Dorsey, E.

Edward Dorsey was born on 4 February 1769, in Ann Arundel County, Maryland. He was a member of one of the first families of Ann Arundel County. He married Mary Klein in March of 1802 in Frederick County, Maryland, before moving to Waterford, in Loudoun County, Virginia. Prior to moving, Edward worked as a joiner in Baltimore. Edward and Mary had one son in 1803 before they relocated to Waterford. The couple had five more sons after the move. When they arrived Waterford, Edward constructed a home on the “Big Hill.” The “Big Hill” was a large parcel of property owned by Mahlon Janney, the son of the founder of Waterford. Janney split the land into seventeen different properties. Dorsey was the first person to buy one of these properties, and he constructed a large Georgian style home there in 1804.

Dorsey established himself as a carpenter and cabinetmaker, and opened a cabinet shop on the main street of Waterford. He also worked as a builder and Waterford residents, including Mahlon Janney, hired Dorsey to construct their homes. He sold a variety of goods, including furniture, in his store. Dorsey continued to live in Waterford and work as a carpenter, alongside two of his sons, until his death in 1848. Edward and  Mary Dorsey are both buried in the Waterford Union of Churches Cemetery in Loudoun County.

By Samantha Snyder