Pioneers of St. Clair County, Michigan - Person Sheet
Pioneers of St. Clair County, Michigan - Person Sheet
NameWillis LAWRENCE 
Birth6 Apr 1856, Wisconsin1967, b VT,1991, date only,1992
Removal1867, Springfield, Greene, Missouri1993 Age: 10
Removalabt 1910, Goldfield, Esmeralda, Nevada1995 Age: 53
Settlement1923, Springfield, Greene, Missouri Age: 66
Will16 Mar 1937, Springfield, Greene, Missouri1993 Age: 80
BurialMaple Park Cemetery, Springfield, Greene, Missouri1991
OccupationCivil Engineer1967
EducationHarvard University23, p G27
FatherGeorge LAWRENCE (1826-1899)
MotherSarah Caroline VINCENT (1831-1927)
Individual Notes
• Source 3211 proves the relationship between the WALTER family of California and the LAWRENCE family of Springfield, Missouri.
• Mining engineer; Harvard graduate.23, p G27
• She left Mr. A. who many years older than she for her real love Willis Lawrence. He was a civil engineer - the most gentle, kindly man I ever knew. If you have a pin - a fan on a bar, with colored quartz - that Willis gave Alice when she was in high school.36, pp 6&7; lines 272-275
• Willis Lawrence was a faro dealer and book maker. He came from a very fine family and was a man of fine character. He died while I was in Missouri and left an estate of $55,000 which he divided among about 40 people. Zena knew three girls to which he gave $500.00 each, people that had been kind to him during his sickness.519, p 1
• Willis Lawrence, a former husband of Mrs. Fladung, testified that he taught her to shoot in Arizona, and that she became very expert with a pistol.1978
• …who now [1899] resides in California.1994
• As a young man, Willis Lawrence left his job as a telegrapher to go to the Arizona gold fields. There he was a prospector and teamster, and there, his friends said, he made money. There, also, he contracted the beginnings of the rheumatism which made him a cripple the last 30 years of his life.
Shortly after Lawrence returned here [Springfield] to settle down after a life of wandering, his mother, Mrs. Sarah C. Lawrence fell and broke her shoulder. A neighbor, who came in to clean the house for her, found $30,000 in unregistered bonds in a dresser drawer. At his mother’s death in 1927, Lawrence inherited most of her $29,961.69 fortune.
Neighbors called the aged cripple “the most generous man we ever knew.” He gave freely of his money to beggars and needy persons, they said–so freely that his friends feared he would give all of it away. During the depression, he tided over many a friend, and was a source of ready cash during the bank holiday in the spring of 1933.
Tired of the continual pain he suffered, Lawrence a few weeks ago, prepared to die. He made a long list of relatives–26 first and second cousins–and friends scattered over the nation, and to each of the 41 people he finally included in the list, he left a substantial sum in cash. Last night, he ended his own life with a revolver in his room here.1993
• Willis Lawrence came to Springfield with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. George Lawrence, from Montpelier, Vt., when he was just a boy, in 1867. He didn’t have much formal education. He learned telegraphy, and was a railroad telegrapher here for several years. Then, while he was still a young man, he pulled out for the gold fields in Arizona. There he drove a team. He was out there a “long time,” his friends said. He made some money.
He came back to Springfield and established a home here. For several years he traveled. He made good investments during these years. Finally, in 1923, he settled in Springfield. The years he spent in the gold fields, however, began to tell on him 30 years ago. Rheumatism bothered him increasingly. Finally he had to use crutches to get around.1993
• Manager Willis Lawrence has introduced a number of improvements in methods of operating and is achieving excellent results. [Presumably the same Willis Lawrence]1995
• Mrs. [George] Lawrence died without will, but the court appointed Willis Lawrence, who was the sole heir. He was administrator of the estate and had to make a rather large bond. This he did through a bonding company and had to pay quite a fee. Mrs. Lawrence might have avoided that expense if she had made a will. Willis Lawrence may have made some money in the west but he also inherited the Lawrence fortune. He seemed to be a careful, close sort of a man inclined to deny himself many things in life until his later days when he became extremely liberal and aided many a poor and deserving person through his generosity. The Lawrence family were a substantial trio, who had always been well off, honest, and considerate of others.1996
• Mining engineer; Harvard graduate.23, p G27
• She left Mr. A. who many years older than she for her real love Willis Lawrence. He was a civil engineer - the most gentle, kindly man I ever knew. If you have a pin - a fan on a bar, with colored quartz - that Willis gave Alice when she was in high school.36, pp 6&7; lines 272-275
• Willis Lawrence was a faro dealer and book maker. He came from a very fine family and was a man of fine character. He died while I was in Missouri and left an estate of $55,000 which he divided among about 40 people. Zena knew three girls to which he gave $500.00 each, people that had been kind to him during his sickness.519, p 1
• Willis Lawrence, a former husband of Mrs. Fladung, testified that he taught her to shoot in Arizona, and that she became very expert with a pistol.1978
• …who now [1899] resides in California.1994
• As a young man, Willis Lawrence left his job as a telegrapher to go to the Arizona gold fields. There he was a prospector and teamster, and there, his friends said, he made money. There, also, he contracted the beginnings of the rheumatism which made him a cripple the last 30 years of his life.
Shortly after Lawrence returned here [Springfield] to settle down after a life of wandering, his mother, Mrs. Sarah C. Lawrence fell and broke her shoulder. A neighbor, who came in to clean the house for her, found $30,000 in unregistered bonds in a dresser drawer. At his mother’s death in 1927, Lawrence inherited most of her $29,961.69 fortune.
Neighbors called the aged cripple “the most generous man we ever knew.” He gave freely of his money to beggars and needy persons, they said–so freely that his friends feared he would give all of it away. During the depression, he tided over many a friend, and was a source of ready cash during the bank holiday in the spring of 1933.
Tired of the continual pain he suffered, Lawrence a few weeks ago, prepared to die. He made a long list of relatives–26 first and second cousins–and friends scattered over the nation, and to each of the 41 people he finally included in the list, he left a substantial sum in cash. Last night, he ended his own life with a revolver in his room here.1993
• Willis Lawrence came to Springfield with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. George Lawrence, from Montpelier, Vt., when he was just a boy, in 1867. He didn’t have much formal education. He learned telegraphy, and was a railroad telegrapher here for several years. Then, while he was still a young man, he pulled out for the gold fields in Arizona. There he drove a team. He was out there a “long time,” his friends said. He made some money.
He came back to Springfield and established a home here. For several years he traveled. He made good investments during these years. Finally, in 1923, he settled in Springfield. The years he spent in the gold fields, however, began to tell on him 30 years ago. Rheumatism bothered him increasingly. Finally he had to use crutches to get around.1993
• Manager Willis Lawrence has introduced a number of improvements in methods of operating and is achieving excellent results. [Presumably the same Willis Lawrence]1995
• Mrs. [George] Lawrence died without will, but the court appointed Willis Lawrence, who was the sole heir. He was administrator of the estate and had to make a rather large bond. This he did through a bonding company and had to pay quite a fee. Mrs. Lawrence might have avoided that expense if she had made a will. Willis Lawrence may have made some money in the west but he also inherited the Lawrence fortune. He seemed to be a careful, close sort of a man inclined to deny himself many things in life until his later days when he became extremely liberal and aided many a poor and deserving person through his generosity. The Lawrence family were a substantial trio, who had always been well off, honest, and considerate of others.1996
Census
• 1860 Census: Rosendale, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Age 4, b WI.1997
• 1870 Census: Springfield, Greene, Missouri. Age 14, b WI.1992
• 1900 Census: San Francisco, San Francisco, California. Age 44, b VT. Lodger. Civil Engineer. Parents b VT. Married 5 years.1967
• 1930 Census: Springfield, Greene, Missouri. Age 74, b WI. Roomer in household of John J. Fleming. Parents b VT. No occupation.1998
• 1870 Census: Springfield, Greene, Missouri. Age 14, b WI.1992
• 1900 Census: San Francisco, San Francisco, California. Age 44, b VT. Lodger. Civil Engineer. Parents b VT. Married 5 years.1967
• 1930 Census: Springfield, Greene, Missouri. Age 74, b WI. Roomer in household of John J. Fleming. Parents b VT. No occupation.1998
Research
• Have found no evidence to confirm his being a “Harvard graduate;” 20 Jul 2023.
Spouses
Birth19 Nov 1852, Diamond Springs, El Dorado, California36, p 1; line 37; place only,190, p 2; date only
Death19 May 1890, San Francisco, San Francisco, California190, p 4; gives death date as 20 May 1890,1976 Age: 37
Death causeby self-inflicted gun shot1976
NicknameMay36, p 6
FatherPhineas F. CLARK (~1812-1855)
MotherMary O’BRIEN (1829-1901)
Individual Notes
• Born while crossing plains to California in 1851. No children from marriage with Augustus Amy.23, p G27
They stopped off at Diamond Springs for this birth.36, p 1; line 37
• Changed her name herself while in convent to “May Josephine.”36, p 4; line 142,518
• May was sent to the convent by her cousin Charlie Terrell whom Mama and Mr. Clark had brought across the plains. She ran away from the convent and married Mr. Amy who kept her in style always. Alice (Walter) got her start in music while living with May in S.F. - (May) was christened in the Catholic Church - as Mr. A. was a Catholic.36, p 1; lines 26-30
• May it was who gave Mama the many luxuries she loved. Mr. Amy never failed to visit us, long after their divorce. He was fond of us all – and to Mama he was a little above human. When May left him she went to Emily's in Carson and Mama always blamed Emily's envy for most of this trouble. She called him “the frog-eater, etc.” Envious because May had more than she. Yet May shared with her most generously. Maude's baby clothes were all convent-made. Emily's babies were all so dear to May.36, p 5, lines 217-222
• I remember when Alice and I were having lunch together in S.F., she said to me ‘If May did wrong when she left Mr. A[my], certainly her love for children and all she did to brighten their lives should compensate.’ She left Mr. A. who many years older than she for her real love Willis Lawrence. He was a civil engineer - the most gentle, kindly man I ever knew. If you have a pin - a fan on a bar, with colored quartz - that Willis gave Alice when she was in high school. It was May who asked me to pray for her when she was ill at our home. She said "God listens to innocent children, and if you ask Him, He will make me well." I don't believe she ever had a wicked thought and as Mama said as she looked at May's picture always where she could see it "She will be the first to meet me when I pass beyond." Everyone who knew May loved her. She left Willis for the German she said, and I believe it, so she could once more have a home for her sisters to come to. Willis had been caught in the gambling fever of that time and they lived from day to day. She knew her mistake almost at once and I think her unhappiness led to the break in her health. She died before she was forty.36, pp. 6 & 7, from line 267
• Mrs. Willis Lawrence and Miss Maud Martin of Oakland are visiting in Vallejo, the guests of the Misses Walter.193
• Name at death given as “May J. Fladung.”190, p 4
• Fladung, Edward ... married in 1889 to Clarke, Mary J. ... 1889M-1292
Fladung, May J. ... died in 1890 ... age 37 ... 1890D-21261977
• WHO FIRED THE SHOTS?
Did Mrs. Fladung Shoot Her Husband and Kill Herself?
From the time Edward Fladung, while stretched on the operating table at the City Receiving Hospital, gasped “My wife shot me; I forgive her,” up to the present, theories of the tragedy which occurred on the 19th of May last, resulting in the death of Mrs. May Fladung and the almost fatal wounding of Edward Fladung, her husband, have been formed, dissipated and reformed by almost everybody having any connection with the case.1976
• Mrs. Martin, when asked about her sister’s life previous to her marriage with Fladung, said she fully supposed she was married to the man she was living with. May had shown her their marriage certificate, and she fully supposed it was genuine. She had heard that her sister had been mixed up in a shooting scrape while living with this man down in Arizona but knew nothing about the facts otherwise.1965
• Willis Lawrence, a former husband of Mrs. Fladung, testified that he taught her to shoot in Arizona, and that she became very expert with a pistol.1978
• Mrs. Fladung was a native of this State and about thirty five years of age. She had been a handsome woman and attracted general attention on the street on account of her magnificent figure. She was a frequent promenader on Kearney and Market streets. She was married before, her first husband being G. L. Amy, with whom she lived four years, being granted a divorce in 1877. Her second companion was Willis Lawrence, a gambler. It is not certain that she was ever legally married to Lawrence, but she lived with him seven years, separating about two years ago. In the spring of 1889 she married Ed Fladung, a brickmason, and a member of the firm of Brennan & Fladung.
The relations of the pair were not of the happiest, as the woman persisted in encouraging the attentions of young men to whom her husband objected. Defying his wishes in the matter led to the shooting.1979
They stopped off at Diamond Springs for this birth.36, p 1; line 37
• Changed her name herself while in convent to “May Josephine.”36, p 4; line 142,518
• May was sent to the convent by her cousin Charlie Terrell whom Mama and Mr. Clark had brought across the plains. She ran away from the convent and married Mr. Amy who kept her in style always. Alice (Walter) got her start in music while living with May in S.F. - (May) was christened in the Catholic Church - as Mr. A. was a Catholic.36, p 1; lines 26-30
• May it was who gave Mama the many luxuries she loved. Mr. Amy never failed to visit us, long after their divorce. He was fond of us all – and to Mama he was a little above human. When May left him she went to Emily's in Carson and Mama always blamed Emily's envy for most of this trouble. She called him “the frog-eater, etc.” Envious because May had more than she. Yet May shared with her most generously. Maude's baby clothes were all convent-made. Emily's babies were all so dear to May.36, p 5, lines 217-222
• I remember when Alice and I were having lunch together in S.F., she said to me ‘If May did wrong when she left Mr. A[my], certainly her love for children and all she did to brighten their lives should compensate.’ She left Mr. A. who many years older than she for her real love Willis Lawrence. He was a civil engineer - the most gentle, kindly man I ever knew. If you have a pin - a fan on a bar, with colored quartz - that Willis gave Alice when she was in high school. It was May who asked me to pray for her when she was ill at our home. She said "God listens to innocent children, and if you ask Him, He will make me well." I don't believe she ever had a wicked thought and as Mama said as she looked at May's picture always where she could see it "She will be the first to meet me when I pass beyond." Everyone who knew May loved her. She left Willis for the German she said, and I believe it, so she could once more have a home for her sisters to come to. Willis had been caught in the gambling fever of that time and they lived from day to day. She knew her mistake almost at once and I think her unhappiness led to the break in her health. She died before she was forty.36, pp. 6 & 7, from line 267
• Mrs. Willis Lawrence and Miss Maud Martin of Oakland are visiting in Vallejo, the guests of the Misses Walter.193
• Name at death given as “May J. Fladung.”190, p 4
• Fladung, Edward ... married in 1889 to Clarke, Mary J. ... 1889M-1292
Fladung, May J. ... died in 1890 ... age 37 ... 1890D-21261977
• WHO FIRED THE SHOTS?
Did Mrs. Fladung Shoot Her Husband and Kill Herself?
From the time Edward Fladung, while stretched on the operating table at the City Receiving Hospital, gasped “My wife shot me; I forgive her,” up to the present, theories of the tragedy which occurred on the 19th of May last, resulting in the death of Mrs. May Fladung and the almost fatal wounding of Edward Fladung, her husband, have been formed, dissipated and reformed by almost everybody having any connection with the case.1976
• Mrs. Martin, when asked about her sister’s life previous to her marriage with Fladung, said she fully supposed she was married to the man she was living with. May had shown her their marriage certificate, and she fully supposed it was genuine. She had heard that her sister had been mixed up in a shooting scrape while living with this man down in Arizona but knew nothing about the facts otherwise.1965
• Willis Lawrence, a former husband of Mrs. Fladung, testified that he taught her to shoot in Arizona, and that she became very expert with a pistol.1978
• Mrs. Fladung was a native of this State and about thirty five years of age. She had been a handsome woman and attracted general attention on the street on account of her magnificent figure. She was a frequent promenader on Kearney and Market streets. She was married before, her first husband being G. L. Amy, with whom she lived four years, being granted a divorce in 1877. Her second companion was Willis Lawrence, a gambler. It is not certain that she was ever legally married to Lawrence, but she lived with him seven years, separating about two years ago. In the spring of 1889 she married Ed Fladung, a brickmason, and a member of the firm of Brennan & Fladung.
The relations of the pair were not of the happiest, as the woman persisted in encouraging the attentions of young men to whom her husband objected. Defying his wishes in the matter led to the shooting.1979
Census
• 1860 Census: Sacramento, Sacramento, California. Age 7, b CA.543
General
• Diamond Springs lies at the west end of Pleasant Valley. Along with Mud Springs (El Dorado) it was a favorite stopping place on the Carson Emigrant Trail for emigrants going to the northern or southern mines. From Diamond Springs the overland trekkers could turn right and climb the ridge to Placerville, three miles to the north, which was the gateway to the northern mines. Others could go on to Mud Springs and turn left and travel to Plymouth, Jackson, Sonora and the southern mines. Still others could continue west to Shingle Springs, Folsom, Sacramento and San Francisco.1980
Marriageabt 1881, California?23, p G27; marriage only (if married),1979
Divorceabt 18881979
Marriage Notes
• It is not certain that she was ever legally married to Lawrence, but she lived with him seven years, separating about two years ago.1979
No Children
BirthMar 1876, Vallejo, Solano, California36, p 3, line 127; place only,1967, p 2; date only
Residenceof Oakland2018
FlagsBrick Wall
FatherThomas R. MARTIN (~1842-1893)
MotherEmily Arzella CLARK (1850-1936)
Individual Notes
• Name given as Annie Mabel Martin.23, p G27
• Suits for divorce filed yesterday…Mabel Anne Lawrence against Willis Lawrence, for desertion.2019
• Suits for divorce filed yesterday…Mabel Anne Lawrence against Willis Lawrence, for desertion.2019
Census
• 1880 Census: Terrace, Box Elder, Utah. Age 4, b CA.1964
• 1900 Census: San Francisco, San Francisco, California. Age 24, b CA. Father b Scotland; mother b IL. Married 5 years; mother of one living child.1967, p 2
• 1900 Census: San Francisco, San Francisco, California. Age 24, b CA. Father b Scotland; mother b IL. Married 5 years; mother of one living child.1967, p 2
Census
• 1900 Census: San Francisco, San Francisco, California. Age 24, b CA. Father b Scotland; mother b IL. Married 5 years. Mother of one living child.1967
ChildrenMaud (1898-)