Is anyone researching the Dosse/Doss/Dorse/Dors family that originated in Somerset? The first mention I have of the surname is dated 1329 in Chedzoy Parish in the Somerset Levels, just east of Bridgwater. By the 1600s, branches of the family spread out, several went to the Borough of Bridgwater, others went to Taunton, Wells, Weston Zoyland, and one man is believed to have emigrated to Virginia in North America. In the 1800s, some family members moved into Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Bristol, Wales, and Greater London, as well as emigrating to Australasia and Canada.
The family used all of the variant spellings I've listed above, and as far as I can tell, they are the ancestors of almost all of the families with those surname spellings in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. They shouldn't be confused with a German family from Mecklenburg that also used this spelling. A few of the Germans also emigrated to London, and some to the United States.
I'm working extensively on sorting these families out because the surname is so rare. I'm part of a group that is going to begin a DNA study on the family as well.
Best,
Nathan W. Murphy, AG
Accredited Genealogist for English and US Southern States Research
