From what I've found on the web-sites of other researchers, our branch of the Rawls family came from England in 1635, and settled in Va.
There were four major groups of Rawls/Ralls/Rowles/Rahls that immigrated to America, three English and one German.
Our branch decends from from the Englishman, Lt.Col.George Rawls,[tho' his ancesters were probably German] he was an advisor to Richard Bennett, and landed with that party on the Nansemond River, Va. in 1635.
George eventually owned seven miles of land on both sides of Knuckles Swamp. His son, George Jr. became a Maj.
The family grew and spread to North and South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida and Alabama.

There are still a couple of generations of names, missing, between George and James. James being our earliest proven ancestor, who was a decendant of George Rawls.

this information obtained from: Ron Rawls, the Ralls Network, Ancestry.com and LDS.org