Lawson

William Harris Lawson Sr, Father
23 January 1931 - 20 November 2020 (89)
b. Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana
d. Rochester, Fulton, Indiana

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Dad managed a shoe store at the time he was called to preach, so he said he "went from soles to souls." Dad and I were both called to preach during Candlelight Communion as we knelt together at the communion rail on Christmas Eve, 1959. We quietly left the church and went home. Dad went into the kitchen for a few minutes to talk with Mom, and when he came out, I went in. I told Mom about the experience, and she called Dad back in. Then she told us both that we had each told her the same story. Soon after, we exchanged nicknames on the staircase; he became Will, and I became Bill. Until his final earthly days, Dad was affectionately known as Rev. Will. 

Conversational prayer was the centerpiece of Dad's pastoral and evangelistic ministry. Even after his passing, people continued to tell me how their lives had been transformed after he taught them to pray conversationally. He was very intentional about prayer. In his later years, he maintained a telephone prayer tree and would follow up rigorously.  

Dad insisted that everyone is welcome at the Communion Table and at the altar in their hearts, regardless of their beliefs, practices, and opinions, even as firmly as he held his own views. Dad had an affinity for ecumenism. He enjoyed participating in meaningful interdenominational and interfaith cooperative endeavors and liked to visit various Christian sacred spaces and those of other religions wherever he lived and traveled.

After retirement from The United Methodist Church, Rev. Will continued to be active in church as long as he was able. He accepted interim pastoral appointments, guest preaching invitations, and local church opportunities. He served as a Chaplain Major in the Air Force Reserves and was a leader in  Lions Clubs International. Dad was a member of Carmel Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, Order of the Eastern Star, Scottish Rite, and York Rite. 

William Harris Lawson Sr. and Barbara Lou Tridle were married on 3 February 1951. They had me and my two sisters, Lynn and Lori. Dad died on 20 November 2020 and was buried at Oaklawn Memorial Gardens. 

Parents:
William Malcolm James Lawson 1908-1967
Thelma Irene Brown 1912-1991

Maternal Lineage

Thelma Irene Brown > Ina Belle Benton > Elizabeth Adeline Crawford  > Charity Elizabeth Spear  > Mary Kates  (1798-1872 Harris County, Georgia)

Spouse: Barbara Lou Tridle 1929-2001

Married: 3 Feb 1951

Children: 3

1. William Harris Lawson, Jr. (Living)
2. Deborah Lynn Lawson (Living)
3. Loretta Lee Lawson (Living)

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William Malcolm James Lawson Grandfather
11 October 1908 - 22 October 1967 (59)
b. Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland
d. Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana

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"BumBum" as his grandchildren affectionatly called him, "Bill" as most of his friends and family called him, and "Malcolm" or "MJ" as colleagues and associates often called him, was best known for his humor and his devotion to church and family. 

Bill entered the workforce after high school at The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P) as a butcher and worked his way up through managerial ranks to produce buyer after 35 years of service. 

He was active in many civic and social organizations, including the First Methodist Church of Carmel, Order of Eastern Star No. 4, Masters and Wardens Association, Scottish Rite, Shriners, and Free and Accepted Masons, where he was serving as Master at the time of his death. 

William Malcolm James Lawson and Thelma Irene Brown were married on 17 November 1929 at Central Avenue Methodist Church. They had one son, my father, William Harris Lawson Sr, and one daughter, Dorothy Irene Lawson, who died at birth. They had one foster daughter, Betty Louise Mundy. He died on 22 October 1967 and was buried in the Masonic Garden at Oaklawn Memorial Gardens in Hamilton County, Indiana. 

Obituaries (Indianapolis Star) (Noblesville Ledger) |  

Parents:
Donald James Lawson 1871-1940
Ida May Rummel 1884-1973

Barbara Nafziger 1736-1820, mother of  Catherine Livengood 1773-1854, mother of Elizabeth Riblet 1800-1882, mother of Mary Ann Dishong 1821-1914, mother of Abbie Ann Dishong 1860-1914, mother of Ida May Rummel 1884-1973, mother of William Malcolm James Lawson

Spouse: Thelma Irene Brown 1912-1991
Married: 17 Nov 1929

Children:

1. Dorothy Lawson 1930-1930
2. William Harris Lawson 1931-2020

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Donald James Lawson, Great Grandfather
16 March 1871 - 9 January 1940 (68)
b. Windsor, Essex, Ontario, Canada
d. Indianapolis, Indiana, Marion, Indiana

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Parents:
Robert Henry Lawson 1828-1896
Mary Ann Anderson 1832-1910

Maternal Lineage
Anna Maria Hosier 1806-1866 mother of Mary Ann Anderson, mother of Donald James Lawson

Spouse: Emma Christina 1870-1925
Married: Abt. 1890

Children: 

1. Harold Charles Lawson 1891-1972

Spouse: Ida May Rummel 1884-1973
Married:  26 Nov 1901

Children:

1. Shannon H Lawson 1904-1990
2. Mae Abby Lawson 1905-1972
3. Myrtle Grace Lawson 1906-1957
4. Malcolm James Lawson 1908-1967
5. Robert Henry Lawson 1915-1979

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Robert Henry Lawson Jr, 2nd Great Grandfather
26 December 1828 - 28 July 1896 (67)
b. Bethnal Green, Middlesex, England
d. Windsor, Essex, Ontario, Canada

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Parents:
Robert Henry Lawson Sr 1806-1875
Elizabeth Ann Pond 1809-1882

Maternal Lineage
Hannah Bridgefoot 1720-1760, mother of Elizabeth Smallbrook, mother of Elizabeth Butcher, mother of Elizabeth Ann Pond, mother of Robert Henry Lawson Jr

Spouse: Mary Jane Osborn 1826-1854
Married: Abt. 1840

Children: 1

1. Mary Jane Lawson 1848-1896

Spouse: Mary Ann Anderson 1832-1918
Married: 25 Dec 1856

Children:

1. Mary Ann Elizabeth Lawson 1857-1918
2. Robert Henry Lawson 1859-1931
3. Richard H. Lawson 1860-1920
4. George Herman Lawson 1864-1927
5. Catherine Isabella Lawson 1865-1925
6. Alfred William Lawson 1869-1954
7. Walter Lawson 1870-1870
8. Donald James Lawson 1871-1940
9. Alexander James Lawson 1874-1940
10. Collins Thomas Lawson 1876-1929

Spouse: Rebecca Sparrow 1860-1920
Married: Abt. 1885

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Robert Henry Lawson Sr, 3rd Great Grandfather
24 March 1806 - December 1875 (69)
b. Bethnal Green, Middlesex, England
d. Lambeth, London, England

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Parents:

James Lawson 1761-1826

Elizabeth Lawson 1779-1865

Maternal Lineage
Elizabeth Lawson 1779-1865, mother of Robert Henry Lawson Sr

Spouse: Elizabeth Ann Pond  1809-1882

Married: 16 May 1825

Children:

1. Robert Henry Lawson 1828-1896
2. William Lawson 1830-1875
3. James Lawson 1832-1885
4. Henry John Lawson 1834-1878
5. George Lawson 1836-1908

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James Lawson, 4th Great Grandfather
1761 - 1826 (65)
b. England
d. London, Middlesex, England

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Parents: 

Ralph Lawson 1740-1826

Elizabeth Ann Austin 1740-1819

Maternal Lineage
Mary Dollman 1720-1782, mother of Elizabeth Ann Austin, mother of James Lawson

Spouse: Elizabeth Lawson 1779-1865

Married:  1800

Children:   6

1. William Lawson 1800-1860
2. George Lawson 1803-1874
3. Robert Henry Lawson 1806-1875 [3rd GGF]
4. James Lawson 1806-1875
5. Mary Lawson 1808-1868
6. Elizabeth Lawson 1811-1871

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Ralph Lawson, 5th Great Grandfather
1740-1806 (66)
b. Unknown
d. Unknown

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Parents:
John Lawson 1725-1793

Maternal Lineage Unknown

Spouse:  Elizabeth Ann Austin  1750-1819
Married:  1860

Children:  1

1. James Lawson 1761-1826

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John Lawson, 6th Great Grandfather
1725-1793 (68)
b. London, England
d. Unknown

Parents: 
Thomas Lawson 1696-1745

Maternal Lineage Unknown

Spouse: Theodosia Whetham 1721-1781
Marriage: 16 June 1741 in London, England

Children:

1. Ralph Lawson 1740-1806

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Lawson Surname Lineage 

Thomas Lawson I 1632-1692, father of  Thomas Lawson II 1655-1714, father of  Thomas Lawson III 1696-1745, father of John Lawson 1725-1793, father of Ralph Lawson 1740-1806, father of James Lawson 1761-1826, father of Robert Henry Lawson Sr. 1806-1875, father of Robert Henry Lawson Jr. 1828-1896, father of Donald James Lawson 1871-1940, father of William Malcolm James Lawson 1908-1967, father of William Harris Lawson Sr. 1931-2020, father of the author.

Lawson Migration

Biggar, Scotland > Northumberland, England > York, Yorkshire, England > London, Middlesex, England > Windsor, Canada > Johnstown, Pennsylvania > Baltimore, Maryland > Brooklyn, New York > Indianapolis, Indiana > Marion, Hamilton, Wayne Allen, Delaware, Fulton, Grant, Kosciusko, Madison, Randolph and Tippecanoe Counties, Indiana > Rochester, Indiana > California > Tennessee > Kentucky. 

Undocumented family lore includes the migration of William Lawson from Biggar, Scotland, sometime prior to the birth of Thomas Lawson I in Northumberland, England, in 1632. Additional undocumented lore includes the family migration sometime between the 1725 death of his great-grandson John Lawson and the 1772 marriage of John's son Ralph Lawson from Northumberland to York, Yorkshire, England, and from there to London, Middlesex, England, prior to the 1802 record of residence for Ralph Lawson. His great-grandson, Robert Henry Lawson, immigrated from London to Windsor, Canada in 1870. My great-grandfather, Donald James Lawson, was born the next year and immigrated at the turn of the century to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where he married my great-grandmother in 1901. After 1906, they moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where my grandfather, William Malcolm James Lawson, was born in 1908. By 1910, the family had moved to Brooklyn, New York, and by 1915, settled in Indianapolis, Indiana, where my father, William Harris Lawson Sr., was born. My grandparents bought and expanded their home, a former toll house with two and a half acres on what is now Westfield Boulevard, at the end of 111th Street, down the road from where my mother grew up. Prior to the ministry, our family lived in Marion, Hamilton, and Wayne Counties. During their church ministry, my parents served communities in Allen, Delaware, Fulton, Grant, Kosciusko, Madison, Randolph, and Tippecanoe Counties before retiring in Rochester, Indiana. I moved from Indiana to California, then Tenessee, then Kentucky.

Geography

Canada

•    Ontario | Essex | Windsor 

England

• Northumberland
• North Yorkshire | York
• Greater London | London | Middlesex

Scotland

• South Lanarkshire | Biggar

United States of America

• Indiana
• Allen County | Fort Wayne
• Delaware County | Gaston | Albany | New Burlington
• Fulton County | Rochester
• Grant County | Gas City
• Hamilton County | Carmel 
• Kosciusko County | Mentone
• Madison County | Anderson | Perkinsville
• Marion County | Indianapolis | Broad Ripple
• Randolph County | Fairview
• Tippecanoe County | West Lafayette
• Wayne County | Richmond 
• Maryland
• Baltimore County | Baltimore
• New York
• Kings | Brooklyn
• Pennsylvania
• Cambria County | Johnstown

Acknowledgments

Family Photo. "William H. Lawson, Sr.," ca. 2015. 

Bibliography

Ancestry ®.  “Indiana, U.S., Birth Certificates, 1907-1944. Indiana Archives and Records Administration; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Birth Certificates; Year: 1931; Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Ancestry.   www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/60871/images/40474_356522-00045  Accessed 17 January 2024.

---. "England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858 for Ralph Lawson," 1806. Probate Date 6 Feburary 1806. Prob 11: Will Registers > 1805-1807 > Piece 1438: Pitts, Quire Numbers 108-159 (1806), Page 297. Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Ancestry ®. ancestry.com image of will at www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/62722:5111?ssrc=pt&tid=10075800&pid=122245384186 17 January 2024.

---. "Public Member Trees Database.” © 1997-2023 Ancestry ®. Ancestry. ancestry.com/ Lawson-Robertson Family Tree person record for William H. Lawson, Sr.  www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/10075800/person/-701916554/facts  User profile for William Harris Lawson, Jr., user Livingweb. 17 January 2024.

Carmel Lodge #421 F&AM. "Home." carmel421.com 23 January 2024. Accessed 17 January 2024.

Find a Grave, database, and images (www.findagrave.com/memorial/218906940/william-harris-lawson: accessed 17 January 2024), memorial page for Rev William Harris "Will" Lawson  (23 January 1931 - 20 November 2020, Find a Grave Memorial ID 218906940, citing Oaklawn Memorial Gardens, Fishers, Hamilton County, Indiana, USA; Maintained by user christus rex inferorum (contributor 50180202).

Indiana Conference of The United Methodist Church. "About the Indiana Conference." United Methodist Churches of Indiana. https://www.inumc.org/who-we-are/ Accessed 17 January 2024.

Lions Clubs International. "Home." Lions Clubs International. www.lionsclubs.org/en 17 January 2024.

Order of the Eastern Star. "General Grand Chapter." Order of the Eastern Star.   easternstar.org 17 January 2024.

Supreme Council, AASR, NJM, USA. "Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction." Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. scottishritenmj.org Accessed 17 January 2024. 

Visit Britain. "York." VisitBritain. www.visitbritain.com/en/destinations/england/york Accessed 17 January 2024.

Visit Maryland. "Visit Baltimore."  baltimore.org/  Visit Maryland. Accessed 18 January 2024.

Visit Northumberland. "Northumberland." Northumberland. www.visitnorthumberland.com/  17 January 2024.

VisitScotland. "Biggar." VisitScotland. www.visitscotland.com/info/towns-villages/biggar-p237141 Accessed 17 January 2024.

Wikipedia Contributors. "Brooklyn," 18 January 2024. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.         en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn  Accessed 18 January 2024.

---. "Fort Wayne, Indiana," 17 January 2024. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Wayne,_Indiana   Accessed 18 January 2024.

---. "Johnstown, Pennsylvania," 5 January 2024. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnstown,_Pennsylvania  Accessed 18 January 2024.

---. "Perkinsville, Indiana," 17 December 2023. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perkinsville,_Indiana   Accessed 18 January 2024.

York Rite. "Official Information." The York Rite of Freemasonry. yorkrite.org/wp/  Accessed 17 January 2024.

Miscellanea

The original date of this post: 23 January 2024, the 93rd birthday of William Harris Lawson, Sr.
Most recently updated on 6 September 2025

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