Names and the Many Variations

Names are Special

From birth until death we are identified by names given to us by others. We may share the name of a relative, acquire a nickname, be called by our middle name or be known by our married names. But we continue to be identified throughout life with the surname given to us early in our lives.

Shakespeare wrote, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet". The phrase suggests that what we call a person is of little significance, and that a name doesn't change the character of a person. But to each of us, our surnames are special and speak to our own personal family lineage and history. Our surnames contain the seeds of our unique family trees and will be imparted to future generations.

However, surnames did not always exist. Because populations were small and people knew their neighbors, given names were sufficient. But as populations grew, people needed more specific identities such as Big James or Little James or John's son or Dod's son. Sons eventually would be called by a combination of their given name, coupled with their new surnames, such as James Johnson or Richard Dodson, and following generations would carry on that surname.

I am using my birth name of Dotson to illustrate the challenge.

Historically, Dodsons and Dotsons can be found in the British Isles, but in very early American records, we only find the surname Dodson. In later years we find the spelling of some of those Dodsons changed by accident or design to Dotson. It is not unusual to find both spellings recorded at different times referring to the same person, Whether the changes in spelling were intentional or transcription errors is unknown, and it would be a mistake to assume that the spelling of the name confirms a person was or wasn't your ancestor.

Were my ancestors Dodsons or Dotsons? Perhaps they were both.

In Pennsylvania, the Dodson spelling has prevailed into modern days with Dodsons in both eastern and western Pennsylvania. Occasionally Dotsons are found among families who migrated from Pennsylvania, but in general, the Dodson spelling remains in Pennsylvania.

The descendants of the Charles Dodson line of Farnham Parish in Richmond County, Virginia,were also likely to retain the Dodson spelling of the name for several generations, but not always.

The Dodsons from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia were more likely to become Dotsons as they migrated into other parts of the country. We find both Dodsons and Dotsons in early records in Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and other states.

In early Maryland records, there were Dodsons along the Chesapeake Bay counties of Charles, Calvert and Anne Arundel, but those who migrated later into northern Ohio were Dotsons.

In one Dotson family, the father, son and grandson in the late 1700s and early 1800s are recorded as Dotsons. However, by the time the grandson migrated to Missouri and then on to Oregon, he and all his future descendants used the spelling of Dodson. There are other examples of living people sharing the same distant ancestor, with one bearing the surname of Dodson while the other is a Dotson.

Male DNA testing accurately reflects direct lineage from son to father, grandfather, great grandfather and back through many male generations. The number of matches with other males can show the generational distance of a common ancestor and help sort family lines with common surnames. As the results match with other men tested, one may be able to trace to a shared or "most common recent ancestor".

DNA test results can also prove that common names and locations do not always mean relationships. For example, a Richard Dotson was born in 1752 in Frederick County, Virginia. At the time there was a John Dodson family living less than 50 miles away. With names and locations, it was thought there were probably family connections. DNA results showed there was no relationship between these families, with Richard connected to a Chester County,Pennsylvania Dodson line, and John Dodson to a Richmond County, Virginia line. Later, one more Dotson family showed up in the same area, but again DNA tests showed that the new family was neither related to the Richard Dotson line nor to the John Dodson family. Before DNA tests, the assumption was that families were most likely connected if they shared names and lived in the same locations.

While helping to answer some questions, male Dodson-Dotson DNA testing has produced a new mystery. While several men from a Dodson-Dotson line show matches with other Dodson-Dotson males from their common line, they also share matches with several men who descend from a North Carolina Denson line. The most distant ancestor of the Dodson-Dotson males has been documented back to a Dodson line in Pennsylvania, while the ancestor of the Denson males has not yet been documented to that same generation. 

So, the question remains, were the Densons. Dodsons - or were the Dodsons, Densons? Neither line has shown any interest in changing their surname.

When researching your lineage, be sure to check under all possible spellings. And if you come across a new name, do not be surprised.