hiː wʌzðə sˈʌn ʌv sˈɛɹə ᵻlˈɪzəbəθ ˈæpəltən wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti tˈuː wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti wˈʌn ænd ˈeɪmɑːs ˈædəmz lˈɔːɹəns wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹtiːn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi sˈɪks, ɐ nˈoʊɾəbəl tˈɛkstaɪl ɪndˈʌstɹɪəlˌɪst, ænd ɐ mˈɛmbɚɹ ʌvðɪ ˌɪnfluːˈɛnʃəl bˈɔstən fˈæmɪli, fˈaʊndᵻd baɪ hɪz ɡɹˈeɪtɡɹˈændfɑːðɚ ænd ɐmˈɛɹɪkən ɹˌɛvəlˈuːʃənˌɛɹi, sˈæmjuːl lˈɔːɹəns.
He was the son of Sarah Elizabeth Appleton (1822–1891) and Amos Adams Lawrence (1814–1886), a notable textile industrialist, and a member of the influential Boston family, founded by his great-grandfather and American revolutionary, Samuel Lawrence.