Josiah T. Lawton (1785-1863) & Elizabeth (Betsey) Bradley (1786-1857)
From Millwright to Michigan Pioneer: Faith, Family, and Endurance
Josiah T. Lawton was born on December 5, 1785, in Rhode Island, a man of Welsh ancestry whose family lineage traced back to a Quaker preacher. In his youth, Josiah worked as a millwright and mechanic, honing skills that would serve him throughout his life. Around 1806, at about 21 years of age, he left Rhode Island and settled in St. Lawrence County, New York, where new communities were being carved out of the wilderness.
It was there that he met Elizabeth “Betsey” Bradley, born March 12, 1786, in either Connecticut or New York, thought to be the daughter of Daniel Bradley. On November 26, 1809, Josiah and Elizabeth married in Gouverneur, St. Lawrence County, New York.
Family Life in Fowler, New York
The couple began their family quickly. Their first son, Henry, was born in Gouverneur on February 20, 1811. Over the next two decades, they would welcome nine children in all: Daniel (1814), Harvey (1817), Perley (1818), Sally (1822), Mary Ann (1825), Albert (1828), Lewis (1832), along with Henry (1811).
Josiah fought in the War of 1812 as a member of the New York Militia, serving in Benedict’s Regiment and Nellis’ 1st Regiment. After the war, he returned to his family and helped to establish the settlement of Fowler, New York, then called Little York.
On January 30, 1822, Josiah and Elizabeth were among the thirteen couples who founded the first Baptist Church in Fowler. Faith was central to their family’s identity, and Josiah’s membership in the church is remembered as a defining part of his character.
By the 1830s, the Lawtons were established farmers in Fowler, raising their children and helping to shape the growing community.
Migration West: Life in Michigan
In 1845, Josiah and Elizabeth made a bold decision that would shape the destiny of their family: they moved west to Michigan. They settled in what would later be called Coopersville, Polkton Township, Ottawa County, building a life on 120 acres of wild, wooded land thick with pine and hemlock, where the present-day high school stands. At the time, only six families lived in the community, and there were no public roads.
Their first dwelling was a log cabin, but in 1847, Josiah and his son Albert constructed the first frame house in Coopersville, marking them as true pioneers of the settlement.
Elizabeth’s life in Michigan was short, however. On August 16, 1857, she passed away at the age of 71. She was the first person to be buried in Coopersville Cemetery, a solemn distinction that reflects both the hardships and the resilience of frontier life.
Later Years & Legacy
Josiah continued farming and remained active in his community. He served as Overseer of the Poor in Ottawa County in 1852, showing his commitment to the welfare of others. By the 1860 Census, he was living with his son Albert and family in Polkton Township, still working as a millwright. That same year, he was listed in the Michigan State Gazetteer as a cooper, a trade that echoed his mechanical beginnings in Rhode Island.
After a long life marked by war, pioneering, and family devotion, Josiah passed away on May 18, 1863, at his home in Coopersville, aged 77. He was laid to rest beside Betsey in Coopersville Cemetery, their graves standing as testaments to the sacrifices and endurance of early settlers.
Josiah and Elizabeth Lawton’s lives bridged the young nation’s formative years and the opening of new western frontiers. Together, they raised a large family, helped found a church, fought for their country, and carved a homestead out of the Michigan wilderness. Their descendants carried forward their legacy of faith, industry, and perseverance.
Detailed Timeline
Josiah T. Lawton
Birth: 05 DEC 1785 Rhode Island
Note: Of Welsh ancestry.
Occupation: Was a millwright and a mechanic in his younger days. Later on, he took up farming.
Moved to: ABT 1806
Place: St. Lawrence Co, New York
Marriage: 26 NOV 1809 Gouveneur, St. Lawrence County, New York
1810 Census: Cambray, St. Lawrence Co, New York
Note: 1 male 16-25; 1 female 16-25
Birth of Son: 20 FEB 1811
Name: Henry Lawton
Place: Gouveneur, St. Lawrence County, New York
Military: Fought in the War of 1812
Details: In the New York Militia, in Benedict’s Regiment and Nellis’ 1st Regiment.
Note: Helped begin the new settlement of Fowler, New York (then called Little York)
Birth of Son: 10 APR 1814
Name: Daniel Bradley Lawton
Birth of Son: 24 AUG 1818
Name: Perley Lawton
Place: Fowler, St. Lawrence Co, New York
Religion: 30 JAN 1822
Place: Fowler, New York
Note: One of the original members of the first Fowler Baptist Church.
Birth of Son: 02 APR 1828
Name: Albert Lawton
1830 Census: Fowler, St. Lawrence Co, New York
Note: 1 Male < 5; 2 Males 10-15; 1 Male 15-20; 1 Male 40-50
1 Female 5-10; 1 Female 40-50
1840 Census: Fowler, St. Lawrence Co, New York
Moved to: 1845
Place: Coopersville, Polkton Twp, Ottawa Co, Michigan
Details: They settled in a log cabin on 120 acres of wild and wooded land, thick with pine and hemlock, where the present high school is located. At that time there were only six families in the community and no roads.
Note: 1847
Details: Josiah and son Albert built the first frame house in what was later to be called Coopersville.
1850 Census: 08 OCT 1850
Place: Polkton Twp, Ottawa Co, Michigan
Note: Wife, Elizabeth, and two sons were living in his household.
1860 Census: 21 JUN 1860
Place: Polkton Twp, Ottawa Co, Michigan
Note: Living with his son, Albert, and his family. Was a millwright.
Michigan State Gazetteer: 1863
Place: Coopersville, Ottawa Co, Michigan
Note: Josiah was listed as a cooper.
Died: 18 MAY 1863 Coopersville, Ottawa Co, Michigan
Burial: Coopersville Cemetery, Ottawa Co, Michigan.
Click here to see parents: Thomas Lawton and Anne Richmond
Josiah and his wife were one of thirteen couples that started the Baptist Church in Fowler, New York on January 30, 1822. The Church was down to seven members in 1876 and stopped holding services. In 1852 Josiah was Overseer for the Poor in Ottawa County.
He remained in Rhode Island till about 21 years of age, and then removed to St. Lawrence Co, NY. In 1845 the family journeyed to Michigan and settled in Coopersville, Wright Township, Ottawa Co, Michigan.
In his younger days he was a millwright and mechanic, later gave his entire attention to agriculture, and when he came to Michigan bought a farm of one hundred and twenty acres all wild and wooded land. There were no public roads leading to it, and the country was very new, most of the business in that part of the state being done in Grand Rapids. There were then only six families in the settlement, and the homestead of the father lay out a little distance from Coopersville, the land all about being densely covered with a growth of pine and hemlock.
He served bravely in the War of 1812, and after a life of busy industry passed away in 1863.
Death: 16 AUG 1857
Burial: Coopersville Cemetery, Ottawa Co, Michigan.
Note: She was the first person to be buried in this cemetery.
Father is thought to be Daniel Bradley
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