Written By: Leo Lawton
July 24, 2011
Lloyd Benjamin Lawton was born August 27, 1905. Alice Pearl Halladay was born May 1, 1906. They became a twosome when they married June 20, 1925.
July 13, 1927 their first child, a son, Lloyd Burton Lawton was born, and now there were three. Two years later, Lawrence Bernard Lawton was born on September 21, 1929. The fourth member of the small family apparently came in with a crash, as that’s what the stock market did about a month later.
A small detail like a stock market crash beginning the great depression didn’t stop Mary Louise from being born November 21, 1931, and so it was that a girl child made family member number five.
Next came four boys in a row to this ever increasing family, Robert Allen July 5, 1933, Ronald William December 6, 1934, Delbert Arthur November 12, 1936, and Leo David July 19, 1938 to make a total of nine.
Dixie Rose was then born on February 25, 1940 increasing the family size to ten, but she died young January 2, 1942, and the number reduced again to nine.
Four months later, May 3, 1942 Alford Leslie was born, and the family became ten again. August 17, 1944 Jon was born, the eighth and last son, becoming number eleven in the family at the time.
Then three girls were born in a row, Rosalee Anne May 23, 1946, Janice Elaine November 3, 1947, and Loribelle Alice July 25, 1951. If you’re trying to keep track there were now thirteen children born, eight boys and five girls, of which one girl had died leaving twelve living children, and fourteen members of the family.
December 24, 1953 Mary died
October 27, 1974 Dell died.
February 26, 1975 our father died.
May 26, 1984 Ron died.
May 4, 1988 mother died.
June 11, 1994 Bert died.
September 14, 1995 Bob died.
December 20, 1996 Jon died.
April 16, 2002 Fred died.
July 23, 2011 Larry died.
And now there are four remaining, and the family diminishes, but there are hundreds of descendants to keep the name intact. We have been fortunate, as well as prolific.
After this document was written, Janice died May 4, 2013.
Furthermore, Leo died February 2nd, 2023 Leaving just Lori and Rosie.