"Received your letter. I'm sending you information of what I recall. The story starts back in Knoxville, PA. Dad invited a young evangelist by the name of Jeff Lawman to hold meetings at the [Knoxville] Baptist Church. He invited the Methodist and Pentecostals to unite with us. Both churches became involved, especially the Pentecostals -- they were mighty prayer warriors. I was a senior in high school (16) walking by one of their homes one evening. I stopped to listen to their prayer meeting. I was impressed."

"Many sought salvation during that meeting including several outstanding business men of Knoxville. Their wives had been praying for some time for their conversion. The wives were members of the Pentecostal Church, but their husbands would not attend because, at the time there was a stigma to be a Pentecostal believer. The husbands came willingly to the Baptist Revival. Sixty people were baptized in water after the meetings. Among this number was the Methodist minister. The baptismal service took place at or in the river that flowed through Knoxville. It was a time of great spiritual joy in the town."

"After Jeff was gone, a large group of these men began to seek the Holy Spirit baptism in the fellowship hall of the Baptist Church. Many received the Holy Spirit and started going out to other churches with fiery testimonies. They were called the Lawman Men's Band."

"In the meantime, Dad was called to pastor the Attica Baptist Church. This group of "on-fire men" came to Attica to the Baptist Church for a Sunday evening service. I can remember having lunch, after the service with the group before returning to Knoxville, I had remained in Knoxville where I was finishing my senior year. One of the men remarked, your Dad will be persecuted now. In the church was a Moody Bible Institute representative and at the time Moody was greatly against Pentecost. They started a gossip campaign against Dad which led to a business meeting."

"This business meeting took place after Dad had been in Attica five years. Several former members that had not attended the church in years were brought in to vote. Dad could have contested the vote on the basis of violation of the Constitution and By-Laws which state they had to be current or members that had left the church for only a few months. However, he felt it was not wise to contest the vote but accept it as the will of the Lord. He was voted out as pastor. Dad took his back-pay and built the tabernacle where many of the Baptist people came to worship with him, some twenty in all."

"It was here that I found my family living when I returned home from college. It was in the fall of 1933, November to be exact. A.G. Lawton, my Dad, asked a Spirit-filled ex-Baptist lady minister to hold revival meetings for us at the tabernacle. Mae Eleanor Frey was her name. She preached for two weeks and the Holy Spirit fell on nine or ten people. I was the first one to receive and your mother received, in addition to the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, the Gift of Prophecy."

"William Wallace Lawton [Marian's grandfather] died in his early fifties. He was the father of four children. Two girls died of black-diphtheria. Ernest lived and later Alfred (our father) was born. At the death of W.W., he called his two sons and said: 'If the Lord calls you into the ministry answer the call. I refused to preach and have lived a life of failure and confusion.' Fifteen minutes later, he died! Both sons were ministers. Dad had to leave school at fifteen years of age to work and support his mother [Mary Gurney Lawton]."

"After this, Dad entered Cook Academy [now the NYS Fire School] in Montour Falls, NY, where he received his high school education. His mother sold their home in Binghamton, NY, to secure funds for his education. While in Cook, his mother did laundry and sewing to earn enough for Dad to get through school. While in Cook, he pastored the Baptist Church in Alpine, NY, mother's home where he met and later married mother [Etta Farr]."

"After graduation from Cook, he married our mother. Then, he attended Alfred University. For a time, he was assistant pastor of the South Hornell Baptist Church, but later moved to Alfred Station to complete his college education. After graduating from Alfred, they moved to Valoise, NY, where he attended and graduated from Rochester-Colgate Theological Seminary. He did this while pastoring in Valoise. Dr. Strong was president of the seminary at the time (1822 - 1894). His concordance is quite famous. There is a hand-bound leather book of minutes of the Hamilton Society, later to be called the Northern Baptist Church. One of our ancestors [John Lawton] (and you will find material inclosed from the tombstone in Pitcher, NY) was the secretary of the Hamilton Society. He also was one of the founders of Colgate University."

"The only family member that I now who has done extensive work in regard to our family is our [late] first cousin, Rev. Kermit Lawton, that now resides in Jacksonville, Florida."

"I am also inclosing a copy of the family material that I have. I suppose your mother has the same material. Maybe I am not adding anything. I hope there may be something you can use in your quest for 'truth about us.' Lots of love to Alba and hugs to Amanda. We hope to be up your way in the middle of September. Norman sends best regards. Cordially your Aunt, Marian."

Daughter Laurie was with her at the Ft. Myers Hospital....