Thoughts on historic grave orientations in New Jersey
 
Graves in colonial NJ were oriented in practically every imaginable
direction.  However, the vast majority are aligned east to west.  It is
commonly thought that the heads  of the deceased were at the east and their
feet at the west, that way the deceased could sit up looking east at the
second coming of the Lord.  For a variety of reasons this was not always
the case.  Graves might be aligned with buildings on the site, such as a
church, or they might be aligned to roads.  As with pretty much
everything in life there are exceptions to every rule.
 
Regarding the gravemarkers.  If they are uninscribed you are out of luck,
but if there are inscriptions the headstones generally have lenghty (full
sentence inscriptions) and dates, footstones generally have just
initials.  Headstones are also much more likely to be decorated and the
decoration should face the grave.  I hope this hopes.  If you have other
questions you might try contacting Mark Nonestied, the President of the
New Jersey Gravestone Preservation Society 908-651-8850.  He and a
group of volunteers moved part of a late 18th-early 19th century graveyard this
past summer.
Good luck with your research.
--
Richard Veit
 
(215) 476-4731
4733 Larchwood Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19143