Bergen County Historical Society
New Bridge Landing NJ, As we continue on this Memorial Day we mourn not only the absence of each other’s company but in the true spirit of the day, the honored war dead from our nation’s past. From the founding of the United States through today, thousands of Bergen County residents have answered their nation’s call to arms in defense of liberty and freedom, at home and abroad. Many never returned to enjoy their homes and families. Each Memorial Day in the recent past, we in the Bergen County Historical Society have chosen to gather at the Hackensack grave of Brigadier General Enoch Poor, as representative of those in the American Revolution who gave their lives during the fight to establish what the Declaration of Independence proclaimed.
We do not know the names of all of those from Bergen County who fell during the American Revolution, though we do know some, particularly the ones named below, all of whom served as captains in the Bergen County Militia:
Captain David Marinus, 16 January 1778.
Captain Joost Zabriskie, 23 June 1778.
Captain Jonathan Hopper, 21 April 1779.
Captain Abraham Haring, May 1780.
Captain Hendrick Kuyper, 17 August 1783, from wounds received 15 May 1781.
Each of the old church cemeteries dotted around the county, and some others, contain the remains of those old Bergen soldiers from the Revolution who are now at rest. Many can be spotted by the Sons of the American Revolution markers beside the headstone. Since that time, they have been joined by the deceased of all our wars, large and small. On this day, we recognize and honor all of those who made the supreme sacrifice over the past 244 years.
