Historic Cemetery

Lorance Cemetery

a.k.a. Lawrence Cemetery

100-1198 County Rd 313, Tyler, Texas 75706
Location: Take Hwy 31 East out of Tyler to FM 850. Right on FM 850 to CR 26. Left on CR 26. Cemetery is on right before you get to CR 21.

Source: GNIS; Parsons, Kim, Ref. to Texas Cemeteries, 1988; Cemetery Records/Smith; Tombstone-Rootsweb

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.