JAMES DOGGETT

(Benjamin; Benjamin; Rev. Benjamin)

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111 JAMES DOGGETT, son of Benjamin and Mary Doggett; b. bef. 1714, d. 1758, Lancaster Co., VA; m(1) bef. 1735, CHARITY (surname unkown); m(2) abt. 1745, REBECCA GEORGE¸ dau. of William and Rebecca George, d. prob. abt. 1765. Rebecca m(2) abt. 1760, John Connolly.
Children (Doggett):

	(children of marriage to Charity)
111:1		Jane ("Jenny")
111:2		Elizabeth
111:3		James		b. 1743
	(children of marriage to Rebecca George)
111:4		Spencer
111:5		Rebecca
112:6		Lucy
The earliest mention of this James Doggett in the records is in the will of his grandfather Benjamin Doggett, dated September 1723, and probated in Lancaster County, Virginia, in November of that year.. It is clear from this will that James’ father Benjamin had died before that date. In December 1727, James’ mother Mary brought suit on behalf of James against the grandfather Benjamin’s widow (and second wife) Mary (Threlkeld) Doggett, for a division of 150 acres of land in Christ Church Parish in Lancaster County. This land is undoubtedly the 150 acres devised by the Rev. Benjamin Doggett to his eldest son, Benjamin, grandfather of this Jame. However¸ the suit was dismissed for reasons not specified in the court order made on 10 April 1728, but probably because the defendant was in possession of part of the land in the exercise of her dower rights.

There was apparently no ill will between James and his grandfather’s widow, as James and Charity Doggett witnessed her will in June 1735. As there was no other James of the proper age in Lancaster County at that time, we must assume that James was born prior to 1714 and married Charity (surname unknown) prior to 1735. The will was probated in Lancaster County on 10 March 1737.

Following the death of Mary (Threlkeld) Doggett, the land devised to James’ grandfather Benjamin was apparently divided among his heirs, and James apparently received three acres of land as his portion. James sold the three acres on 8 April 1740 to William George for 900 pounds of tobacco. This William George may have been the father of Rebecca George, the second wife of James.

We have no information about the death of James’ first wife, but when James died in 1758 he left his wife Rebecca and six children: Jenney, Elizabeth, James, Spencer, Rebecca, and Lucy. As indicated by the will of William George, dated 10 Mar 1760, the three younger children, Spencer, Rebecca and Lucy, were children of Rebecca, and therefore the three older children, Jane (Jenney), Elizabeth, and James, were children of Charity. No marriage bond or return has been seen for the marriage of James and Rebecca, but as James, the youngest child of James and Charity, was probably born about 1743, as discussed below, we can estimate that James and Rebecca were married about 1745.

James died in 1758, in Lancaster County, Virginia. He left a will dated 25 Jan 1758. which was recorded in county records on 19 May of that year. The will left his entire estate to his wife Rebecca during her widowhood  for "her comfortable support and to enable her to bring up my children." The will further provided that if his widow should remarry she should receive one third of the land and a child's part of the personal property. He provided for his daughter Elizabeth to receive a "suit of cloathes" if she should decide not to live with the family. Upon the death or remarriage of Rebecca, the personal estate was to be divided between the six children, which provision seems somewhat inconsistent with the previous provision for division of the estate on remarriage of the widow. The provision of clothing for Elizabeth without a similar provision for Jenney may indicate that Jenney had married and already left the family home before the will was written.

On 18 Jul 1760, a division of James' estate was recorded, dividing the estate between Rebecca and the six children. The actual division had no doubt been accomplished by the executors, James' friend Richard Stephens and the widow Rebecca.

In about 1760, Rebecca married John Connolly. No marriage bond or record has been located for this marriage, but the will of William George and the court order of 20 Jan 1764 prove the marriage.

On 20 January 1764, William Doggett was appointed guardian of the four younger children, James, Spencer, Rebecca and Lucy. and on the same date the Lancaster County court ordered that James’ estate be divided. John Connolly was to receive the widow’s portion and William Doggett, the guardian of the four children was to receive the remainder. The two older daughters, Jenney and Elizabeth are not mentioned in the order, and we must assume that they had married and had received their portion in some manner, or perhaps had died during the four years which had elapsed since the previous estate proceeding. The division of the estate was accomplished and recorded in court records on 17 Feb 1764. The William Doggett who was appointed guardian was probably the first cousin of James’ father Benjamin.

On 15 April 1765, William Doggett filed an accounting with the Lancaster County court, recorded on 8 August, and on 18 April 1765 Rebecca George was appointed as guardian of Rebecca and Lucy. This would seem to indicate that Rebecca, the mother of Rebecca and Lucy had died and their grandmother was appointed in the place of William Doggett as guardian. On the same date, Spencer Doggett was bound as an apprentice to George Phillips until he reached the age of 21 to learn the trade of millwright. James Doggett had apparently attained the age of majority between 20 Jan 1764 and 18 April 1765. From this we can estimate that James was born about 1743.

We have found no further references to Spencer or James that can be positively connected to these persons.
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