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Our Maternal
LAWSON
Family Ancestors |
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OUR LAWSON FAMILYAn Introduction
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The only known ancestor of this family line is our 7th
great-grandmother Helen Lawson. Helen
was probably born in Midlothian, Scotland around 1718. She may have been born in Carrington
Parish as there are many Lawson’s listed in the parish records of that time. Helen married William Todd, also a native of Midlothian,
sometime around 1745. Of this union
at least three children are known. It is believed that Helen and her family
migrated to |
Antrim County in Ulster,
Northern Ireland sometime during the 1760’s.
And it is most probable that she lived the remainder of her life at
that location. We are descended through Helen and William’s son Archibald born
circa 1754. Archibald is credited as
the progenitor of his family line in America having come County Antrim,
Ireland to Charleston, South Carolina in 1773. |
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LAWSON
Origins Of The Surname
Lawson is a Scottish and northern English patronymic from of Law. Law comes from a Middle English short form of Lawrence. It is also a topographic name for someone
who lived near a hill, northern Middle English law (from Old English hlaw
‘hill’, ‘burial mound’). Lawrence originated from the Middle English and Old French
personal name Lorens, Laurence (Latin Laurentius ‘man
from Laurentum’, a place in Italy probably named from its laurels or
bay trees). The name was borne by a saint who was martyred at Rome in the 3rd
century ad; he enjoyed a
considerable cult throughout Europe, with consequent popularity of the
personal name (French Laurent, Italian, Spanish Lorenzo,
Catalan Llorenç, Portuguese Lourenço, German Laurenz;
Polish Wawrzyniec (assimilated to the Polish word wawrzyn
‘laurel’), etc.). (1) First found in Yorkshire where they were seated
from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the
arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its
variants were: Christopher Lawson arrived in Virginia in 1623; Lettice Lawson
settled in Virginia in 1638; Thomas Lawson settled in Virginia in 1623;
Charles, Christopher, David, George, Henry, James, John, Joseph, Samuel,
Thomas and William Lawson, all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and
1860.(2) (1)
Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford
University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4 Family Facts (Ancestry.com) |
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LAWSON
Variations of the Surname
The complexity of
researching records is compounded by the fact that in many cases an ancestors
surname may have been misspelled.
This is especially true when searching census documents. Spelling variations of
this family name include: Lawson, Laweson and others. The Soundex system was
developed in an effort to assist with identifying spelling variations for a
given surname. Soundex is a method of indexing names in the 1880, 1900, 1910,
and 1920 US Census, and can aid genealogists in their research. The Soundex Code for Lawson is L250.
Other surnames sharing this code are : LAKIN | LASSEN | LAWSON | LAZNA | LEESON | LEJEUNE | LIGON | LOGAN | LUKEN | LYGON |
Source:
Surname Resources at ROOTSWEB |
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LAWSON
Family Name Index
Additional information about our DIRECT ANCESTORS and their families may be reviewed
by clicking on the name LINK(s) below. |
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NAME |
BIRTH / DEATH / LOCATIONS |
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b: BET 1715 AND 1725 in
Midlothian, Scotland ? |
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The following LINK will take you to a complete listing of individuals
with this surname. |
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LAWSON
Family Location Information
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Researching the locations where our ancestors
lived has provided us with valuable evidence needed to fill-in the gaps in
our family trees. It has also led us
to many interesting facts that enhance the overall picture of each family
group. The names of states and
counties on the following list were derived from the known places where the
persons listed in the Name Index where born, married, and died. |
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COUNTRY |
STATE |
COUNTY /
SUBDIVISION |
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UNITED KINGDOM |
SCOTLAND |
Midlothian |
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Use
this LINK to find out more about the locations listed above. |
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Source Documents |
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The documents contained
herein have been located during our research of this family, and used as evidence
to prove many of the facts contained within the database of this family’s
record. Most of these documents can be considered as primary or
secondary. Primary evidence
is usually defined as the best available to prove the fact in question,
usually in an original document or record.
Secondary evidence is in essence all that evidence which
is inferior in its origin to primary evidence. That does not mean secondary
evidence is always in error, but there is a greater chance of error. Examples of this type of evidence would be
a copy of an original record, or oral testimony of a record’s contents. Published genealogies and family histories
are also secondary evidence. Classifying evidence as either primary or
secondary does not tell anything about its accuracy or ultimate value. This is especially true of secondary
evidence. Thus it is always a good
idea to ask the following questions: (1) How far removed from the original is
it, (when it is a copy)?; (2) What
was the reason for the creation of the source which contains this evidence?;
and (3) Who was responsible for creating this secondary evidence and what
interest did they have in its accuracy? SOURCE: Greenwood, Val D., The Researcher’s Guide
to American Genealogy, 2nd edition, Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD 21202, 1990, pgs. 62-63 You are welcome to
download any of the documents contained within this archive. Should you encounter a problem obtaining a
copy you may get in touch with us via the contact information found at the
end of this page. |
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Use
the following LINK to view the source documents pertaining to this family. |
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LAWSON
Surname Information Websites
The following are websites
that may provide you with additional information to assist with your research
about persons with this surname Surname
Finder | Free Ancestry Search Resource |
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Self-Published Lawson Family Histories
Getting Started
Lawson genealogy at RootsWeb
Family Surname History
Search all databases at Genealogy
Today for Lawson Research Tools
1790-1930
census search for Lawson ($) |
RootsWeb search for Lawson
surname Social Security Death Index
Genealogy Sites for Lawson Family
Genindx WWW links to Lawson data Lawson Mailing List at RootsWeb
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Additional Sites That We Recommend |
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·
Linkpendium Surnames - Web sites,
obituaries, biographies, and other material specific to a surname. ·
Cyndi's
List - Surnames, Family Associations & Family Newsletters Index
- Sites or resources dedicated to specific, individual family surnames. ·
Free
Genealogy Search Help for Google - This
free genealogy site will help you use Google™ for your research. It will
create a series of different searches using tips or "tricks" that
will likely improve your results. The different searches will give you many
different ways of using Google to find ancestry information on the
Internet. ·
FamilySearch.org
- Family History and Genealogy Records - The largest collection of free
family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world. ·
Top
Genealogical Websites - These mighty roots resources compiled by “Family Tree
Magazine”, will give you the power to bust through research brick walls and
find answers about your ancestors—all from your home computer. |
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LAWSON
Family Images Gallery
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During our research we
have collected and images and photographs that are of general interest to a
particular family. Some of them are
presented on this website because we believe they tend to provide the reader
with additional information which may aid in the understanding of our
ancestors past lives. If you have any
photographs or other images relating to this ancestral family we would
greatly appreciate hearing from you. |
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Use the
following LINKS to ascertain whether we have any images that pertain to this
family. |
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Contact Information
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Snail Mail: Fred
USA |
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Pony Express: Tom |
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