Lawson and his three sons fought together in the Union Army: John, William and Robert Maddron, Union D, Co. 13 Tn Cav. Lawson was a minister for 60 years. The stone on his grave says: baptized over 2,000. He settled in Cosby with a land grant after the Civil War, where he served as a hospital stewart. His son Ferman Maddron is well known in Cocke County. Ferman wrote articles for the newspaper under the name Old Beeswax.