This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: geoffreyrlawson Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.lawson/6719.6.1.1.1.1.2.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Current research seems to suggest: Sons of William of "Falling River" 1. Joshua Lawson (1701-c.1756) - father of Anna Lawson below 2. John "Black Eye" Lawson (c.1713-1758) - father of John Jr. below 3. Jonas Lawson 4. Barclay Lawson (1727-1764/5) 5. Others (?) My line as current research seems to suggest: 1.William "of Falling River" Lawson (c.1680-1754) 2. John "Black Eye" Lawson (c.1713-c.1803) 3. John Lawson, Jr. (1751-1838) m. Anna Lawson (c.1757-c.1844) 4. Joshua Lawson (1788-1844) m Talitha 5. Governor Sevier Lawson (1810-1878) m Cynthia Ann Gardner I'm sorry to say I don't have the definitive proof that you probably want but let me explain my thinking a bit. The key for me is in understanding the migration of the various branches of this family from place-to-place. They seem to have been quite transitory as each generation picked up and moved large distances. Because each generation of my line in particular moved so often, to be able to proof paternity, one must have been in the right place at the right time - which was a narrow time frame. Because we know John (1751-1838) and Anna (c.1757-c.1844) were cousins, John had to be a grandson or nephew of William of Falling River. "Black Eye" seems to be the missing link as all the other possibilities I have looked at involved my line crisscrossing VA, NC, TN, and KY to get to IL and back to VA all too many times to be believable. My line has a solid paper trail back to John Lawson of Snow Creek, Stokes (Surry) County, NC. This John stated on record after moving to Morgan County, TN from NC that he was born in Bedford (Lunenburg) County, VA. It is also known that he fought with his father John, Sr. in the Revolutionary War while living in Snow Creek and that John, Sr. returned to Bedford County, VA for a time during the war. This leads me to think the progression was Falling River, VA and vicinity, to Snow Creek, NC and vicinity, to Morgan County, TN, to Scott/Greene Counties, IL and nowhere else. This eliminates most if not all others I have looked at as the father of my John. In other words, I think John, Sr., John "Black Eye" Lawson, and John "of Falling River" (c.1813-1758), are one and the same person. When William of Falling River died in 1754, his land was sold off in Bedford (Lunenburg) County, VA and his sons parted ways and moved south and west. Joshua moved to Morgan County, TN where his daughter Anna was born. John "Black Eye" and Jonas moved over the VA/NC line into Stokes (Surry) County, NC, and Bartholomew moved to Cumberland County, NC near Fayetteville. John Lawson, Jr. (1751-1838) and Anna Lawson (c.1757-c.1844) were married on 29 Jan 1775 in Surry County, NC. Anna traveled to NC from TN as a young woman to visit her extended family and presumably decided to stay and marry her cousin. John Sr. and John Jr. fought together in the Revolutionary War and both returned to their home to Surry County, NC after the war. When John "Black Eye" Lawson died about 1803 his land was sold, and again like the previous generation, his sons parted ways and moved farther south and west. John Jr. and Anna moved to Morgan County, TN by 1810 to be with her family and his brother Randolph moved to Clinton County, KY. John and Anna's son Joshua was born in Snow Creek, Surry County, NC and moved to Winchester, Scott County, IL in 1838/9. He traveled by way of Saint Louis, MO to get there. What prove exists that John Lawson (1751-1838) and Randolph Lawson (1752-1848) were born in Bladen County, NC (in the southeast corner of the state)? This seems highly unlikely to me as there seems to be no time between living in Bedford (Lunenburg) County, VA, Stokes (Surry) County, NC (northwest corner of the state), and Morgan County, TN for this to be true; at least for John, Jr. that is. If true, it would blow my whole theory out of the water. 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.