Oral history of John H Lawrence and Sarah Evans

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]
Surnames/tags: lawrence evans

Contents 1 Oral History 2 Transcript 3 Research Notes 3.1 John Horatio Lawrence 3.2 Sarah Evans 3.3 Kysorville, Livingston County, New York 3.4 Census data 4 Sources

Oral History

Page 2

Page 1

The Oral History is an anecdotal account of the history of Sarah Evans and John Horatio Lawrence. This handwritten document is from the private collection of Jen Baldwin.

Transcript

LAWRENCE-EVANS (about 1836)
John Horatio Lawrence – B. Jan 2, 1806, probably Birmingham, Eng.
D. - Richland, Nebraska, April 29, 1880 (living with Frances Brown)
Sarah Evans - B. - Aug. 9, 1816 in N.Y. probably near Kaiserville.
D. - Feb 22, 1892, at Brighton, Colorado. (living with Warner Lawrence)

(Dictated to Mary Houston by Frances Brown 10/30/26) :

“John H Lawrence was one of 10 children all of whom died in infancy except his one sister Ann King, ten yrs older than he. He was raised as a soldier in the British Army and served in India. Came to America about 1830. Settled in Montreal, Canada and went into partnership with a man in the mercantile business. This man sold the goods unknown to grandfather and shipped out. Grandfather hunted him all over Canada & into U.S. until his money gave out. Landed in Kaiserville N.Y. & got a job with Mr Kaiser who owned a dairy, a store, ran the P.O., made shoes etc. He had learned to make boots in England and do many kinds of work. About 1834-36 he married the Kaisers’ adopted daughter.

Sarah Evans was born Aug 9, 1816 in N.Y. Her grandfather was an M.E. minister in Wales, and came to U.S. with a large family to support. He bought a place near Kaiserville. The farm was heavily mortgaged and the former owner swore he would kill any man who bought it. Grandfather Evans did not know of this, and
(over)

[page 2]
went to live on the place and was murdered. Sarah Evans mother died when she was [?] yrs old. She was adopted by the Kaisers and given all the schooling possible for that time. She was given every advantage, had a fine riding horse and was an accomplished horse woman

When they (Sarah Evans & John Lawrence) were married the Kaisers gave them a house, $2000, and a living from the farm as long as they lived in Kaiserville. They lived there several yrs & grandfather made shoes. In about 1838 - or 40 they moved to Penn & then to Huron Co Ohio where they lived many years. Grandfather was a member of the Episcopal church and a great Bible student, as also was Grandmother very fond of Shakespeare would recite & act many of his plays. Grandfather was an erect, gentlemanly man, very careful of his speech and used elegant language. Grandmother was a great literary student and wrote many creditable poems, as well as taking part in many literary programs, writing descriptions, obituaries, etc. In later years she was a member of the Congregational church. She was the mother of 10 children. Grandfather Lawrences mother died in England about 1840 and he made a trip to Eng. as this time." His money was said to have been stolen on the boat.
(The above was dictated by Frances C. Laurance Brown, Oct 30, 1926)</center>

Sarah Evans Lawrence was a fine cook and an excellent needlewoman. She did beautifully fine sewing and embroidery

John H. Lawrence had an uncle who was knighted on account of his achievements as an artist. His father was a silversmith of the English middle class.

Sarah Evans Lawrence was very strict with her children and Grandma Lee tells the story of one school program where the children were to appear and Aunt Blanche was to speak a fair". Grandmother would not allow any of them to wear hoop skirts, and Blanche felt so out of style that she borrowed hoops belonging to an older woman and appeared on the stage in these, to [the?] horror of Grandmother, & the amusement of the audience. After this she was Allowed to wear hoops! Dictated to Mary Houston by Grandmother Mary Lee)

Frances Elizabeth Washburn Lawrence Brown
Frances (Brown) came from Ohio in 1873, to Columbus Nebr. Married Oscar Brown, GAR Veteran, June 14, 1874, at Columbus

Research Notes

John Horatio Lawrence

• "B. Jan 2, 1806, probably Birmingham, Eng"
  He was born on 2 January 1802 in Nuneaton, a large town about 25 miles east of Birmingham in Warwickshire, England. He was the son of James and Jane Lawrance or Lawrence.^[1][2] His father signed his surname as "Lawrance" at the time of his marriage in 1789.^[3]

• “John H Lawrence was one of 10 children all of whom died in infancy except his one sister Ann King, ten yrs older than he."
  The parish registers of Nuneaton Warwickshire, record the baptisms of seven children. At least four died in infancy. He had a sister Ann who married Edward King in 1822. His younger brother William, possibly also survived to adulthood and was the William Lawrence, ribbon maker, living in Nuneaton and Foleshill, Warwickshire, at the time f the 1841, 1851 and 1861 England Census.

• "His father was a silversmith"
  This appears to be incorrect. When his sister Ann King applied for letters of administration of their father's estate in 1836, she described him as "James Lawrence late of Birmingham ... Cordwainer."^[4] There was a John Lawrence, silversmith, of Birmingham, England who had a son John (born about 1808). However, the silversmith's son John was still living with him in England at the time of the 1841 census. The silversmith died in 1854 and was survived by three daughters and four sons. His will is transcribed here.

• "He was raised as a soldier in the British Army and served in India."
  He appears to have enlisted in the 24th (The 2nd Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot. The regiment served in India (1810-1823), Ireland (1825 to 1829) and Canada (1829-1842): see George Paton et al, Historical Records of the 24th Regiment, London, 1892, pages 90-8, 135-9 (Google Books).

• "Came to America about 1830."
  The 24th Regiment of Foot landed in Montreal, Canada, in October 1829; see Historical Records of the 24th Regiment.

• "He had learned to make boots in England and do many kinds of work."
  This is plausible, given that his father was a cordwainer (i.e. shoemaker or bootmaker). The record of John's desertion from the army describes him as a "plater",^[5] which suggests he had worked in the metalworking industry before joining the army.

• "Grandfather Lawrences mother died in England about 1840 and he made a trip to Eng. as this time."
  His mother Jane died in January 1836.^[6] This is about the time he deserted his regiment in Canada and, if he had returned to England, he would have risked arrest as a deserter. If he returned to England, another possibility is that it was around the time his aunt Mary Orton died in 1855. John was apparently entitled to a share of his uncle Samuel Suffolk's estate after the death of Mary Orton, but he did not receive a share—instead the estate was divided between his sister Ann King and their cousins. A transcript of Samuel Suffolk's will is here and Mary Orton's will is here.

• "John H. Lawrence had an uncle who was knighted on account of his achievements as an artist."
  This most likely refers to Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830), a leading portrait painter during the regency of George, Prince of Wales (later King George IV). He was knighted in 1815. Nothing evidence has been found to suggest that Sir Thomas was a relative of John H Lawrence.

Sarah Evans

• "Her grandfather was an M.E. minister in Wales"
  The Methodist Episcopal Church was established 1784 by John Wesley breaking from the Church of England in the United States (it didn’t exist in Wales), This would fit with when her grandfather was alive, however the first Wesleyan Church wasn’t established in Wales until 1800 after Wesley's death. Wales was predominantly Calvinistic Methodist or Baptist.

• "Grandfather Evans did not know of this, and went to live on the place and was murdered."
  No newspaper reports have been found about his murder. However, newspaper reports were found about the murders of John H Lawrence Sr's sons John H Lawrence Jr and William H Lawrence. These reports have been added to their profiles.

Kysorville, Livingston County, New York

• "Mr Kaiser who owned a dairy, a store, ran the P.O., made shoes etc. "
  • An article in an unidentified newspaper from Dannsville, New York, titled "Tales of the Past" says: "Nicholas Kysor settled in what is now known as Kysorville in the town of West Sparta, the hamlet being named after him. There he built a tannery and carried on the business for some years in connection with shoemaking." (The article There.)
  • The postmaster of the post office of Kysorville was Nicholas Kysor until 31 December 1844, then Esther Kysor.^[7]

• Probate Nicholas Kysor died intestate 10 Dec 1844. Administrators were Archibald Kysor, Sylvanus Kysor and Samuel Fisk. Archibald and Samuel died before estate completed. He had a widow, left no children, several brothers. Notices to be published in Geneseo Democrat for 6 months starting June 1845 and later in Livingston County Whig for 6 weeks from Jun 1847. (Other records suggest that he was the son of John Kysor who came from Germany and fought in the Revolutionary War.)
  • died 10 Dec 1844. left no children or father or mother. left widow Esther Kysor and brothers John Kysor, Charles Kysor, LIberius Kysor, Archibald Kysor and ??? Kysor^[8]
  • 20 Jun 1845 property to be sold^[9]
  • 25 Apr 1846 details about land sale^[10]
  • 12 Apr 1847 details about the land sale^[11]
  • 16 Jun 1847 order to return proceedings of sale ^[12] ??? to pay debts
  • Final settlement 16 Jun 1847^[13]

• Land record: Estate of Nicholas Kysor - grantors img 130 Book 32 p 244. The sale and resale of his estate^[14]

• Probate Isaac Evans died intestate, estate was administered by his son Daniel Evans 23 Feb 1825^[15]

• Land records (via FamilySearch - catalog search - browse images - Livingson). Grantees - Kysor image 250. Grantors - Kysor img 209 The only Lawrence imge 363 were John E Lawrence and wife Maria

Census data

1850 United States Census^[16]

Name	Role	Sex	Age	Birthplace
John Linzey		Male	44	England
Sarah Linzey		Female	34	New York
Sarah Linzey		Female	10	Pennsylvania
John Linzey		Male	8	Pennsylvania
Mortimer Linzey		Male	6	Pennsylvania
Martha Lawrence		Female	5	Pennsylvania
Warner Lawrence		Male	3	Ohio
Mary Lawrence		Female	0	Ohio

Note: the location is not legible for the 1850 census image on FamilySearch. On Ancestry (Sarah Limey) the location is District No 93 in the Township of Camden, County of Lorain, State of Ohio.

1860 United States Census

Census return dated 23 June 1860^[17]

Name	Occupation	Sex	Age	Birthplace
John H Lawrence	shoemaker	Male	54	England
Sarah E Lawrence		Female	43	New York
John H Lawrence		Male	18	Pennsylvania
Mortimer J Lawrence		Male	16	Pennsylvania
Blanche Lawrence		Female	15	Pennsylvania
Augustus W Lawrence		Male	13	Ohio
Mary J Lawrence		Female	10	Ohio
Frances Lawrence		Female	7	Ohio
William H Lawrence		Male	3	Ohio

Census return dated 23 June 1860^[18]

Name	Occupation	Sex	Age	Birthplace
Sarah E Lawrence	Weaver	Female	43	New York
John H Lawrence		Male	18	Pennsylvania
Mortimer J Lawrence		Male	16	Pennsylvania
Martha B Lawrence		Female	15	Pennsylvania
Augustus W Lawrence		Male	13	Ohio
Mary J Lawrence		Female	10	Ohio
Frances Lawrence		Female	7	Ohio

1870 United States Census

• possible 1870 US Census: Name: Sarah Lawrence; Event Place: Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States; Event Place (Original): Cleveland, ward 10, Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States; Sex: Female; Age: 52; Race: White; Birth Year (Estimated): 1818; Birthplace: New York

Sarah Lawrence F 52 New York

John Miller M 40 New York^[19]

Note: according to the 1870 census, both her parents were born in United States of America

Sources

1. ↑ Warwickshire Baptisms (FindMyPast.com : accessed 30 Jan 2021) database entry for John Lawrance, baptism, 6 Jan 1802 [sic], Nuneaton, St Nicholas.
2. ↑ Birmingham, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812 (Ancestry,com : accessed 30 Jan 2021) database entry for John Lawrance, baptism, 30 Mar 1807, Birmingham, St Martin. Citing Anglican Parish Records. Birmingham, England: Library of Birmingham. Ref: DRO 34/7; Archive Roll: M178. Ancestry Record 4961 #2420405. Ancestry Sharing Link
3. ↑ Warwickshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1910 (Ancestry.com : accessed 1 Feb 2021) database entry for James Lawrence. Marriage Date: 23 Nov 1789. Marriage Place: Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England. Citing Warwickshire County Record Office; Warwick, England; Warwickshire Anglican Registers; Roll: Engl/2/1021; Document Reference: DR 61. Ancestry Record 2445 #4474891. Ancestry Sharing Link
4. ↑ Staffordshire, Dioceses Of Lichfield And Coventry Wills And Probate 1521-1860 (Findmypast : accessed 30 Jan 2021) database entry for James Lawrence, Death date: 31 Dec 1835. Probate year: 1836. Parish: Birmingham, Warwickshire.
5. ↑ "Army Deserters 1828-1840" (FindMyPast.com : accessed 30 Jan 2021) database entry for John Lawrence, Nuneaton, Warwickshire.
6. ↑ Birmingham, England, Church of England Burials, 1813-1964 (Ancestry.com : accessed 30 Jan 2021) database entry for Jane Lawrence. Burial Date: 5 Jan 1836. Burial Place: Birmingham, St Philip, Warwickshire, England. Citing Reference Number: DRO 25; Archive Roll: M63. Ancestry Record 4995 #1997833. Ancestry Sharing Link
7. ↑ Register of All Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the United States, on the Thirtieth of September, 1845, Washington, 1845, page 87. Google Books (accessed 3 Feb 2021)
8. ↑ "New York Probate Records, 1629-1971," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYCC-94MY?cc=1920234&wc=Q7P8-JWT%3A213302201%2C213365401 : 28 May 2014), Livingston > Decrees, Orders 1836-1852 vol 5-6 > image 405 of 770; county courthouses, New York.
9. ↑ "New York Probate Records, 1629-1971," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYCC-9W1V?cc=1920234&wc=Q7P8-JWT%3A213302201%2C213365401 : 28 May 2014), Livingston > Decrees, Orders 1836-1852 vol 5-6 > image 437 of 770; county courthouses, New York.
10. ↑ "New York Probate Records, 1629-1971," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YCM-285?cc=1920234&wc=Q7PQ-DPF%3A213302201%2C213302202 : 28 May 2014), Livingston > Decrees, Orders 1824-1878 vol 1-4 > image 156 of 745; county courthouses, New York.
11. ↑ "New York Probate Records, 1629-1971," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYCM-RSK?cc=1920234&wc=Q7PQ-DPF%3A213302201%2C213302202 : 28 May 2014), Livingston > Decrees, Orders 1824-1878 vol 1-4 > image 163 of 745; county courthouses, New York.
12. ↑ "New York Probate Records, 1629-1971," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YCC-9Z25?cc=1920234&wc=Q7P8-JWT%3A213302201%2C213365401 : 28 May 2014), Livingston > Decrees, Orders 1836-1852 vol 5-6 > image 543 of 770; county courthouses, New York.
13. ↑ "New York Probate Records, 1629-1971," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYCM-21H?cc=1920234&wc=Q7PQ-DPF%3A213302201%2C213302202 : 28 May 2014), Livingston > Decrees, Orders 1824-1878 vol 1-4 > image 735 of 745; county courthouses, New York.
14. ↑ "United States, New York Land Records, 1630-1975," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99WC-D6S?cc=2078654&wc=M7C9-LM7%3A358135101%2C359075501 : [REFERENCE-ERROR]), Livingston > Deeds 1841-1848 vol 32-33 > image 130 of 571; multiple county courthouses, New York.
15. ↑ "New York Probate Records, 1629-1971," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYCH-HHL?cc=1920234&wc=Q7PZ-YWG%3A213302201%2C214177201 : 28 May 2014), Livingston > Wills 1821-1861 vol 1-2 > image 107 of 676; county courthouses, New York.
16. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXQ2-WRW : 2 Feb 2021), John Linzey, Camden, Lorain, Ohio, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
17. ↑ 1860 United States Federal Census (Ancestry.com : accessed 2 Feb 2021) database entry for John H Lawrence. Birth Year: abt 1806. Home in 1860: Wakeman, Huron, Ohio. Citing Year: 1860; Census Place: Wakeman, Huron, Ohio; Page: 268; Family History Library Film: 803991. Ancestry Record 7667 #43153518. Ancestry Sharing Link
18. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCGN-98R : 11 November 2020), Sarah E Lawrence, 1860.
19. ↑ "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6KL-GHQ : 3 January 2021), Sarah Lawrence, 1870.