About Lawrence/Brown
Please sign in to see more. The derivation of the name LAWRENCE may be traced to the Latin word Laurus or Laurentius. Laurentius, also called St. Laurence, chief deacon of Sixtus, Bishop of Rome, is the first person known to have used a name bearing any resemblance to present day spellings. The first individual of this name in England is said to have been Lawrence the monk. He came from Italy with Austin, who was sent to Britain for the propagation of Christianity. Upon the death of Austin, he suceeded him to the Archbishopric of Canterbury and at his death was buried in the Abbey of St. Austins, 916 A.D.
Here is some interesting facts about the Lawrences of Ashton Hall: Robert Lawrence joined the Third Crusade in 1187 A.D. led by Richard Coeur de Lion. He traveled by ship first to Cyprus and then to the lands that later became known as Palestine. There, he took part in the siege of Acre. One version indicates that he scaled the walls of Acre with four other men and opened the gates to the armies of the Crusades. Another version indicates that he was the first to raise the flag of the Crusades on a Palestine hill during the siege of Acre. For his deeds he was knighted by King Richard in 1191 A.D. and was given Ashton Hall.
Another writer indicates that Robert Lawrence was created a Knight-Banneret (a military Knighthood and the highest grade in the Middle Ages) and was allowed to bear arms, "argent, a cross ragulée gules," - a red cross of trunks of trees having pieces like couped boughs projecting from the side in a slanting direction, on a silver shield. This Arms is registered with the College of Arms in London, England. Sir Robert Lawrence also is referred to as Robert de Lancaster in some texts. This probably is more accurate as surnames did not come into common use until the late 1200s or early 1300s.
John Lawrence VII (great grandson of Sir Robert Lawrence-16 times removed) emigrated to Massachusetts in 1635, settling first in Watertown, and removing in 1660 to Groton, where he lived to a good old age, and at his death left a numerous family of sons and daughters.
There is a legend out there that a John Lawrence married a May Townsend, whose father left her the bulk of his inheritence in England, called Widdrington Estate. There has been much research done on this, and our line is not a descendent or claim to this inheritence. To read about this, go to: http://lawrence-ons.org/mystery.html
Here are some interesting "facts" that I've found out about our Lawrence family: Mom (Jean) had a baby sister that died in 1920, aged 6 months, named Vivian. Dad had a baby sister that died in 1922, aged 7 months, named Viola. Grandma Brown (Florine) had twin sisters. She and her sisters and mother were active in WCTU (Women's Christian Temperance Union) as was our Mom. Florine and her husband (as well as the baby, Edith and Clifford Pierce, Lewis Brown's parents and his family) are buried in Sample Hill Cemetery in Randolph, NY. Florine was born in Warren, PA and lived there with her parents, Charles and Anna Bouton, even after she met and married Charles Billquist. Their son, Ernest Jr. was born in 1908, 10 years before Kenneth Brown. Lewis Brown (Florine's husband) was 21 years older than her and had been married before and had a son Leslie, born 1897.
All of the information on this site has been obtained by doing countless hours of research of Census Information, Obituary listings, Social Security listings, Newspaper Articles, Military Registrations, and information from other sites that may have traced parts of our genealogy. Recently, I have been able to contact some living relatives from Florine's sisters sides and have gained some information and photos from them.
Dad's 4th great grandfather, Jonas, and Jonas' wife Tryphena, had the same 4th great granparents, John and Elizabeth (Cook) Lawrence. I have an article about Isaac Lawrence and the "Lawrence Tavern" in Canaan Connecticut-which is on the historical listings for that area. Isaac and his father Daniel were some of the first inhabitants of Canaan, and the tavern was used as a meeting place. The Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) have traced the Lawrence lineage back to England, and according to their research, the Lawrences have ties to many kings and nobles, of England, France, Germany and other European countries. All information and dates are subject to interpretation and is only as accurate as the sources that produced it.
3 of our 4 great grandfathers were named Charles: Charles Bouton, Charles Brown, and Charles Daniels- the other one was Herbert Lawrence. 3 of Jean Brown Lawrence's 4 great grandfathers were named Joseph: Joseph Caswell, Joseph Bouton, and Joseph Hoskins- the other one was Saxton Brown.
I obtained the following information on Dad: he joined the military on July 6, 1942 in Binghamton, NY, just 3 months shy of his 18th birthday. His height was listed as 62" (5'2") and his weight is listed as 107#. Not very big for a military man! Once, in a conversation with Dad, he gave me the following information: Mom and Dad were married in Randolph, NY. Mom worked at Chance Voight in Connecticut as a "Rosie Rivetor". Dad was stationed in India at a big military airfield. Dad met Mom on a train while he was going back to N.Y. and continued to correspond with her via letters from India.
This site is a work in progress, so any information, pictures or ideas that you submit to me are greatly appreciated! This is our family and our heritage- and what we pass down to our children for generations to come.
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