This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: drdjones Surnames: Lawson Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.lawson/3427.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.2.1.1.2.3.1.3.1.1.2.1.1.1.2.3.1.2.1.2.1.2.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Most of these folks were not literate, so the spelling is often phonetic in official documents. I also suspect that local dialects and foreign accents were very common throughout the South at that time, so you can't be sure that the scribe even understood what they called themselves. 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.