Chatham Lineages Currently Under Research

1. William Dowdy of Rocky River (m. Rebecca)

b 1784-1790 son of _____________

Chatham Census	1810 pg 215	1820 pg 182	1830 pg 456	1840 pg 144	1850 Household
William Dowdy	b1784-94	b1775-94	1780-90	b1780-90	Dead?
Wife	b1784-94	b1775-94	b1780-90	b1780-90	Rebecca b1790
Male		b1810-20	b1815-20	b1810-20	Gone: ?Vincent b1817
Female		b1810-20	b1815-20	b1810-20	Mary b1819 in HH
Female			b1820-25	Gone: ?	Gone: ?
Male			b1820-25	b1820-25	John b1821 in HH
Male			b1820-25	b1820-25	Gone: ?Nicholas b 1825
Male			b1825-30	b1825-30	Hiram b1827 in HH

2. John Dowdy of Hart's Creek Theory
Author: website editor

GOAL: Let me try to identify the folks in this 1831 Chatham abstract:

1. The 1831 deed of John Dowdy Sr and John Dowdy Jr to Thomas Dowdy 144 acres
on Harts Creek of Bear Creek

Note: This land is out of the way from the normal Nicks Creek or Deep River
area of all of the other Dowdys....suggesting a separate grouping.

2. The 1830 census identifies 2 adult John Dowdys. I believe we might assume
they are the two John Dowdys in the 1831 abstract. All parties involved in the
1831 deed would need to be adults.

1830:
John Dowdy (Sr) born 1760-1770
John Dowdy (Jr) born 1800-1810

I think you can track John Dowdy Sr in Chatham census in 1800, 1810, and 1820
as the only John Dowdy in Chatham post-1800. Every now and then, there is a
misplaced tick mark on the census, however. But after studying the family
groupings (males and female children), I'm confident that there is only one
John Dowdy family in Chatham after 1800.

3. Now follow the land:

In 1802 John Dowdy was granted 43 acres on Harts Creek. In 1815, John Dowdy was
taxed for 143 acres (Harts Creek area). In 1831, John Dowdy Sr (and John Dowdy
Jr) sold 144 acres on Harts Creek to Thomas Dowdy.

This indicates that John Dowdy Senior is in Chatham as early as 1802 (confirmed
by the 1800 census for him).

4. Ages of family members

All of the census pinpoint John Dowdy Senior's birth as between 1760 and 1765
(note the Albemarle Parish birth of John Dowdy in 1762). This John Dowdy Sr
does not show up in the 1840 census indicating he may have died between the
ages of 65 and 80 depending on his exact birth date.

This John Dowdy Sr has 4 daughters and 2 sons according to the multiple census
profiles.

female b about 1794
female b 1794-1800
male b 1794-1800
male b 1800-1804
female b 1804-1810
female b 1804-1810

5. Children

Both of John Dowdy's sons disappear from his census profile in the 1830 census.
Three new persons show up in the census the same year (excluding Joab, Matthew
and Benjamin -sons of Thomas): James Dowdy (b 1800-1810), Thomas Dowdy (b
1790-1800), and John dowdy (b 1800-1810). Of course, I'm assuming they did not
move off when they became an adult.

Based on the 1831 deed, I think we can assume that John Dowdy (Jr) is one of
the two sons. This John Dowdy was born around 1802 fitting the profile of the
second son. This John Dowdy (Jr) family is reflected in the 1850 census and
left a will in 1884 in Chatham.

The James Dowdy in the 1830 census seems to be the same person descendants
believe is the son of a James "Jimmy" Dowdy Sr. (eliminating him as the 1st son
of John Dowdy Sr.)

I theorize that the 1st son of John Dowdy Sr. is Thomas Dowdy (born 1790-1800
in the 1830 census) and who shows up in the 1850 census with wife Polly
(showing an incorrect age).

This family grouping makes the 1831 deed clearer. The father (John Dowdy Sr)
and the son (John Dowdy Jr) are selling land to the elder son (Thomas Dowdy)

6. Is John Dowdy Senior the person born in Albemarle Parish?

It's tempting to say he IS because of the census birth dates. However, the 1806
"rightful heirs of Thomas Dowdy" abstract does not mention John Dowdy. Even if
John got his share of the estate early (I'm still looking for how he got the
extra 100 acres on Harts Creek), I think the 1806 "heirs" document would still
mention him if he were alive????

The John Dowdy in the 1790 census doesn't seem to fit the later John Dowdy
profiled above (but anything is possible in those early families). Plus there
is a John Dowdy who died around 1792. This says very clearly that there are TWO
John Dowdys in pre-1800 Chatham. Its very possible that the John Dowdy of
Albemarle Parish died in 1792 and there is ANOTHER John Dowdy born around the
same time (1760s) who continues to live in Chatham around Harts Creek. That
would be consistent with the "heirs of Thomas Dowdy" not mentioning John Dowdy
(because he died in 1792).

This John Dowdy Senior family theory identifies 2 families in the 1850 Chatham
census: John Dowdy (m Delilah) and Thomas Dowdy (m. Polly) as sons of John
Dowdy Senior of Harts Creek.

3. WILLIAM DOWDY ("SR."?) OF DEEP RIVER

There seem to be several pre-1800 William Dowdys in Chatham Co. Some are identified as follows (although they may be one in the same person?)

1. William Dowdy who appears in road orders in as early as 1763 in the Deep River area (southern Chatham)
2. William Dowdy who is killed by Tories in 1782 and who probably is the same person granted land in Rocky River in 1785 (dec'd by then, but land is first applied for in late1770s)
3. William Dowdy who post-1800s is known as William "Sr." in the Deep River area

The following is a theory based on the following assumption:

1. There is only one "older" William Dowdy in the Deep River area around 1800. Either the "road order" William is dead or "William Sr" and "Road Order William" are one in the same person. Therefore, the William Dowdy in the 1790 census is the same person in the 1800 census (William - pg 171) for the Deep River area. The census profiles DO fit. (note: They also possibly fit for William - pg 179 in 1800)

Census Household	1790 HH Birth Date	1800 HH pg 171 Birth Date	1810 HH pg 189? Birth Date	Birth Date Estimate *Assumes 2 years apart
William Dowdy 1. male 2. male 3. male 4. male 5. male 6. male 7. male	b. bef 1774 b. bef 1774 b. bef 1774 b. 1774-1790 b. 1774-1790 b. 1774-1790 b. 1774-1790 b. 1774-1790	b. bef 1755 gone gone gone gone b. 1784-1790 b. 1784-1790 b. 1784-1790	b. bef 1765 gone gone gone gone gone gone b. 1784-1794	b. 1748 b. 1770 b. 1772 b. 1776 b. 1778 b. 1784 b. 1786 b. 1788
Wife 1. female 2. female 3. female	N/A N/A N/A N/A	b. bef 1755 gone gone b. 1774-1784	gone (dead?) gone gone b. 1765-1784	b. 1750 b. 1774 b. 1780 b. 1782

The 3 sons (age 10-16 in 1800) seem to be the last children born, but since the oldest male is approximately 20 years old in 1790, there could be other older males (or females)not enumerated in the 1790 household....which would place William Dowdy's birth date back a few more years.

Warning: The 1800 census shows a 2nd younger William Dowdy on page 179 (b. 1755-1774). Unfortunately, the younger William Dowdy of 1800 also fits the census profile of William Dowdy Sr. of 1810 (shown above- HH page 189)

If the William Dowdy of 1790 and 1800 (pg 171) is NOT the same William Dowdy Sr of 1810, then the older William Dowdy is likely dead by 1810 since there is not a second eligible William in the 1810 census. (OR...he moved to Williamson Co TN????)

EVEN IF the 'older' William and William Sr. are two people, NEITHER show up in the Chatham 1820 census.

William Dowdy (Sr.?) of Deep River Profile Theory Conclusions
Born approx 1748 (or slightly earlier)
Married approx 1769 (age 21)
Died approx 1815-1820 (age 67-72...if he stayed in Chatham. He does not show up in 1820 census, but appears in 1815 tax list)

Note: the earliest date that "Road Order" William Dowdy of Deep River shows up in records is 1763. IF William Dowdy (Sr?) of Deep River was born as early as 1747 instead of 1748 (-ish), and IF, "Road Order" William Dowdy of Deep River was barely 'of age' in the 1763 record (i.e age 16), then the two could be the same person???

What are YOUR thoughts on this theory?