 It was established in 1849 by two prominent local businessmen Judah G. Joseph and Abraham Nordheimer (uncertain if Joseph is buried here, while Nordheimer died during his trip to Germany in 1862 and is buried at Bamberg Jewish Cemetery).At the time the nearest Jewish cemeteries were in Montreal or Buffalo, and Joseph was concerned for his fatally ill son Samuel, who eventually became the first burial in the new cemetery.The location near the corner of Pape (then called Centre Road) and Gerrard was then in still rural areas to the east of the city.