The following information was assembled from numerous sources and cannot be used directly as proof of Qualifying Service or Lineage.
It is considered a research aid and is intended to assist in locating sources that can be used as proof.
James Dooley was born about 1746, reportedly in Virginia, likely in or near Richmond.
He served in multiple militia units during the American Revolution, including those from Augusta County, Virginia, and later Lincoln County, Kentucky. At different times, he is documented as serving in the Fincastle and Botetourt County Militias in 1774, under George Washington at Valley Forge, and in the Augusta County Militia under Captain Israel Christian. He later served in a ranging party of the Lincoln County Militia under Ensign William Casey for 23 days in April 1782 and was paid £8 and 11 shillings for his service. His military roles were generally those of a Private, although one source refers to him as a Captain.1
He married Margaret McKinney in 1766. Margaret, the daughter of Daniel McKinney, was killed in a Native American raid in the spring or summer of 1787 at their home near McKinney Station in Lincoln County, Kentucky. According to interviews preserved in the Draper Manuscripts, she was shot in daylight while inside her home, her infant was spared, and two older children hid in a rye field and survived.1
Five months later, on 29 November 1787, James Dooley married Rachel Rutledge Moore in Lincoln County, Kentucky. She was the widow of Edward Moore. James and Rachel had at least three children. Between 1802 and 1806, the Dooleys migrated to Maury County, Tennessee, where James acquired land and established a homestead.1
James Dooley appears frequently in Lincoln County records. He participated in numerous land transactions, served as an estate appraiser, guardian, and grand juror, and was listed in the 1800 Second Census of Kentucky along with relatives George and Thomas Dooley. He owned land along Hanging Fork Creek, including a 125-acre tract obtained from Hugh Logan, which he later sold, and another 100 acres acquired from J. Huntsman.1
James left a will dated 25 May 1824 in Maury County, Tennessee. It mentions his wife Rachel, his sons Esom and Paris, and his son-in-law William Wallace. He made specific bequests of land, enslaved persons, livestock, household furnishings, and provisions. Among the named grandchildren were James Madison Dooley and James Harvey Wallace.1
He died on 17 June 1824, in Maury County, Tennessee, and was buried in the Dooley Cemetery located on his former property.1
Sources
Biography of James Dooley, compiled from records in “Biography of James Dooley Maury County,” Lauri Dooley Miller, 2007, unpublished manuscript and associated documents.
Maury County, Tennessee, Will Book C, page 513
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