John Doddridge emigrated from England and settled in the colony of New Jersey. He was a descendant of Sir John Doddridge of Shepperton, England. This Sir John was father of the celebrated English divine, Philip Doddridge, author of a number of books and of many beautiful poems and hymns, one of the most notable of the latter being "Oh, God of Bethel, by Whose Hand!" etc
John Doddridge, the emigrant, had two children, Anne and Joseph. The latter married Mary Biggs. He died in Bedford county, PA., February 14, 1779, leaving six daughters and two sons, viz: Sarah, Hannah, Elizabeth, Susan, Mary, Anne, Philip and John.
The last named John Doddridge was born in Maryland, March 30, 1745. He married Mary Wells , daughter of Col. Richard Wells, of Baltimore, MD., on December 23, 1767. She was born in Baltimore, September 19, 1748. About the year 1768 they removed to Friends Cove, a few miles south of Bedford, Bedford county, PA., and left there for Washington county, PA., in 1773. Their children were Joseph, born October 14, 1769; Anne, born November 3, 1770; Phillip, born Mary 17, 1773, became very prominent in legal and political life; Susannah, born May 6, 1775, died in infancy; Ruth , born August 30, 1776.
Mary Wells Doddridge, wife of John, died November 30, 1776. John Doddridge died April 20, 1791. He had married a second time on January 23, 1778, with Elizabeth Schrmplin, born October 26, 1761. Their children were Josias, born October 28, 1778; Eleanor, born October 26, 1780; Abner, born February 4, 1783, died in infancy; Benjamin, born March 30, 1784; Enoch, born July 4, 1786; John born May 6, 1789. The interment of John Doddridge took place on his own farm, but in 1824 the body was disinterred and taken to Wellsburg.
John Doddridge was the first settler in Independence township, Washington county, PA in 1773, coming from Bedford county, and taking up on a Virginia certificate 437 acres of land on Cross Creek which was surveyed to him on April 6, 1786, under the title of "Extravagance". James Simpson's notes says that the first farm upon which the Doddridge family settled was where William Leggett resides on Cross Creek, and that afterwards they removed to the farm where Milton Murdoch now lives in the same township, where they built Doddridge's fort of which Capt. Samuel Teter, a relative of the Doddridge family, had command when the Indians were troublesome.
Most of the land owned by John Doddridge now belongs to Rev. Willliam Brown of Canonsburg.
The marriage of Joseph Doddridge, first born of John Doddridge and Mary Wells, and author of "Doddridge Notes", to Jemima Bukey, took place in September, 1783. Their children in order of birth were:
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