Uiser:MLAWSON40

Frae Wikipedia, the free beuk o knawledge

William "The Rebel" is the farthest we can trace our Lawson name. Due to the time frame he was born and the lack of records kept or destruction of most in wars, I doubt we will ever know his father's name.

William was taken prisoner by the English during the Scottish uprisings. He was sent to the colonies, arriving on the "Gildart" on 5 August, 1747. He was bound out to a plantation owner and after a year or so, ran away. He was nearly 50 years old when he fought at the Battle of King's Mountain in 1778, once again, resisting British rule. In 1781, he was listed as a Sgt. in Daniel Triggs company. William lived to be nearly 95 years old.


Buried in Lawson Confederate Cemetery, Snowflake, Scott County, VA His tombstone reads: William Lawson Scottish Rebel Husband of Rebecca Born Montrose Scotland 26 June 1731 Battle of Culloden, Scotland 16 April 1746 Transported to Colonies 5 Aug 1747 Montgomery Co. VA Militia 13 Sept 1777 Battle of Kings Mt. SC 7 Oct 1780 Died Scott Co. 18 April 1826 Rebecca died 16 Jan 1827

For more extensive information on William's life and descendants see the book "Wm Lawson, A Scottish Rebel" copyright Bill Porter. It is a source for many of the individuals I have listed here.

Jan 2003. .....some comments on our more recent ancestors, my husband's paternal grandparents, who were both descended from WIlliam Lawson. I am, of course, compiling this information for our immediate family but do share it on the internet as we all have something to offer each other. I could never have put the pieces together without the help of others studying the same families. I thank our Lawson cousin in Virginia for helping me so much. He knew who we belonged to before we did.

As I have researched the Lawson and McClellan lines, I am amazed to see that by the mid 1800's, how many descendants of William lived in the lovely southeastern corner of Virginia, let alone elsewhere. How many more still live all over the United States? It sometimes appears to me that my husband's ancestors and their kin could be credited for one third the population of the state of Virginia in the 1800's. Both my husband's paternal grandparents were William The Rebel's great grandchildren. James A. Lawson, 1888, a 3rd great grandchild and his wife Francis I. McClellan, 1896, a 4th great grandchild, they were 3rd cousins, once removed. They were born and raised a few hundred miles from each other, met and married in 1917. One born in Rowan Co, Kentucky, one in Wise Co, Virginia. James was born in KY because his grandpa had left Scott Co, VA due to the war between the states. Family lore says that James' grandpa William B. Lawson, 1820, and his only brother Henry D. Lawson, 1825, never spoke to each other again. That may be true but William did return to his homeland in Virginia by 1880, residing in Wise Co and his brother living in Scott Co so possibly they did reunite. By the time of his death in 1907, that William had returned to KY and was living with a daughter.

Did our grandparents even know they were cousins? Maybe not, but probably so. Back then people could tell you who their relations were, even if they had never met them and marriage between cousins was quite common. Shortly after they married, James Lawson took his wife from Wise Co, Va to West Virginia so he could work in the mines. Most of his children were born there, in Bentree, WV, the others once he came to Illinois. He came west to Illinois to find another trade, determined that his sons would not work in the mines. They left WV in 1930, stopping along the way for a son to be born in southern Illinois. The wife and children stayed a while in Arcola, Illinois while James went up to the area now known as the Quad Cities, to look for work. He set up business running a sawmill on an island in the Mississippi River, near Montpelier, Iowa. The family resided there a few years and more children were born there on the island. He later moved on into Mercer Co, Illinois where he took up farming. He retired in 1959 and moved to California where he died in 1964. So, those two great grandchildren of William Lawson, who both came from humble beginnings, managed to reach the other side of the United States from where they were born. So did they know they were cousins? As I said, probably so, but their children and grandchildren sure didn't!


Father: Unknown Lawson b: in Scotland Mother: Unknown b: in Scotland

Marriage 1 Rebecca Travis? b: 1735 in North Carolina Married: ABT. 1760 in North Carolina Children

Ann Lawson b: ABT. 1761 in NC 
WILLIAM II LAWSON b: 1764 in North Carolina 
Travis Lawson b: ABT. 1766 in North Carolina 
Betsy Ann Lawson b: 20 SEP 1768 in NC 
Sally Lawson b: 1770 in North Carolina 
Catherine Lawson b: BET. 1770 - 1779 
Rhoda Lawson b: BET. 1774 - 1780