His death certificate records Robert T. Lawson, age 80, born 20 June 1870 in Carter Co., Ky, died 28 Sep 1950 in Slab Fork, Raleigh Co., West Virginia, married, father Henry Lawson, mother’s maiden name Mary Henderson, cause of death arterio sclerotic heart disease, informant Orville Lawson, Slab Fork, burial in Acord Cemetery.

The marriage record lists her name as Brown, and her death certificate as Basham, but family researchers such as Debra Walker and Darrell Warner list it as Branham. (See Lawson message board on Rootsweb, and Darrell Warner’s genealogy web site.)

The death certificate records Martha Elizabeth Lawson, age 82, born 9 Oct 1879 in Elliott Co., Ky, died 9 Jan 1962 in Hotchkiss, Raleigh Co., West Virginia, widowed, father Hiram Basham, mother’s maiden name Shrilda Westbrook, cause of death cerebral hemorrhage due to arteriosclerosis, informant Orville Lawson, Lester, W.Va, burial in Acord Cemetery, Slab Fork, W.Va.

Rowan County marriage book A, p. 93, lists the marriage of Robert Lawson and Martha Brown on 4 July 1895. (Book A is a register only, and gives no details.)

1900 census of Grassy precinct, Lewis Co., KY lists:
Robert Lawson, [30]26*, born June 1870, Ky; Martha E., 22, b. 1878, Ky, wife; Laura B., [3]2, b. June 1897, Ky, daughter.
What the [30]26 notation above means is that the original entry said 30, but that it was crossed out, and 26 written above it in lighter ink. Similarly for [3]2. (This program can’t do strikethrough formatting.)

1910 census of Pine Grove precinct, Rowan Co., KY, lists as household 242/245:
Lawson, Robert, 39, farmer, father born Virginia, mother born Ky ; Martha, 29, wife, married 15 years, mother of 5 children, 5 living; Laura, 12; Mary, 9, daughter; Suralda, 7, daughter; Daniel, 4, son; Theodore, 2, son. All born Kentucky.

1920 census of Slab Fork district, Wyoming Co, West Virginia, lists as household 22/23:
Lawson, Pete R. S., 50, head, b. Ky; Martha, 40, wife, b. Ky; Daniel, 15, son, b. Ky; Theodore, 13, son, b. Ky; Estel, 10, son, b. WV; Goldie, 6, daughter, b. WV; Sylvia, 4, daughter, b. WV; Arthur, 1, son, b. WV.