St. Joseph's was established November 21, 1859. It was a small cemetery, (8 acres) located adjacent to Pond & First North Streets, owned by the Order Minor Conventuals (Franciscan Fathers). The estimates of people buried there ranged between 4000-6000+; mostly of German and Irish descent. In 1953 the cemetery was closed due to neglect and vandalism and abandoned by the Friars, as there was no endowment to take care of it in perpetuity. In the 1960's 6,567 remains were disinterred (of which only 509 were identified, according to the disinterment records kept between November 9, 1965 and October 29, 1966) and the land was sold to developers. All of the unidentified remains were placed in a common grave at Assumption Catholic Cemetery, Syracuse, where there is now a commemorative monument in Section U3. In addition to the white marble monument, there is a grey granite marker with legend inscribed…"Erected by the Conventional Franciscans in memory of those who were buried in St. Joseph's cemetery from 1859 – 1953 and whose remains were transferred to this cemetery 1965 – 1966" For reference material contact the Onondaga County Public Library.

St. Joseph's Cemetery was one of the oldest cemeteries in the city of Syracuse, with many of the monuments dating before the Civil War.

As with any of the cemeteries that you will find on Find a Grave, most are a work in progress. Volunteers add their genealogical findings by creating or editing the memorials found there. The content within a cemetery listing may not cover a complete cemetery. The sources are not vetted for accuracy by Find a Grave. This is purely a work in progress.