BIO: John DOTTS, Clearfield County, PA
 
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From Twentieth Century History of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania,
and Representative Citizens, by Roland D. Swoope, Jr.,
Chicago: Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company, 1911, pages 489 & 490.
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  JOHN DOTTS, one of Pike township's representative citizens and successful 
farmers, who resides four miles south of Curwensville, Pa., where he owns 116 
acres of valuable land, the old Bloom homestead, owns also a farm of forty acres 
in Ferguson township, two miles east of Lumber City and another tract of 141 
acres, rich coal land, situated in Jordan township, one and one-half miles south 
of McCartney.  He was born in Beccaria township, Clearfield county, March 31, 
1861, and is a son of Philip and Catherine (Stretzel) Dotts.
  Philip Dotts was born at Germantown, Pa., a suburb of Philadelphia, where he 
married Catherine Stretzel.  He was a miller by trade and for some years worked 
at different places in Clearfield county but later settled on a farm, acquiring 
502 acres, which is now owned by his son, William Dotts.  He cleared about 110 
acres of this land himself.  In politics he was a Democrat and was a man of 
considerable consequence in Clearfield county and served one term as county 
treasurer.  He lived a long and useful life which ended on March 16, 1901, and 
his burial was in the Fruit Hill Cemetery, attached to the Fruit Hill 
Presbyterian church of which he was a member and an elder.  He was identified 
with the order of Odd Fellows.  His widow survives, being now in her eighty-
ninth year, and is a resident of Glen Hope, Pa.  Of the ten children born to 
them there are six survivors, namely:  Mary, who is the wife of F. W. 
Hollenpeter, of Glen Hope;  William, who lives on the old homestead in Beccaria 
township, married Aurilla Neveling; Ellwood, who lives in Minnesota; Philip, who 
is a resident of California; Mrs. Margaret Hammer, who lives at Germantown, Pa.; 
and John, who is the subject of this record.
  John Dotts obtained his education in the common schools at Fairview and then 
followed lumbering and farming on the homestead until his marriage, in 1888, 
when he settled at Glen Hope and continued work in the woods as a lumberman.  
Later he moved to his coal farm in Jordan township, where he lived for four 
years and then came to the present home farm, on which his wife was born.  All 
the buildings now standing have been remodeled since Mr. Dotts came into 
possession and he has all his land under cultivation, with the exception of 
thirty-six acres of valuable woodland.  Mr. Dotts is a Democrat in his political 
views and while living at Glen Hope he served as treasurer and as school 
director and has also been a school director in Pike township.
  On January 18, 1888, Mr. Dotts was married to Miss Alice S. Bloom, who was 
born on the present home farm on August 27, 1863, and is a daughter of Levi and 
Susanna (High) Bloom.  She attended the Curry school in Pike township and grew 
to womanhood in her own home.  Her father, Levi Bloom, was born near 
Curwensville, January 10, 1824, and although he was a very successful business 
man in after life, he had but two months of schooling.  He engaged in lumbering 
and farming and came to this place when only four acres had been yet cleared.  
He was enterprising and industrious and after building a log house and barn 
began to complete the clearing of his land.  At the time of his death, June 5, 
1896, he owned two other farms in Knox township.  He was a Democrat in politics.  
He married, in 1845, Susanna High, born January 20, 1825, a daughter of John and 
Sally High, of Center county.  Levi Bloom and wife had fourteen children, the 
six survivors being:  Jared, who lives near Burnside; Alfred, who lives on a 
farm of seventy-two acres, a part of the old Bloom homestead, married Martha 
McNeel; Eliza, who is the wife of William Arnold, lives at Curwensville; Wesley, 
who is a resident of Chicago, Ill.; Martin, who resides at Seneca, Kans.; and 
Alice, who is the wife of John Dotts.  The mother of the above family died 
January 7, 1891, and she was buried in the New Millport cemetery, where, five 
years later her husband was laid by her side.  They were widely known people and 
were very highly respected.
  Mr. and Mrs. Dotts have had ten children:  Levi, Zella, Leon, Carl, Droze, 
Beryl, Oel, Merrill, Marl and Ethel.  All survive except the eldest son, who 
lived to be nineteen years of age.  His burial was by the side of his 
grandparents at New Millport.  Mr. Dotts and family are members of the Lutheran 
church at New Millport.