ST. JAMES A.M.E. ZION CHURCH HISTORIC CEMETERY
MATAWAN, MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY
This site is being updated as more information becomes available.
St. James A.M.E. Zion Church Cemetery is an African American burial ground, located on Johnson Avenue, Matawan, NJ.
In 1843, Richard Little and his daughter Matilda Conover, organized the first congregation of the St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, at 102 Atlantic Avenue. Several local obituaries refer to the Little burial ground or the Little family grave yard, suggesting that what is today called the St. James AME Historic Church Cemetery may also have been referred to as the Little Family Burying Ground in its earlier years.
In 1847, James Jameson sold the 60' x 100' lot to the Methodist Episcopal Church for $20.
Plate 28 of Wolverton's 1889 Atlas of Matawan, shows the cemetery on Atlantic Avenue as the "Colored M. E. Ch. Cem."
Today, only six grave sites are visibly marked by bases or partial stones. The only gravestone partially readable belongs to William H. Shemo, but this one is broken in two. As of January 2002, there is not one legible, complete gravestone standing.
KNOWN INTERMENTS:
1. BEAL/BEALS, Alice - died Aug.13, 1898, wife of Charles H. Beals, at her home in Keyport from apoplexy; funeral was held at AME Zion Church and interment was in the adjoining churchyard. Matawan Journal obituary 08/18/1898 p5c2.
2. BEARD, Edna C. - died July 12,1889, at Matawan, child of John M. and Eva L. Beard, 10 months old, interment was in St. James AME Zion burial ground. Matawan Journal obituary 07/20/1889 p2c5.
3. BODINE, Lallage L. - died Jan. 18, 1891, daughter of Abraham and Sarah Bodine, aged 8 years and 3 months; funeral held at Alfred Shemo's house, Reverend C. L. Percy, interment in AME Zion Church Cemetery. Matawan Journal obituary 01/24/1891 p4c1.
4. HENDRICKSON, Charles - Co. E, 25th Infantry Regiment, Colored Troops, US Union Army, enlisted Jan. 21, 1864, Private, mustered out Dec. 6, 1865; Civil War Veteran; wife/widow Hannah; only readable gravestone standing. An obituary for a Mr. Charles I. Hendrickson, died Apr. 21, 1889, age 84, appeared in the Matawan Journal 05/04/1889 p2c5.
5. JAMESON/Jamison, William A. - Co. E, 25th Infantry Regiment, Colored Troops, US Union Army, Civil War Veteran.
6. McREEVES, Martha - died July 16,1889, child of Asa and Fannie McReeves, 2 years 7 months old, interment at St. James AME Zion graveyard. Matawan Journal obituary 07/20/1889 p2c5.
7. RILEY, James H. - Co. B., Colored Troops, US Union Army, Civil War Veteran.
8. SHEMO, Hazel Alfreda - died July 10,1889, near Matawan, youngest child of Alfred and Katie Shemo, aged 8 months and 6 days; funeral July12th and interment in St. James AME Zion burial ground. Matawan Journal obituary 07/20/1889 p2c5.
9. SHEMO/Sherno/Shermo, William H. - Co. H, 127th Infantry Regiment, Colored Troops, US Union Army, enlisted Sep. 3, 1864, Private, mustered out Oct. 20, 1865, Civil War Veteran; died Jan. 31, 1899, from pneumonia, age 58 years; funeral at AME Zion Church and interment in adjoining graveyard; Matawan Journal obituary 02/02/1899 p5c2.
POSSIBLE INTERMENTS:
BODINE, Alfred - died Feb. 26, 1891, of brain fever, aged 3 months and 1 day, infant son of Abraham and Sarah Bodine. Matawan Journal obituary 02/28//1891 p2c5. Note: The month before Alfred died, Abraham and Sarah had buried their 8 year old daughter Lallage Bodine in AME Zion Church cemetery, but no place of interment is mentioned in Alfred's obituary.
BODINE, Willie V. - died June 17, 1906, son of Abraham and Sallie Shemo Bodine, aged 16 years and 4 months of acute alcoholism. Matawan Journal obituary 06/21/1906 p1c4.
BOOKER, Euphemia - died Aug. 11, 1898, wife of Watt Booker, from dropsy, aged 51 years and 11 months; funeral in the AME Zion Church and interment was in Little's Burying Ground. Matawan Journal obituary 08/19/1898 p5c2.
CONOVER, Matilda M. - died Oct. 16, 1895, aged 9 months, daughter of Charles and Matilda Conover; funeral at the home of her parents. Matawan Journal obituary 10/19/1895 p1c4.
LITTLE, John S. - died Feb. 8, 1892, son of Richard, of consumption at his father's home. Funeral at his late home and interment in the same place. Matawan Journal obituary 02/15/1892 p2c2.
LITTLE, Mrs. Mary E. - died May 5, 1896, from heart disease, aged 60 years, wife of Richard. The funeral was held May 7th, in the AME Zion Church and interment was in the Little burying ground. Reverend L. G. Mason officiated, assisted by Reverends Butler and Burton. Matawan Journal obituary 05/09/1896 p3c3.
LITTLE, William Richardson - died Jan. 31, 1885, near Matawan, colored, 100 years, 7 months old. Matawan Journal obituary 02/14/1885 p2c6.
SHEMO, Robin - died June 15, 1894, aged colored man of Matawan, funeral at St. James AME Zion Church. Matawan Journal obituary 06/16/1894 p5c2.
Others, as many as 65 unmarked graves, are suspected to be interred in this cemetery.
About the church:
A very incomplete list of Reverends associated with this church is as follows:
Reverend James Simmons (founder and pastor)
Reverend C. L. Percy, about 1891?
Reverend L. G. Mason, 1893 - 1896, transferred to Bethlehem, PA.
Reverend R. F. Butler, 1896 - ?
Reverend Burton ?
Reverend Marvin L. Pearson, 1990 - current
Sources:
- Asbury Park Press, 10/11/00 pAA1, "Silent Sentries" by Kristen Ostendorf
- Asbury Park Press, 12/21/00 p_, "Where History Abounds" editorial
- Asbury Park Press, 12/21/00 p_, "If it feels like home, that's because it has been" by Georgia East
- Asbury Park Press, 07/15/01, p. AA1, "Groups search cemetery for bodies lost to time" by Rodney Point-du-Jour
- Battlefield Restoration and Archaeological Volunteer Organization (BRAVO)
- Edward Fitzgerald, Aberdeen Township Historian
- Independent, 12/06/00, p10, "Restoration under way at black Matawan cemetery" by Paul Dowd
- Independent, 07/25/01 p_, "Group looks for more history at cemetery" by Alison Granito
- Matawan Historic Commission
- Matawan Journal Index, by Mr. Joseph Douglas Alt and Mrs. Ruth Alt, Matawan Library
This site created and maintained by George Joynson at Monmouth Genealogy Research Services is available for further genealogy research on a commission basis in but not limited to Monmouth County and New Jersey. Please e-mail or call me at (732)817-0100. Updated January 1, 2002. This site provided courtesy of Atlantic Medical Services, Inc.
From Ronny Bodine (June 28, 2020):
AFRICAN AMERICAN
He was aged 5 in 1870 and 14 in 1880.
From Monmouth Democrat (Freehold, NJ) of Thur., 11 Feb 1886:
Marriages. At the Baptist parsonage, in Keyport, Feb. 1, by Rev. S. K. Dexter, Abraham Lincoln Bodine, of Red Bank and Sarah E. Shemo, of Matawan.
Death Notice, The Monmouth Inquirer (Freehold, NJ) of Thurs., 22 March 1900.
At Red Bank, on Tuesday, March 13th, Abram L. Bodine, aged 38 years.
1900 Matawan, Monmouth Co., NJ: Alfred SHEMO July 1844 NJ, Catharine Oct 1848 NJ wife, Carrie May 1880 NJ dau, Sarah BODINE July 1870 dau, Minthaw BODINE July 1886 NJ dau, William BODINE Nov 1887 NJ son, Alselmo BODINE Oct 1896 NJ son, William SCHAUCK July 1869 NJ son-in-law, Mary SCHAUCK Oct 1874 NJ wife. Alfred & Catharine were married 33 years, 5 children born/5 living. Sarah Bodine is noted as married but not how long or how many children, William and Mary Schenck were married 6 years with 2 children born/2 living.
1915 Matawan Twp., Monmouth Co., NJ: Sally BODINE July 1874 NJ was woman in household of Catherine SCHEMO, 67.
Abraham Bodine of Long Branch was named as a survivor in his father's obituary in March 1913. The Daily Record (of Long Branch) of 15 Oct 1916 reported that Abraham Bodine, colored, was arrested and charged with assault and committed to the Freehold jail.
Obituary, The Daily Record (Long Branch, NJ) of Sat., 10 April 1926.
Abram Bodine died suddenly yesterday at 217 Monmouth Avenue. The body has been removed to the Funeral Home of Willis A. Woolley, 10 Morrell Street. The funeral arrangements will be perfected some time during the day. Mr. Bodine has a wife living at Matawan. He was a laborer, and had been living in this City for a number of years.
Funeral Notice, The Daily Record (Long Branch, NJ) of Tue., 13 April 1926.
Funeral services for Abram Bodine were held yesterday afternoon at the Woolley Funeral Home, 10 Morrell Street, Rev. A. S. Grayson officiating. The interment was at White Ridge Cemetery, South Eatontown.
Death Notice, Matawan (NJ) Journal of Thur., 4 Dec 1947.
Mrs. Sally (Shemo) Bodine, of S. Atlantic Ave., Matawan, died at her home last night. The funeral is expected to be held Sunday afternoon and arangements are being completed by the Bedel Funeral Home.
Obituary, The Daily Record (Long Branch, NJ) of Fri., 5 Dec 1947.
BODINE, Sally Shemo, South Atlantic Avenue, Matawan, N.J. On December 3, 1947. Beloved mother of Mrs. Minthan Johnson and sister of Mrs. Alice Lyon. Funeral service Sunday, December 7, 2 P.M. at home. Interment Union Prospect Cemetery, Matawan.