William Lawrence was born in Groton, Massachusetts, on May 7, 1723, the son of William and Susanna Lawrence. He entered Harvard College in 1739, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1743. The following year, he returned to Harvard to pursue a degree in theology, which he received in 1746. He was ordained on December 7, 1748, and served as pastor of the Second Church in Lincoln, Massachusetts, throughout the rest of his life. He and Love Adams (d. 1820), daughter of John Adams and Love Minot, were married on February 7, 1750, and had many children, including William and Sarah. William Lawrence died on April 11, 1780. On October 30, 1783, Sarah Lawrence married Samuel Bass of Randolph, Vermont, who graduated from Harvard College in 1782. Their children included Samuel, Sarah, William (d. September 25, 1810), and Jonathan (1784-1866).
Jonathan Bass was born on October 29, 1784, and attended school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the early 1800s. He moved to Braintree, Massachusetts, in 1805, and married Harriet Albina Baylies (d. 1856) on July 5, 1812. They had six children: Harriet, William, Sarah, Jonathan, Jr., Hannah, and Henry. Jonathan Bass died on February 11, 1866. Henry Bass lived in Boston, Massachusetts, and served as an officer in the Massachusetts Militia.
From the guide to the Lawrence-Bass family papers, 1725-1904, 1800-1862, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)
