Sacred Ground: Lawson & Brown Cemetery
Plus: Late summer mountain biking from Discover Scott
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Lawson & Brown Cemetery of Hurricane
Last week, the Sacred Ground series profiled the Byrges Creek Cemetery, adding it to a list of cemeteries in the old settlements beyond Winona that the series has featured — including Bull Creek, Bowling & Harness, Phillips Cemeteryand Harness Cemetery.
These cemeteries are located in various place names: Byrges Creek and Bull Creek speak for themselves. The Phillips Cemetery is on Little Bull Creek, the Bowling & Harness Cemetery is at the head of Bull Creek, and the Harness Cemetery is a tiny plot — containing only two graves, of a mother and her son who were murdered — at Round Mountain on the ridge above Bull Creek. Collectively, these old settlements are the land beyond the river at Winona, after the road has crossed the old Tennessee Railroad and New River and is traveling deeper into the foothills of the Cumberland Mountains.
This week we’re adding another place name to the list: Hurricane. “The Hurricane,” as it’s often called by local residents, is the name of the road connecting Cordell to Norma. And it is here that the Lawson & Brown Cemetery is found.
Less than a mile off the main road through Winona and Cordell, the Lawson & Brown Cemetery is often called simply the Lawson Cemetery. It was founded in the late 1870s and today contains nearly 100 graves.
The Lawson family in Scott County dates back to three brothers who fought in the Revolutionary War and then moved to present-day Scott County after the war: Randolph Lawson settled near the mouth of Paint Rock Creek, David Lawson settled in the Winona area, and John Lawson settled in the southern part of what would become Scott County.
It was from David Lawson that the Winona and Bull Creek-area Lawsons descended. He and his wife, Elizabeth Jeffers, had five children: Samuel (1802-1880), Serepta (1805-N/A), David William (1811-1880), Thomas (1812-N/A) and Jacob Lee (1824-1891). Most of the Lawsons in the area today trace their ancestry to Jacob Lee “Jake” Lawson, who is one of the Lawsons buried at Lawson & Brown Cemetery.
More on the Lawson family
Jake Lawson married Lavicy Ann “Vicy” Lewallen on Jan. 7, 1844 and they had a large family — at least 12 children, beginning with Andrew Lawson, who was born in 1845. Vicy was the daughter of Joel Lewallen (1803-1892) and Rachel Sue Taylor (1798-1892), who are buried at the Hughett Cemetery at Brimstone. (It isn’t clear where Jake’s parents were buried.) Vicy was a granddaughter of Anderson Grant Lewallen, one of the first settlers of the Glenmary area. She was a brother to John Lewallen, the first sheriff of Scott County.
If genealogy records are correct, Jake Lawson may have fathered another child before his marriage to Vicy. Jesse Lawson Byrd, born in 1842 to Isabella Byrd, is said to be Jake Lawson’s son.
The rest of Jake and Vicy’s children included Margaret Lawson Brown, Adaline Lawson Griffith, Elizabeth Lawson Blakley, Pheraba Lawson, Jonathan Lawson, William Lawson, Michael Lawson, Mary Lawson Chambers, Samuel Lawson, Almira Lawson Honeycutt, and John Lawson.
Pheraba lived at least to the age of about 17 in 1870, but it isn’t clear what became of her after that. The rest of Jake and Vicy’s children survived to adulthood and married, most of them living long and productive lives.
A couple of the children in the family who died somewhat young in life were Adaline and Jonathan.
Adaline married Hamilton Griffith, a Civil War veteran who was a great-grandson of Revolutionary War veteran Joseph Griffith. He and his brother, Fielding Griffith, were stationed at Camp Dick Robinson in Kentucky during the Civil War when Fielding was poisoned by a woman selling apple pies. Fortunately, Hamilton took pity on a stray dog that was wandering about the camp and fed his pie to the dog, which also died.
Adaline was only about 38 when she died in 1887 and was buried at the Lawson & Brown Cemetery. She and Hamilton had five children together: Luvania, Malinda, William, Ivory and Rebecca.
Jonathan Lawson married Sarah Smithers. They had two children together: John and William. Jonathan was only 28 when he died on Jan. 31, 1883 and was buried at Lawson & Brown Cemetery. His wife died four years later, but it isn’t known where she was buried.
The cemetery begins
The first person buried at Lawson & Brown Cemetery was Etta Lawson, the 7-year-old daughter of Andrew Lawson and Sarah Jeffers. She died in 1879.
Andrew, as you may recall, was the oldest child of Jake and Vicy Lawson. He married Sarah Jeffers, the daughter of Robert G.H. Jeffers and Alesy Cox. They had at least eight children besides Etta: Marion L., Jacob, Elisabeth, Malinda, Vicie, Martha, Amanda, and Mary.
The next year, September 1880, Andrew’s brother, Mike Lawson, had a newborn son buried at the cemetery. Mike married Susannah Burchfield and may have had as many as 25 children between Susannah and his second wife, Rebecca York.
In between Jake and Vicy’s two grandchildren, Fielding Newport was buried at Lawson & Brown Cemetery in February 1880. He was the son of James W. Newport and Elizabeth O’Daniel, and the husband of Margaret Jeffers. He was a soldier in the Union army during the Civil War, and was wounded in the chest by Confederate soldiers in Scott County in 1862. He recovered after a three-month hospital stay, but later developed a lung disease as a result of the wound, which led to his death in 1880 at age 39.
Jonathan Lawson, the son of Jake and Vicy Lawson who died at a relatively young age, was the fourth person buried at the cemetery in 1883, and Sarah Bowling York was buried at the cemetery that same year. She was the 81-year-old wife of Thomas York, who would be buried at the cemetery the following year.
In between Sarah and Thomas York, 10-month-old Vicy Lawson was buried at the cemetery in April 1884. She was the daughter of Mike Lawson and Susan Burchfield; it was her infant sibling who had been buried at the cemetery four years earlier, in 1880.
Robin Newport was buried at the cemetery in January 1885. He was the two-year-old son of Marion Dealus Newport and Charlotte Sexton, and a grandson of Fielding Newport.
Adaline Griffith, the second of Jake and Vicy’s two children to die at a relatively young age, was buried at the cemetery in 1887, followed by Sarah York in 1888. Sarah was the 15-year-old daughter of David York and Julia Ann Holdaway, and a granddaughter of Thomas York and Sarah Bowling York.
Sarah Newport Jeffers was buried at the cemetery in 1889, at age 51. She was a sister to Fielding Newport, and married Marion Jeffers, who was a brother to Sarah Jeffers Lawson, wife of Andrew Lawson. Sarah and Fielding had a sister, Elizabeth, who married Marion’s brother, Jasper “Jeff” Jeffers.
The 1890s
Burials at the Lawson Cemetery picked up significantly in the 1890s, beginning with Lucinda Burchfield Lawson in October 1890. She was the 24-year-old wife of Marion L. Lawson; the daughter-in-law of Andrew and Sarah Jeffers Lawson. Marion would remarry to Pharaba Lloyd. They were both married at Lawson Cemetery later. Lucinda had a young daughter, Margaret, who married Lewis Lloyd and is buried at the Phillips Cemetery on Little Bull Creek.
Sussanah Burchfield Lawson — Mike Lawson’s wife — was buried at the cemetery in May 1891. She was only 33 at the time of her death.
Burling Newport, the baby boy of Marion Dealus Newport and Charlotte Sexton, was buried there in July 1891, and Jake Lawson — the patriarch of the Lawson family here — was also buried there in 1891.
Other burials at the cemetery over the next few years included Deaner Lawson — the baby daughter of Michael Lawson and Rebecca York — in 1893, Rachel Honeycutt — Hamilton Griffith’s second wife — in 1894, Andrew York — the baby boy of David York and Julia Ann Holdaway — in 1895, John Newport — another baby of Marion Dealus Newport and Charlotte Sexton — in 1896, and the infant daughter of Joseph Hutson and Elizabeth Lawson in 1896.
The Brown family
The Brown side of the Lawson & Brown Cemetery came into play in 1896, with the death of John Russell Brown on June 3.
Not surprisingly, the Brown and Lawson families were connected. John Brown, who was the son of John and Nancy Brown, married Margarett Lawson, one of the daughters of Jake and Vicy Lawson. He served in the Union army during the Civil War, and was disabled when a pistol exploded and caused a partial loss of vision.
John had a brother, Moses Brown, who also served in the Union army during the war. He was also buried at the cemetery when he died in 1906. He married Lakey America Jeffers, who was a sister to Jasper “Jeff” Jeffers, Marion Jeffers and Sarah Jeffers Lawson.
Lakey died on Oct. 10, 1896, just four months after her brother-in-law John, and was also buried at the cemetery.
Twenty-one-year-old Elmira Newport Brown died in 1897 and was buried at the cemetery. She was the daughter of Fielding Newport and Margaret Jeffers, and married William Brown — the son of John Russell Brown and Margaret Lawson. William was buried at the cemetery in 1936.
A John Brown died in November 1897 at the age of 20 and was buried at the cemetery. His wife, Sally Lloyd, was buried at the cemetery the following year when she died at age 22. They had a daughter, Merdie, who was orphaned by their deaths. She went on to marry John J. Lawson, the son of Michael Lawson and Susannah Burchfield.
Ida Brown, the newborn daughter of Eli Brown and Elisabeth Lawson, was buried at the cemetery in 1903. Willard Brown, the baby son of Wayne Brown and Nancy Lawson, was buried there in 1909. Eli Brown and Wayne Brown were both the sons of Moses Brown and Lakey Jeffers.
There was another Brown — Cas — buried at the cemetery in 1873. This may have been a child, but little else is known about them.
The cemetery today
The Lawson & Brown Cemetery has been largely inactive since the 1950s, when Cynthia Jeffers Lawson was buried there. She was the daughter of Marion Jeffers and Sarah Newport, and the wife of John Lawson, who was one of the children of Jake and Vicy Lawson.
Only three people have been buried at the cemetery since Cynthia’s death 74 years ago: Dilmon Lawson Sr. in 1988, Grace Dunn in 2009, and Bobby Ray Lawson in 2013.
Dilmon Lawson was the son of Marion Lawson and Pharaba Lloyd.
Grace Dunn was the mother of Tammy Lawson.
Bobby Ray Lawson was the son of James Robert Lawson and Betty Lloyd.
Cemetery census
Mary Lawson Bowling, 1888-1921
Cas Brown, 1878-N/A
Eli Brown, 1867-1931
Elisabeth Lawson Brown, 1869-1916
Elmira Newport Brown, 1876-1897
Ida Brown, 1903-1903
John Brown, 1877-1897
John Russell Brown, 1844-1896
Lakey Jeffers Brown, 1846-1896
Moses Brown, 1844-1906
Sarah Lloyd Brown, 1876-1898
Wayne Brown, 1884-1918
Willard Brown, 1909-1909
Alie Burchfield, 1914-1919
Luvania Burchfield, 1896-1899
Maree Burchfield, 1920-1921
Martha Lawson Burchfield, 1903-1922
Grace Dunn, 1929-2009
Adaline Lawson Griffith, 1848-1887
Rachel Honeycutt Griffith, 1838-1894
Mary Lawson Harness, 1889-1920
Opiel Harness, 1927-1927
WD Harness, 1926-1926
Infant Daughter Hutson, 1896-1896
Nancy Hutson, 1918-1918
Richard Hutson, 1911-1912
Ruben Hutson, 1917-1918
Annie Lewallen Jeffers, 1875-1901
Audrey Jeffers, 1928-1929
Berlin Jeffers, 1876-1920
George Anne Jeffers, N/A-N/A
Infant Jeffers, 1907-1907
Marion Jeffers, 1838-1924
Sarah Newport Jeffers, 1838-1889
AJ Lawson, 1933-1933
Andrew Lawson, 1845-1924
Bobby Lawson, 1952-2013
Calven Lawson, 1902-1902
Cassa Lawson, 1905-1906
Cynthia Jeffers Lawson, 1872-1952
David Lawson, 1915-1915
Deaner Lawson, 1892-1893
Delpha Lawson, 1910-1910
Dessie Lawson, 1929-1929
Dilmon Lawson Sr., 1906-1988
Elizabeth Lawson, 1872-1943
Elsic Lawson, 1897-1919
Etta Lawson, 1872-1879
Fealin Lawson, 1924-1924
Fealin Lawson, 1907-1907
Floyd Lawson, 1914-1923
George Lawson, 1906-1925
Infant Lawson, 1880-1880
Jacob Lawson, 1867-1935
Jacob Lee Lawson, 1824-1891
Jake Lawson, 1893-1911
John Lawson, 1867-1938
Jonathan Lawson, 1854-1883
Lavicy Lewallen Lawson, 1824-1909
Lucinda Burchfield Lawson, 1866-1890
Luther Lawson, 1926-1930
M Lawson, 1908-1908
Marion L. Lawson, 1864-1939
Mary Burchfield Lawson, 1855-1911
Michael Lawson, 1858-1934
Nancy Harness Lawson, 1873-1924
Nella Lawson, 1926-1932
Pharaba Lloyd Lawson, 1872-1943
Rebecca York Lawson, 1873-1948
Robin Lawson, 1909-1911
Sarah Jeffers Lawson, 1848-1898
Seigal Lawson, 1924-1924
Sherdy Lawson, 1896-1896
Susannah Burchfield Lawson, 1857-1891
Vicy Lawson, 1883-1884
John Lewallen, N/A-N/A
Infant Son Lloyd, 1949-1949
Burling Newport, 1891-1891
Charlotte Sexton Newport, 1859-1916
Fielding Newport, 1840-1880
George Newport, 1897-1897
Infant Daughter Newport, 1908-1908
John Newport, 1895-1896
Lindsay Newport, 1885-1918
MD Newport, 1915-1915
Marion Dealus Newport, 1861-1913
Robin Newport, 1882-1885
Flotilla Sexton, 1896-1899
James Sexton, 1865-1900
Artie Mae Smithers, 1904-1920
Andrew York, 1894-1895
Sarah York, 1873-1888
Sarah Bowling York, 1802-1883
Thomas York, 1800-1884
Find our past Sacred Ground articles on the Encyclopedia of Scott County.
A late-summer pedaling trip
Late‑summer in the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area delivers a sublime mountain biking experience, especially as the heat of July transitions into cooler, more inviting August days. Nestled on the Cumberland Plateau spanning northeast Tennessee and extending into Kentucky, this 125,000‑acre park features dramatic sandstone gorges, sweeping blufftop views, natural arches, and nearly 300 miles of multi‑use trails.
A Trail Haven in August
As summer wanes, the forest canopy in Big South Fork remains lush and green, but temperatures begin to moderate. Mornings and evenings bring crisp air, while midday offers bright sunshine — and the river gorge helps moderate temperature extremes. Late summer bathing holes like Leatherwood Ford are still inviting, while fewer crowds than peak July make riding more pleasant.
Trail conditions during this time are generally stable. Recent trail reports confirm that popular routes like Grand Gap and West Bandy are in “ideal” condition, setting a promising precedent for late‑summer riding.
Epic Rides for Every Skill Level
Grand Gap Loop (6.4 miles, moderate): A shared-use singletrack ideal for beginner to intermediate riders, the Grand Gap Loop skirts dramatic cliff edges and rock shelters along the gorge. Most riders recommend taking it counterclockwise for a smoother climb and scenic payoff at river overlooks.
Expect about 880 ft. of elevation gain over moderately rolling terrain. The trail is widely used but rarely crowded late in the season.
John Muir Trail (7.5 miles, intermediate): This point‑to‑point singletrack ascends roughly 900 ft. and offers sweeping views from high cliffs. Accessed via Grand Gap, the John Muir Trail provides a scenic, rolling ride with a satisfying workout. Extendable via gravel connector roads, it’s a go‑to for riders seeking more distance without steep technical terrain.
Big South Fork IMBA Epic Route (~33 miles, intermediate–advanced): Designated an IMBA Epic Trail, this network ties together Grand Gap, John Muir, Collier Ridge, Duncan Hollow, and others into a 34‑mile adventure. With about 2,900 ft. of climbing and descending, it’s a tour-de-force of terrain that includes singletrack, gravel roads, and ridge-top exposure. Expect rugged stretches, deep forest passages, and panoramic vistas over the gorge.
Seasoned riders can also mix in Collier Ridge West, West Bandy, and Duncan Hollow loops for shorter but still scenic loop options, all rated intermediate with a few technical sections.
Navigating Late‑Summer Conditions
Stay hydrated. Though late summer is milder, humidity remains high. Bring ample water and electrolyte supplements.
Early starts. Begin rides in the morning hours to avoid heat and afternoon thunderstorms.
Trail etiquette. Big South Fork shares trails with hikers and horseback riders. Always yield and respect multi‑use users
Wildlife and insects. Late summer brings ticks, chiggers, mosquitoes, and the occasional yellowjacket in shaded forested areas. Plus this is peak season for black bears.
Why Late Summer?
By late August, peak summer heat begins to give way to cooler mornings and evenings, without yet entering the unpredictability of fall. Insect activity starts to wane just a bit, and the forest remains vibrantly green. Swimmable spots near Leatherwood or the pool at the visitor center offer refreshing respites after a ride. There’s also a quieter feel — trainloads of visitors from early summer vacations have returned home, and trail access is easier without large groups.
Planning Your Adventure
If you’re staying near Oneida, or in the nearby charming town of Rugby, make use of the Bandy Creek Campground & Visitor Center, which include facilities like showers and a seasonal pool that’s open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Maps and rider info are available to help plan loops integrating gravel roads and singletrack toward a 20- to 50-mile ride if you combine loops cleverly.
Sample Late‑Summer Itinerary
• Start at Bandy Creek Visitor Center early (before 9 a.m.).
• Ride gravel connector out to Grand Gap Loop, circle counterclockwise.
• Hop onto John Muir Trail, ascending and enjoying overlooks.
• Continue via dirt roads to Collier Ridge and West Bandy loops.
• Return via Duncan Hollow back to Bandy Creek.
This itinerary loops through forest canopies, plunges into river gorges, and balances climbs and descents over roughly 2,000 ft of vertical gain. It’s ideal for August: scenic, energizing, and not overly crowded.
Final Thoughts
Late‑summer mountain biking in Big South Fork combines temperate conditions, stunning geology, and diverse trail options. From beginner loops like Grand Gap to Epic‑level excursions linking multiple trail systems, there’s something for every rider looking to explore rugged forest and riverside scenery. Paired with swimming holes, local accommodations, and relative solitude, August rides here are a deserving highlight of any two‑wheel adventure in East Tennessee. For real‑time trail reports or updates before you hit the trailhead, check the NPS website or local trail‑group sources.
Gear up, start early, and let the season’s quieter energy guide your adventure through the sandstone cliffs and shaded ridgelines of Big South Fork.
DISCOVER MORE AT DISCOVERSCOTT.COM
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