Lawrence, William Thomas (1788–1859)

1788–1859

Parents: Jonathan Lawrence (1737–1812) and Ruth Riker (1746–1818).
Spouse: Margaret Sophia Müller (1799–1877), daughter of Governor Johannes (Jan) Willem Müller, Dutch governor of St. Martin.
Children: John William Lawrence (1826– ); Augustus Lawrence (1828–1850), died unmarried; and Eliza Riker Lawrence (1831–1907), who married Dr. Alexander S. Wheeler of Elmira, New York.
Kinship: Fourth cousin six times removed of the post–World War II Smith generation.

Early Life and Family Background William Thomas Lawrence was born in New York on September 5, 1788. He entered the mercantile business in the store of his elder brother, Abraham R. Lawrence, continuing the longstanding commercial tradition of the Lawrence family in New York.

Military Service During the War of 1812, Lawrence served in several units of the United States Army. He first enlisted in the 4th Infantry, New York Artillery, and subsequently served with the 2nd Infantry from April 1812 until his transfer to the 8th Infantry in May 1815, covering the duration of the conflict and its immediate aftermath.

Move to Cayuta Lake and the Building of Lawrence Villa In 1825, Lawrence moved to the east side of Cayuta Lake (Schuyler County, New York) and built an impressive residence there, known as Lawrence Villa. A vivid description of the home was recorded by Lawrence Beebe, who was born in the house:

“It is a tradition that William T. Lawrence boasted that he was going to have the finest house upstate. He brought his skilled workmen from Albany and built from virgin timbers on the estate. Like all the Colonial homes situated near water, it had a land front and a water front, the land front reached by an avenue of beautiful elm trees, the water front with an open porch. The large columns on the land front extended above the second story and were hewn from single trees. The timbers [were] pegged together and leaded pane rose windows [were] in the gables. The house was heated by fireplaces which were capacious. An intricate system of bell pulls was installed to summon servants to any part of the house. Dutch ovens were provided in the kitchen chimneys, and a smoke room off the kitchen flue in the attic for curing meat, also a wine room in the basement.”

The estate was regarded as one of the most notable country homes in the region. Later genealogical sources repeated the claim that at the time of its construction Lawrence was the fifteenth wealthiest man in the United States.

Career and Public Service Lawrence became a judge and took an active civic role in his region. In national politics he was elected as a Whig to the Thirtieth United States Congress, serving from March 4, 1847, to March 3, 1849, representing New York.

Later Years and Death After the death of his widow in 1877, Lawrence Villa—later known as White Gates—passed out of the family. William Thomas Lawrence died at his country home near Cayutaville on October 25, 1859. He was interred in the Lawrence family cemetery on Shore Road in the Borough of Queens, New York.