Marie Antonine Lawrence was my mother-in-law. Her birth surname was Laurence, not Lawrence. She and her spouse, Victor Augustin Laurence were first cousins, both born on the island of St. Martin on the French side. Marie told me that before going to school, she was taught to spell her surname with a 'w' not a 'u', but the teachers in school had her use the 'u' in her surname.The French do not use the 'w' in a surname as it causes some kind of problem with their language, therefore all birth records were written as Laurence.The Lau/wrence family was originally English before settling in St. Martin, and spelled it with a 'w'. Some family members who immigrated to the U.S. and became citizens had their name legally changed to Lawrence.
