Established in 1839, Glendale Cemetery (Original name: Akron Rural Cemetery), originally was inspired by Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Mass. At the beginning, Glendale was comprised of 88-acres. In 1850, Oak Openings, a smaller 8-acre cemetery was incorporated into the site. Then in 1891, another area called the "western section" was added. When driving through the main gate of Glendale, several structures catch your attention. To the left on the hill, is the Bell Tower, then there's the office, the Gate Lodge and the Civil War Chapel. (The Chapel has it's own Find-A-Grave page). The Civil War Chapel was built to commemerate Akron's Civil War dead. Names of those who did not return are inscribed on the interior walls. The basement is a tomb for those who did return. There are hundreds of veteran's graves from all the wars at Glendale. But what makes Glendale Cemetery stand out are the graves and family plots of Akron's famous. Industrialists, bankers, businessmen, tycoons, people of politics, etc. Names like Miller, Robinson, Saalfield, Seiberling, Perkins, Sherbondy, Young, Howard, the list goes on. Cypress Ave., the main road through Glendale is lined on both sides with the stately mausoleums of the turn-of-the-century wealthy. Designs range from gothic, egyptian, and modern to rustic, colonial and Victorian.

The cemetery is located in the City of Akron, Summit County, Ohio, and is # 11538 (Glendale Cemetery / Akron Rural Cemetery) in "Ohio Cemeteries 1803-2003", compiled by the Ohio Genealogical Society.

The cemetery is registered with the Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing (ODRE) as Akron Rural Cemetery with registration license number CGR.0000980789.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) feature ID for the cemetery is 1040906 (Glendale Cemetery).