The oldest stones in the Paramus Churchyard Cemetery (next to the Old Paramus Reformed Church at the corner of East Glen and Franklin Turnpike in Ridgewood) are made of fieldstone. This one is from 1777, but it is not the oldest one there.

Paramus Reformed Churchyard

The most common gravestones in the graveyard at Paramus Church are made of sandstone. This one reads:

In
Memory
of

Catharine daughter of
John Van Allen who de
parted this life march the
1st 1815 aged 18 years and
7 days.

Reader let nature claim a tear,
An only daughter now lies here.
Her body buried in the dust,
Her soul in heaven we hope & trust.

Paramus Reformed Church Yard

Our cemeteries and graveyards face many threats from neglect to the inexorable forces of nature. This stone is spalling due to the freeze-thaw cycle separating the layers of stone. The inscription is totally gone. Other threats include vandalism, lawnmowers, lack of lawnmowers, and so on.

Paramus Reformed Church Yard

Monuments record details of personal lives, including those of fallen soldiers.

WILLIAM TERHUNE
23rd MASS. VOL.
Fell at the Battle
of White Hall N. C.
DEC 12, 1862.
AE. 22 YR'S 4 MO'S
& 23 DS.

Valleau Cemetery

Cemeteries have different styles of gravestones reflecting different traditions, different religions, and different ethnic groups. This photo was taken in St. Luke's Catholic Cemetery in Ho-Ho-Kus.