Historic Cemetery

Coffman Family Cemetery

a.k.a. Cobbins, Koffman, Cobbins Family, Coffman, Koffman

Richmond, Texas
Location: In Richmond, going south on FM 762, turn left on Country Club Drive. At dead end turn right on Shady Lane. Go one block and turn left on Fairway to 505 on south side of road to Willie Mae Kirksey home and ask permission to visit. Cemetery is on the north side of the road, across the street from the Kirksey home. This site is currently overgrown but regularly maintained by Coffman relatives. Some of the stones have fallen and are covered with brush. A subdivision borders the site to the NW and the prison in the area is planning to widen Fairway in the future, which threatens the site. Ms. Kirksey says that the cemetery is active and will be used by her family in the future.

Source: RIP Fields Table

To address the problem of cemetery destruction and to record as many cemeteries as possible, the Texas Historical Commission offers the Historic Texas Cemetery designation.

The Historic Texas Cemetery designation was developed in 1998 to help protect historic cemeteries by recording cemetery boundaries in county deed records to alert present and future owners of land adjacent to the cemetery of its existence. Every county in Texas has at least one cemetery designated as a Historic Texas Cemetery through this program. The HTC designation is the first step toward preservation of a historic cemetery.

A cemetery is eligible for designation if it is at least 50 years old and is deemed worthy of recognition for its historical associations. The very nature of a cemetery being a landmark of a family’s or community’s presence is considered to validate the criteria of historical associations. Any individual, organization, or agency may submit a request for designation.

gravesites