George Jefferson DOTSON

                   after her children by Thomas were grown, Nancy married W H Edwards.  By 1900
they were living in the "good" house on the Owing land just off the road fro
Chismville to Mt Olive.  When Nancy became to ill to care for herself, she
moved to Paralee's home at Walnut Grove.  She died and is buried next to her
husband Thomas in Springhill Cem, Logan Co
                  

                   it is believed he was murdered somewhere in Arkansas

it is believed he was murdered somewhere in AR
                  

                   Ike was in the Civil War from Collin Co, serving in Co. I, 16th Texas Calvary,
CSA.  He was wounded at Wilson Creek, Oak Hill battle in Missouri early part of
the war.  He with other wounded was taken to an old Catholic Institution which
was being used as a Union hospital and given medical attention.  The minnie
ball, which had lodged too near his heart, could not be removed and he carried
it the rest of his life.  He was at this time a prisoner of the Union Army.
After his release, and a period of convalescence at home, Ike went back into
service.  He was mustered into Capt Hezekiah WArden's Co., 16th RGT, Texas
Calvary Volunteers on 1 Mar 1862.  He was stationed at Fr Washita in the Indian
Territory north of Red River, serving as dispatcher between Ft Washita, Boggy
Depot, Ft Smith AR and between the armies of VAn Dorn and Price.  He served the
remainder of the war at Ft Washita.
After the war, Ike returned to Blue Ridge.  Their farm was on land now occupied
by Blue Ridge High School.  It was a large farm on the west side of Pilot Grove
Creek.  He also owned a saloon in Blue Ridge.
Ike was the subject of a story published in the July 1974 issue of "Frontier
Times", Vol 48, #4, Series #90, published by Western Publications, Inc
PO Box 338, 1012 Edgecliff Terr, Austin TX 78764.  The story entitled "Ike
Dotson was a hard man to Kill" was written by his grandson, Samuel Jefferson
Dotson, 717 W Ashby Place, San Antonio TX 78212.  It is the story of Ike's
civil war experiences, and of the troublesome times and feud in Collin Co
during the reconstruction era.
Ike and Mary had 12 children, nine of whom lived to have offspring

from Confederate States of America: Who's Who, by Susan Merle Dotson, pg 38-41
     Isaac Jefferson Dotson, son of George Jefferson Dotson and Sally Ann Dotson,
was born in 1831 near Russelville AR and died in 1903 at Blue Ridge TX.
     He came with his parents to the Ridge Settlement, now call Blue Ridge,
Collin Co TX in 1840.  In 1856, he married his distant cousin Mary Jane Hanson,
daughter of James and Jerusha Hanson and grandaughter of George Washington
Smith, who had come to TX in 1834 and fought in the WAr of Texas Independence.
     The young couple were happily making a new home on their land joining that
of her grandfather, George Washington Smith, when the war began.  Isaac
enlisted at once.  Young Mary, with two baby daughters and expecting a third
child, went bravely on clearing and planting the land with the help of their
one loyal slave couplse, Wylie and Becky, who had a family of small children of
their own.
     On August 10 1861, isaac Dotson was badly wounded in the Battle of Wilson
Creek near Springfield Missouri.  He was carried from the field with other
wounded men and made prisoner-patient in an old Catholic institution which was
then being used as a Union Hospital.  Here he was given first aid and his
wounds dressed, but the mini ball was too deep in his chest to be removed and
he carried it the rest of his life.
     The doctors and Union officials must have like this quiet young Texan. They
treated him better than he expected.  When Christmas came, all yankee patients
around him were receiving gifts and packages.  Ike, of course, got none.  But a
young Union patient next to him spoke up "This Damn Rebel here hasn't got a
thing  So I'm giving him part of mine".
     Isaac had been reared by honest, hardworking Baptist parents who frowned
upon card playing; but in spite of this, he had acquired a great liking for
playing poker and as soon as he was able to sit up, was indulging in this
pasttime with the other patients in the hospital -- and even with the doctors
and the staff sometimes.  So it was that later on, when he was exchanged, this
Rebel Texan came riding home with a considerable number of Yankee dollars in
his saddle pockets.  He arranged with mary to put these into some more black
waxy acres adjoing their farm.  However, he was considered more than bold when
he made the unbelievable statement that, for a fact, "Many Yankees were fine,
good people."
     AFter furhter recovery at home, on March 1 1862, Isaac Dotson was mustered
into Captain Hezekiah Warden's Campnay, 16th regiment, TX Cavalry Volunteers,
commanded by Colonel William Fitzhugh of Collin County.
     Later we find him stationed at Ft Washita, north of Red River in the Indian
Territory, serving the confederacy as a dispatcher carrying messages on horse
back between Ft Washita, Boggy Depot and Ft Smith and between the armies of Van
Dorn, Price and others.  For him, this was a good assignment.  He was near
enough home that an occasional furlough enabled him to help and advise Mary on
running the farm and her other endeavors which by now included a project
sponsored by thier Collin County friend and neighbor, James Webb Throckmorton.
     Throckmorton, who was by now gaining great influence in the Confederate
administraion, secured contracts for the women to spin, dye and weave material
and make it into suits for CSA men.  Mary, being an accomplished seamstress,
was a leader in this patriotic work.
     Ike continued to serve in the Ft Washita area throughout the war, enjoyning
a game of poker with the boys as often as the opportunity presented itself.  AS
the confederate money grew less and less in value, his winnings which he
continued to take home to Mary, "to put in land or something useful", became so
bulky as to nearly fill a trunk.
     One such "something useful" this confederate money bought was a bby dress.
Their fourth child, a son, james Pinckney Dotson, was born July 5 1865, and the
long baby dresses awaiting him were of cream white calico with a tiny pink
rosebud, which Mary had bought from Ben Rhine's Store at McKinney, paying the
price of $35.00 per yard in Confederate money.
     After the war, like the rest, Isaac wnt back to his home settlement hoping
to take up his ife on his land as before.  In 1866, their neighbor,
Throckmorton was elected Govenor of TX and began to bring the defeated country
back to peace and order.  Throckmorton proposed a plan whereby, if agreeable to
both parties, freed slaves could remain in their homes and sharecrop their
former master's land.  this would provide a way for both the ex slave and the
ex master to feed their families, who at this time were near starvation.
Wylie and Becky had chosen to remain as had many other Negros in the community.
     But the ax fell again  General Philip Sheridan, now the popular hero of
Northern RAdicals because of his bold, swift blows on the weakening
Confederacy, was placed in command of the fifth Military District which
included TX.  The cruel, ruthless Sheridan who welcomed a chance to punish and
humiliate southern people removed Govenor Throckmorton from office and
substituted himslef in control and TX was at the mercy of barbaric Capetbagger
rule.
     Finally, President Andrew Johnson removed Sheridan by giving him another
assignment and Collin Countians began to rebuild their county again.
     Isaac and Mary Dotson lived out their days at Blue Ridge.  Of the 12
children born to them, 8 daughters and 1 son lived to have families of their
own.  There descendants were many.
    The son, James Pinckney Dotson, married Leannah Helen McKinney, daughter of a
neighbor, CSA Samuel Jefferson McKinney.  James Pinckney Dotson moved to the
Indian Territory wehre he engaged in surveying, farming and ranching.  They had
five daughters and two sons.  Their daughters are Mrs Lillian Bethel and Mrs
Edith Fletcher of Tahlequah OK; Mrs WAlter V Buxton of Oklahoma City, Mrs Lewis
Alexander of Burnet TX; and Mrs Pat Taylor of Tarpley TX.
     The eldest son of James Pickney Dotson is Sam Jefferson Dotson, who is an
attorney in San Antonio, TX and has two daughters, Miss Eleanor Merle Dotson of
San Antonio TX and Mrs T Killis Dibrell of Sequin TX, and three grandsons, SAm
Dotson Dibrell, Edwin Walter Dibrell and Cooper Graham Dibrell.
     The other son, Elmer Isaac Dotson, is a rancher at Stillwell OK.  His son
James Isaac Dotson, an engineer in Birmingham AL.
                  

                   He was a member of the Texas Rangers in the early day.  Father of James
Garfield Dotson, of 438 Masters Dr, Dallas TX (1963).