The Nauglel / Auryansen Cemetery

This active graveyard dates to the earliest settlement period of Closter’s history. Documented burials date to circa 1722 and include Dutch pioneer families with names like Vervalen, Naugle (Nagle), DeClark, Ferdon, Parsells, Auryansen, Demarest, Haring, Cole, Kearney, Montague and Bogert. Seven soldiers, Closter farmers, who served in the Bergen County Militia during the Revolutionary War and one veteran of the War of 1812 are known to be among the interred. Once known as the “Burying Place,” it was part of the original lands purchased in 1710 by the Nagel brothers, Barent and Resolvert. They divided their lands in 1748, and the division stones carved with their initials (“BN” and “RN”) are still visible in the middle of the cemetery. Later, the place became known as the Auryansen Grave Yard because this family took title to the land upon which it sits. Many of the sandstone and frame houses built by these families and their descendants are still standing in the borough today.

Closter, New Jersey · United States