Husband Hon. George Van Eman Lawrence 1 2 3 4
Born: 13 Nov 1818 - Washington Co, PA 1 5
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
Father: Hon. Joseph Lawrence (1788-1842/1842) 1 4 6 7 8
Mother: Rebecca Van Eman (1787-1822) 1 4 7 8 9
Marriage: 26 Dec 1839 4
Other Spouse: Mary Reed (1830-Aft 1893) 3 4 - 1857 10
• Additional Image: George V. Lawrence.
Wife Elizabeth Welsh 1 4 5
AKA: [Unk] Welch 11
Born: 1820 4
Christened:
Died: 26 Mar 1855 4
Buried:
Father: William Welsh, Esq. ( - ) 5
Mother:
Children
1 F Mary Virginia Lawrence 4 10
Born: 5 Jan 1850 4
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
2 M Joseph Lawrence 10
Born:
Christened:
Died: when three years old
Buried:
Spouse: Did Not Marry
General Notes: Husband - Hon. George Van Eman Lawrence
After marrying his first wife, he moved to a farm in Carroll township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, near Monongahela City. About 1862 he came into the town, and remained there.
He was elected representative from Washington County, in 1843, 1846, 1858, 1859 and 1892; State Senator in 1848, 1860, 1874, 1876 and 1878; Speaker of the Senate in spring of 1863; and to Congress in 1864 and 1866; delegate-at-large to Constitutional Convention, 1872.
He had three children with his second wife; two of them attained mature age.
It is possible that no man in the state of Pennsylvania, and few anywhere, has ever had so many marks of public favor. He was named after his uncle, George Van Eman, a Presbyterian minister, and raised on a farm in sight of the old home of his grandmother. He went to the district school, then kept in a small log-cabin house, with a log on each side cut out, and the opening covered with oiled paper to give light. When about fifteen years of age he studied Latin grammar with Rev. W. C. Anderson, then boarding with his father, and preaching at Pigeon Creek Church; afterward went for a time to a small select school, opened a few miles off; then went one year to the English Department of Washington College. His health failing, and being threatened with pulmonary disease, his father, like any sensible man, took him back to the farm where he regained his health, and remained there until twenty-one years of age. He was fond of horses, and was a fearless and excellent rider, and often took his dogs and went out to the country to run foxes. He became an active politician in 1842. He was elected to the Legislature in 1843-'46-'58-'59. In 1848 he was elected to the State Senate over his opponent, William Montgomery. He was re-elected to the Senate in 1860, from the counties of Washington and Greene (overcoming 1,000 Democratic majority), of which body he was speaker in 1863, and he was again elected to the Senate in 1874-'76-'78. In 1864-'66-'82 he was elected a member of Congress. In 1872 he was elected a delegate-at-large to the constitutional convention, and was again elected to the Legislature in the fall of 1892. Thus for fifty years he was identified with national and State politics.