Byrd Lawless is shown to have married Susannah Thomas in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, in 1789. By 1804, he is in Washington County, KY, as documented on deeds and tax lists there. From about 1816-1820 or so, many Lawless family members "surface" in central Missouri, in Howard County (later divided into smaller counties including Boone, Saline, and Cooper). There are several documentations for Bird Lawless in this time period in Missouri, and I believe by this time there are two men named Bird Lawless in this region, no doubt father and son. The area around Arrow Rock, Saline County, MO, seems to be where they ultimately settled, and there are numerous other Lawless family members shown there on census records of the 1830's-1850's and on down. The younger Bird Lawless moved to Visalia, Tulare County, around 1852, along with a Burchett B. Lawless, who is the son of my ancestor Benjamin Lawless. This Bird Lawless died there in 1869. Tombstone records indidcate that he was born in 1804 in Kentucky.

I am trying to determine the connection between my Benjamin Lawless and the older Bird. I am fairly sure that they were brothers, as there is an ongoing connection between the two families for several decades in the 1800's from Kentucky, where my Ben witnessed a deed for Bird in 1804 to Missouri, where they settled very near each other after having moved there at about the same time, to Burchett and Bird's move to California in the 1850's.

However, I can't put my finger on any documentation or family history that pinpoints this relationship. Bird is said by some to be a son of Benjamin Lawless, Sr. of Pittsylvania County in Virginia, and some researchers feel that my Ben is another son of Ben Sr's. This surely does seem logical, but there is no firm evidence that this is the case. If anyone can help me nail this down, I would be very appreciative!