After the completion of the Caucasian War, the new territories were in urgent need of settlers. Russian peasants were reluctant to leave their established homes for the underdeveloped and at that time unattractive lands of the Black Sea coast. To partially solve the problem of the lack of colonizers, people seeking a new life from Europe were attracted. At that time, the Russian Empire ranked second after the USA in the number of immigrants.

The first rural settlements near Novorossiysk were founded by Czechs, settlers from Austria-Hungary. In the spring of 1869, a large group of 360 families arrived by steamer from Odessa to Novorossiysk. Of these, 154 families, having received land allotments under the 'regulation', settled in the vicinity of the city, founding the villages of Kirillovka, Mefodievka, Glebovka, Vladimirovka, and Borisovka in the suburban areas. Several families settled in the Tsemess Valley.

Today, this cemetery is a rare testament to the colonization of the Caucasus. Descendants of some of the first settlers still live in Novorossiysk and its surroundings, continuing to play an important role in the life of the region, just like their ancestors.