The Genealogy of Ervin Billy Lawson The Genealogy of Ervin Billy Lawson © 2013 by John Robert Cole All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the author. ERVIN BILLY LAWSON Born 16 Sep 1952, Spartanburg, South Carolina TABLE OF CONTENTS LAWSON ............................................................................................................................... 1 GARNER............................................................................................................................. 29 LAWSON ............................................................................................................................ 41 OWENS .............................................................................................................................. 45 CLAYTON .......................................................................................................................... 57 LEOPARD .......................................................................................................................... 65 ETHEREDGE ..................................................................................................................... 73 HART .................................................................................................................................. 77 JERNIGAN.......................................................................................................................... 81 DRURY ............................................................................................................................... 95 CALTHORPE .................................................................................................................. 103 STAPLETON ................................................................................................................... 111 DE LA POLE ................................................................................................................... 117 BARDOLF ....................................................................................................................... 123 BELLEW ......................................................................................................................... 131 BRUS ............................................................................................................................... 135 DAMORY ......................................................................................................................... 147 GRANDISON .................................................................................................................. 151 CLARE ............................................................................................................................. 155 PLANTAGENET ............................................................................................................. 169 FORNJOT ........................................................................................................................ 177 INTRODUCTION The GENEALOGY OF ERVIN BILLY LAWSON originated as an experiment. As the family historian to my own family, I thought it would be interesting to apply my research techniques and writing skills to a family other than my own. It’s not that I didn’t have enough personal research to keep me busy, that’s for sure. As anyone who has ever researched his or her own family knows, every parent, grandparent, and great grandparent had parents, grandparents, and great grandparents. These folks, in turn, had their own set of ancestors who had ancestors. Add in aunts, uncles, and cousins and it’s easy to see how much time and effort can be spent pursuing one’s own genealogical interests – let alone someone else’s. Still, I needed a diversion. I met Ervin – or E.B. – in the summer of 2011 when I was stationed at the Coast Guard Fourteenth District in Honolulu, Hawai`i. Over the next two years we worked together, advancing information technology capabilities throughout the Pacific region. Over time we became friends. He was – and is – one of the smartest and most engaging people I have ever met. Nevertheless, E.B. often claimed he was just a “dumb ole country boy”. Considering his talent, intelligence, and keen people skills, I found the statement shocking. Over time, however, I surmised his mantra was a form of self-deprecation: a way for him to deflect the expected prejudicial and stereotypical responses from those narrow-minded individuals who learn his family hailed from the Confederate side of the Mason-Dixon. It is truly heartbreaking to know that, nearly 150-years after the end of the American Civil War, there remains a notional divide between the North and the South. Some wounds heal very slowly indeed. Nevertheless, it is true that the Lawson family has roots in the Confederate South. Amos Lawson, E.B.’s paternal 2nd great grandfather, was a Confederate private with the South Carolina 5th State Troops, Company G (Infantry). He served 6-months, between August 1, 1863, when the company was formed, and February 1, 1864, when it disbanded. Calvin Clayton, his maternal 2nd great grandfather, also served with the Confederacy. Calvin enlisted in Company D of the North Carolina 60th Infantry Regiment and served for a short period of time. Both Amos and Calvin fought for what they believed was right – regardless of whether history would agree with them or not. They were men willing to sacrifice their very lives for the greater good. For this reason, E.B. should be very proud of his Southern heritage. The Civil War was only one of many historical events in which E.B.’s ancestors showed their patriotism. If we look further back in time, we find Samuel Etheredge, E.B.’s maternal 6th great grandfather, and James Hart, i GENEALOGY OF ERVIN BILLY LAWSON – INTRODUCTION another of E.B.’s maternal great grandfathers (5th), together supporting the freedom of our country. This time it was not North versus South but a fledgling United States fighting the tyranny of the Kingdom of Great Britain. Samuel served in the militia of South Carolina and James with Moore’s Troops, Middleton’s Regiment, during the Revolutionary War (1775–1783). The Lawson heritage extends well beyond the Thirteen Colonies to the times when knights and roamed the English countryside. Through the Jernigan line, E.B. is a direct descendant of Malcolm II, King of Scotland, Ferdinand II, King of Castile, and a series of early English monarchs that included Henry I, Henry II, Henry III, and Edward I. E.B. is a direct descendant of William the Conqueror (1028-1087), the Norman who sailed across the English Channel in 1066. William “conquered” the English people at the Battle of Hastings and went on to change church, culture, and language – much of which still exists today. Beyond that, his family slips into the murky days of the Vikings where battle-ready Scandinavians sailed dangerous waters to invade Northern Europe. Fornjot, E.B.’s 44th great grandfather, was the king that ruled over the lands known as Gotland or Jutland (Finland) and Kvenland (the Finnish-settled part of northern Norway).1 As the “storm giant,” he was the progenitor of the elements of sea, fire, and wind.2 From the Orkneyingers’ Saga, “There was a king named Fornjot, he ruled over those Mythical, lands which are called Finland and Kvenland; that is to the east of that bight of the sea which goes northward to meet Gandvik; that we call the Helsingbight. Fornjot had three sons; one was named Hler, whom Fornjot, we call Ægir, the second Logi, the third Kari…” Ervin Billy Lawson, that “dumb ole country boy”, descends from a series of proud, fearless, and highly successful people. His life in South Carolina, to which he is often characterized, is but a miniscule segment in a very long family history. It makes me wonder how those that prejudge solely on dialect or hometown would react if they knew the whole story. With any research project comes unexpected results. While identifying relatives along various branches of his family tree, the aforementioned Jernigan surname cropped up twice. Elizabeth Jernigan, born about 1755, had married James Hart, the Revolutionary War veteran. Anne Jernigan, Elizabeth’s first cousin, had married James’ father Benjamin. The Jernigan last name was interesting because it also appears in my family tree. I wondered if there was a connection. 1 Fornjot, also known as Formotoer, was supposedly an ancestor of Thor. 2 John Lindow, Norse mythology: a guide to the gods, heroes, rituals, and beliefs, (New York, 2001), 118 ii GENEALOGY OF ERVIN BILLY LAWSON – INTRODUCTION There was. Elizabeth’s father, Jesse, was Anne’s sister. Their father, Henry Jernigan, was the son of Thomas Jernigan (1655-736). His father, Thomas, was the son of another Thomas who married Elizabeth Thompson. Moving back two additional generations, I came across the connection I sought: John Jernigan and his wife Bridget Drury, daughter of Robert Drury and Anne Calthorpe. Robert was born before 1456 and died March 2, 1535-6. He was knighted June 17, 1497. Sir Robert was Knight of the Body to Kings Henry VII and Henry VIII, Knight of the Shire for Suffolk, Speaker of the House of Commons, and Privy Councilor. Because E.B. Lawson and I share common ancestors – John Jernigan and Bridge Drury – we are cousins.