Oliver H. Clark died on February 14th, 1853. That evening, neighbors gathered at the store to discuss a suitable location for a cemetery.
The first site proposed was on William Standart's land, on top of the hill east of Pond Brook and north of the Bullis Road. However, the presence of quicksand beneath the surface and the wet, swampy condition of the surrounding land led to this location being rejected.
The second proposed location was also on a hill east of Pond Brook, but south of the Chair Factory Road. This site faced similar issues with quicksand and waterlogged soil and was also deemed unsuitable.
Finally, a table-land on the north bank of Big Buffalo Creek, owned by J.B. Briggs, was suggested. After deliberation, Mr. Briggs agreed to sell one and one-half acres for a cemetery.
First Burials and Cemetery Development
Mr. Oliver H. Clark became the first person buried in the new cemetery on February 16th, 1853. The funeral sermon was delivered by Rev. Wm. Waith, a Presbyterian minister from Lancaster who preached in the Elma schoolhouse every other Sunday afternoon.
On April 1st, 1853, James R. Jackman moved to the area. At a follow-up meeting held on April 4th, Jackman agreed with Mr. Briggs to prepare the cemetery: clearing stumps, grading, surveying lots, planting trees, and building a fence. He would track expenses and be reimbursed through the sale of lots at forty cents per foot. Once Jackman was repaid and Briggs received seventy-five dollars, the remaining land would be deeded to cemetery trustees.
Jackman began work immediately and maintained the grounds until October 1859, when he moved to Marilla. Afterward, Mr. James Clark took over care of the cemetery. The second burial was Mrs. Cyrus Hurd, who died on June 30th, 1853.
Compiled from local historical accounts of Elma, 1853.