05/29/2026
The 246Years Project: James Dawson's Story
On April 16, 1800, Thomas Swann filed a deed of emancipation at the Loudoun County courthouse freeing a man named James who is residing in Leesburg, Virginia. Sixteen years later, James Dawson lost his âpocketbookâ while in Alexandria and placed an ad in the local paper describing the pocketbook in the hope it would be found and returned to him. He was desperate to find it because it contained his emancipation papers, signed by Thomas Swann. The ad provided us with Jamesâ surname and allowed us to trace his story through additional Loudoun County and Alexandria documents.
Mr. Dawson was freed six years before Virginia passed a law requiring all emancipated people to leave the state within 12 months of acquiring their freedom. Therefore, he was able to stay within his known community.
Three months after his emancipation, James Dawson obtained a marriage license to wed Mary âPollyâ Huet, a free black woman who may have unofficially married James in a private ceremony before he was emancipated. James Dawson and Polly Huet were legally married by Methodist minister John Littlejohn. At the time of their marriage, they had one child, a son named Francis (Frank) Dawson, born in 1794.
It is unknown how James Dawson provided for himself and his family during his first three years of freedom, but in the spring of 1803, he applied for a license to operate an ordinary within the Town of Leesburg. Ordinaries, during this time, provided food, drinks, and lodging. The term âordinaryâ refers to the fact that these businesses were licensed and typically had their prices set by local authorities through âordinancesâ or âOrdinary Bondsâ that controlled the cost of meals, alcohol, and stabling to protect travelers from price-gouging. Thomas Swann, a highly respected lawyer and Dawsonâs former enslaver, was named as security for the ordinary.
Ten months later, in March 1804, James Dawson purchased property located on the SE corner of Loudoun and King streets of Leesburg. This prime location was located one block away from the intersection of Carolina Road (modern day Route 15/ Loudoun Street) and the Potomac Ridge Road connecting Leesburg to Alexandria (modern day Route 7/King Street). For the next three years, James Dawson advertised his business, known as âDawsonâs Tavernâ in Alexandria papers. Thomas Swann provided occasional financial assistance, but, according to court records, Dawson struggled to stay on top of his debts.
During the time he was operating Dawsonâs Tavern, James Dawson appeared in numerous Loudoun County court records, suing for money owed to him and being sued by others to whom he owed payments. His personal life was also tumultuous. In November 1804, Polly Dawson filed for divorce from James Dawson and requested alimony and child support.
Finally, after three years and numerous lawsuits, James Dawson is deemed an âinsolvent debtorâ and is temporarily confined to jail. A large portion of the furniture at Dawsonâs Tavern was sold and when James Dawson tried to purchase it back, the owners charged him double the amount they paid to purchase it. Dawson again turned to the courts for help.
Despite these setbacks, Dawson re-opened his business in 1809 under the new name, âWashington Tavernâ and ads running in Alexandria state the condition of the tavern has been improved. The ads appear to only run for a couple of months and then stop, and the fate of the Washington Tavern is unknown. Over the next eight years, Dawson continues to appear in court cases regarding loans and debts.
James Dawsonâs use of the courts, and his testimony in court proceedings, was not as unusual as may be assumed. While Virginiaâs legislature created laws to limit the rights of formerly enslaved people, the application of these laws was often a local decision. In the early 19th century, free Black men used the courts to argue property rights, bringing suits against their White neighbors and responding to suits filed against them. Although White men were always responsible for the judgements, it appears that in most cases the courts respected property rights over race.
James Dawson died in 1817. His exact date of death is unknown, but on August 15, 1817, the sheriff of Loudoun County is ordered to administer his estate.
James Dawson is one of the many men and women who built a life for themselves and contributed to the Loudoun County community following emancipation. Thanks to his marketing efforts and its prime location, Dawsonâs Tavern would have been a destination for many people making the two-day journey from Alexandria to the busy town of Leesburg.
James Dawsonâs story was brought to our attention by Town of Leesburg, Virginia of Thomas Balch Library Senior Library Associate, Tamsyn Knight who kindly shared her extensive research. The Town of Leesburg Thomas Balch Library is a contributor to the 246 Years Project.
Engraving "Central View of Leesburg", is curtesy of Henry Howe's Historical Collections of Virginia (1845).
Explore the 246Years Project DATABASE here: https://246years.org
