LJWorld.com

It's no coincidence that Lawrence resident Charles Derby's middle name is "Lawrence."

Both the city, which is celebrating its 150th birthday this year, and Derby are namesakes of Amos A. Lawrence, the Boston philanthropist who helped finance the first abolitionist settlement in present-day Lawrence and provided seed money for what is now Kansas University.

And Amos Lawrence was Derby's great-great uncle.

"I suppose you're proud your ancestors did something like this," Derby said. "But I'm so far removed, and it's so many years back, it's hard to get a sense of it."

The best proof Derby has of his ancestry is a small silver plate, inscribed with the year 1884, given by Amos Lawrence to his great-nephew, Robert Mason Derby. Robert Mason Derby was Charles Derby's great-grandfather. The little plate has been passed down through the generations.

"My mom was a KU grad, and my brother went to KU," said Derby, a Chanute native who is vice president of Central National Bank in Lawrence. "I knew all along where Lawrence got its name."

Bankrolled the city

Officially, Lawrence got its name when city founders chose it over "Wakarusa" or "New Boston," two other names in contention among the early settlers.

But city leaders were looking for a tribute to Amos Lawrence, a textile manufacturer who came from a wealthy Boston family. He also was treasurer of the New England Emigrant Aid Company, and, along with Eli Thayer, bankrolled much of the company's original colonization of Lawrence.

Lawrence also donated $10,000 to help establish what now is KU.

He didn't visit the city site until May 28, 1884, when he was 69 years old, and only a year before his death.

"For 30 years it had been his unfulfilled expectation to visit Kansas, to see the places and the people so familiar with his name, and the university which his bounty had founded," his son, William Lawrence, wrote in a biography.

William Lawrence said his father wanted a "quiet visit, such as his health would endure."

Early departure

The residents of Lawrence had other ideas. They planned gatherings and receptions for him, and both the city officials and KU approved resolutions honoring him.

Lawrence stayed with former Gov. Charles Robinson during at least part of his visit to the city. He had planned to stay a week but left after three days. Robinson explained in a letter to The Lawrence Journal that Lawrence's health prevented him staying longer.

"The last day of his journey (on the way to Kansas) was very tedious, and on his arrival he was nearly prostrated with fatigue, which the wholly unexpected welcome by the city and the University authorities, as well as citizens generally, served to increase rather than diminish," Robinson wrote.

'Forward-thinking family'

For descendants of Lawrence, the family's support of abolitionism and education -- Lawrences also donated money to start Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., and Sarah Lawrence College in New York City -- is a source of pride.

Elizabeth Hedenberg, the descendant of a cousin to Amos Lawrence who lives in Pensacola, Fla., has done genealogical research on the family.

"I know it's a big family," she said. "I think in the Lawrence family there have been judges, senators, congressmen, a lot of ministers, a lot of doctors. And it seems like the family's always been big on education. It was a well-educated family."

Hedenberg grew up in Kansas City, Mo., and visited Lawrence many times during her childhood.

"It's just strange to me that this man would invest his money in a place so far away," Hedenberg said. "It must have been they were a very forward-thinking family."