(From Pages 313-IV) Lawrence Delawder, Jr.:
In searching for my Ancestors, I found four early Delawder settlers in Lawrence Co., Ohio. Lawrence, Isaac, Marion, and Catharine were found to be brothers and sister. Lawrence and Isaac were found to be my great grandfathers. The three boys settled in Lawrence Co., Ohio and Catharine who married Abraham Roberts came to Ohio about 1806 from Virginia.
In searching records, I found more about my great grandfather Lawrence than of Isaac. Lawrence was born about 1782 or 1784 in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. His brothers Isaac and Marion built the first Grist Mill in 1812 in Aid Township. It was a one story building and the mill was run by horse power. Lawrence came to Lawrence Co., Ohio at an early age and settled in Aid Twp.
Lawrence left Aid Township and moved to Scioto Co., Ohio. In 1818 he was elected Constable of Vernon Township, Scioto Co., Ohio. From a book by James Keys, the author of "Pioneers of Scioto Co.", printed in 1880, has this to say about Lawrence Delawder who he was very fond of. He was a very ignorant man so far as looks were concerned and perhaps could not read or write but, nature had been liberal in her gifts and he was known throughout the county for his shrewdness and comical expressions. In an election year some people who had contempt for General Lucas who was running for the State Assembly coaxed Lawrence to run against Lucas. It was a bitter campaign and Lucas won. When Lawrence was asked why he lost, his comment was, "Well, my chances was purty good until that (Tam) great God Almighty Gen. Lucas came along riding his (Tam) big grey horse, which like as not wasn't paid for, and all them (Tam) fools voted for him."
For a time Lawrence and Isaac were bitter enemies because of the marriage of their children--my grandfather James Madison who was the son of Lawrence and my grandmother Barbara who was the daughter of Isaac. From a source of information from Joe Rucker who was nearing 90 years of age when I chatted with him my grandfather and grandmother were married on a bridge over Aarons Creek because of the grudge each parent had against the other. Once during sugar making time Lawrence and his wife were on their way to visit neighbors and while passing his brother Isaac's sugar camp and seeing no one around, he told his wife walk slowly while he stopped awhile and pected the mother in Ikes Vinegar.
From Vernon Twp, Scioto co., Lawrence moved to Decatur Twp., Lawrence County in 1820 and at that time Census records showed he had three sons under 16 years of age and four daughters at home. Then the census record of 1830 and 1840 gives his residence as Aid Twp. There were land contracts by Lawrence Delawder for the following years: 1838, 1841, 1845, 1851 and 1863.
A legend about Lawrence Delawder was that he stuffed his money in the barrel of his shotgun and walked to Chillicothe, Ohio, then our State Capitol, and paid for land known now as Clinton Furnace. His mistake before leaving on his land buying spree was not to stake his claim and upon his return found a furnace being erected on his land. From his loss came Clinton Furnace in 1832 erected by Thomas G. Gaylord.
In searching records of Virginia, we found a Lawrence
Delawder in the 1790 census. We believe that he could have been
the father of Lawrence, Isaac, Marion and Catharine. Lawrence
was living alone in 1860 in Aid Twp. His house stood between
Andrew Brown and Geo Dalton.
We were able to locate the name Delawder in Maryland,
Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia. Jacob Delawder coming from
Frederick Co., MD to Montgomery Co., Ohio in 1820 and died
July 7, 1877 at the age of 83. Geo Delawder from Middletown, MD
born in June 24, 1849 a son of Geo and Mahala Boyer
Delawder. He was a carpenter and mason. They settled in Marion
Co., Ohio from Hardy County and Grand County Virginia and West
Virginia found these Delawder names:
Abraham Delawder m. Christinia Crummet 6/18/1835These people could have been relatives of Lawrence Delawder since he was born in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.
Christina Delawder to Mich Crummet 3/4/1834
Jacob Delawder to Barbara Feather 7/29/1821
Magdolena Delawder to John Whetzel 8/13/1835
Mary Delawder to Adam Mongold 2/7/1812
Mary B. Delawder to Elias Fink 3/4/1814
Godfrey, a son of Lawrence II, accidentally shot one of his
children while shooting a chicken for dinner one day. My father
had many stories to tell about Godfrey. My father said he was a
funny man in his ways. He would take his corn to the mill to be
ground, but, my father said, he would place the sack of corn on his
shoulder before he mounted his horse, and carry it that way to the
mill. He was an honest man, my father said, for you could give him
a letter to deliver to anyone, and he would carry it
for days before he located the right person who it was for. I am
sure there are many more stories that I have not been able to
learn about but, perhaps before this family tree is completed I
will learn many more.
On May 30, 1963 four generations of the Delawder Family
went on a trip collecting data for the family tree. They were
myself, Vada Essman, Frank Shope and his son Bill. We visited
old cemeteries and secured birth and death dates from the old
grave markers.
-- Written by Edith Walls as told to her by her mother, Rachel
Yeley." (13th child of James Burton Delawder).