#52ancestors Post Eighteen: Close Up - Hugh H. Lawson, Ida Stephens, and Belle Stephens

Recently, I posted this photo of some young people who I thought were in Bienville Parish, Louisiana around 1900. However, most of those pictured lived nearby in Red River Parish. 

As last week's writing prompt for #52ancestors was Close Up, I decided to look more closely at Ida and Belle Stevens.  I found they were actually Ida and Bell Stephens, daughters of Samuel Nehemiah Stephens and Ollie Jane Allums.  

At Find A Grave, I easily located Ida as the wife of Hugh H. Lawson and Belle as the wife of Andrew J. Lawson. Hugh H. Lawson was also found in this photo so included him in this post. Hugh and Andrew J. don't appear to be brothers, but with similar family names, I wonder if they were cousins. 

In 1900, Belle (age15) and Ida (age 13) were living at home in Red River Parish. 
Hugh, living nearby with his parents, M.J. and A.J., was 17 years old.  

Belle Stephens Lawson was only thirty-years-old when she died in 1915. Public member trees at Ancestry.com indicate she had eight children between 1902 and 1915. Belle is buried in Springhill Cemetery in Ringgold. Her husband married Clara Earnest Pepper after Belle's death.

Ida and Hugh appear to have been lifelong residents of Red River Parish. More information can be found in their obituaries. 

Hugh H. Lawson 1883-1969
From the collection of Marguerite Cook
Clark - this obituary was held together by
a band-aid so the portion telling about
the funeral is missing. 

Ida Stephens Lawson 1886-1974
The Times, 10 Jun 1974, Mon,
Main Edition, Page 12 Newspapers.com

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Diana
© 2018

Sources

Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

Family photographs and documents from the collection of Marguerite Cook Clark. Accessed April 28, 2014, September 14, 2014, and November 9 to 11, 2016. Used with permission.

 Newspapers.com.  Web. 11 May. 2018. <https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19931102/found_in_group_photo_mcc_collection/>

Springhill Cemetery in Ringgold, Louisiana - Find A Grave Cemetery. Web. 11 May. 2018. <https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/69041/springhill-cemetery>.