Robert Lawson

Robert Lawson was the husband of Anna Goad (1778-1850), the daughter of Revolutionary War veteran Abraham Goad (1740-1816) and Anne Ayers (about 1742 – 1788).

There are significant questions about Robert Lawson’s ancestry. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that he may have been the brother of Randolph Lawson, John Lawson and David Lawson, all of whom were Revolutionary War veterans who moved to present-day Scott County after the war. If so, he may have been a fourth Revolutionary War veteran who later lived at Scott County not listed on the plaque outside the old Scott County Courthouse in Huntsville — joining Abraham Goad, Randolph Lawson and Abel Peak — and giving Scott County a total of 16 Revolutionary War veterans.

See Also: Revolutionary War Veterans
See Also: Scott County Lineage Project

Background

Sometime between 1802 and 1807, Revolutionary War veteran Abraham Goad was part of a caravan from Virginia to the New River area of what is now Scott County. In 1802 he appeared on a tax list in Virginia, and in 1807 he was granted 100 acres on New River, which is now referred to as the Vanderpool Place.

With him on that journey were three of his children — Joshua (born 1786), Anna (born 1767) and Mary (born 1770). Mary was married to Thomas Phillips, and Anna was married to Robert Lawson. Joshua married Sarah Smiddy (Smithers). It isn’t clear whether they were married before the trip to Tennessee, but they likely were. Also on the trip was Thomas Phillips’ 15-year-old brother, Joseph Phillips, who later married Elizabeth “Millie” Lawson, the daughter of Revolutionary War veteran Randolph Lawson.

It’s not clear whether Randolph Lawson was on that journey with the Goads and Phillips, but he settled “next door” to Abraham Goad, near the mouth of Paint Rock Creek, and he was listed as a chainman when Abraham Goad’s property was surveyed in 1808, so if he wasn’t a part of the larger caravan to Tennessee, he followed closely behind. There’s also evidence that Abraham and Randolph served together and knew each other during the war. Two of Randolph’s brothers, David Lawson and John Lawson, also moved to present-day Scott County.

According to an old court record, Anna Goad and Robert Lawson were married in Montgomery, Va. on Aug. 1, 1793. The marriage record lists Anna’s father as Abraham Goad. Robert Lawson has traditionally been assumed to be the son of William Lawson (1731-1826) and Anne Harvey (1715-1775). William Lawson migrated from Scotland to Virginia colony and is referred to by genealogists as “The Scottish Rebel.” However, modern DNA testing is casting doubt on that original assumption.

Possibly ancestry

Modern DNA testing shows little evidence of a connection between William Lawson (1731-1826) and Robert Lawson, husband of Anna Goad. Genealogical researchers now suspect that Robert Lawson, husband of Anna Goad, was connected to the group of Lawsons from Virginia that they refer to as “The Falling River Lawsons,” a group that includes the brothers who migrated to present-day Scott County — Randolph, John and David.

Some genealogical records list Robert Lawson as the son of Jonas Lawson (1707-1771) and Millie Lawson (born about 1710). Jonas Lawson was a brother to Bartholomew Lawson (about 1717 – 1765), who was the father of Randolph, John and David Lawson.

Other genealogical records list Robert Lawson as the son of Bartholomew Lawson and Susanna Simpkins (about 1726 – 1787).

Depending on which of these records is correct, Robert Lawson may be a first cousin to Scott County’s Lawson brothers, or he may be the fourth Lawson brother who moved to present-day Scott County after the Revolutionary War.

These assumptions are supported by tax records from Henry County, Va. dated 1789 and 1790 that place Robert Lawson with other “Falling River” Lawsons. The records list Mormon Lawson (a brother to Randolph, David and John) and David Lawson, in addition to Robert Lawson. Additional records list Bartholomew and his wife Susannah, the father, along with David, Thomas, Jacob and Robert.

These records indicate that Robert Lawson may have been a son of Bartholomew Lawson, and a brother to Randolph, David and John.

Revolutionary War

In court records from Montgomery, Va., there is a reference to a council meeting from April 28, 1778 that discusses Capt. Johnathan Isom’s company from the Revolutionary War. Among the men in the company are Abram Goad, Randolph Lawson, Robert Lawson, Robert Lawson Jr., James Goad and James Goad Sr.

This is certainly not confirmation that Robert Lawson, husband of Anna Goad, served in the Revolutionary War, but with DNA evidence that Robert was not the son of William “The Scottish Rebel” Lawson, it’s reasonable to suspect that he was part of the Bartholomew Lawson family and served in the Revolutionary War alongside Randolph Lawson and Abraham Goad, and that he moved to present-day Scott County with them in the early 1800s.

Life in Tennessee

If it can be established that Robert Lawson served in the Revolutionary War, he would still need to have lived in present-day Scott County to be included as one of Scott County’s “forgotten” Revolutionary War veterans. Robert Lawson died in 1837, before Scott County was formed in 1849. Anna Goad Lawson is believed to have died about 1850. It isn’t known where either of them were buried.

Robert Lawson is found in Campbell County when the 1830 census was taken, along with one other person in his household. This is almost certainly Robert and Anna Lawson; unfortunately, the data census enumerators collected was limited prior to 1850. Anna may have died before the 1850 census was taken, the first after Scott County was formed, but she also doesn’t appear in the 1840 census.

There are a few records that support the assumption that Robert and Anna lived in Scott County. One is an 1810 land grant for 100 acres on New River, adjacent to Randolph Lawson and “the Goads.” As previously mentioned, Randolph Lawson and Abraham Goad — who appear to have served together in the Revolutionary War, perhaps with Robert — were next-door neighbors on New River, with Abraham owning 100 acres at what is now referred to as the Vanderpool Place, and Randolph owning land near the mouth of Paint Rock Creek. Another is an 1836 land entry, referring to a tract of land along “Montgomery Fork of New River.” While the land record is from Campbell County, this area would be in Scott County when Scott County was formed in 1849. Finally, when Ann Lawson, widow of Robert Lawson, filed a petition to request a dower of her late husband’s real estate on April 3, 1837 in Campbell County, appointed commission included Allen McDonald and Blackburn Thompson, who were from the Huntsville area.

Children

Robert Lawson and Anna Goad had at least four children: Sophronia Jane Lawson, Lucretia Lawson, James Robert Lawson, and David Lawson.