Like a river that flows slowly by so it is with the flow of human history. Our families came, they were young and as the current flowed they grew old and passed on into history. The old timers that I knew are all gone now and we only have sweet memories of them.

In southwest Henry County, Tennessee the old families that came didn't travel very far away after they arrived. They married the neighbor children and so the generations stayed pretty much in the same community because there was no transportation except horse drawn wagons and buggies for travel so they did not travel very far. It can be seen in the books that the families stayed together in this part of the county and are buried here in the local cemeteries.

The earliest Lawrence ancestor to come to Henry County was John Lawrence, he came to this part of the county with his brother William in the early 1830's. They both probably came first to Weakley county. John later moved to Henry County and William stayed in Weakley County. Many people moved into Henry County after the Jackson Purchase opened up the Indian lands between the Tennessee and Mississippi rivers. This migration started about 10 years earlier and lasted for many years.

We, in the Lawrence family are descendants of the Lawrence family that arrived in Virginia in 1639. Our family is documented back to about 1150. Robert Lawrence was with King Richard on the third crusade. As is known by many people, Robin Hood was also with King Richard on the third crusade. There are many stories about Robin Hood in ancient history, many of which are not true probably.

It was about 100 years before I arrived on the scene and by that time the land had been cleared and several generations had come and gone. John, the first ancestor to come to Henry County, was my ggg grandfather. His son, in my line, was William Leroy who was the father of John Franklin. John Franklin was the father of Willie Lawrence who was my grandfather and his son was Johnny Carroll who was  my father.

The first settlers who came had to break a trail in many cases to get to the land that they were to live on. There were Indian trails but no roads. Sometime they had to go through thick undergrowth and literally make their own road as they went. Most of the county was overgrown with trees so the land had to be cleared before they could plant crops. It must have been very difficult those first years after arriving in the county. Gradually the land was cleared and crops were planted and livestock was raised for work animals and for food.

As you can imagine the first cleared land was used for a garden. The first year a garden had to be planted and food stored for the winter months. I can see that some people may not have had enough to eat for a while. Sickness was ever present and some of the children died and some of the adults died young as a result of the hardship of pioneer life. Many small cemeteries still exist that testify to the death of the children and the young at the time.

I feel that I am very fortunate to have been one of those born to these pioneer families and will always be very grateful that my parents and grandparents cared enough for me to raise me with the beliefs they held. They always tried to let me know there was a right way and a wrong way to act and to be as I was growing up. How fortunate to have learned early in life how one should be. I do thank them for all they did for me and all they sacrificed for me. I never forgot the lessons but did not always follow the teachings. I hope that through the years I have learned what it means to be raised in a Godly home and hope that I am worthy of all their love and trust.

Through the books listed in this site you can find who most of the ancestors are and who married into which families and who their children and grandchildren were and are.

The old ways gradually changed through the years and as today, new things came along to make life easier and more productive. The oxen that were first used gave way to horses which some say was an improvement. Later the tractors came but was slow to replace the horses because most of the farmers could not afford to buy a tractor. Things changed and more people found a way to obtain a tractor. More crops were grown by those who had a tractor, not to mention that it became easier to farm. Now when I am fortunate enough to visit Henry County I see massive farm equipment and one family farming what would have been many farms when I was growing up.

As people became more mobile with automobiles many people from these families moved away to other places to find work. Still, many of the descendants  live in the county. Many of the small farms have been bought up over the years until they are part of large farms. Our old neighborhood is not the same any more. Most of the old homes are gone and many of the old cemeteries are overgrown. There is not very many of my people left whom I know. Visits to Henry County are not the same anymore but I do like to go back as often as I can.

It's kind of hard to believe that I too will soon drift along the river into history. But not to worry I have been blessed with the greatest life that could ever be. Much, much more than I deserve. Thanks so very much to all who have been a part of it.

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