Lydia (Dodson) Spratlen

George Spratlen married Lydia 'Somebody' around 1785-90. I suspect Lydia was Lydia Dodson for a number of reasons.

• I know that Martha Spratlen's mother's name was Lydia first from family information. Gertrude Wood spent many hours interviewing an elderly relative during the 1950's who recalled many details about the early days of the family in Nebraska. That relative recalled Martha's mother's name as Lydia and her father's name as George. She also recalled that Martha's parents both came west with Martha and Richard Pell.
  
  
• This family story is confirmed by the 1850 Buchanan Co. Missouri federal census for Center Township. There I found a Lydia Spratlen, age 83 living in the same household with Martha (Spratlen) and Richard Pell and family. This may be viewed on the transcribed census on line.
  
  
• Book Source: The Dodson Family of North Farnham Parish, Richmond County, Virginia by Williams & Lucas.
  
  • Name: Lydia DODSON
  • Sex: F
  • Birth: UNKNOWN
  • Death: UNKNOWN
    
    
  • Father: Fortunatus DODSON b: 31 MAR 1740 in Richmond County, Virginia
  • Mother: Margaret {Peggy} DODSON b: UNKNOWN
    
    
  • Marriage 1 George PRATELY b: UNKNOWN
  • Married: 7 JAN 1787 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia 1
  
  
  
• From LDS search where I entered the search term Prately
  • Name: Lydia "Leedy" DODSON
  • Sex: F
    
    
  • Father: Fortunatus "Fortune" DODSON b: 31 MAR 1740
    
  • Mother: Margaret "Peggy" DODSON b: ABT 1752 in Richmond Co., VA
    
  • Marriage 1 George PRATLEY
    
  • Married: 07 JAN 1787 in Pittsylvania Co., VA 1
    
  • Sources:
    
  • 1.Marriage Bonds & Ministers Returns of Pittsylvania Co, VA 1767-1805 by Knorr Page: 68
  
  
• I have spent many hours on line looking for any evidence of a Pratley family in Virginia or North Carolina. Now, I know that just because I found none doesn't mean there were no Pratleys. However, it is entirely possible that the marriage record was made by a county clerk who did not hear the name "Spratlen" correctly and put down the wrong spelling. In fact, Lora Tindall who has a copy of that record says that it looks as though all entries and signatures are written by the same hand. This is fairly strong evidence that neither George nor Lydia knew how to read and write, so that a clerk was required to record the oral statements of both.
  
  
• I do know that George Spratlen was in Pittsylvania County, Virginia because he signed a land deed 13 Sept. 1797 to George S. Fitzgerald, his future son-in-law as near as can be determined.
  
  
• NEEDED- a will or land deal that shows Lydia as wife of George Spratlen, and a will that names the children of George and Lydia. George probably died in Missouri before 1850. I would think a will might be found there.