This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: carlllawson Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.lawson/6719.6.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: The nicknames such as Black Eye, White Eye and Goober Pea were usually used in the tax records of Surry and Stokes Counties, NC except John "Black Eye" Lawson. This nickname was used in other documents and one other county in Virginia. The first reference to this John Lawson can be found in the Bedford County, VA 1763 tithes list. Found in the "Virginia Genealogical Society Quarterly", Vol. XXIII, number 3, (1 August 1985) page 73 -- Wm. Lawson, 1 tithe, John Lawson B.E., 1 tithe, Jonas Lawson, 1 tithe and David Lawson, 1 tithe. See my web page at http://lawsondna.org/Media/virginiacounties/Bedford.html The above implies that John Lawson B.E. is part of the Falling River Lawsons and maybe a son or grandson of William Lawson of Falling River. The next reference to Black Eye is found in Surry County, NC Tax List, 1783 Capt. Gain's District. (Note: All of the information below I found in the original records at Raleigh, NC state library.) In this tax list you find a reference to a John W. E. and John B. E. along with a David Lawson and Patmon Lawson. John B.E. is the only one that owns property and it shows he has 100 acres. In the Surry County, NC, Tax List, 1784 Capt. Gain's District it is just John that owns 100 acres and it is shown to be located on Peters Creek. Again there is John W.E. Lawson and Patmun (Patmon) Losson in Gain's District but they own no land. There is a third John Lawson in the tax list but he is living in Capt. Hickman's District near Jonas Lawson. In 1785 Capt. Gain's District Tax List it shows John now with 200 acres and Patmon and David with no land. I believe this is John Black Eye Lawson with the 200 acres. John W. E. Lawson is no longer listed but we do still have a John Lawson in Capt. Hickman's District. Patmon Lawson obtains 50 acres, which he paid taxes on in 1789. The land that Patmon and John B.E. own was located in the part of Surry County, NC that became Stokes County, NC. They are listed in the 1790 Capt. Gain's District, Stokes County, NC. It is at this time, 1795, we find the name of John G. Pea (Goober Pea) and there was one other reference to him in 1798. Neither time was he shown to be paying taxes on any land. I was only able to find two references to John W.E. Lawson in the records and that was in the tax list of 1783 and 1784 as indicated above. John B.E. and Patmon Lawson's land is located on or near Little Peter Creek as shown below: - Stokes County, N. C. Land Entries 1790-1798, Book 3, Page 115, Grant 457. "The first entry under the Late Act." 9 February 1795, Matthew Moore enters 640 acres in Stokes Co. on North side of Dan River on waters of Little Peter Creek and waters of Barnes Branch; borders John Lawson "Black Eye", Joel Catchem, William Lankford, Peter Prewett and Patmon Lawson; includes some "drafts" or waters of Buck Island Creek and two iron ore banks; as "bounty claim" for iron works agreeable to an Act of Assembly passed at Fayetteville in 1788. There is one other interesting entry in the 1798 Stokes County, NC, Tax List, Capt. Cloud's District and that is for Isham (B.E.) Lawson, 200 acres. In all the tax lists it has been John Sr., or John B.E. or John Black Eye Lawson. Was this a mistake or was John's middle name Isham? If so why did they not use it before? John Sr., or John B.E. or John Black Eye Lawson disappears from the tax list in 1803. At this time we find the following: - Stokes County Deed Book 5, page 160, 15 October 1803. Thomas Lawson, John Lawson, Letty Lawson, Clem Lawson, Patmon Lawson and Randall Hall are selling to Thomas Gains 200 acres of land on Little Peters Creek. The deed does not say where they acquired the land, but they are obviously tenants in common. There is a state grant 813, dated 5 October 1778, in the Surry County Book of Land Entries, 1778 - 1781 and reentered in Vol. 1, Stokes County Record of Deeds, 1787 - 1793, page 124, Grant 1071, dated 18 May 1781, that was received by John Lawson for 200 acres, which is the same 200 acres that is sold in Deed Book 5, page160 with identical land description shown above. This John Lawson who is identified in the tax lists as John Lawson B.E. (Black Eye). Looks like John Black Eye Lawson's children and son-in-law are selling his land after he has died. I tend to believe that John Black Eye Lawson was a son or grandson of William Lawson of Falling Rivers and is the one we find in the tithes list of Bedford County, VA in 1763. I believe he with Jonas, William and David Lawson moved to Surry County, NC where they obtained land and lived. I also tend to believe that John Black Eye Lawson was the father of Patmon, John and Clem Lawson as indicated in the deed above and died in 1803. As for John W.E. Lawson I am not so sure but he could have been the son of John Black Eye Lawson. I base this on the 1783 and 1784 Capt. Gain's Surry County, tax list where he is, with Patmon and David Lawson, shown in the same District as John B.E. Lawson but with no land that was taxed. But this is only a guess. As for John Goober Pea Lawson, again I am not so sure but I do know many have indicated that he was the father of Jurusha (Lawson) Hooker, Moses and John Lawson, but I have seen no documentation on this. It was not used in his will of 1813: - Stokes County, N. C. Wills, Volumes I-IV, 1790-1864, page 144, 19 March 1813. "Word of Mouth" Will of John Lawson, June Term 1813, at the house of William Hooker where he resided for several weeks about last February 1813. Daughter Ressia, my horse and bridle for her care of me. Witnesses: Jesse Lawson and Patsy (X) Lawson As this shows he had no land to leave his children. Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.