Newton Union Burial Ground Committee

The Newton Union Burial Ground Committee is dedicated to the preservation and upkeep of the Newton Union Burial Ground! We also pride ourselves on learning and documenting the rich history of the West Collingswood Extension.

The Newton Union Burial Ground was established from land donated by Thomas Thackara and Mark Newbie in 1684. The Quakers didn’t believe in marking their graves. So most of the graves remain unmarked. The Union Burial Ground, also known as the Sloan Burial ground, was established in 1790 by James Sloan. Sloan had a disagreement with the Friends Meeting in Hadddonfield. He believed that Free-Quakers and Non-Quakers should be buried together as all men were equal under God. In 1791, Sloan laid out 1 acre adjacent to the Newton Burial Ground and enclosed in with a low lying brick wall. He placed a stone in the wall that read “Here is no distinction rich or poor the lord is the maker of all of them Founded by James Sloan 1790.” The burial ground later became known as the Newton Union Burial Ground. Members of the Gloucester County Militia, which fought in the American Revolution, are buried within the Sloan section of the cemetery.

This historic marker was placed in the Newton Union Burial Ground by the Camden County Historical Society in the 1930’s.

S. Rhodes photograph of the Newton Union Burial Ground, circa 1909.

Newton Union Burial Ground, circa 1909.

Newton Union Burial Ground

Stones that were removed from their graves were placed in this small concrete enclosure in the 1930’s. Most of the inscriptions are barely visible today.

The Champion School, circa 1821.

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