The Dodge Family Association

John Dodge adopted as a baby by the Dorman Family of Maine
DNA testing proved this is a Dodge line from Richard Dodge.
Can you help Matthew solve his mystery ancestry?

Matthew believes that this is a photo of John (Dodge) Dorman
who was adopted as a baby
by the Dorman family

Pictures sent by Matthew Dorman who wrote:
My name is Matthew Dorman and I've recently taken a DNA test through Ancestry.com. I opened an account on Ysearch and ran a search for DNA matches. The closest matching results were from family members by the name of Dodge. I ran a few comparisons on the markers and the numbers are very close which leads me to believe my family branch may actually be Dodge and not Dorman. I've attached a list of my results putting them in order of how they would appear on your website's DNA Project Chart for easier comparison to be made.

I knew we weren't Dorman's via the Dorman family line biologically as my g-g-g grandfather John had been adopted by Benjamin and Eliza (Weston) Dorman of Harrington, Washington, Maine. According to vital records I've seen from the town of Beddington, Maine, I know John was born on March 17, 1827 in Jonesboro. But, the records made no mention of who his biological parents were.

So far, I've checked the U.S. Census records from 1820 and 1830 to see if a family by the name of Dodge was living in Jonesboro; I saw no such indication. I know Eliza's family, the Westons, were from Jonesboro. My thinking is that the Dodge connection comes in some where from that family line.

Any insight you may be able to offer in to this would be appreciated. Thank you for your time.

John Dorman (adopted as a baby) married Margaretta Warren, the daughter of Horatio Nelson Leighton and Olivia Johnson Smith. Their children were:
Horatio Nelson b. 1852
Olivia L b. 1854
George E b. 1856
Leverett Bridgham b. 1858
Erastus Elmer b. 1861
Izora Packard b. 1865
The eldest children may actually have been named after Margaretta Warren's parents, Horatio Nelson Leighton and Olivia Johnson Smith. I did find a couple of Horatio Nelsons, but the earliest record so far was for one born about 21 May 1807 in Castine, Hancock, Maine. I wonder how her father ended up with his first and middle names as I have yet to make a connection between Nelsons and Leightons, as well.

Leverett Bridgham seems to have come from Leverett Clifton Bridgham who was born about 15 June 1842 in Beddington to Wilmot and Hannah (Schoppe) Bridgham. And, an Izora Packard was born 1861 in Newburgh, Penobscot, Maine to a William Hodgdon and Chloe Jane (Downs) Packard. I can find no rhyme or reason to their choosing of their childrens' names aside from possibly Margaretta's parents and a neighbor of their's in Beddington.

Matthew believes that this is a photo of Margaretta, wife of John (Dodge) Dorman




From the left: The children of of Leverett Dorman: Grace Ethel Dorman, William Rufus Dorman and Clarence Roy Dorman