I visited Saint Peter's Catholic Cemetery in Jersey City (Hudson County, New Jersey, United States) now that the weather is improving. (Thank you, R.B., for a lovely trip.)
The other Catholic cemetery in Jersey City is
Holy Name, which is much larger. The records for both cemeteries are available on microfilm through FamilySearch.org.
Saint Peter's listing at
FindAGrave includes over one thousand burials. Given the rather small nature of this cemetery, check FindAGrave to see if a stone still exists. I did not check every stone, but all the ones that I investigated were already on FindAGrave. The actual burial records will contain many more names, of course, so you need to view them as well. Holy Name Cemetery, in comparison, has almost
30,000 burials on FindAGrave. (You can also look up burials for Catholic cemeteries under the Newark Archdiocese at www.rcancem.org/deceased. Holy Name Cemetery is listed; Saint Peter's is not.)
To park and access the gates, you turn onto Utica Avenue from US Routes 1 and 9 South (Tonnele Avenue).
Saint Peter's is well-maintained by neighboring Holy Name Cemetery. The grounds are surrounded by railways, busy highways, and industrial plants, but the cemetery presents beautifully.
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| Geese grazing at Saint Peter's Catholic Cemetery in Jersey City |
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| Duffy monument at Saint Peter's Catholic Cemetery in Jersey City |
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| I put the camera inside the monument's missing side and found some pieces of lettering. |
Hi Jody, I like reading your blog. A few years ago I digitized the Holy Name/St Peter's cemeteries microfilms, all six microfilms. They are on my computer and I do free lookups for people searching for their ancestors. I rarely look up Holy Name cemetery anymore since RCAN has them online but the cards still contain St Peter's cemetery. If anyone ever needs a lookup my email is at the bottom of the page on my website. Ed https://sites.google.com/site/jcgeney/home/holy-name-cemetery-jc JCGeney
ReplyDeleteThank you, Eddi.
ReplyDeleteI added a link to Eddi's site about Hudson County, New Jersey resources.
ReplyDeleteHi Jody! I have question about Holy Name Cemetery. I have folks buried in sections A and G but I noticed on the map that there are 3 sections A and 2 Sections G. Any idea of how to narrow down the locations when I visit the cemetery? Examples: Blk-A Gr-945 N 1C and Blk-A Gr-169 SOUTH EM 1A. Blk-G Sec-8 Gr-ABCD 1B. Thanks for your help! Nancy muttmag@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteHi Nancy. Figuring out where a grave is located in the two areas for Section G is tricky. You may have to look in both and they cover a lot of ground. I would start in the section that abuts the Priest Circle because the format is G-#-A.
DeleteThe first grave you list in Section A follows the pattern A-1-A, so I would start in the Section A closest to Section Y. The second grave is A-1, so if you don't find it while searching the other Section A, go to Section A closest to Westside Avenue.
You did not write how you came up with these grave locations. They are not in the format of the Cemetery's cards. You are a few steps away from the source of the information, so you may be hunting for an incorrect location.
Don't forget to check FindAGrave.com to see if someone already photographed these graves and marked the coordinates.
Hi Jody, I got the grave information from the www.rcancem.org site. Figuring it is a very old cemetery, I wasn't surprised to find more than one "block" with the same letter! I also noticed several of my ancestors have 2 grave sites recorded so I guess they were moved to a different location. Am hoping to get there in the fairly near future. Thanks for your advise!!
DeleteIf you are talking about St. Peter's, north means the right side (storgae facility side) of the single road and south means the left (Pulaski Skyway side).
DeleteThere are several rows of each letter. So don't go on the normal way of thinking of a, b, c, d...
If you make an appointment for a weekday visit for the gates to be open, set a time and request the caretaker to meet you there. He counts out the rows and graves and will bring you to the exact spot which is very helpful if there is no stone or if like us, you were totally confused by the strange numbering system. The office at Holy Name will provide you with the grave # only.
Thanks so much for this detailed information. I am interested in St. Peter's Cemetery. I understand it is located in an industrial area and it's hard to reach. I am looking for a specific location, 65 South G. Is there a map of the cemetery itself? Many thanks, CEM
ReplyDeleteI did not find a map of Saint Peter's Cemetery online.
DeleteI called Holy Name Cemetery. They said they did not have a map but could locate a grave if you provided the name and lot number. The cemetery has a north side and a south side, so the location you have, 65 South G, may be a viable description.
A map could be among the images on microfilm through FamilySearch.org. That is how I found the more detailed map for Holy Name Cemetery.
Anyone else out there have a map for Saint Peter's Cemetery?
During the week you will need an appointment to have the gates opened. Request that the caretaker go with you to find a grave. The gates are open on Sunday only.
Delete"A" is located when you first enter the cemetery. Each letter has three rows of numbers. - Lisa -
Thanks, Lisa.
DeleteI wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post.
ReplyDeletecemetery online
Thank you, Harry.
DeleteI made a visit to St. Peter's this July and, despite the pouring rain, had a lot of help from the very knowledgeable man who came to open the gate. He showed me the right grave very quickly. Because of his information, I discovered another family name in the index for this grave. (And then a great lunch buffet at nearby Hyderabadi House!) It was all well worth the trip. Thanks so much for all the information here.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome.
DeleteJody my grand parents / John and Jeanette Monaco- were buried in St Peters Cem manu years ago. I cannot find them in the findagrave site. Can you help ? Sorry to impose
DeleteGary, You can add your grandparents to the Find A Grave website if you think they are buried at St Peter's Cemtery.
DeleteIf you want to try to find more records, you can try calling Holy Name Cemetery in Jersey City and viewing the images available through FamilySearch.org.
Gary, There is a Jeanette Monaco, aged 79, who was buried in St. Peter's 2 I 114 on October 30, 1980. Could this be the listing for your grandmother? I found her name on this site:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.flickr.com/photos/37203269@N02/26364163905/in/album-72157666477878970/
(I found only one John Monaco, a child of 3 who was buried December 12, 1921.)
CEM
This is a great resource- the index of burials for Holy Name and Saint Peter's.
DeleteHi Jody,
ReplyDeleteMy G. Grandfather is Charles M. Russell, born 1838 in Ireland. His wife was Florence C. Either O'Donnoughe or,
Florence Cecilia Weaver. The Saint Peter-Catholic Church in Jersey City New Jersey lists their family as members. My Grandfather, John Thomas and his brothers Charles H. and James Francis were christened there. I'm trying to find the church's marriage records to see if Charles M. Russell was married there, thus, giving me his wife's true maiden name. Charles M Russell died from Malaria on April 15, 1878 and is buried in Holy Name cemetery.
Oddly enough, on April 6, 1880 Florence C. Russell put John Thomas and James Francis into The Washington City Orphan's Asylum, in Washington D.C. and Florence C. Odonnoughe shows up back living with her family in Georgetown, Washington DC. Is it possible to access the church's marriage records to see if Charles M. Russell was married there? I'd appreciate any information you can give me to help solve this mystery.
Thanks Jody,
Charles (Gene) Russell
Hello Charles.
DeleteYou are in luck.
The index for baptisms at St Mary and St Peter appears at FamilySearch.org. The name of your great grandmother is given as Florence Weaver.
The films can be viewed at a Family History Center because they have restricted access. You can view the index at home but not the images.
St Mary is films 1403471 and 1403472.
St Peter is films 1403371, 1403372, and 1403373.
Please let us know if this worked for you.