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Michael & Candie Witherspoon
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Notes for William Lawson
"THE LAWSONS OF GEORGIA"
Compiled by Margaret Barclay 4110 Watt, Waco, Texas, July 1969. All Rights Reserved.
(Provided to me by Elizabeth Fetner 11 Camelia Dr. DeQuincy, LA 70633-3036, by way of the late Mattie Rose Ferguson Coon.)
Due to the fact that each family unit wanted to use the naems "William", "John", and "Roger", it was hard to separate the Lawsons in America. Also a misprint in a reference book caused much confusion, but after eleveen years the picture emerges quite clearly.
The Lawsons in America were descendants of the Lawson of Brough, or Burgh, Hall, Yorkshire. (*1) The arms are ar. a chevron between 2 martlets sable. Crest: 2 arms embowed, couped at the elbow, vested ermin cuff as supporting the hands ppr. a ring of gold, gemmed gu with the rim the sun in splendor gold. Mottor: Leve et reluis. Patronymics Brittanica states that Lawson means son of Lawrence and that the patriarch was John Lawson who lived in the time of Henry III and was Lord of Tawlesgrave, York. From him the existing baronet is lineally descended. The arms were patented during the time of Elizabeth I.
Brough (pronounced Broog) was originally written de Breux. In the 12th century it was changed to de Burgh, sometines de Burg. It means "stronghold" coming from the Roman ruins discovered in the field which is now called "The Burrs" at Brough. The old Roman Road ran through the place going through Stamford Bridge, across the ferry to Riding, and down Ermine Street on to Lincolnshire. (*2) The de Burgh Family came over with William the Conquerer. One branch became the Earl of Ulster, marrying in to the Plantaganets and eventually furnished a king. The other branch stemmed from the man who was one of the signers of the Magna Carts at Runneymeade. The Lawsons were for generations seated at Burwell and afterward at Alindell, Northumberland, then at Brough Hall, Yorkshire.
WILLIAM LAWSON of Cramlington, tempus Henry VI, married Agnes, daughter and co-heir of William Cramlington, and had a second son,
THOMAS LAWSON of Cramlington, who died in 1489. He married Isabella, daughter of Killinghall of Middleton, St. George's. Their son,
SIR RALPH LAWSON, who was knighted by James I on July 23, 1603, married Elizabeth, daughter and sole heir of Roger Brough of Brough Hall, Catterick, Yorkshire. They had two daughters (Jane, married Thomas Rokeby of Mortham, and Alice, married Thomas Ingleby of Lawkland) and three sons. Their eldest son,
ROGER LAWSON, was seated at Heaton, near Newcastle-on-Tyne, which was afterwards sold. He died in London during the lifetime of his father. He married Dorothy, daughter of Sir Henry Constable, Knt. of Burton Constable, Yorkshire. She died in 1632 at St. Anthony's near Newcastle, which belonged to the family. They had numerous issue. Their eldest son,
HENRY LAWSON, of Brough Hall married Anne, daughter of Robert Hodgson of Heburne, County of Durham. He died in 1636. Among issue he had Roger, who died young, and Henry, whose widow married the Earl of Derenwater, and whose daughter, Isabella, married Sir John Swinburn. His heir,
JOHN LAWSON, was captain of the horse in the service of Charles I. Brough Hall was sequestered and sold by Cromwell and he was banished in 1653. Charles II saw that Brough Hall was returned to him and created him Baron of Brough July 6, 1665. In 1660 he married Catherine Howard, third daughter of Sir Wiliam Howard of Naworth Castle, Cumberland, sister of Charles Howard, Ist Earl of Carlisle, and the great-great-?granddaugther of the Archduke of Norfolk through his son William. She died July 4, 1668.(*13) John died Oct 26, 1698. Their grandsons,
(1) HUGH LAWSON, son of John Lawson who went to Ireland and married Mary McConnell, daughter of John McConnell and ___Caldwell, a cousin of Cromwell, came to America in 1727, first to Lunenburg County, VA, then to Rowan County, N.C. where he died about 1770. He married Margaret Moore. (*3)
and
(2) JOHN LAWSON of St. Peter's Parish, Virginia, having gone there from Lunenburg, and being the husband of Judith Lawson, who married (2) Francis Timberlake of Lancaster County on Mar 9, 1730. John's son,
JOHN LAWSON was baptised Mar 8, 1690 in St. Peter's Parish.(*4) He married Mary ___. John, a surveyor, died between 1740 and 1749 as Mary LAWSON of Lunenburg, later of Halifax, left a will in Halifax dated October 15, 1749, showing daughter, Margaret, of Granville, N.C. wife of John Boyd, sons Travis, John, William and David.(*5)
WILLIAM LAWSON was born in Halifax County, Virginia in 1740. He married Jane Banks in Halifax County May 24, 1759. (*6) William was granted 200 acres of land in Wilkes County, Georgia in 1784. (*7) He is listed in the DAR records as being a First Lieutenant in the Second Virginia Regiment, Captain Quarles Company. He had 875 acres in Wilkes County and 575 in Washington County, having petitioned March 25, 1784 that he was a Revolutionary soldier and wanted bounty in Washington County, Georgia. He owned land along Shoulderbone Creek a few miles from where it flows into the Oconee River and so did the Fosters. William had claims Nos. 1863 of January 14, 1783 for 200 acres, 1994 of November 20, 1784 for 200 acres and 2851 of April 1, 1784 for 100 acres for service in the Virginia Continental line as a private. William's will (*8) dated April 30, 1799 and proved Octobert 25, 1800, showing that he died in 1800, names his wife Jane, sons John, Thomas, William, Mumford, Dudley, David, Francis, and daughters Sarah (Thomas), Mary (Slaughter), Margaret (Bullock) and Jane. His daughter,
JANE LAWSON, was born in 1790 in Hancock County, Georgia.(*9) She died in June 1858 in Woodville, Texas.(*14) She married William Lewis FOSTER in Wilkes County, Georgia on March 11, 1808. (*10) In 1799 Jane was named in the will of her father to receive a negro man and negro woman, a bed and furniture, a horse and saddle, 2 cows and 6 calves. She lived in Wilkes, Hancock, and Washington Counties, Georgia (*11) until after 1820, when she and her husband and children moved to Monroe County, Georgia. The family moved to Texas after 1837, and between that date and 1845 her husband died. On September 1, 1845 she petitioned for a land grant, saying that she was a widow, that the family had lived in Texas for over 3 years, that the grants petitioned by her late husband, William Lewis Foster, were community property and that she was entitled to the certificates. A 640 acre grant was made, and another grant of a great deal more was made as court records indicate several leagues. One grant was in Liberty County and one in Galveston County but they were finally claimed in Angelina and Houston Counties, running together. She made a deed to James Barclay and one to William John Lawson (supposedly her son by one of her cousins) previous to making her will, in which she left her property to her son, William Lewis Foster. Oil was discovered on the property later and when the Kirby Lumber Co., and the Houston Oil Co. were attempting to "take it over" Napolean Barclay, son of James, led the court fight to retain possession of it. Descendants, which were numerous, received 16 acres each. Children of Jane were: William John Lawson, Jeams (who was married and had 5 children when they came to Texas), Shepp, William, Appless (married 1. a McGuire, 2. Russell Sims, a cousin of her Ogden son-in-law), Sarah (married Napoleon Charlton), Nancy (married Jack Beam), "Polly" or Mary (married Lewis Rigsby), "Betsy" or Elizabeth (married William Ferguson), "Jenny" or Virginia (married James Barclay), and Lewis. Dates of William Lewis Foster are unknown but in the 1880 Census of Tyler County, Texas, Mary Foster Rigsby lists her father as being born in Virginia. He died in Texas.
MARY FOSTER (Known as Polly) was born in Wilkes County, Georgia in 1816 and married in Monroe County, Georgia on January 9, 1831 to Lewis John Rigsby. In 1840 they moved to Texas and lived in Angelina County, then Tyler County. She studied the ___ and practice of medicine, specializing in the treatment of women, and treated the ill in her community all of her life. She was much beloved for her charitable works. She died in Tyler County May 3, 1893. Lewis Rigsby was born in North Carolina in 1802 and died in Tyler County July 27, 1892. (*12) Children were: Elizabeth Ann (married Jeremiah Todd Barclay), Jeff, Sarah Jane, _______(married a Burke then a Millener), John Lewis, Franklin, Wyley
(married Sallie Good), ?Shep Monroe (married Mildred Bradshaw), Emily, Anne (married Jim Grolsbey?), Frankie and William. She had one set of triplets and several sets of twins in this group.
ELIZABETH ANN RIGSBY was born July 13, 1833 in Monroe County, Georgia and died Jan 31, 1890 in Barclay, Falls County, Texas. She was married January 10, 1849 to Jeremiah Todd Barclay (born July 1, 1826 in Alabama) who was killed on election day, August 3, 1850 by a disgruntled candidate named Hanks. She married January 15, 1857 Thomas Franklin Herring ( September 12, 1833-188-). Children of this last marriage were Lewis, Cora (married Jake French), Charles, Clinton, Lawrence Rice. She was an accomplished violinist and taught music to all of her children. She had them read classics and study the dictionary as they could not go to college.
WILLIAM ANDERSON BARCLAY was born in Tyler County December 23, 1849 and died in Waco, Texas October 24, 1927. He married Martha King Ledbetter (born September 2, 1851 in Tennesee, died July 16, 1934 in Temple, Texas), and both are buried on a family plot in Temple, Texas. Children of this union were Isaac Cramer (died in childhood), Goodhue Wilson, Rigsby Ledbetter, Woodleif Foy and Bernice Martha (married James B. Whitley; only child, James Barclay, d. at Corregedor, Phillipines in World War II).
WOODLIEF FOY BARCLAY was born at Barclay, Texas December 24, 1882, died in Waco, Texas April 5, 1957, and is buried on the Barclay plot in Temple, Texas. He married Margaret Helen McGregor August 4, 1904. Children of this union: Margaret MacGregor and Martha Louise.
VIRGINIA ANN AMERICA FOSTER was born in Georgia February 1, 1827, and died in Texas October 15, 1867. She married James Barclay (born February 11, 1816 in Tennesee, died December 14, 1873 in Tyler County, Texas) in 1841. Their daughter,
PHOEBE ARIZONA BARCLAY was born April 13, 1859, Tyler County, Texas and died November 19, 1947. She married February 12, 1880 T. B. Bevil (born September 12, 1856, died April 5, 1940). Their daughter,
HAZEL BEVIL married Carl Hickman.
FOOTNOTES AND REFERENCES (*-)
(*1). "History of Halifax County" by Carrington, page 226. Habersham Chapter, DAR of Georgia, Virginia Magazine of History, Vol. IV, pages 313, 314, and William and Mary Quarterly, Series I, Vol., 18, page 237, state that the Lawsons spread out over Virginia but all were descendants of Roger LAWSON of Brough Hall.
(*2). Book on derivation of English names, University of Texas Library.
(*3). John Goodwin Herndon's excellent account of the Lawsons states that Hugh Lawson was born in Ulster, came to America in 1727 aboard the "George __Anne". Lived for a while in Chester, Pennsylvania, moved to Virginia in 1743, became presiding Judge of the first court of Lunenburg County, a member of the Virginia Assemblys51746, remained in Lunenburg until at least 1751, obtained land grants in Rowan County, North Carolina in 1755 and 1757, a 350 acre grant in 1759. He died in Salisbury, North Carolina where his will is recorded.
(*4). Meade's "Churches of Virginia" states also, that he was a cousin of Hugh Lawson of Lunenburg.
(*5). Will Book I, Halifax County, Virginia, page 36; Cumberland Parish Register, page 316.
(*6). Tyler Historical Quarterly, Vol 15, page 117; Halifax Marriage Bonds. George Mays was surety.
(*7). Wilkes County Records, Book 3-E, page 242. This was in Hancock County after 1793. In 1795 Jean (Jane) Lawson made a tax return for her husband, William, for 9 slaves, 492 acres in Hancock County.
(*8). Hancock County, Georgia. Will Book AAA, page 20.
(*9). 1850 Census of Texas.
(*10). Wilkes County, Georgia. First Marriage Book, page 52. "Early Records of Wilkes County misprints this date as 1818. ALL other 1818 marriages are shown as taken from later pages.
(*11). These counties were all formed out of each other and the boundaries changed back and forth several decades.
(*12). Newspaper clipping at time of her death.
(*13). See Burke's "Peerage and Gentry" and Doyle's "Complete Peerage" for Howard lineage. Lineage was printed in several books, supplied by the Hugh Lawson line, is incorrect for marrieages and descent during the Plantagenet period. A complete chart has been compiled and verified by Doyle, Burke, and the "Extinct Peerage" by Margaret Barclay, 4110 Watt, Waco, Texas.
(*14). Page 547. Book B, Probate Minutes, Woodville, Tyler County, TX. Jane Foster, mother of James, died June 1858.
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