BIO: Samuel M. LAWRENCE, Dauphin County, PA

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Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, 
Containing Sketches of Representative Citizens, and Many of the 
Early Scotch-Irish and German Settlers.  Chambersburg, Pa.: 
J. M. Runk & Company, 1896, page 258.
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  LAWRENCE, SAMUEL M., son of Joseph and Maria (Bucher) Lawrence, was 
born in Washington county, Pa., December 14, 1835.  His father's death 
occurring when he was six years old his mother removed two years later 
to Harrisburg, her former home, where she continued to reside during 
the remainder of her life, and here Samuel received his principal 
education, although attending Jefferson College for a time.  From 
boyhood he was a remarkable student, and had a perfect hunger for 
knowledge.  At an early age he adopted the profession of civil 
engineering, and was engaged in the survey of the Sunbury & Erie (now 
Philadelphia & Erie) railroad, and continued on it until its completion 
in 1864.  He was perfectly familiar with every part of the road, and 
had traveled it all on foot from Sunbury to Erie.  He was one of the 
four original contractors who built the Oil Creek railroad, and also 
chief engineer of it.  He was also engaged in the survey of the Warren 
and Franklin road at the time of his death.  He was nominated by the 
Republican party in the counties of Clearfield, McKean, Jefferson and 
Elk for the Legislature, and represented them in the session of 1860-
61, thus spending the winter in Harrisburg, his old home.  He married, 
April 4, 1864, Hannah, daughter of Hon. John Green.  He resided in 
Warren the last three or four years of his life and died there October 
17, 1864, in his twenty-ninth year.  He is buried in Harrisburg.