Wednesday, June 12, 2002
LEAVES FROM DAWSON'S GROVE
"A TREE THAT BECAME A FOREST"
A genealogical reference to some of the descendants of Colonel Thomas Dawson (an excerpt showing the direct lineage from Colonel Thomas Dawson (1762 - 1804) to my grandsons, David, Joseph and Matthew.
Colonel Thomas Dawson married Elizabeth Frances Tait (12 March, 1766 - 05 February 1849)
IN THE BEGINNING
According to history the founder of this family in England was Sir Marmaduke D'Ossine, a Norman nobleman who, with William the Conquerer, crossed the English Channel from Normandy and fought with William against Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. As a reward for his services to Duke William he was given an estate in Yorkshire County that was possibly revoked from an Anglo-Saxon Thane. His descendants intermarried with many ancient and noble families and in the process of time the name became anglicized to its present form of Dawson.
Some of this branch of the family went to Ireland and became prominent in County Monaghan in the mid-17th century. Townslands in Aughnamullen and the Ematris Parish, were allotted as payment to Cromwellian Soldiers. Richard Dawson who had served in Cromwell's army, was a successful land speculator of his day and bought up a sizeable area of 31 townslands from the troops, to which he was granted legal title in 1667. He established Dawson's Grove near the chain of lakes dividing Counties Monaghan and Cavan in Ireland, beginning the long connection with the Killcrow Townland of that area. His daughter, Frances, married Walter Dawson.
Walter, the son of Armogh and Mary Dixie, in 1682 married Frances, daughter of Richard Dawson of Cromwell's army and died in 1718. It was through this marriage that Walter became owner of Dawson's Grove in County Monaghan. He and his wife, Frances, daughter of Richard Dawson had at least three sons -- Walter and John, both of whom died before their father and Richard of Ardes who married February 25, 1723 to Elizabeth, daughter of John Vessey, Archbishop of Tuam.
Although Richard, the one who established Dawson Grove and who was the grandfather of Richard of Ardee, had been "Attained" by James 2nd in 1689. The Dawson family rose steadily in prominence as shown by the offspring of Richard of Ardee and his wife, Elizabeth Vessey.
They had at least three sons: John (1724 - 1742)
Thomas (1725 - 1813) and who received the title of Baron Dartrey (1770), Viscount Cremorne (1785) and finally Baron Cremorne (1797)
Richard of Arde ( ----1782) who in 1758 married Ann, daughter of Sir Edward O'Brien.
THE FAMILY OF THIS COUPLE INCLUDED FOUR SONS:
Richard M.P. (1732 - 1807) Married in 1784 to Catherine Graham
Edward, Lt. Col. 38th Foot, no heirs
Rev. Thomas Vessey ( ---- 1768) Married to Balfour; no heirs
Lucius Henry (------ 1795)
The Member of Parliament (Richard) and his wife, Catherine Graham had at least one son by the name of Richard Thomas (1788 - 1885) who married in 1815. He was the nephew or grandnephew of the first Baron Dartrey and became himself, The Second Lord Cremorne, Baron Dartrey and Earl Dartrey.
Lieutenant Colonel The Right Honourable Thomas Vessey Dawson, Coldstream Guards who fell at the Battle of Inkerman in the Crimean War on the 5th of November, 1854, was a great-grandnephew of the first Baron, so he must have been the son of Richard Thomas Dawson (1788 - 1885) or of a brother of the said Richard. A granite obelisk memorial was built in 1857 at Dartrey, (the memorial still stands today) in the County of Monaghan, Ireland, commemorating him. THE DAWSON FAMILY HAD A PRIVATE CHURCH IN THEIR CASTLE.
DAWSON FAMILY TREE
Samuel Dawson....married Caroline Stewart (Lady Bute)
Dawson's Grove
County Monaghan her father: John Stewart
Ireland
They had four children: James, Baptized February 16, 1759
**** Thomas (Colonel) Baptized September 16, 1762
Sarah, Baptized May 24, 1765
Edward, Baptized November 24, 1765
**** My grandsons are descendants of Colonel Thomas Dawson
The wife of Colonel Thomas Dawson was descended from French Huguenot parentage. Her name was Frances Tait (1766 - 1849)
Colonel Thomas Dawson (1762 - 1804) married M. Frances Tait and they had eight children.
One of the eight children was Richard Dawson born in 1799. He was only two years old when the family left Ireland and settled in Prince Edward Island. In early manhood he moved to Tryon and he built the mills at North Tryon. He married Elizabeth Howatt and after acquiring a large tract of land settled down to farming. Richard and Elizabeth had a family of six. She died at the age of 45 and Richard remarried Mary Pooley and they had nine children. One of Richard and Elizabeth's six children (their first born child) was Thomas Richard Dawson (born December 27, 1824)
Thomas Richard Dawson married Ellen Margaret Howatt and they had eight children. Their first born child was JANE DAWSON born July 29, 1847.
Jane Dawson married John F. MacNeil (born December 21, 1841) on June 9, 1869. They had six children, one of whom was my grandfather Thomas Alexander MacNeil
Thomas Alexander MacNeil was born August 29, 1871. Thomas Alexander MacNeil married Elvina Curtis (October 21, 1867 - October 23, 1949). They had six children, one of whom was my mother Eva Ruby MacNeil
Eva Ruby MacNeil married Guy Lester Austin (November 28, 1906 - March 30, 1956) on November 23, 1927. They had six children one of whom was me.
I married, had two daughters and now have three wonderful grandsons, David, Joseph and Matthew. These fine young boys are the great, great, great, great, great, great grandsons of Colonel Thomas Dawson descendant of Sir Marmaduke D'Ossine.
This has been a tiny excerpt from the complete history of this branch of the Dawson Family. It was compiled by my cousin, Lynn MacDonald. It took her seven years of research before she could even begin putting it all together.
