- Henry Doss
Henry Doss (Sometimes spelled Henry Dosse) was born about 1790 in
Henry County, Virginia . According to his 1858 marriage license, his parents were John and Sallie Doss. Henry is the progenitor of the main line of Doss surnames that originated from theWashington County, Virginia area. Those descendants would end up spreading into West Virginia, Tennessee, Ohio, and North Carolina as well.The Early Days
The earliest record of Henry Doss is the 1830 tithable list for Washington County. There are no records for Henry's parents John and Sallie at the Henry County Courthouse where his marriage and pension records state he was born. It is likely that these particular Dosses were related to the group that settled in Pittsylvania County in the late 1700s, though this is purely speculation.
Life During The War of 1812
The largest repository of Henry Doss information comes from his
War of 1812 service record located at the National Archives. Henry was a private in CaptainBenjamin Dyer 's company, the 5th Virginia Militia of the 64th Regiment, Brigade 11 in Henry County. He served as a substitute for William Allen. It can be presumed from historical data, that Henry never had to actually serve in combat, because combat veterans were awarded Bounty Land Warrants (BLW). The Henry County militia is not on the eligibility list for BLW (although it appears that officers did indeed receive bounty). Henry came to Washington County at some point after he served a period of five months in the Henry County militia during the War of 1812.Life in the Mountains of Southwest Virginia
After the war, Henry made his way to Washington County. Nobody is for certain what the reasoning for this move was. There are records of a Henry Doss in
Rockingham County, North Carolina after the war and it is possible this was his first attempt at raising a family; but no proof that this is the same Henry Doss exists. There is documentation of Henry performing his required militia service while living in Washington County in 1838.Henry married Nancy Thomas daughter of Lewis and Mary Thomas on September 2, 1858 when Henry was 68 years old, and after all of their children had been born. The marriage of Henry and Nancy came late in their lives, after all of their children had been born. There are two indictments in April 1858; one of lewd and lascivious behavior for Henry Doss and Nancy Thomas and another for fornication on Nancy Thomas. We can deduce from these court orders, that someone decided to make an issue out of their living arrangements, which ultimately led to their marriage. This worked out historically for Nancy, as she was able to inherit Henry's pension at his death.
According to Census data, Henry Doss was a miller. It is reasonable that he must have worked under the wealthy Andrew Patterson, because Andrew Patterson was his neighbor in 1850 and he owned a Mill. Andrew Patterson was the captain of the Washington County 70th regiment during the War of 1812, and apparently was a minister at some point (according to War of 1812 Pension affidavits), and performed the marriage for Henry Doss and Nancy Thomas. Two of Henry's sons Sampson "Samuel" Doss and Elias Doss, served in the Civil War on the side of the Confederacy, suggesting they were brought up in a pro-Southern rights family. Existing records show that Henry never owned any slaves.
The Last Days
Henry died in Washington County on May 18th 1872. His wife Nancy made claim to his pension shortly thereafter.
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