Lavens Mathewson Bisland (1840 - 1861)

Born 1840 in Natchez, Mississippi

Ancestors

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Biography

Lavens was born in 1840.^[1][2] He was the only child of James Bisland and Mary Jane Mathewson. He passed away in 1861 at the first Battle of Bull Run.^[2][1]

Lavens is a very common first or middle name among the descendants of James Mathewson and his second wife, Rose Kerr. They were Ulster Scots who married sometime before 1784. The name originates from the husband of Rose's sister, Anna. He was James Lavens of Brickfield Lodge, near Derry.

Research Notes

DAVID of Natchez, Miss (twin with Clark). Oct.1794 is the date ofhis birth as given in the family Bible owned by his widow, but the funeral card of his twin brother states that the latter died on Nov. 4, 1867 aged 71 years - which means that he was born in 1796. David, who was a jeweler, settled in Natchez between 1818 and 1820. He married in New York City, Apr. 16, 1817. Sarah Carson, b. in Sligo, Ireland, Dec. 23, 1799; died at Natchez, Feb. 8, 1880. David died Jan 11, 1823. Their children were: (1) James Lavens, b. in New York, Feb. 28 1818: din New Orleans, unmarried, Dec 25, 1853. He was a barrister and a brilliant orator, holding his audiences spellbound. "He was idolized and lioni:zed by the best society of the Old South". (11) William Foster b.1820: d.1829. (111) Mary Jane, b. Dec. 17, 1822, d. Oct. 11,1840. She married Apr. 16, 1839 at the age of 16 yrs 4 months, James Rucker Bisland (who was born on his father's cotton plantation at Vernon, eight miles from Natchez). Their only child, Lavens Mathewson, b. 1840 on his father's plantation at Languedoc, adjoining Vernon, was a student at the University of Mississippi when the Civil War broke out. He was 6 ft. 2 Y2 in. height, and had much of his uncle's oratorical ability. The students formed themselves into a military force called "The University Greys" and elected Bisland first lieutenant. He was mortally wounded at the first Battle of Bull Run, (or Manassas), July 21, 1861, and died July 23. He was the last of the descendants of David Mathewson. ^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} JJ Elder]. Freepages.rootsweb.com
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} "A Mathewson Story". Bill Mathewson. 2010. unpublished.