According to church accounts, Sardis Cemetery has over 750 burials. Many of these are unmarked and some are only crudely marked by rocks. The earliest documented burial in the cemetery (John W. Williams) dates to 1869. However, it appears from deed records that most of the current cemetery property was deeded to the Trustees of Sardis Methodist Church by Silas H. Donaldson in 1888 and 1894. In 1975, the members of Sardis UMC organized and incorporated the Sardis Cemetery Association to help preserve the cemetery through a perpetual care arrangement. Sardis Cemetery contains the graves of many of Buckhead's earliest settlers including Henry Irby, Wesley Gray Collier, Rev. William Joseph Rolader, and James Mathieson.

The cemetery's headstones range from primitive fieldstone markers to larger, more elaborate headstones. The markers range in shapes, sizes and materials, which reflects the almost 150 year evolution of the site from simpler settler days to more sophisticated, affluent times. Most of the primitive markers are located in the southeastern portion of the cemetery—the area closest to the church, which was developed first. This area does have a few enclosed family plots, which are primarily located adjacent to the retaining wall.