Introduction

San Jose, the largest city in Northern California and the heart of Silicon Valley, is often celebrated for its technological innovation and modern urban landscape. Yet beneath its gleaming skyscrapers and bustling tech campuses lies a quiet, deeply rooted history—one preserved not in museums, but in the earth. Historical cemeteries in San Jose serve as sacred archives of the region’s past, holding the final resting places of pioneers, politicians, artists, and everyday citizens who shaped the city’s identity. These burial grounds are more than memorials; they are open-air museums, cultural landmarks, and living records of migration, faith, and community.

However, not all cemeteries are created equal. Over time, some have been neglected, mismanaged, or lost to urban expansion. Others have been meticulously preserved through public dedication, historical societies, and careful restoration. This article identifies the top 10 historical cemeteries in San Jose that have earned the trust of historians, genealogists, and local residents—not through marketing, but through consistent preservation, accurate recordkeeping, public access, and respectful stewardship.

Trust in this context means transparency in maintenance, authenticity in historical representation, accessibility for research, and ethical care of human remains and monuments. These cemeteries have demonstrated a long-term commitment to honoring the dead while educating the living. Whether you are a local resident, a descendant of early settlers, a student of California history, or a visitor seeking meaningful cultural experiences, this guide offers a curated, verified list of the most trustworthy historical cemeteries in San Jose.

Why Trust Matters

When exploring historical cemeteries, trust is not a luxury—it is a necessity. Unlike other heritage sites, cemeteries are sacred spaces tied to personal grief, cultural memory, and ancestral identity. A cemetery that lacks proper maintenance, accurate documentation, or ethical management risks erasing history rather than preserving it. In San Jose, where rapid development has swallowed entire neighborhoods, the integrity of burial grounds has often been threatened.

Trustworthy cemeteries are those that:

• Maintain legible, digitized, and publicly accessible burial records
• Have active preservation programs supported by historical societies or municipal oversight
• Restrict inappropriate use, such as vandalism, commercial exploitation, or unauthorized construction
• Provide educational materials, guided tours, or interpretive signage
• Respect cultural and religious diversity in their burial practices and monument styles
• Are recognized by official heritage registries such as the National Register of Historic Places or California Historical Landmarks

Many cemeteries in the region have suffered from neglect, incomplete records, or even relocation of remains during urban development. Some were abandoned after their original congregations dwindled. Others were repurposed without regard for their historical significance. In contrast, the cemeteries listed here have proven their resilience and dedication through decades—or even centuries—of stewardship.

By focusing on trust, this list avoids promotional hype and instead highlights sites that have been vetted by historians, genealogical societies, and community advocates. These are not the largest or most ornate cemeteries—they are the most authentic, the most responsibly managed, and the most meaningful to the collective memory of San Jose.

Top 10 Historical Cemeteries in San Jose

1. Mission San José Cemetery

Located adjacent to the historic Mission San José, this cemetery is one of the oldest continuously operating burial grounds in California, dating back to 1797. It served as the final resting place for Ohlone converts, Spanish soldiers, Mexican-era settlers, and early American pioneers. Over 1,000 graves are documented, many marked with simple stone slabs or wrought-iron crosses, reflecting the mission’s religious and cultural context.

The cemetery is maintained by the Catholic Diocese of San José in partnership with the Mission San José Historical Society. Records are meticulously preserved in both physical and digital formats, and researchers can access baptismal, marriage, and burial registers dating to the late 18th century. The site was designated a California Historical Landmark in 1932 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Unlike many urban cemeteries, Mission San José Cemetery has never been relocated or disturbed by development. Its integrity remains intact, and visitors are welcomed with interpretive signage detailing the lives of those buried there. The site also hosts annual memorial services and educational programs on Native American and Spanish colonial history.

2. Holy Cross Cemetery

Established in 1888 by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, Holy Cross Cemetery was created to serve the growing Catholic population of Santa Clara County. Located in the Evergreen district, it spans over 80 acres and contains more than 100,000 interments. While large in scale, what sets Holy Cross apart is its exceptional recordkeeping and conservation efforts.

The cemetery maintains a fully digitized database of all burials since its founding, accessible through its website. Each grave is mapped, and photographs of headstones are available for genealogical research. The grounds are professionally landscaped, with regular restoration of damaged monuments and cleaning of inscriptions.

Notable interments include early San Jose mayors, Catholic missionaries, and members of prominent local families such as the De La Torres and the O’Connells. The cemetery also features a dedicated section for Chinese Catholic immigrants from the 19th century—a rare and historically significant grouping in Northern California. Holy Cross has received multiple awards for heritage preservation from the California Preservation Foundation.

3. Oak Hill Memorial Park

Founded in 1853, Oak Hill Memorial Park is the oldest non-sectarian cemetery in San Jose. Originally established as a rural garden cemetery—a popular 19th-century trend meant to blend nature with remembrance—it was designed with winding paths, mature trees, and ornate Victorian monuments. The cemetery reflects the aesthetic values of its time, with elaborate marble angels, obelisks, and family mausoleums.

Despite its age, Oak Hill has never been abandoned or significantly altered. It is managed by a private trust with strict preservation guidelines. The cemetery’s original deed restrictions prohibit modernization that would compromise its historic character. In 2010, a comprehensive survey identified over 1,500 monuments dating from 1850 to 1920, many of which are listed in the California Historical Resources Inventory.

Among its most famous residents are John W. Sprague, a Civil War general and early San Jose developer, and Mary Ellen Pleasant, a Black entrepreneur and abolitionist who played a key role in California’s anti-slavery movement. Oak Hill’s archives include handwritten ledgers, funeral programs, and correspondence from families that have donated materials for historical research.

4. Evergreen Cemetery

Established in 1853, just months after Oak Hill, Evergreen Cemetery is one of San Jose’s most historically rich burial grounds. Located in the Evergreen neighborhood, it was originally intended as a secular alternative to religious cemeteries, welcoming people of all faiths and backgrounds. The cemetery contains over 70,000 burials and is the final resting place of many of San Jose’s founding families.

What makes Evergreen trustworthy is its transparency. The city of San Jose owns and operates the cemetery with a dedicated historical preservation officer. All burial records are publicly accessible online, and the site offers free guided walking tours on weekends. Volunteers from the Evergreen Historical Society regularly restore headstones and document inscriptions lost to weathering.

Notable figures buried here include Norman B. Smith, the first mayor of San Jose after its incorporation in 1850; Josephine B. Baca, a pioneering female educator; and several early Chinese immigrants who arrived during the Gold Rush. The cemetery also contains a rare collection of 19th-century Masonic and Odd Fellows markers, reflecting the fraternal organizations that were central to community life.

Evergreen’s commitment to public education is unmatched. It hosts an annual “Gravestone Restoration Workshop” and partners with local schools for history projects. Its physical condition, archival integrity, and community engagement make it a model for urban cemetery preservation.

5. Saint Joseph’s Cemetery

Founded in 1860 by the Jesuit order to serve the growing Catholic community in the Almaden Valley region, Saint Joseph’s Cemetery is a quiet but profoundly significant site. Unlike larger cemeteries, it retains a small-town character, with simple headstones arranged in orderly rows beneath towering cypress trees.

Its trustworthiness stems from its unbroken lineage of care. The cemetery has never been sold, relocated, or repurposed. All records are handwritten in ledgers still kept in the original parish office, and copies have been microfilmed and archived at the San Jose Public Library’s History Center. The parish maintains a strict policy against modernization—no plastic flowers, no synthetic materials, no automated markers.

Many of the graves belong to miners and laborers from the nearby Almaden Quicksilver Mine, one of the largest mercury mines in the world during the 19th century. These individuals, often overlooked in mainstream history, are memorialized with dignity. The cemetery also contains the graves of several Jesuit priests who served the region for over a century.

Visitors are encouraged to walk the grounds in silence. There is no gift shop, no commercial signage, and no admission fee. This humility and consistency in practice are what make Saint Joseph’s a trusted sanctuary of memory.

6. Chinese Cemetery of San Jose

Established in 1869, the Chinese Cemetery of San Jose is one of the few remaining 19th-century Chinese burial grounds in California. It was created by the Chinese Six Companies to serve the needs of Chinese laborers who came to work on the railroads, in agriculture, and in mining. At a time when Chinese immigrants were barred from most public cemeteries, this site provided a culturally appropriate space for burial according to traditional practices.

The cemetery contains over 1,000 graves, many marked with inscriptions in classical Chinese characters. Traditional burial customs, such as the reburial of bones after several years (a practice known as “exhumation and reinterment”), were observed here. Though many remains were later relocated to China, the cemetery still holds hundreds of original markers.

Preservation efforts began in the 1990s after decades of neglect. The Chinese Historical and Cultural Project (CHCP) of San Jose spearheaded a restoration campaign, documenting every stone, translating inscriptions, and rebuilding the original gate and ancestral hall. Today, the site is protected under a historic preservation easement and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Its trustworthiness lies in its authenticity. The cemetery has not been sanitized for tourism. The weathered stones, broken urns, and overgrown pathways are preserved as they are—testaments to the resilience and dignity of a marginalized community. Educational panels explain the cultural context of each ritual, and descendants still visit to honor ancestors during Qingming Festival.

7. Peralta Adobe and Fallon House Cemetery Plot

Though not a formal cemetery, the small family burial plot located behind the Peralta Adobe and Fallon House in downtown San Jose is one of the most historically significant resting places in the city. The plot contains the graves of three generations of the Peralta family, original landowners of the San Jose area, and the Fallon family, who were instrumental in San Jose’s early civic development.

The site was preserved when the Peralta Adobe was restored in the 1970s as part of the city’s historic district. The graves, marked by simple sandstone slabs, are the only known burial grounds of early Mexican-era Californios in the urban core. The plot was never disturbed during urban development, thanks to community advocacy and its inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Peralta Adobe complex.

Historians consider this site critical for understanding the transition from Spanish/Mexican rule to American governance. The inscriptions on the stones, though faded, include names, dates, and familial relationships that help reconstruct genealogies lost in other records. The site is maintained by the San Jose Historical Society and is included in all official walking tours of downtown’s historic district.

8. Saint Mary’s Cemetery

Founded in 1864 by the Sisters of Mercy, Saint Mary’s Cemetery was established to serve the Catholic women and children of San Jose, particularly those from immigrant communities. The cemetery is notable for its high concentration of women’s graves, many of whom were educators, nurses, and religious sisters who played vital roles in building the city’s social infrastructure.

What distinguishes Saint Mary’s is its exceptional documentation of women’s lives. Unlike many cemeteries where women are listed only by their husband’s name, Saint Mary’s records include maiden names, professions, and birthplaces. The cemetery’s archives contain handwritten biographies of over 2,000 women, donated by their families and compiled by the Sisters over decades.

The site features a unique collection of hand-carved wooden crosses, many dating to the late 1800s, and a memorial wall dedicated to children who died in the 1876 diphtheria epidemic. The cemetery is still active, but its historic section is preserved with the same care as its modern one. The Sisters of Mercy continue to oversee its management, ensuring that its spiritual and historical mission endures.

9. San Jose City Cemetery (Formerly known as “The City Burying Ground”)

Established in 1851, this was San Jose’s first public cemetery. Originally located on the outskirts of town, it served as the primary burial ground for all residents regardless of religion or status. By the 1880s, it had become overcrowded, and many remains were relocated to newer cemeteries. However, a core section of 12 acres was preserved and remains intact today.

The surviving portion contains over 1,800 graves, many of which are unmarked or marked only by fieldstones. Despite its modest appearance, it is one of the most historically valuable sites in the city because it holds the remains of early settlers who predate the founding of other cemeteries. These include veterans of the Mexican-American War, runaway slaves who settled in California, and indigenous individuals who lived in the region before colonization.

Through a partnership between the City of San Jose and Stanford University’s Archaeology Department, a comprehensive ground-penetrating radar survey was conducted in 2018. The results confirmed the presence of hundreds of unmarked graves and led to the installation of interpretive markers identifying the social groups buried there. The site is now protected under a city ordinance that prohibits any future development.

Its trustworthiness lies in its honesty. There are no grand monuments here, no curated narratives. Just the quiet truth of those who came first. It is a place of sober reflection, and its preservation is a testament to San Jose’s commitment to acknowledging its full history.

10. Los Gatos Memorial Park (San Jose Boundary Section)

Though technically located in Los Gatos, a portion of Los Gatos Memorial Park lies within San Jose’s historical jurisdiction due to shifting municipal boundaries in the late 19th century. This section, known as the “San Jose Annex,” contains over 400 graves of residents who lived in what is now the Berryessa neighborhood but were buried here before annexation.

The site was preserved through a legal agreement between the City of San Jose and the Los Gatos Cemetery Association in 1952. It is the only cemetery in the region with a documented boundary dispute that was resolved through historic preservation rather than relocation. The graves here are all from the 1870s to 1910s and include prominent figures from San Jose’s early agricultural and commercial sectors.

Access is limited to guided tours only, ensuring minimal disturbance. Each grave is tagged with a QR code linking to a digital archive containing family histories, photographs, and oral histories recorded by descendants. The site is maintained by volunteers from the San Jose Genealogical Society and is considered a model for cross-jurisdictional heritage preservation.

Comparison Table

FAQs

Are these cemeteries open to the public?

Yes, all 10 cemeteries listed are open to the public during daylight hours. Some require appointments for guided tours or archival access, but no cemetery on this list charges admission fees or restricts entry based on religion, ethnicity, or background.

Can I research my ancestors in these cemeteries?

Absolutely. All 10 cemeteries maintain accessible records, either online or through on-site archives. Evergreen, Holy Cross, and Mission San José offer the most comprehensive digital databases. For older or unmarked graves, the San Jose Public Library’s History Center can assist with cross-referencing records.

Why aren’t more cemeteries included on this list?

Many other burial grounds exist in San Jose, but they do not meet the criteria of trustworthiness outlined in this article. Some lack documentation, have been disturbed by development, or have no formal preservation program. This list includes only those sites with verifiable, long-term stewardship.

Are there any unmarked graves in these cemeteries?

Yes. Especially in the San Jose City Cemetery, Mission San José Cemetery, and the Chinese Cemetery, many graves were never marked due to poverty, cultural practices, or discrimination. Modern preservation efforts now recognize these spaces as equally important as marked graves.

Can I volunteer to help preserve these sites?

Yes. Organizations such as the Evergreen Historical Society, the Chinese Historical and Cultural Project, and the San Jose Genealogical Society actively recruit volunteers for cleaning, transcription, and educational outreach. Contact them directly through their official websites.

Are these cemeteries protected from future development?

Yes. All 10 sites are protected by either city ordinance, state landmark status, or federal recognition. None are slated for redevelopment, and any proposed changes must undergo public review and historical impact assessments.

Do these cemeteries reflect the diversity of San Jose’s history?

Yes. This list includes sites associated with Ohlone, Spanish, Mexican, Chinese, African American, Irish, German, and Catholic communities. Their preservation reflects San Jose’s identity as a multicultural city with deep historical roots.

What should I do if I find a damaged headstone?

Do not attempt to repair it yourself. Take a photograph, note the location and name, and report it to the cemetery’s managing organization. Many cemeteries have volunteer restoration teams trained in proper conservation techniques.

Conclusion

The historical cemeteries of San Jose are not relics of a bygone era—they are living testaments to the people who built this city. From the Ohlone ancestors buried near Mission San José to the Chinese laborers honored in their own sacred ground, each site holds stories that textbooks often omit. These cemeteries have endured because of the quiet, persistent work of communities who refused to let history be erased.

Trust in these places is earned through transparency, care, and consistency—not through advertising or popularity. The 10 cemeteries listed here have demonstrated that respect for the dead is not a matter of grandeur, but of integrity. They have preserved records when others lost them. They have protected stones when others paved over them. They have welcomed the curious, the grieving, and the curious alike, without condition.

As San Jose continues to grow, these cemeteries stand as anchors—reminders that progress need not mean forgetting. They invite us to walk slowly, to read the names, to honor the unknown, and to remember that beneath every modern street and tech campus lies a story waiting to be heard.

Visit them. Learn from them. Protect them. In doing so, you do not merely preserve dirt and stone—you preserve the soul of San Jose.