Lawrence Family Cemetery
Dawson, Navarro County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Situated on the 1835 land grant of David McCandless (1791-1876), who came to Texas as a Robertson colonist, this cemetery site was later owned by his daughter and son-in-law, Macca Orange (1831-1925) and Joseph Thompson Lawrence (1825-1885). The cemetery was opened in 1868 with the burial of their 6-year-old daughter, Sarah Medora. The graves of another daughter, Ann Eliza (1853-1942), and her husband, George Washington Savage (1826-1899), are also here. Deeded by Macca Lawrence in 1913, the burial plot is maintained by descendants.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This family burial ground sits on an 1835 land grant to David McCandless, who came to Texas as a Robertson colonist in the last days of Mexican rule. The plot passed to his daughter Macca Orange and her husband Joseph Thompson Lawrence, and was opened in 1868 with the heartbreaking burial of their six-year-old daughter, Sarah Medora. Deeded formally in 1913, the cemetery is still tended by the family's descendants.
Why it matters
Pioneer family cemeteries like this trace the earliest Anglo settlement of central Texas, mapping the land grants and generations that turned open colony land into settled community.
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Related people
- · David McCandless
- · Joseph Thompson Lawrence
- · Macca Orange
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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