RICHARD DOTSON
AND THE DOTSON LAND GRANTS
While contemplating a subject for my article this week, I decided to share some history on the man responsible for the famous Dotson Land Grants so vital to the history of much of the Greenwood area in Doddridge County and beyond.
We know about the land grants and many of us have studied the information contained there within, but how much do you know about the man? I shall assume, like most residents in and near this county, not very much unless you are a direct descendent.
Did you know that at the time Richard Dotson moved to this county, he was the only Dotson in the entire county? Barring the recent influx of new citizens, if you were related to a Dotson in Doddridge County, the odds were that you were related to Richard Dotson.
According to information gathered by Hazel Seevers of Kansas City, KS, who herself was a descendent, this is the history of the first three generations of Dotson family. Mrs. Seevers gathered this information with the intention of publishing a book on the “Dotson Family History. She then decided to send it to Bertha Dotson Sellers of Toll Gate, WV who added to it and created “Dotson Family History.”
Information used in this article is derived from Bertha’s information in “The Dotson Family” and “Descendants of John Wilson” furnished by Ed Dougherty of Nashville, TN. Barr Wilson did make some corrections which are included.
While the direct line from Samuel to Richard is questioned by some, this is the story we have thus far. Use your own judgement on the validity of the information.
Richard Dotson’s great-grandfather, Samuel Dotson was born circa 1675, or earlier in England. He came to America on a ship called the ‘Assurance’ 17 July 1692. Samuel’s wife, Sarah, may or may not have been on the ship with him. We do not know if she came with him or whether he married her after arriving in America. However, Samuel landed in Northumberland Co., VA.
Samuel and Sarah were the parents of Richard Dotson’s grandfather, Abraham Dotson who was born on 13 Jan. 1690, so we must assume that they were married, and that Abraham and Sarah came at the same time Samuel did. But there is no proof of this at this time. The dates are conflicting, as Abraham’s birthdate and birthplace are listed as North Umberland Co., VA. Abraham also died in that same county. Abraham married Richard’s grandmother, Elizabeth Dameron, who was born on 18 April 1692. She also lived and died in Northumberland County, VA. She was the daughter of Richard and Margery Dameron.
Richard Dotson’s father, Thomas was born to Abraham and Elizabeth in Northumberland County, VA on November 4, 1731. Richard’s father, Thomas married his mother, Frances Minor (marriage date not given). No doubt, the couple had other children, but Richard is the only one known to have come to and settled in Doddridge County.
Bar Wilson states that beginning with Richard Dotson, he believes the information to be 98% correct. Any information used for personal genealogical purposes should always be verified.
Richard Dotson’s military document confirming he was a soldier in the Revolutionary War.
We know that Richard Dotson was a Revolutionary War Soldier because he filed for and received a pension for his service. From his pension application we can learn a great deal about his life. It is, in part, as follows:
“…that he was born in Shenandoah County (now Fredrick) (Note: Fredrick Co. was formed in 1738. Dunmore Co. was formed from Fredrick in 1772. In 1778, the name of Dunmore Co. was changed to Shenandoah Co., VA. At the time of his birth, Oct. 23, 1752, he would have been born in Fredrick Co., VA) State of Virginia and continued to reside there until he was about 20 years of age. He then removed to Greene County, State of Pennsylvania, that in the year 1774, he served a tour of duty under Lord Dunmore against the western Indians, that he marched to Fort Charlotte near the place where Chillicothe now stands, in the State of Ohio, from whence he returned to his place of residence in the State of Pennsylvania where he continued to live until after the close of the Revolutionary War, that in the spring of the year 1777, he entered the service of the United States as a volunteer Indian Spy under Captain John Minor and served six months of that year, that in the years 1778 & 79, he also served the United States six months each year as an Indian Spy under Captain John Minor entering the service in the spring and leaving it in the fall, making in all, he served as an Indian Spy the term of eighteen months or more that his services consisted in watching movements of the Indians examining their trails and giving information of their approach to the settlements that he principally served in Greene and adjoining Counties, that his headquarters were at Jenkins’s Fort in said county of Greene and Jarrad’s Fort about 3 miles from the former, that the said Captain John Minor was the commandant of these stations, that in the summer of 1777 or 8 (1777 is known as the year of the bloody sevens), he and 4 of his companions had a skirmish with about the same number of Indians, that one of his party, John Nichols, was killed and one of the Indians was also killed by Richard Hall. This skirmish took place near Jarrad’s Fort on Big Whitney and that he has no recollection of having received a discharge. He further says that after the close of the Revolution he returned to Shenandoah County, VA after remaining there a few years, he removed to Loudoun County, VA and continued there about 2 years, then removed to Hampshire Co., VA, where he lived about 6 years. From thence, he removed to Wood Co., VA (now Doddridge Co., WV). Since which time, he has continued to reside alternately in Wood (now Doddridge) and Tyler Counties until the present time that he now lives in said County of Tyler. He further says he has a record of his age and that he was born on the 23rd day of October 1752.
The Indian attack that Richard Dotson spoke of above was recorded in an article published in the “Awhile Ago Times” by Glenn Lough in the 1970’s and was said to have been dictated to Joseph H Powell by James Morgan, son of Col. Zackwell Morgan on James’ 80th birthday in 1850.
The following account is gory and brutal and if you don’t want to learn the horrible truth of that event instead of what was previously written, stop here…
Artist’s depiction of the Indian attack that took place at the Smith home and Mrs. Bozarth’s killed Indian attackers near Jarred’s Fort.
INDIANS ATTACK THE SMITH HOME
“…Just before we moved to Decker’s Creek, John Bozarth and family went down to Cheat River to visit Mrs. Bozarth’s sister’s family named Smith. The bad year for all of us around. George, John’s boy, and I were good friends. Mrs. Bozarth was there at Smith’s when the Indians raided on Cheat.
I heard Uncle Dave say there was about thirty of them, broken into little bunches. Jacob Prickett had a brother settled in that country and his boy, Elias, was at the Smith’s that day. He was about 20 yrs. old; I think.
The children were playing outside right after dinner and yelled that the Indians were coming. Elias Prickett ran outside and was shot in the hip. He fell back into the door. The Indians ran inside. Dick (Richard) Dotson was in there and he jumped the Indian and threw him down on the floor, yelling for something to kill him with. Mrs. Bozarth picked up an ax and chopped open the Indian’s head. Another Indian ran in yelling and shot Dick (Richard) Dotson. It’s been in the papers and books that the Bozarths lived on Dunkard Creek, but they didn’t. Just like Uncle Dave’s fight with the Indians here, a pack of lies has been told and printed about the trouble there on Cheat.
Mrs. Bozarth hit the Indian that shot Dotson, in the head and knocked him down and chopped his belly open and his entrails went dragging after him as he crawled out of the cabin. One of the Indians that was helping his friends murder the children in the yard, ran to help the hurt one and Mrs. Bozarth axed him, splitting his head open to the chin.
Elias Prickett became conscious and got a gun and ran to the door and shot at the Indians, who were then running for the woods. If he did any damage, it wasn’t known. I have read stories that say that the people stayed shut up in the house with the dead Indians and Dick (Richard) Dotson for several days. But this is not true, the house was relieved within an hour. I’ve heard Uncle Dave and Jacob Prickett say and John Ice was with those that relieved it, and helped bury the dead children of the families, Smith, Dotson, and Bozarth, six in all.”
The given name of Mrs. Bozarth, who killed the Indians, was Experience. She was a Bozarth before marriage.
This brings us to 1802, when Richard Dotson marries Miss Amelia “Millie” Miller. The move to what is now Doddridge County and built their cabin on a parcel of the 600 acres of land that we now know as the “Dotson Land Grants”, but that’s a story for next week.
The children of Richard Dotson’s son, William:
L to R. 1st Row: Wm. I. Dotson, Israel Dotson, William Buskirk Dotson, Teresa Dotson Dougherty, Carrie Dotson, Hickman – 2nd Row: Margaret Hickman Dotson, William Hampton Dotson, Floyd Taylor (hand over heart), Lucy Dotson Taylor, Nell Dougherty Crane, Joseph Dougherty, Frank Sherwood, Bess Dougherty 3rd Row: Victoria Sherwood, Martha Edwards Ellifritts, Rube Taylor, Jack Hickman, Gussie Dotson Waldo, Floyd Sherwood, Winfield Ellefritts Back Row: Franklin Pierce Dotson