Ritchie County, West Virginia          Biography of Joseph C. LAWSON, M. D.

    This file was submitted by Valerie Crook,
    E-mail address:  <vfcrook@trellis.net>

	The submitter does not have a connection to the subject of this sketch.

	This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit
	organizations for their private use. All other rights reserved.

	Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval
	system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other
	means requires the written approval of the file's author.

	This file is part of the WVGenWeb Archives. If you arrived here inside
	a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at

	http://www.usgwarchives.net/wv/wvfiles.htm

The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 56-57

JOSEPH C. LAWSON, M. D., is one of the veteran and
honored representatives of his profession in Ritchie County,
where for nearly forty years he has been engaged in active
general practice at Auburn, with a parallel record of able
and effective stewardship in his profession and as a citizen.
The Doctor was born in Harrison County, Virginia, May 11,
1852, about a decade prior to the time when his native county
became a part of the new state of West Virginia. He is a
son of Theophilus and Elizabeth (Bailey) Lawson, the former
of whom was born in Harrison County, January 15, 1823,
and the latter in Taylor County, September 16, 1830.
Theophilus Lawson was a son of Elias and Mary (Teter)
Lawson, who were born in the eastern part of Virginia and
who migrated in an early day to what is now Harrison
County, West Virginia, where they settled on a pioneer farm
near Bridgeport. On this old homestead Theophilus Lawson
passed the period of his boyhood and early youth, and he
continued as one of the substantial exponents of farm enter-
prise during his entire active career, both he and his wife
having continued to reside in Harrison County until their
deaths and both having been earnest members of the Metho-
dist Protestant Church, Mr. Lawson was a strong Union
sympathizer in the Civil war period, and. was one of the early
members of the republican party in his community. Of the
eight children all but one attained to maturity, and of the
number four are living, in 1921, Dr. Lawson of this sketch
being the eldest of this number; Rachel is the wife of Jacob
Marple; E. W. is a substantial capitalist and banker at
Kansas City, Missouri; and Mary B. is the wife of Arthur
A. Cather, of Clarksburg, West Virginia. Dr. Silas B., Ida
A., Kittie and John B. are deceased.

Dr. Joseph C. Lawson was reared on the old home farm
and his youthful ambition led him to carry his early studies
far beyond the curriculum of the local schools, as he gave his
attention to the study of Latin, higher mathematics and other
branches. In preparation for his chosen profession he en-
tered the historic old Jefferson Medical College in the City
of Philadelphia, and after receiving therefrom his degree
of Doctor of Medicine he was engaged in practice at Bridge-
port, Harrison County, near the old home, until 1884, when
he established his permanent residence at Auburn, Ritchie
County, which has been the central stage of his earnest and
able professional labors during the long intervening period.
He is one of the oldest and most revered members of the
Ritchie County Medical Society and is also a member of the
West Virginia State Medical Society. The Doctor is a stock-
holder in the Auburn Exchange Bank, is a trustee of the local
Methodist Protestant Church, is a past master of the lodge
of Free and Accepted Masons at Auburn, past chancellor
of the local lodge of the Knights of Pythias, and is affiliated
also with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His
political allegiance is given to the republican party.

June 14, 1887, recorded the marriage of Dr. Lawson and
Miss Araminta Bush, who was born in Gilmer County but
reared in Ritchie County. Of the six children of Doctor and
Mrs. Lawson one died in infancy; Willie graduated from
Broaddus Institute and is now the wife of Rev. L. E. Oldaker,
a clergyman of the Methodist Protestant Church; Adrian H.
was afforded the advantages of the State Normal School at
Glenville, and he represented his native state as a gallant
young soldier in the World war, in which connection he was
in active service in France for one year; Leon K., a graduate
of the State Normal School at Glenville, is, in 1921, a student
in the University of West Virginia; Kathleen, who likewise
attended the normal school at Glenville and also Fairmont
State Normal School; and Carleton is a graduate of the
Morgantown, West Virginia, High School.