St. James' Church Historic Graveyard Tours

Benjamin Dobbs (1824-1917) is another St. James' sexton featured on the tours this year. A "venerable and interesting figure in the parish" in his later years, come hear him tell of his adventurous life, as only he can tell it. While he traveled far and wide, much of that time in the military, he always found his way back home to Hyde Park.

This panel from a mural by Olin Dows in the Hyde Park Post Office was painted in 1941 and shows a scene from 1846. Richard Jenkins can be seen leaving the first church rectory (no longer standing) with a can of paint. The newly built second St. James’ Church is in the background getting finishing touches including a new steeple, while in the foreground The Rev. Reuben Sherwood stands looking on as two vestrymen, Archibald Rogers (grandfather of the Archibald Rogers who later established Crumwald Farm in Hyde Park) and Augustus Cowman, discuss the church plans.

There are a few tickets remaining for our Saturday 6:30 tour this weekend. Come listen to Richard Jenkins (ca. 1783-1857), St. James' first sexton, talk about his early life as a Bard slave and about living and working here after he gained his freedom.

Geraldine Morgan Thompson was born into a family that, while wealthy, was also known for their philanthropy and support of progressive causes. Geraldine herself was the 1st female New Jersey delegate to a Republican National Convention and nicknamed the "First Lady of New Jersey"; she was particularly interested in female prison reform, public health, and juvenile justice. Her father, William Dare Morgan, was a founder of New York Hospital. Her mother, Angelica Livingston Hoy...t Morgan, had helped establish the first nursing school at Bellevue Hospital. Her sister, Ruth Morgan, took over her mother’s causes as chairperson of the social services dept. of Bellevue Hospital and director of the State Charities Aid Association. Ruth was also active in the League of Women Voters, the founder of the National Committee on the Cause and Cure of War, and one of 5 high commissioners of the American Red Cross in charge of the American Red Cross women in France during WWI. Their brother, William Gerald Morgan, served as a war correspondent during the war and after the war wrote a book called Public Relief of Sickness which advocated compulsory contribution for health insurance and the need for public medical facilities. Another sister, Margaret Lewis Morgan Norrie, campaigned for women’s rights. And those are just some of this remarkable family's accomplishments. Pictured is Geraldine with a fashionable bob. See more

True to their charitable natures, Geraldine and Lewis took in 4 of his sister's children after she had died as well as a young cousin, whom they raised with their own four children. Here is a family outing and the Brookdale mansion. Photos are from a brochure published by the Monmouth County Park System.

Geraldine Morgan (1872-1967) married Lewis Thompson in 1896 and that same year they took up residence at Brookdale Farm, a noted thoroughbred horse farm in Monmouth County, New Jersey that had belonged to his parents. Lewis Thompson was more into hunting, so in the early 1900s he leased the horse facilities to his friend, the famous horse breeder and millionaire businessman Harry Payne Whitney, who bred and trained race horses here until the 1930s. Lewis Thompson died in 1935 but Geraldine Thompson continued living on the farm for the rest of her life. She bequeathed a large portion of the estate to Monmouth County which established Thompson Park. The county then purchased an adjacent portion where it established Brookdale College.