[2] In 1858, the 40,000 square-foot plot of land was willed to the Catholic Church by Bernardo Yorba, as a burial ground to serve Yorba's family and friends.

[citation needed] It is one of the oldest private cemeteries in the state of California.

[3] Many members of prominent Californio families such as the Yorba, de los Reyes, Peralta, Dominguez, and Navarro families are buried at the cemetery.

[3] According to local legend, a ghost referred to as "The Pink Lady" appears at the cemetery on June 15.

[4] Some sources say that she is Alvina de los Reyes,[5] a descendant of the Yorba family,[6] and that she was killed in a buggy accident while returning from a dance at Valencia High School.