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