DODSON/DOTSON GENEALOGY
Compiled by Glenn Gohr


Go to Glenn Gohr's Dodson Bibliography Page

Go to Broad Run Baptist Church Minutes, 1762-1872e

Go to Glenn Gohr's Dodson Puzzle Page

Back to Glenn Gohr's Genealogy Page

The Dodson family connection comes through my mother's extended family. It has been an interesting family to research. I've also found some double kinships through the Dodson family as so many of them intermarried with my Hanks family and other lines. I also discovered that my great-aunt Avie Harris (sister of my grandfather William Earl Harris) married a distant cousin on the Dodson side who was my Uncle Tillman Williams. Also one of Uncle Tillman's nephews, Roscoe Robinson, married my great-aunt Patie Harris's daughter, Verona Hix.

I originally found out about my Dodson lineage through contact with Billy R. Randolph of Waskom, Texas, who was one of the premier researchers on the Hanks family in Texas. He was actively involved in genealogy for more than 50 years, but has recently passed away. Another Dodson researcher who helped me along the way was Mrs. O. J. Adams of Danville, California, now deceased. For several years I also maintained contact with her son, Dennis Adams, who is related to me through the Hanks, Dodsons, and other lines. Sad to say, but Dennis also passed away in 2002 at the age of 64.

Another Dodson researcher who has been a real blessing to me is Alley Blackford, who served as list manager of the Dodson Family Genealogy List with Rootsweb after I got too busy. (Originally I started this list in February 1997, but due to my busy schedule, I turned this over to Alley in October 1997.) This list has really taken off with lots of Dodson researchers coming together to share ideas and information. From March 1999 to September 2001, the Dodson List was capably managed by Cynthia Raxter. Once again, as of September 2001, I am the list manager of the Dodson E-mail list on Rootsweb.

Alley Blackford had a marvelous Dodson Family Page which included a large database of Dodson descendants from Charles of VA as found in the 2-vol. Dodson book by Lucas & Williams, with some added data that she had found. But she became too busy to handle all the queries that this page generated, and she ended up closing her Dodson Genealogy Page. And now she is wrapped up in an even bigger project. Alley is now the webmaster for the Shenandoah County Virginia GenWeb site. This is where most of Alley's ancestors are from, although she actually lives in Florida. Alley also has a Hottle line which ties in with one line of my Wolverton/Woolverton family. Alley is a great friend and researcher.

In the spring of 1998 I posted several messages on the Dodson E-Mail list which showed some puzzles or problems in the Dodson lineage and related families. At that time I gave Alley Blackford permission to post this information on her website because I did not have a web page, and besides, she is much better at HTML than I am. Later (October 1998), Alley sent me the html format for these files, and I have now added these to my Dodson webpages. See my information concerning the earliest Dodsons at Jamestown, Virginia and information on the related families of Durham, Smoot, and Gilbert on the Dodson puzzle page that I have created:

    Dodson Puzzle Page

Some other important Dodson researchers I have corresponded with and whom I should recognize are Rev. Silas Emmett Lucas, Jr. (deceased), Michelle Ule, Brian Walls, Steve Smoot, and Charlotte Meyer. Charlotte Meyer has her own Dodson web page at: http://www.caves.net/~cmmeyer/Dotson.html

The best source of information concerning the early Dodsons of Viriginia is the following book:
    Williams, Mrs. Sherman, compiler and editor. The Dodson (Dotson) Family of North Farnham Parish, Richmond County, Virginia: A History and Genealogy of their Descendants. Rev. Silas Emmett Lucas, Jr., publisher. Easley, SC: Southern Historical Press, 1988. 2 Vols. 2,000 plus pages for $70.00, plus $5.00 shipping for both volumes. May charge to Visa, Mastercard, or by check or money order. Order # FH 10 for volume 1 ($37.50) and Order # FH 11 for volume 2 ($32.50).
    Phone: 864-233-2346
    FAX: 864-233-2349
    VISA/MC Orders only: 1-800-233-0152
    Southern Historical Press, Inc.
    P.O. Box 1267
    Greenville, SC 29602-1267

Another book on Dodsons (very low in stock as of December 1998) available from Southern Historical Press is an earlier book done by Rev. Silas Emmett Lucas, which contains some information not found in the 2-volume book. It is:
    Lucas, Rev. Silas Emmett, Jr. Supplement to the History of the Dodson-Dotson Family of Southwest Virginia. Southern Historical Press, 1966. 124 p. (8 1/2 x 11"). paperback. Order # FH 8. $20.00 plus $3.50 postage and handling.

You may be able to find the above books at a local library or obtain them through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) at your local public library or through a college or university library that has ILL. With the assistance of many others, I have compiled a listing of several libraries which have copies of the above two books. You may access this listing at:

    http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gohrpage/dodsonbibliography.html

Quite a number of Dodsons and other early family members belonged to the Broad Run Baptist Church in Fauquier County, Virginia, which was constituted December 3, 1762. I am assuming that this church was associated with the Primitive Baptist or �hardshell� Baptist faith, since that was the faith of the earliest Dodsons that I am aware of (although Charles Dodson, Sr. of North Farnham Parish very probably belonged to the Anglican Church, which was the recognized church of the early colonists). This material is fascinating reading and gives insights into the lives of the members. Many times letters are issued to members transferring or "removing" to new and distant locations. The reader may also be entertained by the �successes� and �failures� of human nature reflected in the church�s dealings with its communicants. I have made a page which includes transcriptions of the minutes of this church.
    Broad Run Baptist Church Minutes, 1762-1872

Here is my DODSON lineage:

  1. Charles DODSON, b. ca. 1649 Henrico Co., VA, d. ca. 1704 Richmond Co., VA; md. bef. 1680 Rappahannock Co., VA to Ann (DODSON?), b. ca. 1654, d. aft. 1704 Richmond Co., VA
  2. Thomas DODSON, b. 15 May 1681 Rappahannock Co., VA, d. 21 Nov. 1740 Richmond Co., VA; md. ca. 1701 Richmond Co., VA to Mary DURHAM, b. 5 June 1686 Richmond Co., VA, d. aft. 1740 Richmond Co., VA
  3. Rev. Thomas DODSON, b. ca. 1709 Richmond Co., VA, d. bef. 21 Oct. 1783 Pittsylvania Co., VA; md. 3 April 1726 Richmond Co., VA to Elizabeth ROSE, b. ca. 1706 VA, d. aft. 1766 Fauquier Co., VA
  4. Thomas DODSON (Second Fork), b. 3 Oct. 1728 Richmond Co., VA, d. 1811 Hawkins Co., TN; md. ca. 1747 VA to Mary NEVILLE, b. ca. 1730 VA, d. aft. 1790 TN
  5. Agatha DODSON, b. Dec. 1749 VA, d. Nov. (aft. 1830) Maury Co., TN; md. bef. 1769 to Moses HANKS, b. 15 July 1746 Richmond Co., VA, d. 19 Aug. 1831 Maury Co., TN (both buried in the Knob Creek Cemetery, Maury Co., TN)
  6. Elizabeth HANKS, b. 9 Sept. 1782 Pittsylvania Co., VA, d. 1833 Maury Co., TN; md. 1 June 1799 Lincoln Co., KY to Robert WILLIAMS, b. 1776 VA, d. 1837 Maury Co., TN
  7. Agatha WILLIAMS, b. 2 June 1802 Maury Co., TN, d. 13 July 1874 McNairy Co., TN; md. 22 Sept. 1817 Columbia, Maury Co., TN to James Matthew WOOLVERTON, b. 12 May 1797 Somerset, Pulaski Co., KY, d. 24 July 1878 McNairy Co., TN (both buried in Woolverton Cemetery near Adamsville, Tennessee)
  8. Nancy Artemisia WOOLVERTON, b. 28 Aug. 1829 Maury Co., TN, d. 24 Jan. 1926 Adamsville, McNairy Co., TN; md. 28 Dec. 1848 Jonesborough, Tippah Co., MS to Luther Rice LITTLEFIELD, b. 25 Dec. 1826 Spartanburg, Spartansburg Co., SC, d. 25 Mar. 1903 Adamsville, McNairy Co., TN (both buried in Adamsville Cemetery)
  9. Sarah Agatha LITTLEFIELD, b. 28 Oct. 1849 Jonesborough, Tippah Co., MS, d. 7 Feb. 1940 Leapwood, McNairy Co., TN; md. 18 Oct. 1868 McNairy Co., TN to William Ashley HARRIS, b. 19 May 1849 Hardin Co., TN, d. 12 Mar. 1916 McNairy Co., TN (both buried at Mars Hill Cemetery, McNairy Co., TN)
  10. James David HARRIS, b. 9 Jan. 1871 McNairy Co., TN, d. 22 Sept. 1938 Marlow, Stephens Co., OK (buried in the Marlow Cemetery); md. 28 Oct. 1894 McNairy Co., TN to Docia Bell PYRON, b. 5 Oct. 1872 McNairy Co., TN, d. 1 Sept. 1944 Lyford, Willacy Co., TX (buried at Combes, TX)
  11. William Earl HARRIS, b. 8 Aug. 1895 McNairy Co., TN, d. 5 Jan. 1967 Cortez, Montezuma Co., CO; md. 12 Dec. 1915 Parker Co., TX to Orpha Antonia Hazel GARVIN, b. 11 Nov. 1895 Jack Co., TX, d. 21 Dec. 1979 Cortez, Montezuma Co., CO *These are my grandparents.


DODSON E-MAIL LIST


If you have queries concerning the DODSON surname, you may post these at the Dodson Family Genealogy List which I manage.

Dodson Genealogy List is a part of the Rootsweb e-mail discussion lists. It offers free queries and discussion on the Dodson surname and variant spellings.

To subscribe, send an e-mail to: [email protected]
Leave subject line blank (This will be ignored).
In the body of the message type: subscribe

Then a welcome message will be sent telling how to post messages. Once you are subscribed, you may send a query to everyone on the list by sending e-mail to: [email protected]

Archived postings to the Dodson e-mail list can be found on the WEB at:

    https://mailinglists.rootsweb.com/listindexes/

When prompted, type in DODSON for the name of the list. A second screen will appear where you can choose a year and type in a search word(s). If you type in DODSON you would probably get all the previous postings to the list. You can also type in a person's name instead or a locality to narrow your search. If you wish to do a search by date, try entering it in quotation marks with the day and then the month as "01 Mar" using single digit dates preceded by a zero and only the first three letter of the month.


Rootsweb also has an e-mail list for the DOTSON surname. You may post queries relating to the Dotson spelling at the Dotson Family Genealogy List.

To subscribe, send an e-mail to: [email protected]
Leave subject line blank (This will be ignored).
In the body of the message type: subscribe

Then a welcome message will be sent telling how to post messages. Once you are subscribed, you may send a query to everyone on the list by sending e-mail to: [email protected]

Archived postings to the Dotson e-mail list can be found on the WEB at:

    https://mailinglists.rootsweb.com/listindexes/

When prompted, type in DOTSON for the name of the list. A second screen will appear where you can choose a year and type in a search word(s). If you type in DOTSON you would probably get all the previous postings to the list. You can also type in a person's name instead or a locality to narrow your search. If you wish to do a search by date, try entering it in quotation marks with the day and then the month as "01 Mar" using single digit dates preceded by a zero and only the first three letter of the month.



ROOTSWEB DODSON MESSAGE BOARDS

There are several Message Boards on Rootsweb which are set up for the DODSON surname. These boards are for posting information in the following categories: BIBLE, BIOGRAPHY, BIRTH, CEMETERY, CENSUS, DEATH, DEED, IMMIGRATION, LOOKUP, MARRIAGE, MILITARY, OBITUARY, PENSION, QUERIES, and WILLS. The search perameters and drop down screen on the main page allow you to do a key word search or to view all postings according to one of the above categories. Click on the icon below to access the Dodson Message Boards.

Query Post a query (or information from any one of the above categories) on any DODSON name or related family. Please give dates, and locations they lived. Try to give as much information as possible.



ROOTSWEB DOTSON MESSAGE BOARDS

There are several Message Boards on Rootsweb which are set up for the DOTSON surname. These boards are for posting information in the following categories: BIBLE, BIOGRAPHY, BIRTH, CEMETERY, CENSUS, DEATH, DEED, IMMIGRATION, LOOKUP, MARRIAGE, MILITARY, OBITUARY, PENSION, QUERIES, and WILLS. The search perameters and drop down screen on the main page allow you to do a key word search or to view all postings according to one of the above categories. Click on the icon below to access the Dotson Message Boards.

Query Post a query (or information from any one of the above categories) on any DOTSON name or related family. Please give dates, and locations they lived. Try to give as much information as possible.



An online genealogy forum for posting queries has also been setup specifically for the DODSON family. It can be found at the following address:

    http://genforum.familytreemaker.com/dodson



An online genealogy forum for posting queries has also been setup specifically for the DOTSON family. It can be found at the following address:

    http://genforum.familytreemaker.com/dotson

***Note***During the Fall of 1998, GenForum combined with Family Tree Maker, which means that all queries and information posted to that site becomes the property of Family Tree Maker. This is still a good site to look up information and get contact names for the DODSON/DOTSON lines you are searching, but be advised that if you now post a new query or a response to something on that site, chances are that sometime in the future Family Tree Maker will include that information on a CD-ROM which they will sell for profit to anyone who is interested. I do not like the idea of someone else using my hard researched information and ideas and selling them for a profit without my knowledge. This same practice is evident on all of the Family Tree Maker pages which are found on the internet, if you will read the disclaimer notices on those pages. I recommend the Family Tree Maker pages as good look up pages, but I don't recommend posting information there. Similar things can be said for Ancestry.com and MyFamily.com which are connected to each other and seek to make a profit from genealogical materials on the internet.


DODSON/DOTSON WEB PAGES

Some other DODSON/DOTSON researchers and web sites include:
    Creel-Dodson Home Page

    Bill Waller's Dotson Links

    Descendants of Charles Dodson

    McCartin-Dodson Links

    Descendants of John Dods

    Wayne Stafford's Home Page


    Copyright � 1998-2005.

    Last updated July 15, 2005.


Send comments to Glenn Gohr

Go to Glenn Gohr's Dodson Bibliography Page

Go to Broad Run Baptist Church Minutes, 1762-1872e

Go to Glenn Gohr's Dodson Puzzle Page

Back to Glenn Gohr's Genealogy Page