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Post by Angela on Aug 22, 2009 11:58:19 GMT -5
In 1918,Charlie Lawson's brother Jim, better known as J.J. left his impoverished home in Lawsonville, N.C. and joined the Army. Two years later he moved to Ohio and began his own milk company. When he retired and sold The Lawson Milk Company in 1959 he walked away with a net worth of ten million dollars. That was a hefty chuck of money in 1959!!! At that time there were over 100 stores in Akron, Ohio that carried his milk bottles. Jim Lawson did not become a millionaire and a house hold name simply because he owned and operated a milk company. He became rich and famous for the bottles he put his milk in!!! He was the first person to come up with the idea of putting his milk in glass bottles. He said people had always gone to wherever milk was sold, taking whatever container they had on hand, usually old vinegar bottles and buy their milk which was then poured into those old unclean containers which were a health hazard. So Jim Lawson decided to put his pasteurized milk in 6 different sized glass bottles...gallon, half gallon, pint, quart, etc. for people to purchase. A lady from Walnut Cove called me yesterday to tell me that some man had gone to a yard sale in Lawsonville recently and there he came across a complete set of Jim Lawson's milk bottles...all 6 of them!!! They still had the original rolled up piece of paper stuck into the top of each bottle and you can still see clearly the words "Lawson Milk Company" engraved on each bottle. These bottles once belonged to one of Charlie Lawson's relatives in Lawsonville over half a century ago. It is a very interesting find I think. Maria
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Post by Angela on Aug 22, 2009 12:01:57 GMT -5
That's cool!!! One of Charlie Lawson's brother was an inventor!!! And ten million dollars...WOW. Good Lord that's probably like a billion dollars now. You just find out all kinds of good stuff Maria. Angel71242
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Post by douglas on Aug 22, 2009 12:11:14 GMT -5
I remember when uncle Jim died we went to ohio and did you know he and his wife had been around the world he came home and one day going to get a hair cut about 2 miles from home he had a car wreck and got killed
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Post by Angela on Aug 22, 2009 12:20:11 GMT -5
Although Jim Lawson became a multi-millionaire, life was not a bed of roses for him. He totally transformed the way milk companies had always done business. He did so at the expense of violent opposition from other milk companies. His stores were bombed, his delivery trucks blown up and threats were made against his life and the lives of his family. However, Jim Lawson did not back down or cave in to his tormentors. For that I certainly applaud him. His original goal in life before he went into the milk business was to be a mountain missionary. That really intrigues me. he even enrolled in a Bible College. He did not finish Bible College because he met the woman he wanted to marry. She was a nurse in the same town where Jim was enrolled in college. He left college to marry her. her name was Mary Stewart. Together he and his wife decided they wanted to start their own business. So instead of becoming a poor mountain missionary in Lawsonville, North Carolina, Jim Lawson became a multi-millionaire businessman in the big city of Akron, Ohio. Maria
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Post by Angela on Aug 22, 2009 12:24:36 GMT -5
Sounds like he was a strong person. Imagine the souls he would have brought to God had he become a missionary. On the other hand, look at how many lives he saved by making milk safer to drink. I know you have a photo of him. You're going to put it in the Srapbook...right? Angel71242
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Post by Angela on Aug 22, 2009 12:30:46 GMT -5
Hi Doug, yes I knew Jim was killed on his way to get a hair cut. I have a copy of the news article about it. I have several different articles about him actually. One of them has a photo of Gene Lawson in it. Do you have any of these articles? Maria
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Post by Angela on Aug 22, 2009 12:46:46 GMT -5
Yes I'm saving the photo of Jim and his wife Mary and two of their children for the Scrapbook. One thing that Jim Lawson said was that he believed he helped more people by being the owner of Lawson's Milk Company than he would have by becoming a mountain missionary. He was a devout Christian according to everyone who knew him. He was responsible for giving over a thousand people a job in his company. He never forgot where he came from nor did he ever forget his family. He let his mother Nancy Lawson live with him in his home in ohio for two years after his father Gus Lawson died in 1919. He also employed his brother Marion, Marion's son Gene and his nephew Hill Boulding. In fact, Gene Lawson worked for Jim Lawson for 37 years. We can tell from this that Jim Lawson's family meant a lot to him. Maria
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Post by Angela on Aug 22, 2009 12:58:30 GMT -5
I remember Uncle Jim coming to my Dad's house to visit. You would never know he was a millionaire. He was just a plain old guy. He gave Rex Humbard the land to build his church in Akron as well as airplanes to a few missionaries. He also took about 20 or 30 people on a trip to the Holy land with him and his wife. Doug.
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Post by Angela on Aug 22, 2009 13:00:42 GMT -5
Well now I rest my case. He did indeed care about his family and he put his caring into action. Thanks Doug for this additional inf on Jim Lawson. Maria
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Post by Angela on Aug 22, 2009 13:04:00 GMT -5
This is really cool. My Dad collects old timey bottles and cans. He has several before even the Lawson era. Bet those milk bottles would fetch a HUGE amount now. Michael818
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Post by Angela on Aug 22, 2009 13:06:56 GMT -5
Anything from back then directly connected to the Lawson family would fetch a handsome chunk of money. The owner of Charlie Lawson's shotgun was offered $5,000.00 for it but she refused to sell it. Maria
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Post by douglas on Aug 23, 2009 10:01:33 GMT -5
I had some of the lawson dairy books from his factory but i gave them to aunt Lula sister of Stella Lawson but when she died her daughter got them you may get a copy from her i dont know its listed in the phone book under Jerry Barnes in eden nc
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Post by Angela on Aug 23, 2009 10:25:28 GMT -5
Thank you Doug for the info on this. What is Lula's daughter's first name? Maria
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Post by douglas on Nov 6, 2009 10:42:53 GMT -5
Connie Barnes
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Post by Angela on Nov 6, 2009 13:27:08 GMT -5
Thank you Doug. Where have you been....haven't seen you in here for quite a while. I hope you've been well. Maria
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