Stony Brook Meeting House and Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Stony Brook Meeting House and Cemetery are historic Quaker sites located at the Stony Brook Settlement at the intersection of Princeton Pike/Mercer Road and Quaker Road in Princeton Township
, New Jersey
, United States
. The first Europeans to settle in the Princeton area were six Quaker families who built their homes near the Stony Brook
around 1696. In 1709 Benjamin Clark deeded nine and three-fifths acres in trust to Richard Stockton and others to establish a Friends meeting house
and burial ground.
in 1777, the meeting house was situated at the edge of open fields and faced towards a road connecting Quaker Road with downtown Princeton (Princeton Pike was not constructed until about 1855). Though tall hardwood trees of the Princeton Battlefield State Park and Institute
Woods cover those fields today, the meeting house offered a clear line of sight to the opening skirmish at William Clarke’s
orchard.
Today, the Princeton Monthly Meeting of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
of the Religious Society of Friends
holds worship services in the meeting house on First Day ("Sunday") at 9:00 & 11:00 am. Princeton Friends School
holds "Settling In", a version of Quaker meeting, each week in the meeting house.
The Princeton Friends School
restored elementary education to this historic site in 1987; in 1997 the school completed its own $1.8 million schoolhouse. In the Fall of 2007 the school broke ground for a second building. The school uses the schoolmaster's house, built in the 1800s near the cemetery, to support its arts curriculum. A 225-year-old Quaker farmhouse houses the school's administrative offices.
Princeton Township, New Jersey
Also Princeton Borough is an independent municipality completely surrounded by the township.Princeton North is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Princeton Township....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The first Europeans to settle in the Princeton area were six Quaker families who built their homes near the Stony Brook
Stony Brook (Millstone River)
Stony Brook, also known as Stoney Brook, is a large tributary of the Millstone River in Mercer County, New Jersey in the United States.-Course:...
around 1696. In 1709 Benjamin Clark deeded nine and three-fifths acres in trust to Richard Stockton and others to establish a Friends meeting house
Friends meeting house
A Friends meeting house is a meeting house of the Religious Society of Friends , where meeting for worship may be held.-History:Quakers do not believe that meeting for worship should take place in any special place. They believe that "where two or three meet together in my name, I am there among...
and burial ground.
Meeting house
The original meeting house was constructed in 1726, but in time the structure failed, so the second stone building was built on the original foundation in 1760. By the Battle of PrincetonBattle of Princeton
The Battle of Princeton was a battle in which General George Washington's revolutionary forces defeated British forces near Princeton, New Jersey....
in 1777, the meeting house was situated at the edge of open fields and faced towards a road connecting Quaker Road with downtown Princeton (Princeton Pike was not constructed until about 1855). Though tall hardwood trees of the Princeton Battlefield State Park and Institute
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
Woods cover those fields today, the meeting house offered a clear line of sight to the opening skirmish at William Clarke’s
William Clarke
William or Bill Clarke may refer to:People*Sir William Clarke , English politician and Secretary to the Council of the Army*William Clarke *William Clarke...
orchard.
Today, the Princeton Monthly Meeting of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, or simply Philadelphia Yearly Meeting or PYM, is the central organizing body for Quaker meetings in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, area....
of the Religious Society of Friends
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
holds worship services in the meeting house on First Day ("Sunday") at 9:00 & 11:00 am. Princeton Friends School
Princeton Friends School
Princeton Friends School is an independent Quaker day Kindergarten-8th grade school in Princeton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, USA. It is under the care of Princeton Monthly Meeting and located on the Meeting's historic property, adjacent to both the Institute for Advanced Study Woods and...
holds "Settling In", a version of Quaker meeting, each week in the meeting house.
Cemetery
The cemetery is enclosed on three sides by a stone wall and adjoins the meeting house and First Day School (the Quaker expression for "Sunday School"). It was the earliest and most prominent burial ground in Princeton before the Revolutionary War. Friends traditionally expressed their commitments to simplicity and the equality of all persons by discouraging elaborate grave markers. While some graves in the cemetery are marked by plain stones that bear the name and dates of birth and death, many others are unmarked.Noted interments
- Richard Stockton (October 1, 1730 – February 28, 1781) - lawyer, jurist, legislator, and a signer of the Declaration of IndependenceUnited States Declaration of IndependenceThe Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
. - Charles Smith OldenCharles Smith OldenCharles Smith Olden was an American Republican Party politician, who served as the 19th Governor of New Jersey from 1860 to 1863 during the first part of the American Civil War.-Biography:...
(February 19, 1799 – April 7, 1876) - Republican PartyRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politicianPoliticianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, who served as the 19th GovernorGovernor of New JerseyThe Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
of New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
from 1860 to 1863.
Nearby structures
Soon after the meeting house was built, the Quakers at Stony Brook built a school to teach their children. Primary education continued until about 1901 when the schoolhouse was taken down. In the 1950s, the Meeting built a multi-purpose building to support the First Day School.The Princeton Friends School
Princeton Friends School
Princeton Friends School is an independent Quaker day Kindergarten-8th grade school in Princeton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, USA. It is under the care of Princeton Monthly Meeting and located on the Meeting's historic property, adjacent to both the Institute for Advanced Study Woods and...
restored elementary education to this historic site in 1987; in 1997 the school completed its own $1.8 million schoolhouse. In the Fall of 2007 the school broke ground for a second building. The school uses the schoolmaster's house, built in the 1800s near the cemetery, to support its arts curriculum. A 225-year-old Quaker farmhouse houses the school's administrative offices.
External links
- Quaker Meeting House
- Princeton Monthly Meeting
- Princeton Monthly Meeting First Day School
- Stony Brook Quaker Cemetery interment information from The Political GraveyardThe Political GraveyardThe Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 224,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information.-History:...
- Find-A-Grave interment information for Stony Brook Quaker Cemetery