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Laurel Cemetery
Murrieta, Riverside County, California

GPS: 33.542007, -117.222072

42800 Ivy St
Murrieta, CA 92562

by Steve Johnson
Publsihed: May 16, 2016
Total records: 2,314

Laurel Cemetery is owned and operated by Murrieta Valley Cemetery District.

History

Laurel Cemetery was established in 1886 when a group of Murrieta residents with the Murrieta Historical Society bought it from the Temecula Land & Water Company. However, burials had taken place on the property for much longer.

The land was part of a ranch owned by Joaquin Murrieta. The earliest known burial was a baby buried in 1863. Other early settlers had been buried there too. In 1884, Joaquin Murrieta sold his ranch to the Temecula Land & Water Company. Concerned that the small graveyard would be parceled off and sold to someone else, some town residents bought it from the Company in 1886.

The town of Murrieta began using and caring for the cemetery. It wasn't until 1913 that the Murrieta Historical Society sought to identify the owner of the cemetery, not being sure if they owned it, or someone else. In 1915, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors made a motion to place the cemetery in the hands of the Murrieta Historical Society.

In 1938, after the Historical Society struggled to find funds for the maintenance of Laurel Cemetery, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors formed the Murrieta Valley Cemetery District, and placed the cemetery in its hands, providing access to County and State financial aid.

Cemetery Records

We have two transcriptions available...

Tombstone Inscriptions, recorded by Ryan Hoyt on July 7, 2001 (644 records)

Cemetery District Database, downloaded May 16, 2016 (1,670) records