Caching on Tuesday 8/5/2008

Mom and I left this morning to do some caching again around the Bound Brook and Piscataway area. Our first cache was in Colonial Park Dog Park and we found it quickly much to the chagrin of a dog owner who chose to say a few very choice words to us for being in the dog park without a dog and her dog didn't like it either as he barked at us all the way in and out of the park. Next cache was also in Colonial Park off a nature trail in the woods hidden in the split of a downed tree and this cache was rated a 5 which is the toughest cache to find and it did take us about 15 minutes to find it, but we did get it. Then it was on to Bound Brook and a cache located in a tiny park in the middle of the city on the main street (and we do mean tiny) as it was only about 15 feet wide and 20 feet deep. We found that cache and then it was off to Piscataway and a multi cache that had to do with "Heroes". First stop was at the Veteran's Memorial Park near where Kim and Sean had lived when they first got married and a monument to War Veterans. We figured out the coords from that stop to get to the second stage which was at the Volunteer Firefighter's Memorial down the road about a half mile and the cache ended up being located in a bell at the memorial. Next cache was just down the road on a guardrail where someone had replaced one of the original bolts with a fake bolt in one of the holes on the guardrail.
After finding that we drove to Runyan Family Cemetery which was a very very small cemetery located right along the main highway in Piscataway. This was a 3 part multi cache where we got information from a marker outside the cemetery and figured out the coords for the second stage where we found the coords for the final cache. This was a great cache and it was fun seeing this cemetery and reading the markers. Following is a little of the history of the cemetery. Because of his association with the Carterets, who lived on the Isle of Jersey, we assume that Runyon went to the island along with other Huguenots escaping the religious strife in their native land. After Charles II (England) was restored to the throne, he rewarded Lord Carteret, who had remained loyal to the Stuarts, and in his position as commander of the forces on the island, had offered refuge to the Prince. Charles' brother, the Duke of York, gave what is now New Jersey to Carteret and a fellow loyalist, Lord Berkeley. Runyon was not among the colonists who first accompanied Carteret, but the new Governor went back to Europe in the same year (1665) and returned in 1666, bringing more immigrants with him. It is possible that Runyon came in 1666 because of his marriage date in 1668. (Vincent and Ann Martha Boucher were married on June 28, 1668.) Runyon, as one of the early settlers in Elizabethtown, must have prospered as did the village that became the capital of East Jersey when the province was divided. He was successful enough so that in 1671 he was able to purchase property. The following is from that deed of sale: "Francis Barber of Elizabethtown, planter, sells to Vincent Ronyon, 40 rods long by 16 rods wide, on the south side of the house lot of George Pack, fronting on the highway... The name had already been anglicized, as only three years earlier his marriage license had read "Rongnion." Likewise, he adjusted to the ways of a new land, working as a carpenter, buying property, and rearing children with his wife, Ann Martha. The name, 'Vincent', was given to the Runyon/Runyan sons many times. This causes confusion in determining which 'Vincent' is the right one. Our family's Vincent or Vinson Runyan, descendant of Thomas, came to Ontario County, New York about 1803. His first wife was Elizabeth Wolverton, born June 14, 1765, daughter of Isaac,Jr., granddaughter of Isaac, Sr., and great-granddaughter of Charles, who came from England about 1680. Vincent and Elizabeth had at least four children, including Aaron, born Dec. 9, 1793. Vincent's wife, Elizabeth died on April 26, 1813. Vincent later married Vicey Edington on June 28, 1814. Josiah C. Runyan was born in 1821-22. Aaron Runyan married Sarah (Sally) Silvers on January 14, 1816 in Fayette, Seneca County, N. Y. Sally, born January 9, 1796, was the daughter of Benjamin Silvers and Johanna Merril. Aaron died November 28, 1864 and Sally died on January 23, 1883. Both Aaron and Sally are buried in Burgh (Hoster) Cemetery, Fayette, N.Y. This writer spent a few days in the beautiful Finger Lakes area of New York in July, 1996. I drove a rented car down a long lane filled with ruts, looking for the Burgh Cemetery.I did find it. How sad to see the old gravestones toppled over, some leaning on other stones. My ancestor's (Aaron's) stone was crooked and hidden behind a bramble bush. Other ancestors' stones were broken and lying on the ground. I wondered how long it would be before this cemetery would disappear into the brush.
Next we drove to Green Acres Park where there were 4 caches and you had to find the first 3 which each contained a number for the 4th cache. First cache was in a stop sign and we got the first of the numbers needed to find the 4th cache. Next was a cache in the branches of a tree, and the final one was in a metal fence post. After we got all the numbers we went to the last cache which was located deep in the woods on a fallen tree. After walking out of the woods and back to the car we drove back to Sean's and I showered and Mom did our logs. We are having Fat Jack's hot wings for dinner tonight so I got the deep fryer ready.


Picture List:1-Entrance to Runyan Family Cemetery, 2-Historic marker telling about the cemetery,