Warren Truss, a wealthy farmer from Pitt County, North Carolina, was the first settler in the area known today as Trussville. In August 1821, Truss purchased 1000 acres of land near the banks of the Cahawba River. The cemetery is located on what is presumed to be the Truss Homestead. Warren, his wife, Nancy, and five of their children are buried under the large magnolia tree. Their young daughter, Zilphia, who died in 1829 at seven years of age, is the first known burial on the property. The oldest graves are under the magnolia tree. In 1871, a portion of the homestead was deeded to Cahawba Baptist Church and a building was constructed where it remained until 1946. Many early pioneer families significant to the development and growth of this frontier settlement are buried here.