Lawrence County, Ohio, has had its share of notable persons who have impacted the United States and/or other parts of the world. We already know that some important facts occurred in our county, such as the birth of the famous Rome Beauty Apple or the legendary “Swamp Angels” used in battle during the Civil War. These and other facts make Lawrence County, Ohio, an area of rich, proud, and sometimes repugnant history.
The Lawrence Register continues to bring you historical stories and other important facts, but we also need to feature our residents who made a difference in others. Sometimes, these people did great things to improve our nation, but we must not forget about those infamous individuals we tend to disguise as respectable.
The following histories of our past inhabitants were painstakingly compiled from sources we believe to be reliable, but we leave it to you to determine their veracity. This index is not a complete list, so we encourage you to visit our website for updates.
- Bare, Bobby – Singer
- Blake, Elizabeth Winn – Medium and Spiritisms’
- Churchill, General Mendall – b. Lawrence County, Ohio, and was a General during the Civil War.
- Clooney, Rosemary – lived with her grandparents on 7th St., Ironton, Ohio.
- D’Autremont, Roy & Ray – Noted Bandits who married a Lawrence County, Ohio, girl.
- Davidson, Commodore W.F. – b. Lawrence County, Ohio, and went to St. Louis, where he had a large steamboat enterprise.
- Julian, William A. – U.S. Treasurer under the Roosevelt administration.
- King, Sarah Cecilia Cotter – well-known sculptor and sister to Father Cotter.
- Lambert, William “Bill” – WWI Flying Ace.
- McMahon, Bert – Waterloo Wonders brother killed.
- Peters, Seldon (spelled various ways), notable gunsmiths.
- Powell, William – General
- Richard, John K. – Attorney General of Ohio 1892-1896
- Sharp, Henry, and Avery – Worldwide Noted Artists
- Thompson, Carmi Alderman – appointed by President Coolidge to the office of special commissioner.
- Wright, Nannie Kelly – only female Ironton Master
Lawrence County is credited with two Congressional Medal of Honor recipients. Joseph Kimball captured a Confederate Flag at Sailor’s Creek, Virginia just before the surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 6, 1865
SP4 Donald Russell Long of Blackfork in Lawrence County was killed on June 30, 1966 when he threw himself on a grenade thereby saving the lives of 8 comrades. He is buried in Union Baptist Church Cemetery, Blackfork
The Waterloo Wonders are said to be among the greatest basketball teams in Ohio history. Out of a school of 26 boys, they won 2 state championships and went on to play against the New York Celtics, the Philadelphia Sphas, the New York Rens, and the Harlem Globetrotters.