John Lawrence (bef. 1736 - abt. 1801)

Born before 1736 in New York [uncertain]

Husband of Leviniah (Unknown) Lawrence — married 1750 in Virginia

Descendants

Died about Oct 1801 after about age 65 in Montgomery, Virginia, United States

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Biography

Unknown Origins

Elder John Lawrence may have been born about 1721 (said by a church history to have been aged 80 at his death),^[1] but he may have been born as late as 1739, a date given in a DAR record (there is a note on his DAR profile that "problems have been discovered with at least one previously verified paper").^[2] His parents are not known and neither is his birthplace.

Several online trees give a date of birth of 15 April 1736, but no primary record has been found to substantiate that date. There is also no source that gives John the middle name "Brown".

Additionally, there is no evidence that John was from Connecticut. He was more likely born in or near Dutchess Co., New York (but more research needed). The Connecticut birthplace was likely derived from an incorrect marriage record in Connecticut for a Jonathan Lawrence to Zerviah Ormsbee (neither are known to be connected to the John Lawrence of this profile).

Marriage and Children

John's wife Levinah was named in his 1801 will.^[3] The date and place of their marriage are unknown and are estimated. John did NOT marry in Connecticut in 1749 to Zerviah Ormsbee (she married Jonathan Lawrence). No source has been found for Levinah's LNAB. They had the following children, each named in John's 1801 will:

• Liony, wife of Jeremiah Sabens,^[4] (her son Thomas was named in John's will)
• John,^[2] husband of Elizabeth ______^[4]
• Thomas,^[2] husband of Sarah Crandall^[4]
• William, husband of Sarah/Sally _____^[4]

The following are also probably children of the couple, but were not named in their father's will:

• Patience? (first name unknown), possibly wife of _____ Charlton?^[4] (Levi Charlton was named in John's will)
• Mary, wife of Revel Harmon^[4]
• Rebecca, wife of James Stevens,^[4] (both Rebecca and James witnessed John's will)
• Mercy (or Macey), wife of Robert Simpkins^[2][4] (see 1801 deed to Robert Simpkins, below)
• Sarah, wife of James Simpkins^[2][4] (James Simpkins was a witness to John's will)

Life in New York

Elder John Lawrence helped spread the baptist cause in early Dutchess County, New York, by preaching and organizing baptist congregations there. He began preaching in Pawling, Dutchess County, in 1770 and was the first pastor of the church there (organized 1775). He served as the minister of the First Baptist Church in Pawling for 13 or 14 years, until the end of the Revolutionary War. Under his leadership, the church thrived.^[5][6][7] He helped organize the Pleasant Valley Baptist Church about 1770, when John first held services at the home of Zaccheus Newcomb. Prior to that, he had preached to the area's residents in private homes, schools and in the woods during summer months.^[5][8] Later, Elder John Lawrence of Pawling was found in/near Fishkill, where he organized the first baptist church in Middlebush, Dutchess County,^[9] on 13 November 1782, along with Elder Nathan Cole.^[5]

John served during the Revolutiony War in the Dutchess County militia under Captain Abraham Schenck and Col. Jacob Swartwout.^[2][10][11]

Life in Virginia

John was in Montgomery County, Virginia by 1785 when he received a licence to perform marriages:^[4]

"At a court held for Montgomery County, Virginia the 27th day of September 1785, John Lawrence Minister of the Baptist Church having produced to this court his ordination and a certificate of his being regular communication with a Society of Christians and having taken the oath of allegiance to this state entered into bond according to law is permitted to marry."^[12]

About the same time, he became the minister for the Meadow Creek Baptist Church in Montgomery County. It is not clear if this church was already in existence prior to his arrival or if Elder John and others who moved to the area established it. Eventually, there were apparently some "disturbances" within the church and John was eventually dismissed from his ministry due to "incapacity through dotage and infirmities".^[1]

On 10 August 1787, for £150, Richard Whitt conveyed to John Lawrence a tract of land containing 68 acres on Meadow Creek, a branch of New River (Deed Book A, pg. 454).^[4] John acquired other lands along Meadow Creek in Montgomery County, which he later left to his heirs or gave away during his lifetime, like this one:

"On May 4, 1801, Eld. John Lawrence deeded to Robert Simpkins for love and affection, plus $1.00 -- 128 acres, part of the 590 acres he received in a Settler's Patent dated 5-4-1801, on the waters of Meadow Creek and Little River, bounded by the patent line, corner to James Simpkins deed land, timbered ridge corner to James Simpkins deeded land, with appurtances thereto."^[4]

Will

John was said to have been aged eighty years when he died,^[1] but no primary record is found for his birth or date of death. John left a will dated 20 February 1801 and proved October 1801 in Montgomery Co., Virginia. In his will he named the following people:^[3]

• my loving wife Levinah
• Thomas Sabens, son of Liony Sabens
• sons John, William and Thomas (co-executors)
• Levi Charlton

His will was witnessed by sons-in-law James Simpkins, James Stevens, and daughter Rebeckah Stevens.

Research Notes

Wife Zerviah Ormsby

Some online trees call his wife Zerviah with a LNAB of Ormsbee or Ormsby. They give Samuel Ormsby and Dinah Fisher as her parents. This is INCORRECT and Zerviah has been detached as his wife.

Zerviah Ormsby married JONATHAN Lawrence.^[13] She died in Connecticut on 3 January 1832.^[14] Levinah, wife of John, was living in Virginia in 1801 when she was named in her husband John's will. Her date of death is unknown.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Semple, Robert Baylor. A History of the Rise and Progress of the Baptists in Virginia. Richmond, VA: Pitt & Dickinson, 1894, p. 355. Archive.org
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5} DAR Ancestor #A067173
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} "Virginia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1900", General Index to Mixed Probate Records, 1773-1953; Mixed Probate Records, 1797-1874; Author: Virginia. County Court (Montgomery County); Probate Place: Montgomery, Virginia, Ancestry Sharing Link (free access)
   Ancestry Record 62347 #767409 ($), John Laurence probate in Oct 1801 in Montgomery, Virginia, USA. Residence Montgomery, Virginia.
4. ↑ ^{4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11} McColman, Ora Belle. Descendants of Elder John Lawrence of Southwest Virginia and New England. Roanoke, VA: 1995. Not available online.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} Smith, James Hadden, et al. History of Dutchess Co. New York 1683-1882. Syracuse, NY: D. Mason & Co., 1882, p. 317 (Pleasant Valley), p. 505 (Middlebush), p. 555 (Pawling). Google Books
6. ↑ A History of the Central Pawling Baptist Church 1877 Minutes
7. ↑ Dutchess County Historical Society Yearbook, Vol 030 1945, p. 45. .pdf
8. ↑ Smith, Philip H. General history of Duchess [sic] County : from 1609 to 1876 inclusive. Pawling, NY: the author, 1877, page 330. Ancestry Sharing Link (free access) - Ancestry Image ($): preached in Pleasant Valley, organized services there in 1770.
9. ↑ Historical and Genealogical Record, Dutchess and Putnam Counties, New York. Poughkeepsie, NY: Oxford Publishing Co., 1912, p. 189 Archive.org.
10. ↑ "United States Revolutionary War Compiled Service Records, 1775-1783," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XPMW-7YQ : 5 December 2014), John Lawrence, ; from "Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War," database, Fold3.com (http://www.fold3.com : n.d.); citing military unit Jacobus Swartwout's Regiment (1777), NARA microfilm publication M881 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1976), roll 0758.
11. ↑ "U.S., Compiled Revolutionary War Military Service Records, 1775-1783", National Archives; Washington, D.C.; Compiled Service Records of Soldiers who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War; Record Group Title: War Department Collection of Revolutionary War Records; Record Group Number: 93; Series Number: M881; NARA Roll Number: 758, Ancestry Record 1309 #223889 ($), Name: John Lawrence; Military Date: 6 Oct; Military Place: New York, USA; Military Unit: Jacobus Swartwout's Regiment (1777); Notes: State.
12. ↑ Lewis Preston Summers. Annals of Southwest Virginia 1769-1800
13. ↑ "Early Connecticut Marriages". Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1997, Ancestry Record 3719 #49984 ($), Zerviah Ormsby marriage to Jonathan Lawrence on 29 Aug 1759 in Norwich-Lisbon, New London.
14. ↑ "Connecticut, U.S., Hale Collection of Cemetery Inscriptions and Newspaper Notices, 1629-1934", Connecticut State Library; Hartford, Connecticut, Ancestry Record 2900 #232516 ($), Widow Zerviah Lawrence death 3 Jan 1832 in Lisbon, Connecticut, USA.

See also:

• Find a Grave (no image), Find A Grave: Memorial #176038482, Memorial page for Elder John Lawrence (15 Apr 1736-1801); Maintained by Eddie Lawrence (contributor 48724976). Unsourced.