This cemetery contains the remains of at least 105 Confederate soldiers and veterans, including Madison Starke Perry, Governor of Florida from October 1857 to October 1861. This includes the Confederate Section of the cemetery, which contains 31 graves with markers but no names. A State Historical Marker at the site for the Madison Oak Ridge Cemetery and a plaque on the cemetery's brick speaker's platform state that these 31 graves are the remains of Confederate soldiers killed at the Battle of Olustee.

Perry was a prosperous Alachua County plantation owner and staunch proponent of states rights. After the election of Abraham Lincoln as President in November 1860, Governor Perry urged the immediate withdrawal of Florida from the Union and called for a convention to consider secession. With the secession of Florida in January 1861, Governor Perry's administration oversaw the mobilization of Florida military units and authorized the seizure of Federal forts and arsenals in the state. After leaving office, Perry served as a colonel in the 7th Florida Infantry until illness forced his resignation in 1863. Perry died in March 1865 at his plantation home near Rochelle.

Information Provided by the Florida Department of State.