James Seaborn Dozier 1737-1808

James Seaborn Dozier was born September 2, 1737.  His parents were Leonard Dozier III and Anne Gayle Marks.  The first Dozier, James's great-great grandfather Leonard Dozier I, received his naturalization papers January 28, 1683.  He was a French Huguenot and settled in Westmoreland County Virginia, near the Manakin French Huguenot settlement and what would become Richmond.  The City of Richmond, like James,  was "born" in 1737, the official year it was laid out.

The Doziers did well in Virginia, apparently from tobacco.  When James's mother passed, it was noted that his brothers John and Thomas used their tobacco stamps to execute the will.

In 1759, James married Mary Dunwoody the daughter of Scottish immigrants Lawrence Dinwiddie and Elizabeth Kennedy.  James and Mary had nine children that lived to adulthood.  James and Mary were married  about 45 years.

James served as a sergeant in the Revolutionary War with the Virginia Militia and Artillery.  Men often joined a company within a regiment that originated in their county.  The 5th Virginia Regiment and the 15th Virginia Regiment (10th Company) originated in Westmoreland County so we may assume that James joined one of these.  The two regiments fought in similar battles including the Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown, Battle of Monmouth and the Siege of Charleston..   As part of the militia, James was likely allowed to time to go home for planting and harvesting seasons.

James and Mary had nine children that lived to adulthood, seven boys and two girls.  Most were born before the Revolutionary war started but two, possibly three children were born during the war, including our direct ancestor, Thomas Dozier, born September 22, 1776.

It is not clear if James received a Revolutionary War land grant that took him and Mary to Warren County Georgia but it is possible. His brothers moved to Bute County, NC which was renamed Warren County, NC.  There is documentation that his brother John and John's son James participated in the land grants lottery with no success.  I have not been able to find a record of James Seaborn Dozier participating in the land grants.

James and Mary prospered in Warren County.  At his death on January 2, 1808 at age 70, his will leaves land to all the sons, and all of his offspring received a slave.  His son John had already died so James left property to John's children. Property that went to the males included either land that a son already inhabited or 100 acres. Dunwoody "Woody" Dozier received "the plantation", which I am interpreting meant the home. he also inherited six plates, six knives and six forks.  He was to share the plantation with his mother Mary as long as she lived.

The family's good fortune continued through the generations. Some of the belongings of Augustus Dozier, James and Mary's grandson, are featured in the Georgia Decorative Arts collection at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts in Winston-Salem, NC.  You can find a write up, along with a picture of Augustus's corner cupboard here, about halfway down the web page.  It cites that the size of Augustus's property and holdings placed him in the upper crust of Georgia's society.

Augustus's brother, Seaborn, moved southwest to Schley County.  More on Seaborn and his father Thomas, as well as other direct ancestors, will be in future blogs.