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Its origins are further clouded in that our “Old One Horn” apparently went missing for a time in the 19th century as young men of Westfield, Scotch Plains, Plainfield, Rahway, and New Market were stealing old guns back and forth from each other to use for the 4th of July. It was presumably found in a pond and returned to Fairview. “Old one Horn” was set in concrete on Decoration Day (Memorial Day) in 1899 where it remains today as an interesting relic.
Also standing among the military graves of the cemetery is a civil war monument erected by the Winfield Scott Post No.73 in 1889. It is a 7-foot-tall white bronze statue of an American soldier atop a multi-tiered base depicting a Union infantryman standing at parade rest with both hands around the barrel of a rifle.
The Fairview grounds also contain a matched pair of 1870 Dahlgren Naval Howitzer Cannons. They are mounted on field carriages with iron wheels and give an additional historic presence to a sacred place.
For many years on Memorial Day the military section was the location for the closing ceremonies of the Town of Westfield’s annual parade. On that reflective day, veterans and townspeople still gather to remember those who have served and gave the ultimate sacrifice to their country.
In 2020 a Subcommittee on African American History was established by the mayor of Westfield to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the settlement of Westfield and to highlight the contributions of the African American Community. Their efforts resulted in a walking tour through Westfield which include two points of interest at Fairview.
The first point of interest is the grave site of the Denman family, a prominent Westfield family, and their servant, Jude, who is buried near them. Jude died in 1851 at age forty-two, after 30 years of service. The Denman’s inscribed her headstone to “Jude, a faithful and beloved servant.” The law in New Jersey at the time stated that children born of slaves after July 4, 1804, were to be free, though they remained servants of the owner of their mother for a specified period (25 years for a man and 21 years for a woman). This enabled owners to continue to appropriate the labor of the children of their slaves. Since Jude was born after the 1804 Act, and therefore was born free, she continued as a servant of the Denman household.
The other point of interest is within an area called the Soldiers Lot where veterans from many wars have been laid to rest. Within this section several African American Civil War soldiers were buried in Ward G with full honors as well as within family plots. This recognition in part, may be due to the advocacy of the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal veterans’ organization formed in 1866 that was among the first organized advocacy groups supporting voting rights for Black veterans. Mindful of the demonstrated loyalty and sacrifices of the African American soldiers in the Civil War, the Grand Army pushed for honorable burials. Those in Ward G include John Brinkerhoff, died 1911 (age 72), James H. White, died 1929 (age 82) and George L. Holland, died 1909 (age 74).
Other African American soldiers buried in family lots include Milton A. Brown, died 1911 (age 59), Lot 147 Ward C, and Edmund D. Chamberlain, died 1891 (age 50), Lot 68, Ward G.
