Willard Vaughn Lawson Sr. (abt. 1913 - 2002)

Born about 15 Jul 1913 in Pikeville, TN

Ancestors

Died 10 Aug 2002 at about age 89 in Crossville, TN

Biography

Lies in Thomas Springs Cemetery. Cumberland County, Crossville, TN.

TITL 1920 Census, Bledsoe Co., TN Source Medium: Census

PAGE 181 DATA TEXT #61 District 5, Beside Mark Lewis and Bell Lawson and Samuel P. TITL 1900 Census, Bledsoe Co., TN Source Medium: Census

PAGE 14 DATA TEXT # 27-28 Listed as Gather E. Lawson4-11-1917 Gaither Lawson - Estes Blackburn (see Trust book 7 pg.304) Deed Book 10 pg. 452

11-22-1918 - Gaither sold P.A. Lewis, for $37.00, land in the 5th Dist. being part of the 25 acre tract of W.V. Frazier. (note: There is supposed to be an old cemetery located near his old farm. About 30 unmarked graves. May have been destroyed.) NE line of Cedar Ridge Creek, mouth of Board Hollow Branch then with branch to SE line of a 25 acre tract sold to Gaither by Estus and Maude Blackburn (siblings) on 4-11-1917. Book 11 pg. 456

2-10-1921 Gaither Lawson to S.P. Frazier et al 7 acres Book 12 pg. 291

Gaither and Mary Hortense lived in a house called the old Reese place (aka the William V. Frazier place) on top of the Mt. in Pikeville, TN. It was just past the Blackburn graveyard on the left.

Abt 1926 they moved to a cabin near Puncheon Camp Creek, in the 3rd Dist. of Cumberland Co. One of their neighbors was Dan Wilson. Gaither had a job cutting timber, hewing cross ties, and building roads in "New Town", with the Benedict Co. for the WPA. His son W.T. remembers his father telling him of "cutting cross ties in the snow, barefoot."

Around 1943 Gaither and his sons, Willard and Homer, bought land adjoining each other, from the Van Buren Coal & Land Co. Crave Johnson was the Overseer. This land is known today as "Lawsontown" in the Thomas Springs community of Crossville, TN.

They attended church near their home at the Thomas Springs Church. Their younger children attended school there also. Early preachers there were Burdette, Harrison Simmons, and Clay Wyatt. Gaither quit attending after being refused to be able to participate in a "foot washing" at the church.

They bought 2 lb. of coffee for 25 cents. Mary Hortense and the children would dig star grass root, peel shiney bark, and pick berries to sell for extra money.

Obituary: Gaither R. Lawson, 82, of Route 6, Crossville, died Sunday, October 18, in a Crossville hospital. Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Mary H. Lawson; five sons, Willard, Fred Lee, Olen and W. T. Lawson, all of Crossville; three daughters, Mrs. Hugh Embry of Litchfield, KY., Mrs. James H. Tucker of Dayton, Ohio, and Mrs. Joe T. Lewis of Crossville; a sister, Mrs. Will Lewis of Pikeville; 38 grandchildren and 41 great-grandchildren. Funeral services were held Tuesday afternoon at Thomas Springs Baptist Church. The Rev. Ulas Lewis officiated. Interment was in Thomas Spring Cemetery. Putnam Funeral Home of Pikeville was in charge of arrangements.

Sources

• http://www.mytrees.com/ancestry-family/be003369-11562-35365/Gaither-Lawson-Born-1888-in-TN.html