The following information was assembled from numerous sources and cannot be used directly as proof of Qualifying Service or Lineage.
It is considered a research aid and is intended to assist in locating sources that can be used as proof.
Birth: abt 1761 / / VA Death: 20 Nov 1835 / Butler / KY
Qualifying Service Description:
1777-1778, he was a Private and served a 3-year tour in the company of Captain Moses Hawkins, commanded by Colonel Charles Lewis. During this period, he also served as a Corporal and a Sergeant, Virginia Line
1778-1779, he was made part of the company of Captain John Overton, commanded by Colonel William Davies
Additional References:
Revolutionary War Pension file S31205
Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War. Micropublication M881, roll 936. Washington: National Archives
Spouse: Abigail Gough Children: Henry G; Elizabeth;
Image taken and provided with permission from compatriot Roger Southerland (KY) member 198258
Grave Location is Unknown
GPS coordinates are for the monument on the Butler County KY courthouse lawn
Patriot Thomas Lawrence was living in Butler County, KY when he died
His estate sale recorded on November 19th, 1835 at the courthouse in Butler County, Kentucky
No entry found in Find-A-Grave - Oct 2023
Directions to Cemetery / Gravesite:
Photo: 1 of 1
Author: Roger Gayle Southerland
This biography was edited by and/or augmented by PRS staff.
Thomas Lawrence was born in about 1761 in Virginia.
During the Revolution, he enlisted Lieutenant George Holland of the 14th Virginia Regiment in February 1777 in Louisa County, Virginia, in the Continental Army for three years commitment. He served in the company of Captain Moses Hawkins, commanded by Colonel Charles Lewis, until shortly after the Battle of Germantown on 4 October 1777. After this point, he continued with the company as a Corporal and part of the time as a Sergeant. The remainder of the company rendezvoused with Colonel Johnson in Louisa County and then marched to Colchester, Maryland side, where they were inoculated for Small Pox.
Once the company had sufficiently recovered, they marched through Alexandria on the way to Philadelphia. There, they received supplies and clothing before joining the main Army under the command of General George Washington. His company was with Washington at the Battle of Brandywine on 11 September 1777 and was within a few feet of Captain Hawkins when he was shot in the head and died instantly. Colonel Lewis resigned his commission on 28 March 1778. A reorganized 10th Regiment was formed on 14 September 1778, commanded by Colonel William Davies. Thomas was assigned to the company of Captain John Overton. This Regiment was then attached to the Brigade commanded by General Peter Muhlenberg. After this, they were detached as a reinforcement to the troops commanded by General Wayne in the Battle of Stony Point on 16 July 1779, although his company was not in the assault, having been kept in reserve. Muhlenberg's Brigade took charge of the prisoners taken on that occasion. They then marched to rejoin the main Army on the way back to Philadelphia. There, his three-year enlistment had expired, and he was discharged.
Thomas married first to a woman identified by some genealogists as Savarah [surname also unproven]. They had several children, including:
Christina was born about 1785 and married Jeremiah Shelton.
Mary “Polly” was born on 30 March 1792 and married Samuel Ewing.
Martha “Patsy” was born about 1797 and married (2) to Martin Patterson.
He married again to Abigail Gourh on 19 October 1802 in Logan County, Kentucky. Their known children include:
Judith Lawrence was born in about 1803 and married Jonathan Shelton.
Elizabeth M. was born on 22 October 1804 and married Ralph Shelton.
Henry G. was born on 17 September 1807 and married Sallie Baucom.
William was born about 1809 and married (1) Rebecca Davis and (2) Patsy Pate.
Susan was born about 1809 and married Stephen Stepp
An 1837 Butler County, Kentucky deed lists some of the heirs of Thomas Lawrence, deceased. They are:
Christiana Shelton of Weakley County, Tennessee.
Martha Patterson and her husband Martin Patterson.
Judith Shelton and her husband Jonathan Shelton of Graves County, Kentucky.
Henry G. Lawrence of Marshall County, Kentucky.
Mary “Polly” Ewing and her husband Samuel Ewing
Who sold their father’s land in Butler County to Stephen Stepp. Thomas had purchased the property from Thomas Gourh on 13 December 1804. Stephen and Susan would sell this land in 1852.
He applied for his pension on 10 August 1832 at the age of 71 years. His references who swore to his service time were George Robards and Clabourn Bradshaw. The minutes of Sandy Creek Missionary Baptist Church in Butler County, Kentucky, state that he was a founding church member in 1805.
He died on 30 November 1835 in Butler County, Kentucky, and was buried at Sandy Creek Baptist Church cemetery. He is one of 31 of Butler County, Kentucky's Revolutionary War veterans honored by a monument dedicated on 12 October 2024 on the Butler County courthouse lawn in Morgantown, Kentucky.
Sources:
Revolutionary War Pension file S31205.
Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War. Micropublication M881, roll 936. Washington: National Archives.
Butler County, Kentucky Probate Estate Case Files 1810–1949, folio 75
Butler County, Kentucky Deed Book F, pages 592-594
Send a biographical sketch of your patriot!
Patriot biographies must be the original work of the author, and work submitted must not belong to another person or group, in observance with copyright law. Patriot biographies are to be written in complete sentences, follow the established rules of grammar, syntax and punctuation, be free of typographical errors, and follow a narrative format. The narrative should unfold in a logical manner (e.g. the narrative does not jump from time period to time period) or have repeated digressions, or tell the history of the patriot's line from the patriot ancestor to the author. The thinking here is that this is a patriot biography, not a lineage report or a kinship determination project or other report published in a genealogy journal. The biography should discuss the qualifying service (military, patriotic, civil) of the patriot ancestor, where the service was rendered, whether this was a specific state or Continental service, as well as significant events (as determined by the author) of the patriot's life. This is the entire purpose of a patriot's biography.
Additional guidelines around the Biography writeup can be found here:
Send your submission1, in a Microsoft Word compatible format, to patriotbios@sar.org for inclusion in this space 1Upon submission of a patriot biography, the patriot biography becomes the property of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, and may be edited to conform to the patriot biography submission standards.
