Background
In 1819, the state of Georgia removed the Cherokees from the Rabun county area and began to give the land away to settlers in a series of land lotteries. The 1832 lottery sparked the infamous Cherokee trail of tears. In my research, I only identified one Dotson, Daniel Dotson, who won any of these lotteries. II haven’t seen any connection between him and Dotsons in Rabun County. This county in the northeast corner of Georgia and borders South Carolina and North Carolina.
Georgia did not require birth or death certificates until 1920. Census forms before 1850 only included the name of the head of household and the rough ages and gender of everybody else.
Thomas Dotson was the first Dotson to appear in Rabun County, according to the 1830 Census (pdf, ancestry). He was between 50-59 years old and had 6 children living with him: two males under 5, two males between 5 and 9, and one female 20-29.
In 1840, there were no Dotsons in the Rabun County Census. In 1850, two families appear in the Census, Henry Dotson and Thomas Dotson. They both disappeared in 1880 but many of their children remained. The ages of Henry and Thomas make them possible brothers and possible children of the Thomas Dotson that appeared in the Rabun census in 1830. Although circumstances suggest this is a likely series of events, we would need additional evidence to be certain.
According to the County Clerk’s office, no Dotsons had official deeds before 1900.
Dotson Cemetery
There is a Dotson Cemetery located in Clayton Georgia off Warwoman Road on the property that has the name Casey Jones (map). The current residents claimed no knowledge of this cemetery although according to information gathered from other sources and the Historical Society in Rabun, there used to be signs pointing to the cemetery. There are approximately 10 unmarked stones. It is unclear which Dotsons are buried there and why this cemetery is hidden on the property of a family of no relation to the Dotsons. Revealing this hidden history might provide valuable leads.
Dotson Cabin
There is an old log cabin, said to be the home of Henry Dotson and passed down to his son Henry Berry Dotson. It is still standing and located on private property owned by a family of the Speed lineage. An interesting question is how it ended up in the possession of the current owners. It is difficult to find, but these GPS coordinates should help (34°53’50.3″N 83°15’01.1″W).
Early Life
Henry Dotson was a farmer who was born in 1823 in North Carolina, possibly with the Thomas in Rabun County in 1830 as a father. His parents were born in Virginia. By 1850, he was married to Elizabeth Fox, who was born in Georgia. Her father was born in North Carolina and the birthplace of her mother was marked unknown.
Rabun County Life
It is unclear when exactly Henry Dotson moved to Rabun County but we do know he was there at least in 1845 for the birth of his first son Franklin B.
Henry and Elizabeth had 10 children:
Franklin B (1845), David Franklin (1846), Thomas Renau (1848-1915), John D. (1850), Nancy (1852), Sarah A. (1854), Mary E. (1856), James L. (1861), Henry Berry (1852-1920), and Joseph Brown (1863).
Census data for Henry Dotson and Elizabeth Fox: 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880.
In many websites, especially ancestry.com, folks frequently confuse Henry Dotson 1823 with his son Henry Berry Dotson (1851), often times to the extent of even listing Henry Berry’s wife Rebecca Speed as the wife of Henry 1823. This is understandable because father and son have very similar names and it appears that Henry Berry grew to become somewhat of a prominent figure in his community.
We know Elizabeth’s maiden name is Fox from the death certificate of Henry’s son Henry Berry Dotson (jpg, pdf) and Thomas Renau Dotson (pdf).
Thomas Dotson, the possible brother of Henry, married Elizabeth Miller in 1841. Elizabeth Miller is often confused as the wife of the Thomas Dotson mentioned in the 1830 US Census. Thomas was born in North Carolina with parents born in Virginia, just like Henry. Elizabeth Miller was born in Tennessee.
They had the following children: Mary A (1844), John H (1847), Elizabeth A (1850), Minerva C (1852), Martha E (1854), William J (1856), Sarah M (1859), Dora (1861), Julia (1863), Thomas Reno (1865).
Census data for Thomas Dotson and Elizabeth Miller: 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880.
By 1880, both Henry and Thomas have vanished from the Census.
Photos
Below is a photo of Henry Dotson’s family found in my grandfather’s old photo album. The note next to it says it is the family of Henry and Elizabeth and that Elizabeth was an Indian princess. Looking critically at the image, it appears to be an image of a middle-aged couple, an older widower in black, and female family members.
I also tracked down a photo of Henry B Dotson’s family. Hard to see, but there is some resemblance.
My branch is through Henry Dotson’s son David Franklin, of whom I have been unable to find any photos.