LAWSON
From the files of Stephen M. Lawson
Introductory Comments
The parents of Thomas LAWSON, Sr. of SC
are currently not known. There have been a number of LAWSON surnamed
lines which have been shown to be closely related through Y-DNA
research, with the common immigrant ancestor most likely residing in
Colonial Virginia in the early 18th century or late 17th century.
Current conjecture is that the common immigrant ancestors may have been
Rowland LAWSON and Lettice WALE of Lancester Co., VA, with Rowland
having known brothers Epaphroditus LAWSON and Richard LAWSON.
While the available documentation is limited, there is considerable
evidence in census records, land records and court records which
permits construction of the family stucture of Thomas LAWSON, Sr. of
SC. It is with great gratitude that the research, analysis and sharing
of information by Wilbur Lawson and Don G. Thomas, as well as many
other LAWSON kin, is acknowledged. Both have generously shared their
own findings, as well as that gathered and shared by other LAWSON
descendants. As usual, this compiler is responsible for any errors in
this narrative, and future additions and/or changes are expected.
Additional documentation and critical analysis is always welcome.
Some notes on given names
Listed are some given names in the families of the sons of Thomas LAWSON, Sr. All these families had roots in
SC and probably VA, and all had at least some family members known to
have lived in TN.
John Davenport Thomas Jr. Amos Banks
Thomas Thomas Thomas J. Thomas
Rebecca Rebecca Rebecca
Amos B. Amos B.
Samuel H. Samuel H.
Davenport
The use of the given name Davenport suggests a possible link to
the LAWSON family of Lancaster Co., VA. John DAVENPORT was witness on
several LAWSON documents and his son George DAVENPORT (1649-1684)
married a granddaughter of Rowland LAWSON (1620-1660). Y-DNA of a
descendant of Dodson LAWSON (believed to be 3-great gransonson of
Rowland LAWSON) matches the 25 markers of a descendant of
Thomas LAWSON of SC. Further Y-DNA
analysis provides a number of LAWSON lines (PDF format chart) with a
common ancestry, most likely in Colonial Virginia.
Thomas and Jennie Lawson
Thomas LAWSON, Sr. - b. by 1755; d. after
1810, probably in Abbeville Co., SC. Thomas LAWSON appears in a rost of
SC patriots in the Revolution, serving with the First Regiment in 1780,
and in a list of Revolutionary War Bounty Land Grants, receiving a
grant of 287 1/2 acres on Apr. 16, 1784. The census records of
Abbeville District and Edgefield Co., SC for
1790,
1800, and
1810
indicate he and his wife were born prior to 1755, and that they had 3
sons by 1790. They probably married by 1772, earlier if they had older
children (very possible). His name is given as Tom in 1790, Thomas in
1800, and Thos. in 1810. The 1800 census of Edgefield Co., SC shows
Thomas and wife over age 45, with one son and onw daughter ager 10-16
and another son age 0-10. The 1810 census record for Thos. and Thos.
Jun. is preceded by: "That part of Abbeville District South of the road
leading from the uper Bridge on Longcane to Swances Ferry by Col. John
Logans and East of said Creek". The children listed below are based on
census records, circumstantial evidence and the will of Jane LAWSON,
which names four sons. Noting that the census records indicate only one
child born from about 1777 to 1790, one might conjecture that there
were other children born in this period who died young.
Jane 'Jennie' - b. before 1755; d. after Mar. 20, 1828,
Wilkinson Co., GA. The
will
of Jennie LAWSON was dated Mar. 20, 1828 and recorded in Wilkinson Co.,
GA, naming her four sons who are to divided the proceeds from sale of
her two lots of land in Lee Co., GA. As "Jane Lawson, widow, of Halls
Militia District, Wilkinson Co., GA," she drew Lot 140 in District 13
and and Lot 157 in District 2 of Lee Co., GA in Apr. and May, 1827 for
Revolutionary War Service of her husband. Although Jane's will and land
grant records do not name her deceased husband, there are SC census
records showing that John, Davenport, Thomas, Jr., and Amos LAWSON all
lived near Thomas LAWSON, Sr. in 1800 and 1810.
Children of Thomas and Jennie Lawson
- John - b. about 1772, possibly in
Abbeville Dist., SC; d. after 1840, GA.
- Davenport
- b. about 1774; d. Aug. 12, 1840, Stewart Co., GA; bur. Lawson Cem.,
Holliday, Stewart Co., GA. Davenport LAWSON appears in Edgefield Co.,
SC in 1800 at age 26-44, with wife in same age bracket and a son and a
daughter under age 10. Davenport appears to be in Crawford Co., GA in
1830. In 1831, Davenport applied for the land in Lee Co., GA that was
granted in the 1827 Bounty Land Lottery to Jane LAWSON. Married
Margaret CLEMENTS (b. about 1765, GA). Children of Davenport and
Margaret LAWSON: Sabrina 'Sabra' (b. about 1797) possibly married Hardy
DURHAM; William; Margaret Jane married William A. CLEMENTS; James Edwin
married Nancy Ann BEARD; Thomas; Mary married Mr. SLATTER; and a
daughter married Mr. PETTES.
- Thomas, Jr. - b. abt 1777, SC; d. 1854, Wayne Co., TN. He
appears to have migrated to TN before 1820. Census records seem to
indicate that he married Elizabeth (b. 1786, SC; d. after 1860) between
1800 and 1810 (say 1806), and had five sons and seven daughters. He
appears to have been living with parents in 1790 and 1800, and had his
own family in Abbeville, SC in 1810, in Wayne Co., TN in 1820, 1830,
1840, and 1850. The 1819 petition to form Wayne County included "Tho's
Lasson" as signer number 218. The 1836 Wayne County Commissioners'
Report, which set the tax district boundaries, states that "The place
of holding Elections in the Tenth District shall be at the House of
Thomas Lawson." Thomas appears on both the 1836 and 1838 tax lists of
Wayne Co., TN with 20 acres and one poll each time. The 1850 census
gives his age as 62, and his wife's age as 64. This census lists his
three youngest surviving children, and Jane COOPER, age 74
(relationship not known). The 1860 Census of Wayne Co. lists Elizabeth
at age 73, living in the T. J. LAWSON household. Son James A.
LAWSON (b. 1808, SC) married Mary A. 'Polly' MARTIN (b. Mar. 1810; d.
Jan. 6, 1877), daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth MARTIN. According to
Almon J. Sims' The Pariss Sims Family, the "John LAWSON farm" on Bear
Creek, Wayne Co., TN, was purchased in 1834 by Robert SIMS, father of
Sarah M. LAWSON. However, land records of Wayne Co. reveal the
following transactions, showing no John LAWSON and suggesting that the
quote in The Pariss Sims Family should read "James Lawson farm": 8 Jan
1837 80 aces bought by Harrison CRISTIAN from estate of Douglas H.
STOCKTON; 4 Feb 1837, 55 acres of the 80 sold by Harrison CHRISTIAN to
Robert SIMS; 10 Jun 1837, 55 acres sold by Robert SIMS to Matthew J.
SIMS; 29 Jun 1839, 55 acres sold by Matthew J. Sims to James A. Lawson;
and 7 Dec 1839, 55 acres sold by James A. LAWSON to Saml. A. MARTENS,
witnessed by William T. LAWSON. Children of Thomas and Elizabeth
LAWSON: James A. married first Mary Ann 'Polly' MARTIN (daughter of
Samuel MARTIN and Elizabeth), and second Ellen; three daughters;
William T.; a son; Rebecca Ann married Samuel A. MARTIN (son of
Samuel MARTIN and Elizabeth); a son; Mary C.; Elizabeth F.; Thomas
Jefferson married Rachel BELEW; and a daughter died young.
- A daughter - b. about 1785, SC; d. before Mar. 20, 1828. Age
10-16 in 1800 census. Not named in mother's will.
- Amos Banks - b. 1790, SC. Married probably about 1809 in SC,
Elizabeth HUGHES (b. 1790-1794, SC; d. Nov. 28, 1845), possibly the
daughter of James HUGHES, Sr. of the Wayne Co. 1820 census. The 1810
census of Abbeville Co., SC lists Amos LAWSON at age 16-26, with wife
of same age and a daughter under age 10. By his first marriage Amos had
5 sons and 3 daughters. He is not found on the 1820 Wayne County
census, but is in the 1830 census as 221001000-01110100 with 3 slaves,
the only LAWSON slave-holder in the county (family sources report he
owned land in TN, KY, AL, SC and MS, and had slaves). Amos witnessed a
deed in Wayne Co., in 1824. The Wayne County tax list of 1836 lists him
with 100 acres and one poll, and the tax list of 1838 lists him with
160 acres and one poll. Son William S. LAWSON is recorded in the 1840
census as having one slave. Amos married second on May 11, 1847 in
Itawamba Co., MS, Elizabeth SHELTON (b. about 1816, TN; d. 1873, Perry
Co., AR), and had three more sons and a daughter. Amos moved to
Itawamba Co., MS probably between 1838 and 1840. On Nov. 28, 1843, Amos
Banks LAWSON patented the SW 1/4 Section 14 and the NW 1/4 of Section
36 of Twp 10S Range 8E of the Chickasaw Meridian in Itawamba Co., MS
(Doc. No. 14678 and 14679, respectively). Amos moved back to Wayne Co.,
TN in 1849 or 1850, and is found in the 1850 census of Wayne Co., TN as
Amos B. LOSSON, age 60. It appears that sons Samuel and Amos exhibited
some "youthful indiscretions," with Samuel (at age 18) indicted and
tried for wearing a Bowie knife, but found not guilty on Sep. 24, 1851,
and Amos (at age 27) tried for an affray, but found not guilty on Jan.
28, 1852. Elizabeth (SHELTON) LAWSON is found in the 1870 census of
Perry Co., AR in Household 28 at age 57, with Jesse B., 21, John D.,
19, and Robert B., 17. All are shown of being born in TN. Goodspeed's
article on Jesse R. Lawson of Perry Co., AR states that his mother had
three sons, Jesse being the eldest. Children of Amos and Elizabeth
LAWSON (his first marriage): Sarah married Aaron TEAGUE; William S.
married; Anne married Able Bee STEPHENS (Abel's half first cousin
Frances STEPHENS married Anne's first couisn Mordecai LAWSON);
Davenport P. married Martha Jane PRESCOTT (or PREWETT); Amos B. married
Sarah J. BORRING; Mack; Samuel Houston married Martha Hannah INGRAM;
and Elizabeth Emily married first Nathaniel Young BROWN, second Carter
A. BOYD, and third James Colden SPARKMAN. Children of Thomas and
Elizabeth LAWSON (his second marriage): Jesse B. married Matilda Agnes
KLINGELHOFFER; John D.; Robert B. died young; and Elizabeth J.
John and Sarah Lawson
John LAWSON - b. about 1772, possibly in Abbeville Dist., SC;
d. after 1840, GA. Son of Thomas
LAWSON, Sr.
and Jane 'Jennie' of Abbeville District, SC. John LAWSON deeded his
Edgefield Co., SC real and personal property to Mordecai McKINNEY in
Nov. 1793. The 1800 census of Edgefield Co., SC lists John LAWSON at
age 26-44, with wife of same age and a son and a daughter under age 10.
Census records indicate he married between 1790 and 1800, leaving
Abbeville before 1820, and possibly before 1810.
Sarah - b. about 1774; d. after 1820, possibly in Franklin
Co., TN. Sarah's first name is from family sources, and her surname is
uncertain, being reported as both BALL and SIMS. And it may also be
that the wife of John LAWSON and mother of his children was Ms.
McKINNEY, based limited information and the naming of John's son and
grandson. A Nov. 11, 1793 deed reads, in part "... John Lawson of
Edgefield Co. to Mordecai McKinney for 15 pound, sold ... (animals,
household goods) ... with all the rest of my household furniture ...
s(igned) John Lawson - wit. Joseph Tucker..." [SC Deed Book 9, pp.
327-28]. Both Mordecai McKINNEY and Thomas LAWSON are named in three
other documents of Edgefield County between 1791 and 1799. The question
remains about the reason for the property sale by John LAWSON to
Mordecai McKINNEY, especially since it appears he remained in the
county at least until after the 1800 census. It is noted that a son of
John LAWSON is named Mordecai and a grandson is named McKinney. Much
additional research and analysis is required and there still may be no
link between Ms. McKINNEY and Mordecai LAWSON. The children listed here
are based only circumstantial evidence and very limited resources, with
all information on children, including birth order, subject to change.
Children of John and Sarah Lawson
- A daughter - b. about 1796, SC. No further information.
- Mordecai - b. about 1797, SC; d.
1851-1860, probably in Itawamba Co., MS.
- Thomas
- b. about 1801, SC. A Thomas LAWSON is in the 1820 census of Abbeville
Co., SC at age 16-26, with wife same age and no children. Married about
1819.
Mordecai and Frances (Stephens) Lawson
Mordecai LAWSON - b. about 1797, SC; d. 1851-1860, probably
in Itawamba Co., MS. Available evidence indicates he was the son
of John LAWSON and Sarah. Mordecai has not been
found
in the 1810 (age 13) or 1820 (age 23) censuses. In the Register
of Deeds at the Franklin County, TN Court House there are three
entries referring to Mordecai LAWSON: Purchaser of 50 acres on
Indian Creek on Sep. 14, 1824; purchaser of 21 acres on Bean's
Creek near David O. Anderson on Dec. 22, 1824; locator for 50
acres on Jan. 11, 1826. [Note that Mordecai's son David O. A.
LAWSON was born about 1823.] Mordecai lived next to Amos B. LAWSON
in Wayne Co., TN in 1830,
and near C. M., James A. and Thomas, Jr. in 1840.
He is found on the Wayne Co., TN tax lists of 1836 and 1838 with
no land and one poll. Mordecai and Frances LAWSON were received
in 1842 as members of the Enon Primitive Baptist Church, located
between old Cardsville and Carolina in Itawamba Co., MS. On June
7, 1847, in Itawamba Co., MS, Mordecai, Frances, son-in-law Wm.
C. CYPERT, and sons C. M. and D. O. LAWSON signed a Deed
of
Trust between Mordecai & Frances, and Elijah B. HARBOUR.
Mordecai lived next door to David LAWSON in Itawamba Co., MS in
1850. A Church minute
of the April 1851 meeting reads: "Brother Mordica Lawson
came forward and made acknowledgements for fighting and after
deliberation had, he was restored to full fellowship." Census
records of 1830 and 1840 give a constructed family of Mordecai
LAWSON and Frances STEPHENS as follows, with the names of the
children and actual/estimated birth years added.
F 1815-20 Rebecca 1815
M 1815-20 C. M. 1816/17
F 1815-20 Elizabeth 1818/19
F 1820-25 A daughter 1820/21
M 1820-25 David O. A.1823
M 1820-25 McKinney 1825
M 1825-30 Amos B. 1827
M 1835-40 A twin son?
M 1835-40 A twin son?
Frances STEPHENS - b. Oct. 22, 1798; d. Jan. 3, 1868;
bur. Old Birmingham Cemetery,
Lee Co., MS [photo].
Daughter of John
STEPHENS and Lucy COLLINS. Frances was possibly related to Hardy
STEPHENS of
the 1830 Wayne Co., TN Census. The 1860
census of Pontotoc Co., MS includes Frances STEPHENS in the houshold of
her son-in-law William C. CYPERT. The family of Mordecai and Frances
is constructed from census records and other evidence.
Itawamba County, Mississippi
Deed Book 6, pages 255-256
Mordica Lawson To E. B. Harbour This Indenture made and entered
into this 7 day of June AD 1847 between Mordica Lawson & Francis
Lawson wife of the said Mordica Lawson of the first part and P.
G. Thomas & Stanley D. Stegall of the second part and Elijah
B. Harbour of the third part Witnesseth that whereas the said
Mordica Lawson is justly indebted to the said parties of the second
part by his several promissory notes bearing date over with these
presents with D O A Lawson Wm C Cypert & C M Lawson as securities
to the same one of said notes for the sum of seventy five Dollars
and due on or before the first day of March 1848 bearing interest
from date at the rate of eight percentum per annum the other of
said notes for the like sum of seventy five Dollars due on the
1st day of March 1849 with interest as above the payment of which
said notes the said Mordica Lawson is willing and anxious further
to secure - Now therefore for and in consideration of the premises
and of the sum of five dollars in hand paid the receipt whereoif
is hereby acknowledged the said Mordica Lawson hath granted bargained
and sold and by these presents doth grant bargain and sell unto
the said party of the third part his heirs and assigns the following
described lands towit the north portion of the north west quarter
of section No. twenty four in Township No. ten and Range No. Eight
east of the Basis meridian at Pontotoc according to the survey
of the Chickasaw Cession of land in the State of Mississippi containing
ninety acres to the division line between the said Mordica Lawson
& William C. Cypert to have and to hold the said Bargained
promises unto the said party of the third part and his heirs and
assigns forever In Trust however and upon the express Agreements
as understanding: that if the said Mordica Lawson or his above
named securities or either of them shall well and truly pay off
and fully discharge the above mentioned promissory notes when
they and each of them shall become due and payable according to
the terms and effect thereof together with the interest accruing
thereon and all charges and incidents necessary to the due execution
of these presents so that no default be made theirs then this
Indenture to be void and of noneffects If default however be made
therein then the said party of the third part shall immediately
or soon after such default as he shall be required by the said
parties of the second part take possession of the premises hereby
conveyed and after having given thirty days notice of the time
and place by advertisement in writing at three or more of the
most public places in Itawamba County shall on said premises proceed
to sell the same to the highest bidder at public auction for cash
in hand and out of the proceeds ensuing from such sale pay off
and discharge the notes above mentioned with the interest thereon
according to the tenor thereof together with all the charged and
expenses necessary and incident to the due execution of these
presents. and the balance of the money so owing (if any) shall
well and truly pay and apply to the Credit of the said Mordica
Lawson upon a Judgement in Circuit Court of said Itawamba County
at the suit of the Branch of the Bank of the State of Alabama
against the said Mordica Lawson D O Lawson Wm C Cypert C M Lawson
P G Thomas and Stanley D Stegall should any portion of said Judgement
at such time remain unpaid by the said Mordica Lawson It is further
agreed and understood by the parties to these presents that the
said Mordica Lawson is to remain in possession of the premises
hereby conveyed and have the use and occupation of the same untill
the party of the third part shall be required to take possession
of the same as herein before provided and moreover that in the
event of the death of the said E B Harbour party of the third
part or of his refusal to accept of the trust hereby conferred
then and in that case it is agreed that the parties of the second
part shall nominate and appoint such person as they shall think
proper to execute these presents whose acts in the premises are
hereby agreed to be valid and binding upon the parties to these
presents as if done and performed by the said E. B. Harbour In
testimony whereof the parties to these presents have hereunto
set their Hand and seals the day the day<sic> and year first
above written
Mordica Lawson - seal -
Francis + Lawson - seal -
Wm Cypert - seal -
D. O. Lawson - seal -
[Entry in margin of page 256] C. M. Lawson - seal -
Received satisfaction in full this September 24th AD 1847.
S. D. Stegall & P. G. Thomas
attest E.G. Thomas
Clerk
Children of Mordecai and Frances Lawson
- Rebecca - b. Sep. 18, 1815; d. Feb. 8, 1898, Saltillo, Lee
Co., MS; bur. Old Birmingham Cemetery, Lee Co., MS. Her grave marker,
which records her death year as 1899, is near
that of her mother. Rebecca was married on Jan. 24, 1833 in Wayne Co.,
TN, William Carroll CYPERT (b. Feb. 10, 1815, Indian Creek, Wayne Co.
TN; d. Mar. 5, 1865, Alton Prison, Madison Co., IL; bur Alton Prison
Cemetery, Madison Co., IL), the son of Jesse CYPERT and Jemima WORTHEN.
Rebecca and William were in Itawamba Co., MS after 1840 but before Jun.
7, 1847 when William signed a Deed of Trust between Mordecai &
Frances LAWSON and Elijah B. HARBOUR. Signing the Deed were Mordica,
Francis, C. M., and D. O. LAWSON, and Wm. C. CYPERT. William was a
civilian when he was taken prisoner during the Civil War and held at
Alton Prison, IL. The family is found in the 1860
census of Pontotoc Co., MS, including Rebecca's mother Frances LAWSON,
age 61, and Rebecca's granddaughter Rebecca J. HODGES, age 3. After the
death of William, Rebecca and her family
moved to Lee Co., MS, where she is found in the household of her son
David
in the 1870 census. Rebecca's children Elizabeth HODGES, David, Francis
PRUITT (and husband), and William are also buried in Old
Birmingham Cemetery, Lee Co., MS. Children of Rebecca and William
CYPERT: Sarah A. E. married Kerney YOUNG; Elizabeth Jane married Edmond
HODGES; David Perry married Elizabeth F. McNEIL; Francis J. married
James T. PRUITT; Martha Tennessee died about age 18; and William R. W.
died as child.
- C. M. - b. 1816-17, probably in
Franklin Co., TN; d. Jun. 1848 to Jun. 1850, probably in Itawamba Co.,
MS. In 1847 he signed Deed of Trust, as noted
above, together with his parents, brother, and brother-in-law.
- Elizabeth - b. 1818-19, Franklin Co., TN. Married about 1836,
probably in Wayne Co., TN Alfred David SHARP, son of William and Julia
Ann SHARP. The identification of Elizabeth as daughter of Mordecai and
Frances is from "Wayne County Natives in the Arkansas 1911 Census of
Confederate Veterans" in Wayne County Historian, Vol., 4, No.
1, March 1991, page 9: "SHARP, Matthew James of Haynesville, La., was
born 7 June, 1837 in Wayne Co., TN the son of Alfred David SHARP born
at Waynesboro, Wayne Co., TN who lived at Pinhook, Wayne Co., TN. He
was the son of William & Julia Ann SHARP of SC. Maiden name of
subject's mother was Elizabeth LAWSON, dau. of Mordicai and Fanny
LAWSON of Wayne Co., TN. Served with Co., B, 19th Ark. Regt., enlisted
25 June 1862, discharged 19 May 1865. Married Sarah E. McDONALD, dau.
of John and Neoma (COX) McDONALD of SC, on 20 Oct 1859 in Ark. (no
children named) Certified by Auby ROWE, Tax Assessor of Columbia Co.,
AR. 2 Aug., 1912."
- A daughter - b. 1820-21. A female of this age appears in the
Mordecai LAWSON household in 1830 and 1840, but not in 1850. Mordecai
and family moved to Itawamba Co., MS by 1842.
- David O. A. - b. 1823, TN. David is found in the 1850 census of
Itawamba Co., MS living next door to his parents. D.O.A. LAWSON married
Jane C. REED (b. 1828, MS) on Jan. 20, 1847 in Itawamba Co., MS. In
1847 he signed Deed of Trust, as noted above,
together with his parents, brother, and brother-in-law. Children, with
ages in the 1850 census: John C., age 2; and William T. age 1.
- McKinney - b. May 1825, TN; d. after Jun. 1910, Buda, Hays Co.,
TX. Recorded in the 1850 census of Itawamba Co., MS as a farmer, living
with his parents. Married Feb. 8, 1853 in Itawamba Co., MS Cyrency J.
WILSON (b. 1835, AL; d. Sep. 4, 1917, Hays Co., TX), the daughter of
Robert Larrimore WILSON and Ann HARTGROVE. Cyrency is also referred to
as Serena (WILSON genealogy) and Susan (1900 census). The 1853 State
census of Itawamba Co., MS, page 32, lists M. Lawson: 1 male, 2 females
(McKinney and Cyency, and probably mother). McKinney was in MS in 1854,
when Amos was born, moved to AR by 1859, where Eddie was born, and to
TX by 1867, where Lizzie was born. McKinney is found in the 1880, 1900
and 1910 censuses of Hays Co., TX. He was one of 4 men of the Buda
Community who founded what is now the Elm Grove school. Son Amos lived
in McCulloch Co., TX in 1910 (6 children), and died there Jun. 11,
1925. The 1910 census states that McKinney and Cyrency had 6 children,
with 5 then living. Children of McKinney and Cyrency LAWSON: Amos W.
married Ada C.; possibly J. L. married Lorry (2 children known); Eddie
E. married Susanna S. WINTERS (1 child known); possibly Victoria Alice
married George William BADING; James W.; and Lizzie L. married A. L.
ADAMS.
- Amos B. - b. Feb. 10, 1827, probably Wayne Co., TN; d. Sep. 21,
1919, Itawamba Co., MS; bur. Tilden (aka Union Grove) Cemetery [Photo of Amos]. Served
in Co. E Hams Reg't Miss Cav CSA. On Dec. 12 (or 9?), 1848 in Itawamba
Co., MS, he was married by R. F. SHANNON, JP to Elmira M. HARTSELL (b.
Feb. 3, 1823; d. ca. 1862, Itawamba Co., MS), daughter of Leonard and
Elizabeth A. HARTSELL. Elmira was mother of all but the youngest child.
Amos married second Feb. 7, 1864, Itawamba Co., MS, Martha Jane
(FARRAR) McNEECE (b. May 23, 1837; d. June 16, 1929; bur. Tilden
Cemetery) [Photo of Amos
and Martha], the mother of Kate. Martha was widow of James McNEESE,
and daughter of Nathaniel James FARRAR and Melinda Ann THOMPSON.
Children of Amos and Elmira LAWSON: Frances E. married Hollet PIERCE;
Amos M. 'Bud' married first Canzada Frances STONE, second Margaret C.
ELLIOTT, and third Susan C. (LEE) KILLINGSWORTH; Lucilla M. married
John R. MEDLEY; Mary Jane W. married B. F. (or E.) JONES; Rebecca
married Winston McKindsy 'Mack' STONE, son of Tarply McK. STONE; Sarah
B. E. married Henderson R. BOWEN; Tennessee Alice 'Tinnie' married
Richard Boden Kendall McFADDEN. Stepson of Amos LAWSON: Thomas McNEESE.
Daughter of Amos and Martha LAWSON: Kate.
- Possibly two sons - b. 1835-40. Listed in 1840 census, but not in
1850 census. Note that Elizabeth (LAWSON) SHARP and her unidentified
younger sister both appear to be in the Mordecai LAWSON household in
1840, even though Elizabeth had already married and had at least one
son. It could be speculated that she had two sons by 1840 and was
living with her parents as a young widow or while her husband was
temporarily away from home.