The original plat of the Village of Elmira was dated May 28, 1883. The cemetery was purchased by Bishop Joseph Richter of the Grand Rapids Diocese from William H & Celia A. Wood on July 8, 1898 for $30.There are several stones dated 1904 but they are apparently not the earliest burials. According to the burial records held at the Church of St. Thomas Aquinas in Elmira, the first burial was that of a stillborn child of John and Ann Roguszka, who died January 1, 1900 and was buried two days later.

There are 146 gravesites in the list compiled in 1980 by James J. Carey for the Otsego County Historical Society.