John Aulton Lawson (1829 - 1890)

Born 18 Oct 1829 in Henry, Kentucky, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Pauline (Rankin) Lawson — married 14 Oct 1852 in Harrison County, Kentucky, United States

Husband of Malinda J (Williams) Lawson — married 7 Jan 1886 in Harrison County, Kentucky, United States

Descendants

Died 29 Jul 1890 at age 60 in Harrison, Kentucky, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Len Lawson [send private message]

Biography

John Alton Lawson was born 18 October 1829 in Henry County, Kentucky to Joseph & Elizabeth Lawson. Tragedy touched his life at a young age as his father passed away by the time he was five, and his mother when he was about eight.

John met Mary Pauline "Polly" Rankin in Harrison County, and married her 14 Oct 1852. A farmer, and later a Civil War soldier; he and Polly stayed in Harrison County for the next twenty-three years. During that time the following children blessed their lives: James, Willis, Nancy, Sarah, Joseph, John, David, Gideon, and Minnie.

Tragedy once again touched John's life when his son David died 1 Apr 1876 from burns. The next month they lost Mary due to dropsy. By 1878 they had moved to Pendleton County, Kentucky. Lucy Neal Lawson joined their family in 1880. This made a family of ten after the losses. Polly joined those two sweet angels 19 Jun 1881. This left John with the eight living children.

John married Malinda J "Linday" Williams 7 Jan 1886 in Harrison County, Kentucky. She took on the role as loving wife and mother to this large family, and added to more names to the household: Robert & Nannie Lawson.

John passed away 29 July 1890 in Harrison County, Kentucky, at the age of sixty. He left behind eleven children and his wife Malinda. Malinda joined him forty-eight years later. They are both buried in the peaceful cemetery that wraps around the Benson Church in Harrison County, Kentucky.

Family

Husband: John Lawson

Wife: Malinda Williams

Married: 7 Jan 1886 Harrison County, Kentucky^[1]

Children:

1. Robert Henry Blackwell Lang Lawson

Residence

1850: District 1, Harrison, Kentucky^[2]

Household Members:

Jno Criswell.............24

Lucinda Criswell.....18

Willis Criswell...........0

Jno Lawson..............20

Sarah Lawson.........20

1860: Harrison, Kentucky^[3]

Household Members:

John Lawson...........27 ^[4]

Polly Lawson..........25

James Lawson.........4

Military

Name: John Lawson

Military Burial: 29 Jul 1890 Benson Church, Kelab, Harrison, Kentucky ^[5]

Rank: Pvt

Regiment: 40

Company: G

Unit: Kentucky Infantry

Research Notes

Name: John Alton Lawson

Father: Joseph Lawson

Mother: (Jane Buchanan? Lawson bible says Elizabeth)

John's father had died by the time that he was five years old. His mother died when he was about eight. We haven't located the guardianship papers on John yet, but this left him to be raised by other family and friends. He had a sister that was born no more than three years before him. I wonder if the Sarah on the 1850 census was this sister.

Sources

1. ↑ Source: #S2 John's Marriage to Malinda
2. ↑ Source: #S3 1850 Census
3. ↑ Source: #S4 1860 Census
4. ↑ Source: #S5 Note on age
5. ↑ Source: #S6 Headstone Record

• Source: S1"Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954," database with images, FamilySearch (www.FamilySearch.org : accessed 11 September 2017), John Lawson and Polly Rankin, 13 Oct 1852; citing , Harrison, Kentucky, United States, Madison County Courthouse, Richmond; FHL microfilm 216,896.
• Source: S2"Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954," database with images, FamilySearch (www.FamilySearch.org : accessed 11 September 2017), Jno. Lawson and Malinda Williams, 07 Jan 1886; citing , Harrison, Kentucky, United States, Madison County Courthouse, Richmond; FHL microfilm 1,690,281.
• Source: S3 "1850 United States Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.Ancestry.com : accessed 10 September 2017), entry for Jno Lawson (age 20), line 15, p 113/225, District 1, Harrison County, Kentucky.
• Source: S4"1860 United States Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.Ancestry.com : accessed 10 September 2017), entry for John Lawson (age 27), line 38, p 119, Harrison County, Kentucky.
• Source: S5 The 1860 census lists his age as 27. I'm not sure if Polly got this information wrong; but John was known by family members to live in Harrison County at that time, and Polly Rankin was known to be his wife. His age in August of 1860 would have been thirty-one. I see an age discrepancy more with children that are informants, or couples that are further apart in age. I was surprised to see this in a young couple.
• Source: S6 "Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War Veterans, 1879-1903," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.Ancestry.com : accessed 10 September 2017), entry for John Lawson, 29 July 1890; citing The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Card Records of Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War Veterans, ca. 1879-ca. 1903; NAI Number: 616171; Record Group: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General; Record Group Number: 92; Series Number: M1845; Roll: 12.