Individual Details

Middle Tennessee Land Grants, Feb 7 1826. Book 3, p.372
5 July 1824. Entry Warrant #2063 for 15 acres. Surveyed 9 May 1825 - in Blackburns Fork of Roaring River. Begin east boundary of tract grant Robert Elam; Moses McBrides north boundary, his line; Burket Kernards west boundary, bank of the creek, Nancy Shepherds south boundary. Granted 13 Aug 1825.

6 Mar 1827 Entry #1108 for 250 acres. Surveyed for Joshua Lawson 250 acres on south Fork of Blackburns fork. Begin near Jesse Kuykendalls west Boundary, west bank of the creek below Blackburns spring; including house, spring and improvements where Blackburn formerly lived. Surveyed 3 May 1827. Rick F. Cooke, D. S. Chain Carriers: Robert Lawson, Moses McBride.
RICHARD F. COOKE'S SURVEY OR PLAT BOOK; 1825-1835

1830 Census. Jackson Co TN
Joshua Lawson: 1m -5, 1m 15-20; 1f 20-30
Next to his father, but this census has been alphabetized.

1840 Jackson Co TN Census
Joshua with 2m 5-10, 1m 30-40, 2f under 5, 1f 5-10, 1f 20-30, and 1f 30-40.

From JOHN D. & JANE BROWNING LAWSON, COVERED WAGON PIONEERS, Mary Kay Lawson, 1985. The family made two trips to Missouri - 1st in 1838, spending a year and returning. In 1840 they went to Chariton Co MO and stayed until 1848. They moved to Macon Co MO for four years, then went to California in 1852. They left Bloomington Macon Co on 13 Apr 1852, and arrived at Gold Hill, Sierra Co CA, on 6 Sept. They tried mining for about a year, but on 14 Dec 1853 they located permanently on a farm in Yolo County. Joshua was a preacher of the Christian Church and organized the Christian Church in Woodland. He was also a mechanic and engaged in wagon & carriage making, There were 7 daughters, 2 son, several of whom died young.


Joshua patented 200 acres of land while in Chariton County.
1 Apr 1843 80 acres, the W 1/2 of the SE qtr of Sec 33, Twp 56, Range 18
1 Apr 1843 40 acres, the SE qtr of the NW qtr, Sec 33, Twp 56, Range 18
10 May 1848 80 acres, the NE qtr of the SW qtr of Sec 33, Twp 56, Range 18 and the SW qtr of the SW qtr of the same Section.

Chariton Co DB H, p.95
1 Apr 1841 James Harris & Jane his wife to Joshua Lawson for $400, 80 acres. East half of SE 1/4 of S33, T56, R18. Henry Clark, JP. Filed and recorded on 13 Dec 1843
Chariton Co DB P, p.96
25 Nov 1842 Joshua Lawson & Polly his wife to Harrison Locke for $500, 160 acres. SE 1/4 of S33, T56, R18. William R. Evans, JP. Recorded on 13 Dec 1843.

1850 Census. District 52, Macon Co MO, Hh 415
Joshua Lawson, age 46, Minister-Camp, b. VA. Polly, age 44, b. TN
Balan C. 19, John D. 18, Nancy E. 15, all born in Tennessee
Margaret 12, Jane 5, Parlina 3, born in Missouri
Pardon Roberts, age 25, b. TN, lived with the family
next door was Harvey Lawson [brother Elijah H.]

1860 Census. Cache Creek, Yolo Co, CA
Hh 678. Balun C. Lawson, 29, b. TN. He had a wife age 24, and 2-year-old daughter but there names have been written over and are obscured - the wife may have been Elizabeth.
Hh 679. J. D. Lawson, 28, b. TN. Jane, age 29, b. KY. ?Jenneh E. age 4, William N. 2, and James B. 6 months - children all born in California.
Hh 682 Joshua Lawson, 56, farmer, b. VA. Polly A., age 53, b. TN, Louisa J. age 15, born in MO. W. J. Prather, a dentist, and his family lived with them. W. J. was age 33, born in N.C. His wife was Margaret, age 21, b. MO [no doubt Margaret Lawson]. Their children born in California: Mary F. 5, Sonora A. 3, and Sarah I., age 1.

1870 Census. Cache Creek, Yolo Co, CA Woodland P.O.
Hh 230. John T. Boulware, age 29, clerk in store, b. KY. Louisa 25, b. MO, Charles 5 and Mary 1, born in CA.
Mary Lawson, age 63, b. Tennessee
Hh 376. William J. Prather, age 43. Margaret 31. Mary F. 15, Sonora A. 13, Isabella 11, William R. 9, John L. 3, Emma V. age 9 months, born in Aug 1869.
Hh 380. John D. Lawson, age 37, Dept.Sheriff, b. TN. Jane age 39. ?Genna E., age 14, William F. 12, James B. 10, Robert G. 5, and Eddie age 8 months, born September 1869.
Hh 527. Balen C. Lawson, age 29, b. TN. Elizabeth A., 30, b. MO
Martinez 12 [female], Joshua W. 9, Jennett 7, Lucy A. 5, and Florence E. age 2.

In 1880, Mary Lawson was still living with daughter Louisa and her husband John Boulware.

Joshua Lawson
Find A Grave Memorial# 87358419
Buried Woodland Cemetery, Yolo County, CA
Joshua Lawson, deceased, was born April 4, 1804, in Jackson County, Tennessee, and in November, 1829, he married Mary Chaffin, also a native of Tennessee. The family made two trips to Missouri, -- first in 1838, spending one year there and returning in 1839. In 1840 they made their second trip, locating in Chariton County, and remained there until 1848, removing thence to Macon County, where they resided four years, when he came to California, with ox teams. Leaving Bloomington, the county seat of Macon County, April 13, 1852, they arrived at Gold Hill, Sierra County, September 6. The whole family followed mining about a year. In September, 1853, they came into Sacramento, where they sojourned about two or three months in an old hut on K street, between Eighth and Ninth, and on December 14, came into Yolo County and located permanently on a farm four miles southwest of Woodland, now owned by Dr. Strong. The Lawson family all located land in the same neighborhood. Joshua Lawson died in Woodland, December 21, 1862, and the widow is still living, at the age of eighty-three years. In their family were seven daughters and two sons, of whom several died when young; four died in Woodland, and only two are now living, namely: Mrs. Shellhammer and J. D. Joshua Lawson was a fine mechanic, and followed mechanical pursuits for over thirty years prior to coming to California. He was a preacher of the Christian Church from 1835 to the time of his death. He was the prime mover in the organization of the Christian Church at Woodland, the first pastor of the Church worshiping there, and, unlike most pastors, he preached on Sunday without pecuniary reward, and attended to his mechanical pursuits during the week, -- wagon and carriage-making, blacksmithing, gunsmithing, etc. He was also one of the originators and founders of the Hesperian College at Woodland.
Source: Memorial & Biographical History of Northern California, The Lewis Publishing Co., 1891

Birth	5 Apr 1804	Rockbridge County, Virginia
Marriage	29 Nov 1829	Jackson County, Tennessee - Mary A. "Polly" Chaffin
Death	21 Dec 1862	Woodland, Yolo County, California

Spouse	Mary A. "Polly" Chaffin (1807 - 1891)
Child	Balaam C. Lawson (1830 - 1882)
Child	John Dowell Lawson (1832 - 1917)
Child	Nancy Lawson (1834 - 1915)
Child	Mary Lawson (1836 - 1840)
Child	Margaret Lawson (1839 - 1879)
Child	Judy Ann Lawson (1841 - 1847)
Child	Louisa Jane Lawson (1844 - 1881)
Child	Sarlina Lawson (1847 - 1856)
Child	Martha Ann Lawson (1850 - 1859)

Father	ROBERT Lawson Jr (1776 - 1850)
Mother	MARGARET Hicks (1780 - 1840)
Sibling	Jane Ann Lawson (1807 - 1847)
Sibling	ELIZABETH LAWSON (1809 - 1891)
Sibling	Margaret Lawson (1817 - 1883)
Sibling	Elijah Harvey Lawson (1818 - 1905)
Sibling	James Lawson (1820 - 1870)