Love And Romance Prevails Lawrence Style

Not too long ago I connected with a neighborhood friend.

We immediately started talking about stories back in the day.  Everyone called him Junior Lawrence. You know how we do, it’s two names rolled in to one. Never mind that his first name is Herbert.

 We talked about how when the Lawrence Family first moved into the neighborhood they woke up to a cross burning in their yard. 

One other time two men drove up and tried to pull his brother Roger into a car. If it was not for one of the neighborhood men Mr. Finis Hardiman, who happened to be outside at the time, Roger would have been in deep ca ca.

Despite all this we had a very good childhood and our parents were our rock.  All the Lawrence guys, Roger, Ricky and Herbert were examples of being raised right.

I would bet that that when they all got to be grown men and had children of their own, that the example of their parents were instilled in them. 

Oh, I also meant to say that Junior was a pretty good basketball player back in the day.

Speaking of Lawrence, I ran across this article that speaks about a Dr. Laurence (sounds the same, spelled differently) who fell in love with an ex-slave by the name of Maria Evans aka Maria Laurence.

Dr. Laurence met Maria, and for over fifty years they lived together as man and wife.  

Dr. Laurence passed away in 1891 and Maria filed for his dower as his widow. The relatives are contesting the 100,000 suit. Never would Dr Laurence marry an ex-slave so the money should not go to her.

Maria was born in Adams County Mississippi in 1853 but her story was actually born when she was 17 years old. You see a young white man by the name of John Evans saw her on the auction block and was immediately smitten. He vowed to purchase her, set her free and marry her. It took him about seven years to save but by then she was sold and taken to Kentucky. After following them he finally was able to secure Maria for the sum of one thousand dollars. 

As the story goes he then took her to Cincinnati Ohio in 1848, freed and supposedly married her. They eventually made their way back to Yazoo Mississippi where they lived until 1861 then moved to New Orleans. John and Maria opened up a boarding house and eventually Dr. Laurence moved to New Orleans where he stayed in their boarding house.

John passed away in 1865.

Eventually Dr. Evans fell in love with Maria and in 1877 they ended up in Chicago as a couple.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Afro American Feb 22, 1896

          Here they are in the 1880 Chicago Illinois census

      

             Order In The Court, Here Comes The Judge

                             St Louis Post Dispatch Nov 13, 1895

  

Looks like Maria Lawrence an ex-slave had evidence that was too strong to deny and she won her claim!!

Love and Romance is a powerful thing and people will go from state to state, ordeal to ordeal to show their love for one another.

      Wow, here is Prince of Love in 1870 Navasota,Texas

                     This house is full of Romance

As Al Green said on his song 'Love and Happiness"  love will make you walk away with victory and make you moan for love. Hmmmmmmmmmmm, hmmmmmm!

    Here's to Love, Romance, Happiness and Good Cheer