Weird NJ Article cites the “Green Light History” of Bayview Cemetery, which lies within the once vast Burdge family territory in early Middletown, NJ
For most of my life, there has always been family genealogical research available. I took an interest as a child and often perused my father’s xerox copy of the Howard Griffith Burdge 1950 work, “Burdge and Allied Families.” This article will look at some of the history of Bay View Cemetery, ancestors buried there, and some of our exploration with pictures.
As an adult I have conducted alot of research into my Burdge ancestors, having often corresponded with my late cousin concerning this work. We discussed where they were laid to rest, and structures that still exist in Middletown, and Monmouth County Parks. Therefore I found it very interesting to learn more about Bay View Cemetery and it’s “weird” history via Weird NJ.
Prior to my late cousin becoming a very prolific family genealogist there was my Uncle W who had an extensive database & produced an revised version of the above cited “Burdge and the Allied Families.”
“This writer started to get interested in this manuscript and further research into the family as late as 1978-1979 period. In a conversation with one of my younger brothers, Anthony Edward Burdge, he made me aware of the existence of this manuscript that he and his wife saw while living in California sometime earlier….they had visited the central Los Angeles Library and sought out their genealogy room. Out of curiosity they asked the librarian if he had any information about the name BURDGE. The librarian consulted his records and came back with a copy of this manuscript that the compiler Howard Griffith Burdge had donated to their library.”
W.A. Burdge Revised Edition
From this family genealogy I first learned of Bay View Cemetery. If you have read earlier articles on this blog you may note that my parents lived in California after eloping in 1969 to Los Angeles. The last apartment they lived in when I was born was in the Los Feliz area, often seeing Manson’s blacked out school bus.
The Ghostly Glow of Green Light Cemetery is the name of the article written by Mark and Mark of WEIRD NJ: YOUR TRAVEL GUIDE TO NEW JERSEY’S LOCAL LEGENDS AND BEST KEPT SECRETS. It discusses a mysterious green glow seen by passer-bys and visitors to the cemetery.
The Bay View Cemetery in Middletown possesses one such mysterious lighting phenomena and because if the graveyard has come to be known in local lore as the “Green Light Cemetery.” A number of people have written to Weird NJ over the years about the strange illumination that gave it that name: a mysterious green light that appeared above the cemetery’s tree line. (WEIRD NJ)
My wife and I have always loved getting out of doors to visit a location associated with stories within Weird NJ. We did quite a bit of this during the pandemic in 2020, 2021 and continue to this day.
Therefore, after reading the article, it was quite interesting to visit Bay View Cemetery where my ancestors are buried. There are a number of family sites that my wife and I have visited. This includes but not limited to, Croydon Hall, All Saints Memorial Church, Hartshorne Woods Park and Clay Pit Creek.
Bay View Cemetery is the first I will share.
The land that became Bayview Cemetery was historically part of extensive Burdge family holdings in Middletown. The Burdge family first setting in Locust in 1715, and owned a vast tract of land of 685 acres in Navesink River and Clay Pit Creek area.
The arrival of David Burdge from Hempstead, Long Island, marks one of the earliest permanent settlements in the area.
In 1715, David and his wife Phoebe, with their three sons, Jonathan, Uriah and David left Hempstead, Long Island, and settled near the mouth of Clay Pit Creek on the south shore. His deed from Benjamin Borden clearly describes 357 acres of land which comprises all of modern day Locust, bounded by Clay Pit Creek and the Navesink River as far as Browns Dock Road. The Burdges operated a grist mill adjacent to the creek near the Stone Church (All Saints Memorial) from the mid-18th to the early 19th century.
Local maps from the 19th century show their lands in the general area where Bayview Cemetery and neighboring properties now exist. Specifically, 19th-century atlases and deed records indicate the Burdge acreage bordered or spanned across sections that later became various properties, including land east of the current Lamarche tract (noted in the area today as part of Leonardo and near Bayview Cemetery).
This property on the Navesink River and Claypit Creek becomes known as “Burdge Point.” (Howard Griffith Burdge, Burdge and Allied Families)
According to the Locust Historic District, Burdge Point is located on the neck of the Navesink River, south of Claypit Creek.)
Some early history of Burdge’s in the area.
Of David’s sons, Jonathan moved to Shrewsbury, while Uriah and David remained in Middletown on the old homestead farm.
1724 Jonathan deeds 200 acres to each of his brothers in September (Burdge and Allied Families). Uriah’s son David (1728-1811) remains in Middletown, marrying Elizabeth A. Davis.
1733 John Davis buys land from William Hartshorne, on the north side of Claypit Creek. Probably constructs the mill on the tip of Claypit Creek, which is hence called “the old mill dam.”
1736 John Davis dies, leaving all his land to his two daughters, Elizabeth and Phoebe The Davis property is located north of Clay Pit Creek and includes the Mill Creek Area.
1753 Elizabeth marries David Burdge who then constructs a mill on Mill Creek, part of the inherited Davis Property. Phoebe marries William Bowne 1755,who assumes the land on the shore of Claypit Creek. Bowne is a cordwainer, and does not keep up the mill.
1781 Hill’s Map clearly labels Burdge Mill on Mill Brook. Locust Historic District states “the Burdges operated a grist mill adjacent to the creek near Stone Church from the mid-18th to the early 19th century.”
Lastly we come to the home of Benjamin Burdge that once resided on Navesink River Road. Benjamin Burdge had extensive holdings on the east. The Navesink district was settled in the early 1700’s when John Burdge built the first sawmill in the area. This area, due to its close proximity to the Navesink River was an important trading center in pre-revolutionary Middletown.
The former home of Benjamin Burdge has some modern history to it. Geraldo Rivera and C.C. Dyer acquired the 7 acre property in 1989 and lived there for more than a decade. The home, a historic estate built in 1893 in the Locust section of Middletown, was listed for sale around 2000 following their divorce and eventual move, with an asking price reportedly around $8.9 million. Known locally as “Rough Point,” it served as both a personal residence and a hub for Rivera’s involvement with the Two River Times
Now, with all this history and multi Burdge generations where were they all buried?
In Middletown Burdge’s rest at All Saint’s Memorial Church, some on the Croyden Hall Property, an abandoned cemetery now in a Monmouth County Park, and on the Benjamin Burdge property. Long before Geraldo, the Benjamin Burdge property was partitioned and sold off, those who had been interred on the property, like those at Croyden Hall were re-interred at Bayview Cemetery.
After Rivera left, the property changed hands but has remained a notable landmark in the area. Its parcel and deed records are on file with the county, and the site has been featured in multiple local publications. However, the new owner knocked down the home and built an entirely new house on the property, despite local outcry.
There are numerous Burdge’s located at Bayview Cemetery. Benjamin is buried alongside his wife Elizabeth with others from their family. This is one of many Burdge’s at rest at Bay View Cemetery. In due course I will created a reel on our youtube channel of Burdge’s at Bayview and other cemeteries in the area.
In the creation of the article I drew of numerous sources from the Middletown Historical Society, Archeological Surveys and online material. In a future article I will discuss Croyden Hall, and the abandoned Burdge Cemetery located in a Monmouth County Park.
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