The Family of John H. Lawrence and Sarah Evans

John Horatio Lawrence and Sarah Evans came together about 1835 in Lockport, Niagra County, New York. They had ten children, and both lived to their mid '70's.

Let's get the facts out of the way:

• John Horatio Lawrence, born 2 Jan 1806 in Birmingham, West Midlands, England. Died 29 Apr 1880 in Colfax County, Nebraska.
• Sarah Evans, born 7 Aug 1816 in New York, and died 22 Feb 1892 in Brighton, Adams County, Colorado. 

John H. Lawrence, Sr.
Personal archives of author.

The family story tells us that John served in the English Army, including at least one tour in India, and eventually made his way to the U.S. in June 1829 at the age of 26. He was the youngest son of the family, with only one surviving sibling, Ann King, who was ten years older than he. His parents are said to have had ten children, the other eight all died in infancy. The father was a silversmith in the English middle class, and his uncle was knighted, prior to 1830, "based on his achievement as an artist." In 1840, the legend continues, John's mother died in England, and he traveled back home to attend the funeral. His money was stolen from him on the boat, and it took him twice as long to come home.

The couple moved from the Lockport area to Pennsylvania, then finally to Ohio, eventually setting in Wakeman. John was said to be a shoemaker, learning his trade from Sarah's adopted father.

Sarah Evans. Her early life is a mystery. Again, we return to the family oral history. Sarah's birth father was killed when she was three years old, by a man who was the former property owner of the family farm. There is not mention of her mother, but the large family was supposedly scattered, and the Kaiser's adopted Sarah as their only child. They were well off, and she had a good childhood. When Sarah and John married, Mr. & Mrs. Kaiser offered them property and income, as a partner in his business, if they remained in the area. It didn't last too long, because by 1841 they were in Pennsylvania. She must have been well educated, as later in life, she wrote for a newspaper in Silver Creek, Nebraska. Other sources name her as the "daughter of a Methodist minister."

Sarah Evans Lawrence
Personal archives of author.

Lafayette was the first, born in 1838. Then came Sarah Ann, John Horatio, Jr., Mortimer James, Blanche, Augustus Warner, Edward, Mary Josephine, Frances Elizabeth, and finally William Henry in 1856. Soon after William's birth, John and Sarah separated, and he left the family. Sarah and the elder children struggled, but were able to adapt. Thanks to the success of son, Mortimer, and his biography in A History of Cleveland, Ohio: Biographical. Illustrated, Volume II, by Samuel Peter Orth.  (The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co, 1910, Chicago-Cleveland. Page 596), we have more details about that time in the life of the family. Mrs. Lawrence supported her family through carpet weaving and "other work".


In 1896, A Memorial to the Pioneer Women of the Western Reserve was edited by Gertrude Van Rensselear Wickham, (Published under the auspices of the Woman's Department of the Cleveland Centennial Commission 2 volumes, 1896; reprint, Middleton, KY.: Wihiporwill Press, 1981, pages 559-563). In it, this quote: "Mrs. Lawrence (Sarah Evans) came later. She must have been a bonnie lass, for in middle life she was fair to look upon, she was a constant reader, and wielded a ready pen. It was to this intellectual mother, probably, that her son. M. J. Lawrence of the OHIO FARMER owes his many gifts." (Transcribed by Cathi Vannice 01 January 2002, www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ohhuron/pwakeman.htm.)

As their children began to marry and move, John and Sarah did also. For a time, both lived near the Colfax County area of Nebraska, and they appeared to reunite as a married couple again in their later years. John passed first, and is buried in Nebraska. Sarah moved farther west to live with son, Mortimer and his family in Colorado. Here, she wrote a letter to her daughter Frances back in Nebraska, talking about the home and its extravagance in running water, indoor baths and toilets. She talks of her son and daughter-in-law's busy lives, and her loneliness as she sat in her upstairs room, watching the world go by on the street below, with no one to keep her company.

The Lawrence home in Denver, where Sarah spent her last years.
Personal archives of author. 

John and Sarah left a legacy of intrigue and just plain great genealogy. Their children were involved in newspapers, politics, wars - including at least two recorded prisoners of war, held by the Confederates - and murder.

Who was Oscar's Dad?

For years now, I have been working on the life and family of Oscar Fitzallen Brown. We know quite a bit about him, really, but the one mystery that has plagued me is his father. If I can find his father, than I can find his mother: of that I am quite certain. But the father... who is this guy?  He's starting to get incredibly frustrating. Yesterday, I once again sent out an email plea for help from any family member that may be able to shed light on this particular issue. Here are the details...

Oscar was born in New York in 1832. Somewhere between the ages of 2 and 5 the family moved to Michigan to farm, and this is where he was raised. As a young man, he moved to Missouri and lived with his sister's family in Shelby County. Oscar joined the Union forces and fought nearly the entire length of the war, and then moved back to Shelby County, where he served for a time as Deputy Sheriff. Eventually, he claimed his homestead and settled in Colfax County, Nebraska. He married Frances E. Lawrence and had six children. He passed away in 1906 and is buried in Richland.

The candidates for father are...

1. William Brown: I am fairly certain that Oscar had a sister named Mary. She was born in 1817 in New York, and died in 1879. On Christmas Eve of 1835, she married Josiah H. Collins in Pittsfield, Washtenaw, Michigan, and they had five children; Henry, Charles, Mary Elizabeth, Josiah Jr. and William B. When Mary died, her death record states that her father was William Brown and her mother, Mary. It would make sense that she was named after her mother, and that her children carry some of the family names, also. 
2. Abraham Brown: This is the name given in Oscar's obituary as his father. No other evidence of an Abraham Brown can be found. 
3. Isaac C. Brown: He had at least two sons, Charles F. and Oscar F., and he lived in the same area of New York that we suspect the Brown family came from when they moved to Michigan. However, he never left New York (that we know of). Isaac left a will stating that his two sons (listed above) both residing in Colfax County, Nebraska, were to be left portions of his estate and Charles was the executor. I feel that this is the least likely answer at this time. Just something in my gut, I guess. 
4. Tolman (or Talmon or Talman) Brown: Born in 1791 in New York, he is listed as Oscar's father n the county books for Oscar and France's marriage. His wife was listed as Mary Morvie (1782-1836), once again supporting the idea that Mary was a family name. Talmon did own property in Washtenaw County, Michigan, beginning 1 Sep 1826. 

There is some speculation that William and Talmon are in fact the same man. There are branches of the family, through the Collins', that have notes indicating as such, and Mary (Brown) Collin's [see#1] headstone reads, "wife of Josiah, daughter of Talmon". 

Mary (Brown) Collins. Her headstone gives the best connection between William and Talmon Brown.

Headstone of Mary (Brown) Collins

Let's go back to the beginning for just a moment. I stated earlier that Oscar went to live with his sister's family in Missouri before the onset of the war. We learn about his sister through letter's in Oscar and Frances' pension file. Jennie Yoe and her husband Thomas Yoe wrote general letters to the pension board after Oscar's death in support of Frances receiving a widow's pension, stating that she was the only wife of Oscar, never remarried, and that they had known her for some time and thought her to be honest and upstanding. In the letter, Jennie states that she is the niece of Oscar, and if you back track their family, you find Jennie's mother, Harriet Brown, which you must conclude to be Oscar's sister.  One would think that I could look up her parents and be done with this whole issue... but her parents have disappeared, also. I cannot find any record of her life before her marriage. The one fact that does help in this search is that Harriet and Warren were married in Washentaw County, Michigan. All roads seem to lead us there. Washentaw County is a common factor for both William and Talmon, and I have not been able to connect the other two potential fathers, Abraham and Isaac, to Michigan at all. 

So it would seem that circumstantial evidence, or simply secondary information with indirect sources, have built a case that leans toward two assumptions: 1. William and Talmon are in fact the same person, and 2. William Talmon Brown is the father of Oscar F. Brown. How does this lead to frustration, you ask? Very simple in that it's not good enough to stand up to a systematic review in the genealogical community. I just simply don't have enough direct, first hand sources to prove or disprove any of the above. 

The search continues...