Sunday, August 25, 2013

Grandpa George Lawry


We never knew much about Daddy's side of the family. Cousin Oscar said he walked from Roanoke, Virginia, carrying the wooden tool box Aunt Sadie gave to Lloyd. At his death Kathy gave it to Delbert. It was burned when Delbert and Ellen's house burned down at the time of Cynda's wedding. Daddy said his father was Pennsylvania Dutch. His wife died and I don't know how many children he had.

1 comment:

  1. (what I know about George) - George was born near Culpepper (Fauquier County) Virginia, on March 4, 1839. He came with his father to Missouri as a young man, and several years later moved to Kansas. It is said that he worked as a Teamster, for the Union Army, hauling supplies to Southern Missouri, during the Civil War Period. He was married first, to Mary Runkle, and eight children were born to that union; William H. Lawry, and two daughters, R.E. Lawry, and Della Lawry; (the other 5 died in infancy). George is listed as a 'widower' in the 1885 KS census (living with 3 of his children - W. J. (male), Mary J. (female), & Dell E. (female). In May of 1886, George married Grace J. (Yeager) Helms. Seven children were born to the union of George William and Grace; Sadie Emma Lawry, George Newton Lawry, Jimmie Armine Lawry, Mary Susie Lawry, Bennie Eugene Lawry, Johnnie William Lawry, and Charlie Everett Lawry (who died in infancy). It is said by family members who remember, that George and Grace lived in almost incredible poverty, as George William became almost completely blind in 1888, shortly after his marriage to Grace. They lived in the small one room house that Grace's first husband, Daniel Helms had built prior to his death. All of Grace's children, from both Daniel and George, with the exception of her first two sons with Daniel, (Henry Finley Helms, and James Nichols Helms), were born in this house.

    Prior to George losing his eyesight completely, he quarried limestone rocks by hand, and laid stone fences around their feed lots. A number of years later Grace sold many of the rocks to be crushed for paving roads; presumably she needed the money for the family's basic needs.

    ReplyDelete