Submitted by Descendants: Andrew Jason, Jason Ryan, and Ryan Samuel LAW
Joseph Elliott Law was born 15 February 1799 in Liberty County, Georgia, and was one of four children born to Thomas Elliott and Sarah Sallens Law. He received land grants in Hamilton County in 1836, 1839, 1852, and 1855. He was living in Hamilton County before the time of his first land grant, because he married Sarah E. Knight, daughter of Thomas J. Knight, on October 15, 1834. He voted in the first statewide election in 1845, representing Jasper, Precinct #2. According to an affidavit made by his son, Jasper built the first Methodist church in the area while Florida was still a territory.
The children of Joseph and Sarah Law were: Sarah E., Thomas J., Joseph N., Mary B., Martha A., Laura Matilda, Samuel Benjamen, Cornelia Clifford, Rebecca Amanda, Hannah B., Harriet Evelyn, Charles Nathaniel, David Elliott, and Clara Victoria. On February 4, 1865, after the death of Sarah he married Charlotte Westbrook. They were no children from that union.
On 14 July 1851 Joseph was appointed notary public for Hamilton County by Governor Call. His land holdings eventually added up to about 400 acres and he was a successful planter of sea island cotton. According to the slave schedule of 1860 he owned eighteen slaves. He died August 23,1871 in Hamilton County.
Joseph E. Law was first established as a Florida Pioneer in 1988