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Family of Lawrence Gahagan, Sr. b. ca 1760 Ireland
md Sarah Pringle (1761-1849)
(landed from Ireland at Charleston, SC in 1801 or 1802)
Children:
Ann Elizabeth (1790-1848) (md. Dr. Benajah L White of Raleigh, NC)
Matthias Pringle Gahagan (1792-1850) md Lydia Sledge)
William (b. 1793) (no other record)
Hester (1795-1881) md Hezekiah A. Barnard (daus md James Nichols
and J.J.Gudger)
Lawrence, Jr. (b. 1797 in Frankford, Ireland) (for family see below)
Sarah (17990-1855) md John Swofford
George Robt Washington (1802-1870)md. Mary Emmaline West (1822-1870)
(Their son, Andrew Jackson Gahagan was born in 1844.)
A.J.Gahagan was the writer of the letter from which the following
material was taken. His letter included an extensive list of descendants of
GRW Gahagan.)
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The following taken from the article on The Gahagan Family by A.J.
Gahagan of Chattanooga, written in 1918, and from personal
correspondence with Cousin Marcia Henderson:
In 1802 Lawrence Gahagan is said to have moved from Edgefield
Dist. SC to Buncombe Co., NC near Asheville. He died and was buried
there is 1802. His wife is said to have reared the six children and
apparently did a fine job.
Children of Ann Eliz (none)
Children of Matthias Pringle Gahagan and Lydia Sledge:
1. Wesley Gahagan became Episcopal Minister; served in
Greenville, TN and later in Talbotton, GA. He died in 1856.
2. Julia (md William Heiskell child: S.G.Heiskell
3. Dr. William W. (1839-1883) studied medicine in Knoxville.
In 1859 he went to live with his uncle, Lawrence Gahagan, Jr. He was
probably studying medicine at Tulane in 1861 when he enlisted in the
Confedrate Army.
(Wm W Gahagan married Mary L. Bryan in 1862 in Red River Parish.
Her father and brother were both named Hardy Bryan, a name that went
back about 100 years to tidewater North Carolina, when a Bryan boy
married a Hardy girl. Hardy Bryan was a neighbor of James Clayton in
Craven Co. NC in the 18th century. This was a very wealthy family in
Louisiana. William W. later married Annie Smith and had a number
of children. One of them, also Dr William W. Gahagan, lived in New
York and later in Knoxville, I believe.)
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The rest of this text is from earlier research by the present writer:
In 1830, while his younger brother Lawrence was serving as JIC in Butts Co., Matthias was living in Henry County, adj to Andrew McBride (60-70, living alone). (John McBride was a J.P. in Butts Co. His daughter, Mary, married James Clayton in Butts Co. in 1828, and soon their son, John McBride Clayton was born. He was to marry Lawrence Gahagan's daughter in 1854 in Bienville Parish, La.
1830 Gahagan Matthias Ga Henry house 251 census aged 30-40, wife 20-30, 1 boy and 1 girl, both under 5. living adj to Andrew McBride, could be the father of John McBride!!!)
1840 Ga. Census in Henry County:
315 Matthias Gahagan
343 John Bryan
1850 Ga. census (Campbell Co. --taken from Carroll and Cowetta)
430:
Matthias P Gahagan 48 Hatter from Ireland (2 years younger than Lawrence)
(although other records say 5 years older)
Lydia 41 from N.C.
Julia J 16 from Georgia
Wm 10 from Ga.
Lawrence Gahagan, Jr. (1797-1870) came from Ireland to Charleston, SC in 1802. His father died soon after arrival, and his mother with 6 children moved to Buncombe Co., NC near Asheville. The next record we have is in Butts County where in 1828 he was Judge of Inferior Court and married Elzey Mobley , daughter of Jethro Mobley.
From Ms. Marcia H. Henderson of Denton, TX we learn this additional data:
1835 Birth of Lawrence's son, Orand, while Lawrence was engaged in a railroad building project in West Point, GA.
1843-44 Lawrence kept a tavern in Goldville, AL (Tallapoosa Co.), lived briefly in Lowndes Co., MS, then moved on to Catahoula Parish about 1846
1851 Lawrence Gahagan was in Bienville Parish, LA in the town of Sparta, then the parish seat, keeping a tavern, until 1861 at least (according to letter he wrote to his brother, George at that time. (letter on file). In 1860 he had 11 slaves.
The families of Gahagan and Clayton were probably associated in Butts Co. Ga. in the 20's, in Tallapoosa Co. Ala in the 40's, and in La. a few years later. In 1854 in Bienville Parish, LA Lusette, daughter of Lawrence Gahagan and Elzey Mobley, was married to John McBride Clayton, son of James Clayton and grandson of Rev. James Clayton. (He was a plantation overseer in Concordia Parish. At the outbreak of the war he organized a company of volunteers and became company commander. After the war he purchased property in Concordia Parish and became a planter.)
Lawrence Gahagan appears in the Catahoula Parish, La. 1850 census with wife Elsa and 6 children aged 4 to 16. (L.M.E., John M Clayton's wife,would have been 18, but she is not listed in this census. L.M.E. may have been at school in Georgia:
1850 Gahagan Lawrence 50 LA Catahoula Parish census b. 1800
in Ireland Planter $2000: Dwelling 187, Family 192 page 60:
Elsa 43 Ga.
Mary V 16 Ga.
Lawrence 14 Ga.
Oren M 12 Ga. (namesake of Uncle Oren Henry Clayton)
Adaline C 11 Ga.
Caroline M 9 Ga.
Georgiana 4 Ga. (These last two probably
should be Alabama.)
I have not found later census records on Lawrence Gahagan. He died in North Louisiana on April 11, 1870 and was buried in Vienna Cemetery in Lincoln Parish. On Sept. 16, 1880 his wife, Elcy Mobley Gahagan died and was buried at the same place.
Their son, Oren P., appears in Natchitoches Parish in the 1860 census. He states his age as 25 and occupation physician. In 1862 W.W. Gahagan of Natchitoches married Mary.L.Bryan. She was the daughter of Hardy Bryan, a very rich planter. Hardy Bryan is an old Craven County name, associated with other family members in the Lower Broad community. (It appears that WW Gahagan, who apparently practiced medicine with his cousin Oren P, was a nephew of Lawrence Gahagan.)
1861-65: Confederate Soldiers in La: Records of La. Confederate
Soldiers Vol 1 and 2:
p 950:
O.P.Gahagan, Private, enlisted at Delhi, La. in Co B, 11th Battn, La.
Inf. Discharged by substitution April 15, 1863.
L.M.Gahagan, Corpl Co. E. 13th Battn. La. (Partison Rangers) enlisted at
Monroe. This looks very much like Lawrence, III.
1860 census for John M Clayton in Concordia Parish Trinity P.O. page 18
house 184 family 199
J.M.Clayton 29 M overseer $35 real estate $200
personal property. Ga.
L.M.G. Clayton 28 F Ga. (Louise or Lucinda Mobley Gahagan or
K.S. Clayton 5 F La. Lucinda Mary Eugenia Gahagan Clayton)
R.W. 4 La. (Robert Wood)
J.L. 2 La.
O.H. 5/12 La. (Oren Henry)
John M Clayton and L.M.G.Gahagan were married in Bienville Parish in
1854.
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Deeds of Gahagan in Catahoula Parish:
Catahoula Parish Conveyance Book H p 54:
1846 21 Jan. Allen D Ratliff of Catahoula to Lawrence Gahagan of some
309.82 acres in se quarter of Sec 10 and
sw quarter of Sec. 11 in
Township 10 of Range 4E.
Also 1 other tract on Oauchita River at mouth of Bayou Dan 50.10 acres
being Lot #3 of Sect 23 in Twp 11 of Range 5E.
in conderation of 36 bales of merchantable cotton to be delievered
on the Bayou Dan Landing as follows:
12 bales on Jan 1, 1847
12 bales on Jan 1, 1848
12 bales on Jan 1 1849
the land to be mortgaged for payment as above.
signed A.D.Ratcliff
Lawrence Gahagan
wit: John G. Alexander
George L Sawyer?
Judge James Taliaferro
(1860 Concordia census has A.D.Ratcliff 55 farmer 80,000 500 N.C.
7th Ward not too far from R.M.Ferguson 48 overseer from Ga.
Catahoula Parish Conveyance Book I p 1: Deed #2I: 15 Jan 1849 Lawrence Gahagan of Catahoula for consideration of $500 paid by Hampton N Dozier also of said residence sells 309.82 acres se quarter of sec 10 and sw quarter of sec 11 in twp 10 Range 4E, also 50a at Oauchita and Bayou Dan etc. signed Lawrence Gahagan wit: Thomas T McCollum Leonard P Pol? H.L.Dozier James Taliaferro Judge
Geographical Description: The Oauchita River runs into the Tensas
at Trinity, forming the Black River. This is present location of
Jonesville. The Black goes on down and empties into the Red before
Concordia Parish runs out, I think.
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1860 census Natchitoches Parish has O.P.Gahagan, probably Lawrence's 22 years old son Oren.
The late 19th century shows lots of Gahagan marriages in Red River Parish.
1862 Gahagan W. W. La Natchitoches md M.L.Bryan
This lady was definitely the daughter of Hardy Bryan and the sister of
Hardy Bryan, Jr.
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A map (copy) of Red River Parish shows Tanyard Cemetery
(where James Clayton was buried) on river road a few miles north of
Coushatta. It also shows Gahagan on the other side of the Red River
at intersection of La. 1 and Hwy 177, a few miles due west of
Coushatta.
Pickett Cemetery near Hwy 155 ne of Coushatta Dr. Wm Walter Gahagan (1839 in Ga. to 1883) is buried. He died 4 years after James Clayton. This is a very small cemetery with mainly Picketts. Another stone marks "Annie Smith Gahagan died Dec 1888".
Taken from the Coushatta Citizen, centennial edition Sept. 16, 1971: ....Ethel Plantation, owned by Mrs. O.P.H.Gahagan is just above Coushatta."
John McBride Clayton was married twice, first to Luzette Mary Eugenia Gahagan and the second time to Eudora Gibson of Concordia Parish.
1897 Birth of 2nd son of John Elliott Clayton in New Orleans named Robert Lawrence Clayton after his grandfather, Lawrence Gahagan.
1926 Robert Lawrence Clayton, Jr. born in New Orleans.
For corrections, comment, or inquiry e-mail Larry Clayton
© 1997 larryclayton@geocities.com
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