Community Corner

What Do You Know About The Throckmorton-Lippit-Taylor Burying Ground?

Read an interesting history about this piece of old Middletown.

The Throckmorton-Lippit-Taylor Burying Ground is a quiet space located on Penelope Lane, located in the Middletown Village Historic District. It may perhaps become more noticeable to people, now that the Middletown Planning Board office recently moved into a converted structure next door.  

A detailed history about the burial ground, with a map can be found on the township website. 

Middletown is one of the oldest settlements in New Jersey, and this is the oldest recorded family burying ground in Middletown. The men, women, and children interred here represent some of the earliest settlers of the town, and their lives reflect those who founded our country. They were merchants, cabinetmakers, carpenters, judges, farmers, and adventurers in search of religious freedom and economic opportunity for their families and themselves. Here are some of their stories.

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John Throckmorton Sr. was the first person buried here about 1684. John and his wife, Rebecca, and their two children sailed from England on the ship named Lyon and arrived in Massachusetts on February 5, 1631.

Roger Williams was also a passenger on the Lyon, and he and John became friends during their journey.

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John was so impressed by Williams that he and his family followed him to Salem, Massachusetts and settled there. Both men became disenchanted with the Puritans, so about 1636, John followed Williams into an unsettled land that would become Rhode Island.

Williams purchased land from the Indians, and he deeded some of the shares of this land to John and eleven other men. They established a new settlement named Providence Plantation. It was founded on what Roger Williams called “soul liberty" with freedom of religion and conscience.

Williams is also credited with establishing the first Baptist Church in America, and John and Rebecca Throckmorton were on The List of Original Members received in 1638.

To read more of this biographical narrative by Suzanne Bugbee, visit the history page on the township website.


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