William Dorris and his son John were Loyalists in the American Revolution. William Dorris' wife was Violet Anderson, the daughter of Captain John Anderson who was also a British Loyalist. Both families fled Ninety Six for Charleston. From Charleston they fled to Nova Scotia, Canada. They remained in Canada for a few years and many of them returned to South Carolina settling in the Ninety Six/Abbeville area once again. They can be found on the 1790 census.
On this page, I detail some of my research and conclusions regarding their activities during this time period (Revolutionary War).
First, let's look at Bobby Gilmer Moss's book1:
- Dorris, William, served from 14 June 1780 in the Long Cane Militia. He evacuated Fort Ninety Six in July 1781 with Capt. Jesse Campbell.
- Dorris, John, served from 14 June 1780 in Long Cane Militia. He evacuated Fort Ninety Six in July 1781 with Capt. Jesse Campbell.
Now let's look at Gregory Palmer's book2:
- Dores, John and Elizabeth; Of South Carolina. A native of Ireland, John Dores immigrated to America with his father and family in 1769, when he was seven years old He served with the Americans against the Indians in 1779, but joined the British at Ninety Six after they captured Charleston in 1780. He served in the Tory militia and drove a wagon in the Quartermaster General's Department. At the evacuation of Charleston in 1782, he left for Nova Scotia, settling near Shelburne. Dores' father also fought with the British; his brother William returned to South Carolina after the British left to take possession of the elder Dores' property, who had since died. These holdings consisted of 100 acres a Ninety Six, forty of which were cleared. John Dores married Elizabeth Henry while residing at Shelburne. She had previously been married to a Frenchman who supported the American side, but after a quarrel she left to live with her parents at Ninety Six. She claimed to have provided intelligence information to the British during the war. Herself a German, she had a grant of 100 acres of land. She also took provisions to Loyalists, and warned some of them of a planned ambush. Mrs. Dores was arrested for assisting Loyalists and held for fifteen days, but was later released for lack of evidence. She claimed 82 pounds sterling, and was awarded 17 pounds sterling. John Dores estimated his loss at 105 pounds sterling, and received 62 pounds sterling.
And from Sabine3:
- Doras, John. Of South Carolina. At the peace, accompanied by his family, he went from New York to Shelburne, Nova Scotia, where the Crown granted him one town and one water lot. His losses in consequence of his loyalty were estimated at 200 pounds.
Now, let's look at a few pages from Jane Murtie Clark's book3:
The page below shows Captain John Anderson with Violette Dorris on the same line - presumably Violet is related to him, most likely his daughter. Then farther down the page is another entry for Violet Dorris (widow) directly underneath William Dorris (dec'd). James Dorris (son) received funds for the orphans of William. The Agnes Anderson listed may be the wife of Captain John Anderson. Note the names of one of the inspectors, Colonel Fletchall. Colonel Thomas Fletchall was a key leader of the British Loyalists in the Ninety Six area. He lived near Union, SC where he owned quite a bit of land. He was financially very well off. He was a local judge. He may have as many as 2000 men under his command. He escaped to Jamaica in December 1782 where he died in 1789.
So, from this document, we can deduce that Captain John Anderson (dec'd) is survived by his wife Agnes and daughter Violet. We also can say that William Dorris (dec'd) is survived by wife Violet, son James and several orphans.
The next document shows John Anderson (dec'd) with 5 orphans and William Dorris who left one child an orphan. Ninety Six District, Thomas Fletchall is listed as an inspector.
John Dorris and William Dorris are listed in Colonel Richard King's Regiment, Long Cane Militia, Upper Ninety Six Brigade, Captain Jesse Campbell's Company, as men who came to Orangeburg with Lt. Colonel John H.(Harris) Cruger from June to December 1780. John Dorris is the son of William. Note that Cruger and his troops are said to have been responsible for the burning of the town of Ninety Six in early 1781.
William Dorris is listed on a pay abstract from Colonel Richard King's Regiment, Long Cane Militia, Upper Ninety Six Brigade, Brigadier Robert Cunningham's Brigade. Note that the dates at the top and the bottom do not agree. Most likely the abstract was made official in 1782 from an earlier duty period, possibly August of 1781. This would make William Dorris alive as late as August 1781. Note that General Cunningham was forced to leave Charleston and he settled in Nassau (Bahamas) where he died in 1813.
Widow Dorris is listed in a report of distressed refugees from Ninety Six District, July 1782, Thomas Fletchall is listed as one of the inspectors.
James Dorris is listed is a roll of refugees in John Bell's school in Charleston, April 30, 1782.
- Anderson, John, came to America from Ireland and settled about 1767 on Reedy Branch near Thickety Creek in Ninety Six District. He became a justice in Ninety Six District and served under Col. Benjamin Roebuck in the Spartan Militia before joining the British. Anderson debated against Rev. William Tennent 2 September 1775. He served as captain from 14 June 1780 under Maj. Zachariah Gibbs and was in the battle of Kings Mountain. In addition, he served about a year as captain in the S.C. Royalists and died at Dorchester after retreating from Fort Ninety Six. He left a widow and eight children: William, George, Elizabeth, John, James, David, Jane, and Susan. His widow and his son, William, also died during the war and George, his second oldest child, took all the others to Nova Scotia. All of them, except Susan who was aged either years in 1787, returned to South Carolina. He estate included land on the east side of Broad River near Turkey Creek, a branch of said river, and land on both sides of Goucher's Branch of Thickety Creek in Ninety Six District. Anderson, Violet and Agnes were refugees in Charleston.
- Anderson, George, resided on Reedy Branch in Ninety Six District. Anderson bore arms with his father, John Anderson. His sister was named Susan. He served from (13)14 June to 13(14) December 1780 in the Long Cane Militia. He, his father, and brother evacuated Fort Ninety Six. Anderson returned home where he was taken ill with smallpox. While ill in bed rebel soldiers dragged him from his bed and would have shot him had it not been for the tears and entreaties of his mother. Three weeks later, he entered the Ninety Six District Militia. He left Charleston and settled at Bellisle Bay, New Brunswick. Five of his brothers and sisters returned to South Carolina.
- Anderson. Of South Carolina. John, after the surrender of Charleston, in 1780, accepted of employment under the Crown. In 1782 he was a Lieutenant, and at the peace a Captain in the King's Rangers, Carolina.
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Footnotes:
1. Moss, Bobby Gilmer, The Loyalists In The Siege of Fort Ninety Six (Scotia-Hibernia Press, 1999).
2. Palmer, Gregory, Biographical Sketches of Loyalists of the American Revolution (Meckler Publishing, 1984), p. 229.
3. Sabine, Lorenzo, Biographical Sketches Of Loyalists Of The American Revolution With An Historical Essay, 1864.
4. Clark, Murtie June, Loyalists in the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War (Genealogical Publishing, 1981). Available on Ancestry.com.
5. Sabine, Lorenzo, Biographical Sketches Of Loyalists Of The American Revolution With An Historical Essay, 1864.
See also "True For The Cause Of Liberty: The Second Spartan Regiment in the American Revolution" by Oscar E. Gilbert, (2015, Casemate)
(This page was updated on 10/20/2022)