John Baker, his wife Eliza, and their family migrated to Texas from Illinois in 1835 and settled on land granted to him. The cemetery began as a family burial site after the death of their infant son William in 1848. Over time it became a three-acre community burial ground serving other pioneer families and their descendants. Among its more than 800 graves are those of veterans of the Republic of Texas Army, the Civil War, World War II, and the Korean War. An association established in 1984 maintains the cemetery, which continues to serve the area.