D. G. Lawrence Biography, Lapeer County, Michigan

This Biography extracted from “Portrait and Biographical Record of 
Genesee, Lapeer and Tuscola Counties, Michigan…”, published be Chapman 
Bros., Chicago (1892), p. 1033

This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives.

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D. G. LAWRENCE, a representative farmer of Lapeer County, residing in 
Marathon Township, is a native of Ohio, and was born near Sandusky, 
December 9, 1819. His parents were Nathan and Charity (Varmatter) 
Lawrence, while his paternal grandfather bore the name of Joseph. His 
great-grandfather, John, came from England and was a member of the 
great Lawrence family. It is said that John Lawrence was a descendant 
of Robert Lawrence, who came from Rome and established the "cross" in 
1056.

   When our subject was one year old he was taken by his father from 
Ohio to Michigan, stop-ping at Mt. Clemens one year and proceeding 
thence to Troy, Oakland County, where he remained about eight years. 
From there he went to Macomb County, where he resided about three 
years, and next located in Oxford, where he so journed one year. 
Afterward he returned to Macomb County, being at that time about 
sixteen years of age. His father removed to Canada at about that 
period, but D. G. remained in Michigan, which has continued to be his 
home until the present time.

   Upon starting out for himself Mr. Lawrence found employment on a 
farm at $9 per month, but by careful economy was able to buy a farm of 
forty acres, which he sold soon after buying it. His educational 
advantages were very meagre, but for a short time he attended school at 
Romeo, and is at present a well-informed man, having pursued a thorough 
and practical course of reading. He removed from Romeo to Lapeer 
County, where he worked in a sawmill, and in the winter of 1840 helped 
to cut out many of the roads of Lapeer County. He worked for A. N. Hart 
in 1841, taking his farm and operating it on shares, and in August of 
that year took charge of the mill at Millville.

   In the fall of 1842 Mr. Lawrence bought eighty acres of land on 
section 29, Marathon Township, to which he added another eighty acres 
in 1849. He now owns four hundred and twenty acres in one body, three 
hundred and twenty being well improved, and the whole comprising one of 
the best farms in the township. He was married July 25, 1841, to Miss 
Lorinda McArthur, who was born in Oneida County February 22, 1821, and 
was the daughter of Andrew McArthur. Mrs. Lawrence died June 4, 1886, 
leaving three children, viz: Mary, wife of john Preston ; Byron A. and 
Arthur, farmers in Marathon Township. Mr. Lawrence has held many of the 
township offices, and was Justice of the Peace for fourteen years.



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