page_title: Abel I. Smith Burial Ground
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Abel I. Smith Burial Ground / History
caption_attribution_description: English: OCLC-12658402 Able I. Smith
context_page_description: The Abel I. Smith Burial Ground was a family burial plot in Hudson County, New Jersey.
context_section_description: In 1733, Abel Smith and his wife Deborah moved from Great Neck to Secaucus, where he bought a large tract of land and constructed a large mansion. The first burial on the grounds was that of Abel Smith himself, who died in 1755.
  The Smith family farm was approximately 206 acres (830,000 m²), consisting of meadowland and toward the upland of western Hudson Palisades. The Smith family owned the plot from the 18th century until the early 20th century. The property was passed down through the generations, and as a result, many of the burials were of the Smith family themselves. However, a few other families were buried there over the course of its use as a cemetery, namely the Post and Earle families.
  In the year 1875, "Jack" Jackson, who was described as the last slave in New Jersey, died at the age of 87 on the Smith family farm. In 1820, Smith manumitted his slaves, but Jack refused the freedom he was offered and remained on the family estate until his death. Following the will of the late Abel Smith, he was interred in the family burial ground.
  Overall, the Abel I. Smith Burial Ground contained roughly 64 gravesites. The site held several vaults; the crypt had 24 shelves, with 12 coffins reserved for adults and 12 for children. These were reserved for the Smith family. In 1950, it was reported that all the vaults had been broken into and all the bodies had been removed, likely by grave robbers.
caption: Abel I. Smith, namesake of the original owner and last related property owner of the Smith farm, d. 1918.
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