Where were the Annual Belmont-Monroe County Reunions Held?

Descendants of the Philip Lawrence line are trying to locate the farm of their ancestor, Philip Lawrence. They have several clues as to its location but are unable to pinpoint just where it was. Here are some of the clues:

1. The farm is said to be the location of the Belmont-Monroe County Reunions that were held probably in the 1800s.

2. Philip Lawrence is included on the 1821 tax list.

3. Philip Lawrence is listed in the Monroe County Census of 1820, 1830 and 1840.

4. Philip Lawrence is on the 1850 Mortality Schedule.

5. Philip Lawrence s wife, Lydia, is on the 1850 Monroe County Census.

6. From Hardesty s History of Monroe County, page 217, A school house was built at an early day on the farm of Phillip Lawrence near where is now the town of Jerusalem.

7. From the book, THE ONE ROOM SCHOOLS OF MONROE COUNTY, OHIO 1808-1957, that is available on the MCC of OGS web site, we read, The first school in Malaga Township was taught in 1818 by David G. Craig, on the farm of David Mann, on or about the line between David and Peter Mann A school house was built in the early days on the farm of Philip Lawrence, near the village of Jerusalem The reference to this latter school was likely taken from the Hardesty s History of Monroe County, page 217 mentioned above.

If anyone can more closely identify the location of the old Philip Lawrence farm, or has any further information about this ancestor or the Belmont-Monroe County Reunion, or either of the two mentioned schools, please contact Betty Lawrence at btlawrence@juno.com or Jim Lawrence at JimLorentz@aol.com

and the webmaster of this site, Richard Harrington.

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