DOZIER

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My line:
 
Leonard Dozier (1627-1693) m. Elizabeth
 John Dozier (d. 1748) m. Sarah Wilson
  William Dozier (1723-1782) m. Avarillah Connell (b. 1733)
   Richard Dozier (1761-1829) m. Elizabeth Ann Powell (d. 1848)
    Rebecca E. Dozier (1804-1880) m. Samuel Westray (1789-1855)
     Catherine Westray (1830-1918) m. John Strickland (1836-1864)
      Alsey Strickland (1860-1933) m. Geneva Bergeron (1862-1948)
       Roscoe Strickland (1881-1976) m. Alma Morgan (1884-1975)
        Roscoe Lee Strickland, Jr. (1917-1997) m. Lucy Cole Durham (b. 1925)
         Roscoe Lee Strickland III (b. 1952) --yours truly

The Doziers were Huguenot immigrants who came from France to Virginia in the late 1600's. The Huguenots were a group of Protestants in France. The Edict of Nantes in 1598 gave them freedom of worship and full civil rights. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 by Louis XIV started one of the greatest migrations in history. The Protestants' marriages were declared null and void, their children were denied the right of inheritance and their preachers were imprisoned. It is estimated that half a million Huguenots left France about this time, fleeing mostly to Holland, Switzerland, Germany, England, Scotland, Ireland, and America.
 
From 1625 to 1685 many Huguenots settled in the Antilles, especially on St. Christopher, Guadaloupe, and Martinique islands. After the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, many sought refuge in various colonies in what was to become the United States. South Carolina was a favorite state of the Huguenots, and migration there began as early as 1680. The earliest Huguenot settlement in Virginia was in Nansemond County in 1629, and in the post-Revocation period there were additional French settlements in Virginia. The most prominent one was at Manakin Town in 1700. Mattapony was also a principal settlement, with smaller groups at Williamsburg and in Hanover County. There were two major settlements in North Carolina, on the Trent and Neuse Rivers in Chowan County, one being the DeGrafenried Colony in New Bern.
 
It is not known exactly when Leonard Dozier immigrated to Virginia and settled in Westmoreland County. He became a naturalized citizen of the Colony of Virginia on January 28, 1684/85 (Westmoreland County Records and Inventories Book I, p. 147). The document confirms that he was born in France, but does not give the exact place. It confirms that he was a Protestant, but it does not indicate when he came to Virginia or link him to any immigration group. His name does not appear in records of Manakin Town or other refugee sites.
 
On August 20, 1673, Leonard Dozier purchased land in exchange for 8,000 pounds of tobacco (Westmoreland County, Virginia, Deeds and Patents, pp. 162a-163). In 1674, he still owned that land (Westmoreland County, Virginia, Deeds and Patents, pp. 209a-210). On April 17, 1678, there was a court judgment of 220 pounds of tobacco (Westmoreland County, Virginia, Order Book 167 5/6 - 168 8/9, p. 115). In January, 1683/4, Thomas Collinsworth sold land adjacent to Leonard Dozier. In 1692, Leonard Dozier brought suit against the estate of Thomas Collinsworth, and in May, 1692, he was granted a judgment against Jane Collinsworth, executrix of the estate.
 
Leonard Dozier died intestate in 1693, and his wife, Elizabeth, was named administrator of his estate (Westmoreland County, Virginia, Order Book 1690-1698, pp. 199 and 105a).

The following is from "The Registers of North Farnham Parish 1663-1814 and Lunenburg Parish 1783-1800, Richmond County, Virginia," page 53, compiled by George King, 975.523 V2k:
 
John Dozer, son of John Dozer, born 4-8-1732
 
William Dozer, son of John and Sarah Dozer, born 1-27-1723/4
 
John Dosier, son of William and Averilla Dosier, born 9-10-1754
 
James Dosier, son of William and Averilla Dosier, born 2-25-1764
 
Note that the records name William as son of John and Sarah, but John is only named as son of John, with no mother named. There is a death record for a Sarah Dozier, dated March 5, 1726, in Middlesex County, Virginia. If Sarah was the mother of both boys, then she could not have been the Sarah who died in 1726. If she is the Sarah who died in 1726, then someone else must have been the mother of John's second son.
 
John Dozier's estate was settled in Richmond County, Virginia. There is a list of the estate inventory, dated 1748, in "Virginia Wills & Administration 1672-1800."

The following is from "North Carolina Bible Records," Vol. I - Pts. A-B, 975.6 D2mr, page 37:

"The above records are taken from an old Bible now (1931) in possession of Fred Jones Dozier, who resides at the old home place, situated on the plantation originally occupied by Frederick and Sally Rhoda Cherry Jones. This home is located 7 miles S.E. of Tarboro, the county seat of Edgecombe Co., N.C."

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