- The exact date and location of Jackson Dawson's death have not been determined. Though severely injured, he reportedly survived the house fire of Sep 25 1856 in which all his children perished. However, we know from Doddridge County Deed Book records that on Dec 22 1856, Eliza & Benjamin B. Dawson sold Jackson Dawson's 150-acre property on Dotson Run, Central District, to George W. Kidlow. In the next few years, several other of Jackson Dawson's properties were also sold by others. The Dotson Run property had been purchased by Jackson Dawson from John, Sarah and Philip Llewellyn on May 3 1855.
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| Notes |
- THE BURNING OF THE DAWSON FAMILY.
One of the most heart-sickening recitals in the history of Western Virginia, is that of the burning of the Dawson family, on the night of the 25th of September, 1856. The facts as gleaned by the writer are as follows: At the time, Jackson Dawson, his wife, five children of their own and a little girl of the name of Luvena Mires, resided in a frame house of a story and a half in height, which was located in the western part of the town, on the spot on which the residence of John Dye now stands. It was dark, chilly night at the hour of 1 AM when the alarm was given. The fire had started from the kitchen in the rear of the house, and the building, being constructed of the most inflammable material, the flames spread with frightful rapidity. Every member of the family was soundly sleeping, and when the alarm was given the father and mother rushed in a semi conscious condition from the building, but no sooner out than the father, crazed to frenzy at the perilous condition of his children, rushed into the burning building and lost his life in an attempt to rescue the helpless ones. Oh, the terrible scene; who, when at this late day, can bear to think of it? Six little helpless girls enwrapped in hissing flames, from which come their cries for help, but soon the last murmur is hushed in death and the awful scene is past. When daylight came Joseph Cheuvront, the undertaker, repaired to the fatal spot, and from the ruins collected the charred remains of half a dozen human beings, placed all in a box, which was then deposited in the cemetery, where they now repose. If the traveler who visits the town of West Union will stroll into the cemetery there, he will discover an ivy-covered mound, at the head of which stands a broad marble slab, from which he may read the following inscription:
Sarah A., aged 7 years and 7 months.
Mary M.F., aged 6 years, 1 month, 15 days.
Charlotte S., aged 4 years, 6 months, and five days.
Luvena B., aged 2 years, 7 months and 28 days.
Elizabeth R., aged 2 months and 17 days.
Children of Jackson & Charlotte Dawson, and
Luvena Mires, aged 11 years, 7 months and 23 days.
Perished by fire September 25th, 1856.
Source: Hardestys 1883 History of Doddridge County
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wvpioneers/doddridgecountyhistory.html
NOTE: The grave marker described above was originally in the form of a tall vertical slab. But it eventually fell off its base, broke into several pieces, and became completely covered with dirt and sod. Its exact location became unknown for many years. On Jan 19 2015, a group of volunteers dedicated a day to cleaning up the cemetery, clearing vegetation and straightening headstones. One volunteer, a 12-year-old girl, found and uncovered a completely buried marker that proved to be that of the Dawson family. Nearby was the marker for Jackson Dawson, unreadable but known to be his from the record of a much earlier cemetery reading. Also nearby was the quite legible marker of Jackson Dawson's mother, Charlotte Potter Dawson Green.
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1822 - 1856 (33 years)
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