You can't trust family history nor census ages. Gaines Lawson, Medal of Honor winner, wrote an instrument in 1875, giving possession of his land to his sister Jane Shanks with the condition that she take care of their mother Malvina (Piney Lawson). Piney probably died about 1880 and that is why Jane sold the land. Now, here is something very curious. Piney Lawson was living next to Reuben Mabe and daughter Sophrona in 1870 with her son John. This would seem to imply that the 1900 Gaines Lawson living with Sophrona could conceivably Piney's son Gaines. But he was born about 1841 and Richard Lawson's Gaines about 1850. Gaines Lawson and Sophrona were repeatedly prosecuted for living together in the 1890s.