts, William was the last interment ever made at the site.

Several headstones in the Winters Farm Burial Ground can be found in the woods a few hundred feet to the left of the Rosenthal Lodge. The original plot of approximately 200 by 200 feet is now overgrown and all stones are toppled with most broken and illegible. Township records indicate that up to 100 people may be buried at this location, but most graves were not marked by permanent stones. And some remains may have been reinterred elsewhere as the plot fell into disuse.

Considering that approximately 100 people were buried at this site, the actual burial grounds itself must have been quite extensive - much bigger than the small area where the few headstones are today. It must have spread out quite a bit. It makes you wonder if the old rumor about the dining hall being built on top of graves is true. That area does seem like one of the more flat pieces of land, which is consistent with cemetery design. So maybe it's true. Perhaps the burial grounds had spread from Pioneer Cliffs to the top of the hill leading to the field.

In the late 1930s, around the time that Camp Lewis was established in Marcella, it would seem unlikely that the State of New Jersey would have approved building directly over an active or formally recognized cemetery due to legal protections regarding consecrated ground. However, if a cemetery was abandoned, private, forgotten, or formally vacated, it is possible. While active cemeteries have strong protections, forgotten or private/family plots were sometimes built over, particularly before modern, landmark and archeological regulations.

Records show that the last burial was in 1900. So by the time the dining hall was constructed in 1948, nearly 50 years had passed. So the thought of this burial site being a "forgotten" or abandoned "private/family plot" that would go unnoticed is quite feasible.

The question frequently arises about the existing headstones. Is their location the site of the burials or were they moved from someplace else? Some township records note the current location as the burying ground but no one can say with absolute certainty.

Other burial sites near Camp Lewis include the Zeek Family Burial Ground a few miles to the northeast. This was another small family plot used during the 1800s. The Marcella Union Cemetery, about a mile north of camp, was established in 1901 and is a more traditional cemetery that is still in use. Township records show the names of at least 25 Winters family members interred there, but it is unclear if they are related to the original Winters property owner. St. Patrick’s Cemetery is located in the Telemark section of Hibernia and was established in 1869. The last burial there appears to have occurred in the mid-1940s.