Chapter 6: Origin of the Lawton Family in England: The First Six Generations in America

** All Text on these chapter pages has been copied verbatim – with permission – from this book: “Shurtleff Family Genealogy & History – Second Edition 2005” by William Roy Shurtleff & his dad, Lawton Lothrop Shurtleff ** Text in pdf convert to word doc – any spelling errors from the book may or may not have been fixed. **

Our Lawton family (also spelled “Lawghtn,” “Laughton,” “Lauton,” or “Layton” in early records) comes from Cranfield Parish, Bedfordshire, England. We are now able, with confidence, to trace our Lawton line back to Richard Lawton who was born in about 1499 in Cranfield.

However, genealogists now agree that the Lawton family name comes from the residence of its first bearers in Cheshire, England, far to the Northeast of Cranfield. The place was named “Lautune” in the time of Edward the Confessor (1042-1066) and by 1200 or earlier it had changed to “Lauton.” In about 1500, with the adoption of the letter “w” in English writing, it became Lawton.

The ancient seat of the Lawtons in Cheshire was “Lawton Hall” (also called “Lawton Manor”) in the town Church Lawton, in Cheshire. This hall burned several times over the centuries; the present hall was built on the same location as it predecessors in about 1600. Members of the Lawton family still resided here until a comparatively recent date. The hall is now being renovated.

The Cheshire Lawtons trace their ancestral line back to Adam de Lauton, born before 1199 (possibly in Normandy), and died after 1216 in Cheshire, England. Apparently at some early date, one or more Lawtons moved from Church Lawton in Cheshire to Cranfield Parish (far to the southeast in Bedfordshire, and the known origin of our Lawton line)—but nobody has yet been able to make the connection. Many people in England are now working on that problem and new developments can be found at www.realm.lawton.net.

A legend (with no known historical basis, but still found on the wall of the Bleeding Wolf Inn, Scholar Green, England) purports to explain how the Lawton family first got land in Cheshire and why a wolf adorns the top of the Lawton coat of arms. When John (who ruled 1199-1216 and signed the Magna Carta) was king of England, he was hunting one day in the great forest that covered most of the Cheshire Plain. During the chase, the king lost his companions. Suddenly his horse was attacked by a great wolf. The king was thrown to the ground; the wolf turned on the fallen king. A nearby keeper, hearing the scuffle, ran towards the sounds. Seeing the wolf about to attack, he drew his hunting knife, threw himself on the beast, and plunged it into the snarling throat—killing the wolf and saving the life of the king. The forester, recognizing the king, fell to one knee but was ordered to rise. The king, finding that the keeper’s name was Lawton, rewarded him with a gift of all the land he could walk over in one week. “Moreover, the head of the wolf shall be on thy crest” (Lawton Ledger, Sept. 1995).

Early Lawtons in Cranfield Parish, Bedfordshire, England. Our earliest known ancestor was Richard Lawton, born perhaps about 1499, of Cranfield—during the reign of Henry VII. He apparently married a woman whose surname was Purrier in about 1520—she is mentioned in the will of her brother, John Purrier, made on 28 August 1558, as “syster Purrier.” Four other people with the surname Laughton are also mentioned in this will. Richard and his wife had five children, born between about 1523 and 1537. Our direct ancestor was Thomas Lawton, born about 1527 in Cranfield.

The first record of a Lawton in Cranfield parish is an inquisition on behalf of the king headed “Manor of Cranfield View of Frankpledge with Court held 13 October 27 Henry VIII” (1536), which states that Richard Lawghtn appeared as a juror, and adds: “At this Court it is found by the Homage that John Kent, out of Court, surrendered into the hands of Richard Red, a tenant of this Manor one grove called Hamse, to the use and behoof of Richard Lawghtn… at an Annual Rent to the Lord at the usual terms of 3s. 7d [3 shillings 7 pence] and all other services etc., and he does fealty and pays a fine, etc… Fine 6s. 8d.”

Richard is also mentioned in another record later that year and in a record dated 1542. In both of these latter two records, his surname is spelled Laughton. Richard died after 1542—probably during the reign of Henry VIII (ruled 1509-1547), well known for his six wives and his famous color portrait.

Thomas Lawton and Joan Wheeler. Born in about 1527, probably in Cranfield, Thomas Lawton probably married Joan Wheeler in 1552. The daughter of Thomas and Ellen Wheeler, she was born in about 1534. The will of Ellen Wheeler, widow of Thomas Wheeler, dated 17 December 1555 and proved 4 February 1555 /1556, named “Joan Lawton my daughter.” Thomas and Joan had three children (Joan, Marian, and Thomas) born between about 1553 and 1558. Thomas, the youngest child, was our direct ancestor. It is not known when Thomas Lawton or his wife, Joan, died. No will has been found for either.

Thomas Lawton and Mary. Thomas Lawton was born in about 1558 in Cranfield. His first marriage was to Mary (surname unknown), in about 1580. They had four children (George, Thomas, Mary, and Joan) born between about 1581 and 1587. The eldest, George, was our direct ancestor. We do not know when Mary died. Thomas’s second marriage was to Annis/Agnes (surname unknown) in about 1599. They had two more children (Richard and Annis) between 1600 and 1603.

Thomas died on 8 December 1605 in Wharley End, Cranfield, England. Burial records of Cranfield Parish show that he was buried there on that date. He left a very long and interesting will made on 3 December 1605 and written in early modern English; also in 1605 William Shakespeare’s plays Macbeth, Othello, and King Lear were first performed in England. The will begins as follows:

In the name of God Amen. The Third daye of December in the yeare of our lord God 1605 & in the Third yeare of the raigne of our Soueraigne Lord farmes [King fames] by the grace of god Kinge of Ingland and France and Ireland defender of the faith & of Scotland the 39th. I Thomas Lawton of Wharlend in the parish of Cranfield in the Countie of Bedford husbandman Beinge of good & perfect Remembrance Thankes be to God therefore, do ordain Constitute & make this my Last Will & Testament in manner & forme followinge First I bequeath my Soule into the hands of almightie God my maker hoping that through the pretious (precious] death & bloud sheddinge of Jesus Christ his sonne to have free remission of all my Sinnes, & my Body to be buried in the Church or Churchyeard of Cranfield aforesaid Item I doe give unto Thomas Lawton my sonne…

Witnesses: Thomas Wheler, Thomas Tapp, Robert Tapp, writer hereof. Transcribed by Zena Grant Collier, the original held at the Bedford Record Office (ref: ABP/W 160607).

George Lawton and Isabel Smith. George Lawton was born in 1580 or 1581 at Cranfield Parish, Bedfordshire, England. He married Isbell/Isabel Smith on 13 November 1606 in Cranfield. Probably the daughter of Francis and Ann Smith, Isabel was born in 1585 in Cranfield. George and Isabel had eight children. The first and fourth of these, George and Thomas, came to North America, apparently together, in about 1837. The children, all baptized (and probably born) in Cranfield, were:

1. George Lawton. Baptized 23 Sept. 1607. He married Elizabeth Hazard in about 1647 at Portsmouth, Newport Co., Rhode Island. He died there on 5 October 1693 and was buried in his orchard (see Austin 1978).
2. Sarah Lawton. Baptized 1 Oct. 1609.
3. Mary Lawton. Baptized 28 Oct. 1611.
4. Thomas Lawton. Baptized 17 April 1614. Married: (1) Elizabeth Salsburie on 29 May 1635 at Cranfield. (2) Mrs. Grace (Parsons) Bailey. He died in about 1681 at Portsmouth, Newport Co., Rhode Island (see Austin 1978).
5. Isaac Lawton. Baptized 3 Nov. 1616.
6. Bennet Lawton. Baptized 27 Feb. 1618.
7. Nicholas Lawton. Baptized 20 Feb. 1621.
8. Elizabeth Lawton. Baptized 29 May 1623.

George (the father) died on 26 November 1641 in Cranfield. His wife, Isabel, died after 1641 in Cranfield.

The First Generation of Lawtons in America. Thomas Lawton and George Lawton were the first Lawtons to arrive in North America. The immigrant ancestor of our Lawton line was Thomas Lawton, who was born in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, England. Baptism records of Cranfield Parish, Bedfordshire, show that Thomas Lawton was baptized there on 17 April 1614. Marriage records of Cranfield Parish show that Thomas Lawton’s first marriage was to Elizabeth Salsburie/Salisburie on 29 May 1635 in Cranfield, England. The daughter of John Salisburye and Margaret Crowley, she was born about 1616 in Cranfield.

Thomas and Elizabeth had six children, born between 1637 and 1650. The first was born in England and the rest in Portsmouth, Newport County Rhode Island The second of these, Daniel Lawton, is our director ancestor.

1. Elizabeth Lawton. Baptized in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, England on 10 Sept. 1637. She married Peleg Sherman on 25 July 1657 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. She died 16 March 1719/1720, probably in Kingstown, Rhode Island.
2. Daniel Lawton. Born about 1639 in Portsmouth. Married Rebecca Mott in 1665 in Portsmouth, Newport Co., Rhode Island. Died 28 June 1719 in Portsmouth.
3. Rebecca Lawton. Born 1641 in Portsmouth. Married Gershom Mott in 1663. She died between 1670 and 1725.
4. Ann Lawton. Born 1645 in Portsmouth. Married Giles Slocum on 26 March 1669 in Portsmouth. She died 1703 in Portsmouth.
5. Sarah F. Lawton. Born 16 Sept. 1647 in Portsmouth. Married George Sisson on 1 Aug. 1667 in Dartmouth, Bristol Co., Massachusetts. She died 5 July 1718 in Portsmouth.
6. Isaac Lawton. Born 11 Dec. 1650 in Portsmouth. He married (1) Mary Sisson in 1672 in Portsmouth. (2) Elizabeth Tallman on 3 March 1673/1674 in Portsmouth. (3) Mrs. Naomi Bartholomew Hunt on 11 Oct. 1701 in Portsmouth. He died 25 Jan. 1731/1732 in Portsmouth.

Thomas arrived in the British Colonies of North America (Portsmouth, Rhode Island) in about 1638, at age 24, probably together with his brother, George, who was a captain in the British Royal Navy. In 1636 Roger Williams had established Providence as a permanent settlement for religious dissenters. On 30 April 1639 Thomas was one of 29 people (including his brother) who signed the pact of Portsmouth, acknowledging that they were legal subjects of King Charles of England, and in his name bound themselves into a civil body politic. Thomas Lawton (often spelled “Layton”) served as commissioner from Portsmouth to the General Court in 1655, 1656, 1658, and 1661. In Portsmouth, he was granted land near the top of Quaker Hill and also south of Union Street. He later acquired extensive lands (at least 600 acres) outside of Portsmouth—to the northwest in Warwick, Rhode Island; to the southwest in Dartmouth and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts; and far to the south in Shrewsbury Township, New Jersey.

All of Thomas’s children were born by his first wife, Elizabeth. She died some time after 16 November 1654, when she marked a deed at Portsmouth.

His second marriage, before 1674, was to Mrs. Grace (Parsons) Bailey, daughter of Hugh and Elizabeth Parsons and widow of William Bailey. On 14 June 1676 the General Assembly voted her six shillings per week in silver as relief in the absence of her husband, who was probably disabled in King Philip’s War (1675-1676)–a series of raids and skirmishes between colonists and Native Americans that raged through the towns and villages of New England. This war seriously damaged Indian-Colonist relations for decades.

During the years that our Thomas Lawton lived in America: Massachusetts became the first British colony in North America to legalize slavery (1641, followed by Connecticut and Virginia in 1650). The English Civil War was fought (1642-45; the Royalists (king) vs. Parliament led by Oliver Cromwell). Peter Stuyvesant was sent from Holland to New Amsterdam (later New York City) to shape it up and make it profitable (1647). After Royalists lost the English Civil War, the first English king in history (Charles I) was beheaded (1649). The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge was established (1660). Roger Williams was granted a charter for the colony of Rhode Island by King Charles II of England (1663). A Virginia court decided that a child born to a slave will also be a slave (1663; prior to this black children were born free). The British captured New Amsterdam from Peter Stuyvesant and the Dutch, then renamed it New York (1664). Isaac Newton discovered the law of universal gravitation (1666).

Thomas Lawton, a yeoman, made his lengthy will on 5 June 1674 in Portsmouth. We do not know exactly when he died, but he was dead by 29 September 1681, when his will was proved.

In it he stated: “I do hereby declare that although Grace have not behaved herself towards me as a wife ought to do towards her husband, yet for the manifestation of my care of her I do hereby give and bequeath unto her all the goods that are yet remaining in my custody… also one good feather bed and bolster”-plus an annual payment of 12 pounds. He left the rest of his wealth to his surviving children: Daniel (executor), Isaac, Elizabeth Shearman, Anne Slocum, and Sarah Sisson.

The Second Generation of Lawtons. Daniel Lawton was born about 1639 at Portsmouth, Rhode Island-the first of our Lawtons to be born in the New World. He married Rebecca Mott in 1665 in Portsmouth. The daughter of Adam Mott and Mary Lott, she was born in September 1648 in Portsmouth. Daniel lived in Portsmouth and was very prominent; he was a deputy to the General Court in 1674, and served on the grand jury at Portsmouth 1687. Rebecca died before Daniel and before 1719. He died 28 June 1719 in Portsmouth.

Daniel and Rebecca Lawton had 12 children, all born at Portsmouth, Newport Co., Rhode Island. Of these, Adam, the fifth, was our direct ancestor.

1. Thomas Lawton. Born 1 March 1665/1666. Married Sarah Barker. Died before 19 Feb. 1718/1719.
2. Daniel Lawton. Born 28 Oct. 1667. Married Ruth between 1695 and 1700. Died after 1746 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
3. Rebecca Lawton. Born 24 Feb. 1668/1669.
4. Jeremiah Lawton. Born 20 Dec. 1670. Married Grissel Fish. Died after 1 Nov. 1743.
5. Adam Lawton. Born 5 Jan. 1671 /1672. Married Mary Slocum in about 1700. Died before 8 June 1736 in Portsmouth.
6. Elizabeth Lawton. Born 12 March 1673/1674. Married Nathaniel Dunn. Died 19 May 1741 in New Shoreham, Rhode Island.
7. Mary Lawton. Born 31 Aug. 1675. Married James Borden. Died after Dec. 1727 in New Jersey.
8. Isaac Lawton. Born about 1677. Married Mary Peckham in 1700 in Middletown, Rhode Island. Died before 4 March 1709/1710.
9. Sarah Lawton. Born about 1679. Married Lawrence Clark. Died before 15 Nov. 1733.
10. Jonathan Lawton. Born about 1681. Married Elizabeth Richardson before 1703 in Newport, Rhode Island. Died 13 May 1720 in Newport.
11. Joseph Lawton. Born about 1682. Married (1) Mary Burrington in May 1704 in Portsmouth. (2) Content Irish on 4 Jan. 1714/1715 in Portsmouth.
12. Benjamin Lawton. Born 1685. Married (1) Penelope Gardiner on 8 Sept. 1709 in Kingstown, Rhode Island. (2) Abigail Anthony on 7 Nov. 1751 in Portsmouth.

Daniel’s will, dated 20 Feb. 1718/1719 and proved on 15 July 1719, named his 10 descendants, including his son Joseph, executor. Near the end we read: “Inventory: 135 Pounds, ls., 6d. [1 shilling, 6 pence], viz: Bible, warming pan, wearing apparel, plate buttons, cane, silver buttons and plate, 12 pounds, 6s., 8d.; pewter, money scales, mare, neat cattle, 33 pounds; sheep and lambs, 30 Pounds; swine 2 Pounds.”

The Third Generation of Lawtons. Adam Lawton was born on 5 January 1671/1672 at Portsmouth, Newport County, Rhode Island. He married Mary Slocum in about 1700 in Portsmouth. The daughter of Giles Slocum and Ann Lawton, she was horn on 31 January 1675/1676. Adam died in Portsmouth before 8 June 1736, the date that his will was proved. His widow, Mary, remarried to John Coggeshall. She died in Portsmouth before 12 March 1759, the date her will was made. In this will she named three sons (Thomas, William, and Adam Lawton) and a daughter (Mary Richmond), plus about nine other relatives-two grandsons, six granddaughters, and a daughter-in-law. Adam and Mary had five children, of whom Adam was our direct ancestor. The first four were born in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

1. Thomas Lawton. Married (1) Jane Barker. (2) Amy Poole on 20 May 1766 in Westerly, Rhode Island. He died before 1784.
2. Rebecca Lawton. Married John Sisson in about 1721. She died before 1759.
3. Mary Lawton. Born 23 Sept. 1703. Married Stephen Richard in 1725 in Portsmouth. She died on 16 Feb. 1793.
4. Adam Lawton. Born about 1705. Married Martha Slocum on 24 Oct. 1727 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. He died on 11 Oct. 1767.
5. William Lawton. Born about 30 March 1707 in Little Compton, Newport Co., Rhode Island. Married Sarah Southworth on 20 Feb 1745/1746 in Little Compton. He died about 1785 in Middletown, Rhode Island. Much is known about his life.

The Fourth Generation of Lawtons. Adam Lawton was born in about 1705 in Portsmouth. He married Martha Slocum of Newport, Rhode Island, on 24 October 1727. The daughter of Giles Slocum and Mary Paine, she was born about 1709, probably in Newport. He died on 11 October 1767 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. She died 11 October 1778 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

Adam and Martha (Slocum) Lawton had five children, all born at Portsmouth, Newport County Rhode Island. Giles, the eldest, was our direct ancestor.

1. Giles Lawton. Born 4 Aug. 1729. Married (1) Hannah Peckham on 17 April 1751 in Portsmouth. Married (2) Mary Lawton on 30 Jan. 1766. He died 2 Dec. 1810.
2. Ruth Lawton. Born 16 Oct. 1731. Married Peter Barker, Jr. on 8 Nov. 1752. She died in 1787.
3. Peleg Lawton. Born 11 Nov. 1735. Married (1) Ruth. Married (2) Anne Cook on 12 May 1757 in Newport.
4. Hannah Lawton. Born 3 March 1739/1740
5. Sarah Lawton. Born 24 Feb. 1747/1748. Married Benjamin Barker on 1 June 1769. She died on 18 Aug. 1825.

The Fifth Generation of Lawtons. Giles Lawton was born 4 August 1729 in Portsmouth. His first marriage was to Hannah Peckham on 17 April 1751. The daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Peckham of Little Compton, Rhode Island, she died in 1764, after bearing three children, none of whom was in our direct line.

1. Elizabeth Lawton. Born 1752.
2. Giles Lawton. Born Oct. 12, 1753.
3. Hannah Lawton. Born 9 July 1756.

Giles Lawton married a second time to Mary Lawton on 30 January 1766. The daughter of John Lawton and Abigail Abbott, she was born on 2 August 1733 (or 30 November 1731) in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. They had five children, all born in Portsmouth, Newport County, Rhode Island. Of these George Lawton, the eldest was our direct ancestor.

1. George Lawton. Born 30 March 1767. Married Abigail Hall in May 1794 in Newport, Rhode Island. Died in 1848 in Bonney Hill, Hamilton Co., New York.
2. Anna Lawton. Born 2 Aug. 1768. Married 28 July 1791 to Beriah Anthony. Died 8 May 1825.
3. Adam Lawton. Born 27 March 1770. Married (1) Abigail Anthony on 30 Aug. 1793. Married (2) Susannah Slocum before 1813. Adam died on 20 Dec. 1860. His gravestone is in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Portsmouth.
4. Philip Wanton Lawton. Born 8 Jan. 1773. Married Lusannah Borden on 6 Feb. 1810. Died 11 Jan. 1848 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Gravestone in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Portsmouth.
5. Abigail Lawton. Born 12 Oct. 1776. A twin. Died 11 Aug. 1797 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
6. John Lawton. Born 12 Oct. 1776. A twin. Died Nov. 1776 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

The Sixth Generation of Lawtons. George Lawton was born 30 March 1767 at Portsmouth, Newport Co., Rhode Island. He married Abigail Hall in May 1794 at Newport County Rhode Island. The daughter of George Hall and Charity Fish, she was born on 19 September 1775. George Hall was born on 5 April 1735 and Charity Fish was born on 9 November 1738. George and Charity were probably married in about 1759. Over the next 21 years the Halls kept busy bearing and rearing a family of 14 children. The tenth of these, Abigail, was our direct ancestor. The Hall family looked like this:

1. Sarah Hall. Born 17 June 1760.
2. Ruth Hall. Born 10 Dec. 1761.
3. Mary Hall. Born 12 Dec. 1763. A twin.
4. Hannah Hall. Born 12 Dec. 1763. A twin.
5. Phebe Hall. Born 3 Sept. 1765.
6. William Hall. Born 28 March 1767.
7. Isaac Hall. Born 17 May 1769.
8. George Hall. Born 11 Dec. 1770.
9. Stephen Hall. Born 15 Aug. 1772.
10. Abigail Hall. Born 14 or 19 Sept. 1773.
11. Jane Hall. Born 18 June 1775.
12. Parker Hall. Born 22 Nov. 1776.
13. Nancy Hall. Born 25 Sept. 1779.
14. Daniel Hall. Born 16 July 1781.

George Lawton and Abigail Hall carried on the large family tradition, having 10 children of their own. Of these, Charles D. Lawton, the fifth
child, was our direct ancestor. The last five children were probably born in Hamilton, Madison County New York. For more information about Aaron, Giles, and Cyrus see: (1) The Names and Sketches of the Pioneer Settlers of Madison County, New York, by William H. Tuttle (1984, p.145). (2) Lawton Ledger, Vol. VII, No. 3, p. 19 (fall 2001)

1. Edward Lawton. Born 29 March 1795 in Portsmouth, Newport County Rhode Island. Lived in Booneville, Missouri.
2. Aaron D. Lawton. Born 14 Oct. 1797 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Married Eunice. Lived in Marshall, Missouri.
3. Christopher Fr. Lawton. Born 7 April 1799 in Nashville, Tennessee. Lived in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
4. Sarah Lawton. Born 11 Nov. 1800 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Married Simeon M. Smith in Michigan.
5. Charles D. Lawton. Born 7 Sept. 1802 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Married Susan Amelia Houghteling on 5 June 1837 in Galen, Wayne Co., New York. Died 31 Aug. 1877 in Clyde, Wayne Co., New York.
6. Charity Jane Lawton. Born 29 Sept. 1804. Married Jethro Bonney.
7. Giles Lawton. Born 26 June 1806. Married Marietta. Lived in Hamilton, New York.
8. Anthony G. Lawton. Born 13 March 1808.
9. Hannah Lawton. Born 14 March 1810.
10. Cyrus Lawton. Born 3 June 1812.