Trying to find what happened to James Lawson!

[Lisa in California]

I notice that he had siblings.  Have you tried to look for any of them sailing to North America (possibly to visit James)?

[auntya]

Hello again,

Well, what can I say, I'm just blown away by how helpful you all are, thank you!

Lisa, thank you for the link to the directories. Will probably be up all night trawling through this

Your mention of James' siblings got me thinking. So I got the file out containing every scrap of info, jotting etc I've collected over the years on the Lawson family. I've got a (poor) copy of a New York ships passenger list sent to me by another kind soul some years ago.
At the bottom of the page is James Lawson. All the info fits my man. He's going to his brother Robert in Brooklyn. Unfortunately, I havent a date on this but I think in the age column it says 23 so it could be 1906/7. He got married in Scotland 1909.
I also have a copy of the monumental inscription taken from the headstone on the family plot in Ayr Cemetery. Parents and all siblings are on there apart from James!! It includes Robert who died 6th January 1928 but it doesn't say where!
I wonder if Robert stayed in the US and James would sometimes visit him?

[Lisa in California]

Is his name at the very bottom, or near the bottom?  I can have a look for it.  I was looking earlier, hoping to find a passenger list for a James and Lillie Lawson, but didn't look extensively as some of the images were of somewhat poor quality.  (There were a number of men with the same name and born within a few years of your James who sailed to North America in the early 1900s.)  Also, are you quite sure that his middle name was Tierney, please?  Thank you, Lisa

[Lisa in California]

Actually, are you able to see the l"No. on List", please?  The number is right before his name.  Knowing the number could speed up the search.   

Actually, if you are able to see the ship name, that would be even better.  Thank you, Lisa

[Lisa in California]

For some reason, I cannot view the image, and perhaps this is just a coincidence, but I did see the following on a pay site:
Massachusetts passenger/crew list
Lilly Sandeman, age 29, born c1882, Ceres, Scotland.
Departed Glasgow, Scotland on board the Parisian arriving Boston, Massachusetts 7 May 1911.
Last residence:  England
Friend:  James Lawson

May I ask, please, when James was last "seen" in Scotland?

[cosmac]

https://www.familysearch.org/search/record/results?count=20&query=%2Bgivenname%3A%22james%20tierney%22~%20%2Bsurname%3Alawson~
James Tarney Lawson

I think the Lily Sandeman's relationship to James Lawson was niece - it does indicate Uncle James.
Andrew Sandeman married Lily Lawson and had a daughter Lily.

[bbart]

Somewhere in here you said brother Robert had his name on the family headstone, but didn't know where he died.  Although the date is out by one day, I think this is him (from the index at Familysearch, no image):

Name    Robert Lawson
Event Type    Death
Event Date    05 Jan 1928
Event Place    Brooklyn, Kings, New York, United States
Gender    Male
Age    54
Marital Status    Single
Race    White
Occupation    Carpenter
Birth Year (Estimated)    1874
Birthplace    Scotland
Burial Date    09 Jan 1928
Cemetery    Linden Hill Cem.
Father's Name    Robert
Father's Birthplace    Scotland
Mother's Name    Christina ...Nan
Mother's Birthplace    Scotland

So when James went across the border as Cosmac found, it wasn't to visit Robert.

[bbart]

 

I've got a (poor) copy of a New York ships passenger list sent to me by another kind soul some years ago.
At the bottom of the page is James Lawson. All the info fits my man. He's going to his brother Robert in Brooklyn. Unfortunately, I havent a date on this but I think in the age column it says 23 so it could be 1906/7

SS Caledonia sailing from Glasgow 16 June 1906 arriving New York 24 June 1906
James Lawson, age 23, single, plasterer, born Ayr, going to brother Robert Lawson at 407 Berry St Brooklyn
Column asking if ever been in the USA before says yes, Brooklyn, 1903 (or maybe 1905, a tail from a letter on the line above runs over the final digit)

[auntya]

Yes, yes, yes

This is James on the SS Caledonia and the Robert Lawson in the Familysearch index is the correct one. Their parents were Robert Lawson & Christina Tierney (which has been transcribed in various forms including Tarney)!

Oh my goodness Lisa! Lily Sandeman! This is looking hopeful.

James' wife Sarah appears in the 'poorhouse' records (along with 2 children and pregnant with another) September 1910. The baby (named James) was born there January 1911 so James senior probably upped and left sometime between April-September 1910.

I think I need to look at Lily Lawson who is the wife of Andrew Sandeman to check the family connection. Surely James wouldn't marry his niece?? However, if he did, it could have taken place in either the U.S. or Canada between 1911 - 1915.

It's defininately him in Detroit (correct birth date and place) wonder what he was doing there?

I've ordered his death certificate to see if it gives me any further info.

This is so exciting. Thank you all so much.