In general, it is the practice of Christians and some other
religious/ethnic groups to orient graves east-to-west. The
Christian practice is to place the head to the west, so that
the deceased will be facing the east to see Christ's second
coming. This pattern is pretty uniform from the 17th century in
North America.
 
Where in New Jersey is the project?  Will it be possible to get
a copy of the report?
 
John P. McCarthy
Senior Archaeologist/Historian
Institute for Minnesota Archaeology/
IMA Consulting, Inc.
(former practitioner of Mid-Atlantic region historical
archaeology <g!>)