John Dawson (d. 1723) and His Sons: Richard, Isaac and Thomas Dawson

When searching for the John Dawson family of early 1700s, two deeds serve as background to the family's ownership of "White Lady Fields" & "Maiden's Choice," located on the upper Transquaking River on the west side of the Main Beaver Dam Swamp [Higgins Mill Pond] in Dorchester County, Maryland, east of present-day Cambridge-Dorchester Municipal Airport.

Grant No. 324: John Rawlings' "White Lady Fields" in "Early Settlers of Dorchester County," by Calvin & Mary Mowbray, Vol. 1,   p.117.

Map right: "E.S.D.C." p. 153: "M.C." = "Maiden's Choice"

July 26, 1718: Frances Fisher conveyed "Weston," "Fisher's Landing," "Addition to Fisher's Landing," and "Bartholomews" to her sons, Richard and John Willis, with proviso they convey "Roaley" to John Dawson. [Dorch. Land Record Old Bk. 2:63].

Aug 7, 1721: Richard and Ann Willis sold "Maiden's Choice" and "White Lady Field" to John Dawson. [DLR Old 3:97]

John Dawson of Dorchester Co Md. died before May 9, 1723 leaving "plantation dwelling" to his two oldest sons, Richard & Isaac Dawson, and 2000 pds. of tobacco [money of the time] to be paid by the older brothers to their younger brother, Thomas Dawson.

On the 1723 Inventory of John Dawson: Richard Willis & Obadiah Dawson were named "next-of-kin." [Md. Archive Inven. Bk 8:194] From the above two deeds and the Third Haven Quaker Meeting records of the Dawson-Willis children, Richard Willis II was half-brother of John Dawson of "Maiden's Choice" & "White Lady Field." Richard Dawson Sr. (d. 1684) was father of John Dawson (d. 1723), while Richard Willis I was father of Richard Willis II. Richard Dawson I and Richard Willis I were the first & second husbands of Frances Dawson Willis Fisher. ["First Dorchester Families" by Mowbray, p. 173]

John Dawson (1681-1723) died at age 42.  His will carefully stated his wishes concerning his under-aged sons:  "When my two sons, Richard & Isaac, became age 18, they will inherit my dwelling plantation; when my son Thomas Dawson arrives at age 20, he is to receive 2000 pds. of tobacco from his two brothers." 

Richard Dawson, son of John, sold his portion of "White Lady Field" & "Maiden's Choice" in 1729 [DLR 8:314] and Isaac Dawson sold his portion of the plantations in 1730 [DLR 8:405). Using the date of sale of the two plantations minus age 18 (inheritance date): Richard Dawson was b. c1710-11, while his brother, Isaac Dawson, was b. c1712. Thomas Dawson, the youngest son provided for by his two older brothers in pounds of tobacco, was born c. 1722 after the birth of his four sisters: Sarah Dawson, the oldest, b. c1714; Frances Dawson b. c1716; Rachel Dawson b. c1718, and Ann Dawson b. c1720. 

Thomas Dawson Sr., s/o John & Sarah Dawson, married Sarah Smith, daughter of William & Abigail Williams Smith, as the elder William Smith's will & inventory & Abigail Smith's will shows. [Sarah Smith: Md. Arch. Vol. 36:325; Md. Inv. Liber 6:297 and Sarah Dawson: Kent Co Del. Wills Bk L:234-5]

Thomas Dawson's marriage in Dor. Co. Md. deed dated Nov. 10, 1762, for 100 a. of "Friendship" by William & Abigail Smith to Thomas Dawson. [DLR Old Bk 18:220]. In 1763, Thomas & Sarah Dawson sold 70 a. of "Friendship" to Edward Lloyd for either a fine or for taxes. [DLR Old Bk 20:393] On Dec 24, 1767, Isaac & Sophia Smith Jump sold part of "White Hall" (50 a.) to Thomas & Sarah Smith Dawson. In 1767, "White Hall" was located on the border of Dorchester Co Md. with Kent Co Del., on a branch of  Marshyhope Creek. [DLR Old 22:183] The border area between Maryland and Delaware on the banks of the Marshyhope Creek near present-day Adamsville (formerly Marshyhope Bridge) in Sussex Co, Del., was the home of the Dawson brothers: Thomas Dawson Jr. & his wife Ann Jump of Sussex Co Del., Asa Dawson & his wife Elizabeth Causey, and Zebdial Dawson & his wife Sarah Smith, d/o Thomas Smith of Kent Co Del.

Thomas Dawson Sr. died before March 10, 1773, in Dorchester County Md., at age 51. He provided for his sons with the same personalty as his father had provided him. (Valuable pewterware transferred in father and son's wills). Because English tradition mandated (by primogeniture) the oldest son inherit the family property, Asa Dawson received "White Hall" & "Addition to White Hall" in his father's will. Like his father, John Dawson, before him, Thomas Dawson Sr. provided for his other two sons. In the tradition of the Dawson family, the oldest son, Asa Dawson, was to look after the welfare of his two younger brothers, Zebdial & Thomas Dawson Jr. After the death of Thomas Dawson Jr., his children would have been looked after by the two remaining brothers. Deed transfers in Sussex Co Del. point to that tradition! [Sussex Co Del. Deed Bk M-12:510-511]

Asa Dawson of "White Hall" and his brother, Zebdial Dawson, resided in 1790 in Mispillion 100, Kent Co Del., but close ties among the three families were strong. Even though the border between Sussex Co and Kent Co divided them, the distance between their farms was never great because all three families resided in the extreme n.w. corner of NW Fork Hundred, Sussex Co, Del. (Thomas Jr. and his wife Ann Dawson), and the extreme s.w. corner of Mispillion Hundred, Kent Co, Del. (Asa & Zebdial Dawson) before 1790.

1790 Mispillion 100, Kent Co Del. Census: Asa Dawson & Zebdial Dawson.

1790 NW Fork 100, Sussex Co Del.: Sophia Jump, Olive Jump, William Jump, William Smith of Md.

"White Hall" mentioned in the 1773 will of Thomas Dawson Sr., was never fully transferred to Asa Dawson, the oldest son of Thomas Dawson Sr., because Isaac Jump died in 1769. After the youngest son, Thomas Dawson Jr., died before 1790, Asa Dawson received the property "White Hall" in a 1792 deed transfer in Kent Co Del. by the "heirs" of Isaac Jump which included *Ann Jump Dawson (widow of Thomas Dawson Jr.), and her mother, Sophia Jump, and her brother Olive Jump and his wife Mary Jump. William Smith Jump, youngest brother of Ann Jump Dawson, was not mentioned in the 1792 deed transfer for "White Hall" because he had migrated by 1792 to Kentucky. [Kent Co Deed Bk D-2:213-15]  

Dawson Researchers: Ann Dawson of Kent Co Del. (wife of Isaac Dawson d. 1763) was *not Ann Jump before marriage. Ann Jump, d/o Isaac & Sophia Smith Jump, was born between 1764 and 1768 according to "Jump Family of Maryland" by Bob Shearer. The latest Ann Jump could have been born was 1769, death of her father Isaac Jump. If Ann Jump was born in the mid-1760s, she was not yet born when Isaac Dawson of Kent Co Del. died in 1763. Please, if you see this error on World Family Trees, contact author.

It can be surmised from the appointment of William Ross as guardian of Mary Dawson, d/o Richard Dawson, that Ann Dawson may have been a Ross before marriage to Isaac Dawson ( d. 1763). [Kent Co Del. Orphan Court Bk C:33]

Isaac Dawson Sr., s/o John & Sarah Dawson, was born c1712 in Dor. Co Md. and died 1763 in Kent Co Del. He would have been age 51 at his death. He lived long enough to have a deceased son, Richard Dawson, who had one heir, Mary Dawson, and a married daughter, Esther Dawson Vinson, w/o Jesse Vinson. Isaac Dawson Sr. named sons in will order: John, Thomas, Isaac Jr., Daniel, and Joshua Dawson. Taking birth order from the will: Esther Dawson b. c1734; Richard Dawson b. c1736; John Dawson b. c1738; Thomas Dawson b. c1740; Isaac Dawson Jr. b. c1742; Daniel Dawson b. c1744; Joshua Dawson b. c1746.

For more information on either Isaac Dawson Sr. (d. 1763) of Kent Co Del. or Esther Dawson Vinson, contact Darrow Little darrowklittle@earthlink.net or John M. Dawson of Richmond, Va. JDawson784@aol.com .

Probate for the other sons of Isaac & Ann Dawson of Kent Co Delaware may be found in "Calendar of Kent Co Del. Probate Records" by deValinger.

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