Drewry Lawson’s Timeline | Lawson Surname DNA Project

DREWRY LAWSON’S TIMELINE

Evidence shows that Drewry (also spelled “Drury”) Lawson was born about 1761. In 1777 there was a Drury Lawson that was bound out by his mother, Mary Owen, in Antrim Parish in Halifax County, Virginia. According to his pension application signed 30 January 1835 in Hawkins County, Virginia, Drewry entered the service as a substitute for William Hooker in 1780 in Henry County, Virginia. After his service he lived in Montgomery and Russell (later Lee) counties. He married Rhoda Wilson from which he was separated (or divorced) by 1795. In about 1799 he moved across the border into Hawkins County, Tennessee to an area that was later to become Claiborne and/or Hancock counties. Drewry died between 1847 when his will was signed in Claiborne County, Tennessee and 1850 when the census shows his widow, Hannah, was living in that county with one of their daughters, Hannah Sutton, and her family. By 1850, one of their sons, Thomas, and his wife, Mary Ann (Morgan) Lawson, had moved to Davis County, Iowa. Within two years they had moved on to Putnam County, Missouri, along with several of their grown children, where they all filed for land patents. Many descendants of these Lawson families still remain in that area and others moved on to Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Washington among other places.

Gary Lloyd has published a well documented 320-page book on Thomas and Mary Ann Lawson that contains: (1) 185 pages of biographies: (2) Family group sheets for Thomas and Mary and for each of their 14 children; (3) 31 pages of photographs; (4) Discussion of the evidence showing that Thomas is the son of Drewry and Hannah (Potts) Lawson; (5) Biography of Drewry Lawson; (6) An in-depth discussion of the evidence on which the biography of Drewry Lawson is based; (7) Drewry’s will and Revolutionary War pension application, William Hooker’s Rev. War pension application, and Mary Lawson’s will of 1749; (8) Narrative entitled The Lawsons of Halifax County, Virginia (Searching for the Ancestors of Drewry); (9) Maps showing the location of areas of interest in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Iowa and Missouri; and (10) 106 references to the sources on which the narratives are based. For more information and/or ordering information, see Mr. Lloyd’s web site.

Lawsons Named	Date	County in Virginia	Documentatiom
Drewry or Drury	1756	Halifax & Pittsylvania Counties, VA	Drewry Lawson’s Revolutionary Pension application, subscripted to 30 January 1835, stated he was 79 years old, therefore he was born about 1756. It also stated he was born in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, but it was not formed until 1766. He may have been born in a part of Halifax County that later became Pittsylvania County?
Drury	Aug 1777	Halifax County, VA	Halifax County, VA – Pleas (Court Orders) Book 9, August Court 1777, page 235 – Ordered that the Church Warrant of Antrim Parish do bind out Drury Lawson son of Mary Owen to Thomas Parrott according to Law.
Drury	1778-1784	Henry County, VA	From “Henry County, Virginia – A Proud Look Back” Drury Lawson was shown as being in the Militia. No date but the period it was discussing was the Revolutionary War period.
Drewry	Spring 1780	Henry County, VA	Drewry Lawson’s Revolutionary Pension application, subscripted to 30 January 1835, stated that the best he could recollect, he entered the service of the United States as a substitute for one William Hooker of Henry County in the Spring of 1780.
Drewry	Aug or Sep 1781	Virginia	Drewry Lawson’s Revolutionary Pension application, subscripted to 30 January 1835, stated that the second time he entered the service was against the Indians on the Northwestern frontier as a substitute for a certain David Taylor in the state of Virginia, but in what County or what year he does not know owing to his decayed recollection but believes it to have been in August or September in the year 1781 under Captain Paris of Colonel Lloyds’ regiment on a tour of three months.
Drury	1782	Montgomery County, VA	1782 Montgomery County, VA Personal Property Tax Records. Lawson, Drury, paid no tithes, 1 horse
Drury	1785	Washington	In the Washington County Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists, Vol. 1, 1782-1786, 1788-1789, abstracted by Thomas Jack Hockett (Athens, GA: New Papyrus Publishing, 2004), Drurey Lawson (page 89 of the book) is listed in the 1785 Personal Property Tax list with 1 Tithe, 0 Slaves, 1 Horse, 0 Cattle. He was recorded on “H. Smith’s Return for 1785” in Washington Co, VA.
Drury	4 Jun 1787	Russell	1787 Russell County, VA Personal Property Tax Record, William Webb’s District (Upper District)- June 4, Lawson, Drury, 1 white male over 21, 1 horse
Drury	1788	Russell County, VA	Russell County Virginia Personal Property Tax List for Lower District, William Webb’s List: – Drury Lawson, 1 free white male
Drury	20 Oct 1789	Montgomery County, VA	Montgomery County, VA Personal Property Tax Records, James Newell’s District. October 20, Lawson, Drury, 1 white male over 21, 1 horse
Drury	10 Oct 1789	Montgomery County, VA	Location of residences of taxpayers in 1789 James Newell’s District. Drury was located in the area of Little Elk Creek or Powder Mill Creek … about 5 miles from mouth. This area is now located in Grayson County, Virginia near New River.
Drury	1791	Russell County, VA	In 1791, Drury signed a petition in Russell County, Virginia, along with 249 other local citizens, to open a road from Martin Old Station to the Cumberland Gap.
Drury	1792	Lee County, VA	On or about 25 October 1792 Drury was among 217 persons who signed a petition in the newly formed Lee County, Virginia to establish a town named Jonesville on the 50 acre partial that was donated by Frederick Jones for the purpose of “having a place to hold courts for the County.
Rhoda	1795	Russell County, VA	Russell Law Order Book, 2, 1792-1799, pages 211 and 212. At a call court held at Russell Courthouse on the 28th of May 1795 – The same court was also held at the same place and on the same day for the examination of John Samples on suspicion that he feloniously stole, took and carried away one mare the property of Rhoda Lawson of the value of 8 pounds – Rhoda Lawson, recognizance by Henry Smith, for her appearance in court for the examination of John Samples and give evidence as she knew respecting the crime. Wilson to give evidence against John Samples concerning certain felony committed by John in stealing one mare from Rhoda Lawson, he being called came not. (In a court document dated 2 October 1809 it states Rhoda was the former wife of Drury Lawson.)Also in a supplement to his Eastern Cherokee Application, completed by William J. K. Lawson, dated 24 April 1908, great grandson of Drewry Lawson, he stated that Drury Lawson’s first wife was a white woman and that after she found out that he was part Indian she would not live with him. Also in the application it stated that his great grandmother (Drewry’s second wife Hannah Potts) was Cherokee. However, it must be pointed out that there is a lot of misinformation in William’s application and we must keep that in mind when considering some of his statements.
Drewrey	10 Jan 1799	Hawkins County, TN	On 10 January 1799 Drewrey Lawson and others signed a petition to have a new county formed from Hawkins County. Claiborne County was formed from Hawkins County in 1801.
Drewry	1801	Hawkins County, TN	Drewry, Hampton, Randolph, Thomas and Nathan Lawson are listed in the 1801 Hawkins County, Tennessee Tax List.
Drury	1803	Claiborne County, TN	In June 1803 court session in Claiborne County, Tennessee, Drury Lawson was entered in the records twice: Once as a juror in the case of David Taylor vs. Luke Boyer concerning Boyer’s alleged debt. It should be noted that Drury was a substitute soldier in the 1780s for a David Taylor in the Virginia Militia against the Indians on the Northwestern frontier of the day; and second as a Juror in the June 1803 court in a lawsuit of John Rogers Vs. Daniel Coffett and George Coffett for trespass.
Drury	1806	Claiborne County, TN	The minutes for the 1806 session of the Claiborne County court listed Drury Lawson’s name among 12 jurors sworn in. Also, that year in the November 1806 court minutes Drury’s name appears in the State’s case against George Shauffer for collection of fines assessed at the March 1806 court against Polly Patrick, Drury Lawson and John Rainbolt.
Drury	May & Sep 1807	Claiborne County, TN	Drury appears in the September 1807 Court in the case of John Collins and Kissay Collins, his wife, against Polly Patrick, Drury Lawson, John Rainbolt and Sibby, his wife. The record did not state the nature of the case, only that the defendants claimed to be not guilty. Also in May court of 1807, came an interesting and intriguing case of State vs. Polly Partin for Bastardy. On 26 May 1807, she paid, by Drury Lawson, six and one fourth dollars for the use of the state, as her fine “for not swearing a child of which she is delivered and refuses to swear it to the father thereof.” One wonders why Drury paid her fine.
Drury	Aug 1808	Claiborne County, TN	Drury’s name next appears for the August 1808 Court for Claiborne County, Tennessee in a list of persons named as jurors: Besides Drury there were in part William Hill, James Hill and William Morgan, all surnames associated with the Thomas Lawson family in the area.
Drury & Rhoda	2 Oct 1809	Russell County, VA	This indenture made this 2nd day of October in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and nine between Richard Wilson, John Wilson and Rhoda, his wife, Elizabeth Wilson, Nathaniel Barnette and Charlotte, his wife, all of Russell County of State of Virginia, Rhoda Lawson, formerly wife of Drury Lawson of Madison County (Virginia) and Harris Wilson and Sarah, his wife, of Floyd County and State of Kentucky of the one part, and William Samples of said county of Russell and State of Virginia of the other part witnesses that whereas Harris Wilson, Sr., deed, late of the said county of Russell departed this life about the month of January in the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, intestate, having a right title and claim to one hundred and ninety four acres of land leaving the said Richard Wilson, John Wilson, Rhoda Lawson, wife of Drury Lawson, Harris Wilson, Nancy Samples, site of the said William Samples, Elizabeth Wilson & Charlotte Barnette wife of Nathaniel Barnette, his coheirs to whom the equitable title of the land hath ….
Drury	23 Jun 1812	Claiborne County, TN	Drury Lawson received land grant number 2305, Bk. 3, page 493, dated 23 June 1812, for 50 acres in the District of Hamilton on both sides of the Powell River.
Drury	May 1817	Claiborne County, TN	Drury Lawson was listed in the May 1817 court of Claiborne County as part of the 5-member “Jury of View” to lay out a road from the old cedar field on the Lee Road to its interact with the said Lee Road and report back to the next court.
Drury	1819	Claiborne County, TN	In a land record of 1819 in Claiborne County, Tennessee (Deed book H, page 359), Drury was listed as the Grantee and William Hard as the Grantor.
Drury	1830	Claiborne County, TN	Drury enumerated in 1830 Claiborne County, Tennessee Census. Indicates his age is between 70-80 years. In his household are 1 male, 70-80 and 1 female 50-60. In 1830 Claiborne County contained parts of Union County and Hancock County.
Drewry	30 Jan 1835	Hawkins County, TN	Drewry Lawson on 30 January 1835 appeared in Hawkins County, TN and sworn before William Babb, acting Justices of the Peace, giving evident of his services during the Revolutionary War to justify getting a pension.
Drury	12 Oct 1837	Claiborne County, TN	In 1837, Drury received a land grant in Claiborne County, Tennessee: East Tennessee District, grant number 21357, dated 12 October 1837, for 50 acres Book 20, page 479.
Drury	6 Jun 1838	Claiborne County, TN	In 1838, Drury received a land grant in Claiborne County, Tennessee: East Tennessee District, grant number 21679, dated 6 June 1838 for 50 acres, Book 21, page 572.
Drewry	1840	Claiborne County, TN	Drewry Losson is enumerated in the 1840 Claiborne County, Tennessee Census. In his household are 1 male 80-90 and 1 female 70-80. He is living next door to William and Thomas Losson.
Drury & William	1842	Claiborne County, TN	In 1842, Drury Lawson, Sr. sold land in Claiborne County to William Lawson by contract deed for consideration of $10. (Book S, page 321)
Drury, Hannah, Thomas, David, William & Hannah (Lawson) Sutton	18 Sep 1847	Claiborne County, TN	Drury’s Will of 18 September 1847 filed in Claiborne Co., TN): In the name of God Amen, I Drury Lawson of the County of Claiborne in the State of Tennessee being of a sound mind and memory and desirous while in such a condition to make my last will and Testament, do make and publish this my only and last will. 1st, I wish first that all my just debts if any owning at the time of my death as well as my funeral expenses paid as soon as possible out of what money I may have on hands at my death, and out of such as may be then owing to me. 2nd. My will and desire is that if my beloved wife Hanner (Hannah) should survive me that she shall have the use and possession of all my estate, my personal property for and during her natural life. 3rd. At the death of my wife if she should out live me, this my wish and desire that my whole estate be given Thomas Lawson my son as I wish him to take care of his mother. I will David Lawson my gun (not sure if it is gun?) and William Lawson one dollar and one dollar to Hannah Sutton this is my last will and testament given under my hand and seal this 18 Day of September 1847. Signed Drewry (his X mark) Lawson Attest William Riley Levi Nun William Lawson
Drury	27 Sep 1847	Claiborne County, TN	Drewry Lawson’s Revolutionary Pension application had a note that stated: – September 27, 1847 Sir An old gentleman name Drury Lawson of Claiborne County, TN says he filed a declaration under act of 1832 for a Pension, a certain Judge J. B. Robinson undertook to attend to it for him and Robinson shortly afterward left this county never informing him anything about the case. Please inform me what decision was made _______ if Mr. Lawson’s statements are correct. I am Very Respectfully Your Obedient Servant. James K. McAnally
Robert (Robbin), William J. K., Alvin T., Drewrey, Elizha R., George W., and John T.	1906	Hancock County, TN	A number of Drewry’s descendants submitted applications to the Commisoner of Indian Affairs making a claim for a share of the funds awarded to the Eastern Cherokees by the Court of Claims in the decrees of 18 May 1905 and 28 May 1906. Below is a list of those submitting an application: – Robert (Robbin) Lawson William J. K. Lawson Alvin T. Lawson Drewrey Lawson Elizha R. Lawson George W. Lawson John T. Lawson In their applications they claimed that Drewry/Drury was the half brother of Robert “Bob” Benge or Chief Benge. However, no proof was offered in the applications.