Dorothy Edmondson was mentioned in the 20 December 1757 will of her father Thomas Edmondson. [Essex County, Virginia, Will Book 11, pages 228–231.]

In an undated petition, heirs of John Edmondson petitioned the court for a division of his land: “Orators & Oratrices James Edmondson, Susanna Wiatt & John & Thomas Wiatt sons of the said Susanna & Thomas Dix and Sarah his wife who was Sarah Edmondson & Philemon Gatewood and Dorothy his wife who was Dorothy Edmonson & Martha Todd Throckmorton one of the coheirs of Judith Throckmorton decd. the late wife of Gabriel Throckmorton now decd. that John Edmondson being seized in fee simple of a tract of land situated within the parish of south Farnham & this county containing about 994 acres & another tract within the same parish containing about 404 acres died whereby the said tracts of land descended to Susanna Lewis the late wife of Lawrence Lewis the only child of the sd John, which said Lawrence & Susanna entered into the same & thereof continued seised until sometime on or about the month of april 1790 when the said Susanna died without issue and your Orators & Oratrix John & Thomas Wiatt & Susanna Wiatt became entitled to one moity of the said lands each a third part thereof to be held in coparcenary by virtue of the act of General assembly in such case enacted your Oratrix Susanna being the the [sic] mother of Ann the wife of the sd John Edmondson who was the mother of the sd Susanna Lewis, and your Orators John & Thomas Wiatt being brothers of the whole blood to the said Ann & Uncle to the said Susanna Lewis and your Orator James Edmondson & your oratrices Sarah Dix & Dorothy Gatewood & Albion Throckmorton, Gabriel Throckmorton and Dorothy Webb the wife of James Webb who was Dorothy Throckmorton & your Oratrix Mary Todd Throckmorton, and William Throckmorton & James Throckmorton & Fanny Throckmorton, Sarah Throckmorton, Lucy Throckmorton & Judith Throckmorton became entitled to the other moity thereof to be held in coparcenary, your Orator James Edmondson being entitled to a third part thereof, your Oratrix Sarah Dix being entitled to a sixth part thereof & your Oratrix Dorothy Gatewood to a sixth part also, and the sd Albion Throckmorton, Gabriel Throckmorton, Dorothy Webb and your Oratrix Martha T. Throckmorton and the sd William Throckmorton, James Throckmorton, Fanny Throckmorton, Sally Throckmorton, Lucy Throckmorton & Judith Throckmorton to the remaining third part thereof to each a tenth part of the said third part, your Orator James Edmondson being a brother of the whole blood to the said John Edmondson and uncle to the sd Susanna Lewis & your Oratrices Sarah Dix and Dorothy Gatewood being sisters of the half blood to the sd John Edmondson & aunts to the sd Susanna Lewis & the sd Albion & Gabriel Throckmorton & Dorothy Webb & your Oratrix Martha T. Throckmorton & the sd William Throckmorton, James Throckmorton, Fanny Throckmorton, Sally Throckmorton, Lucy Throckmorton & Judith Throckmorton being children & coheirs of Judith Throckmorton decd. who was the late wife of Gabriel Throckmorton and a sister of the whole blood of the sd John Edmondson decd & aunt to the sd Suanna Lewis decd” That Albion Throckmorton and Gabriel Throckmorton have sold their interest to James Webb, as has James Edmondson. That James Webb and Dorothy his wife have entered into the tract of land and “obtained possession of all writings, evidences & papers relative to the title of the sd land John Edmondson to the sd tracts of land whereby to defeat your Orators & Oratrices.” [Essex County, Virginia, Box Chancery No. 6, item 6-E-2.]

In 1818, John Henshaw junior assignee of John Henshaw complained unto the superior court of chancery for the Fredericksburg district, that John Edmondson had been in his lifetime indebted to John Hewshaw. John Edmondson died in 1789 intestate leaving an only daughter Susannah who had married Lawrence Lewis, and that Susannah, of legal age, died in 1790 without child, mother or siblings, leaving Susannah Wyatt, John Wyatt and Thomas Wyatt her maternal grandmother and uncles, and James Edmondson, Sarah Dix wife of Thomas Dix, Dorothy Gatewood wife of Philemon Gatewood her paternal uncle and aunts, and also descendants of Judith Throgmorton wife of Gabriel Throgmorton, who had children Albion, Gabriel, William, James, Dorothy who intermarried with James Webb, Martha who intermarried with Anthony Haynes, Sally who intermarried with William Smith, Lucy who intermarried with Anthony Brooking and Judith who intermarried with Edmund E. Brooking. James Edmondson died in 1790 leaving no children and a widow who died in 179-. Albion Throgmorton died intestate leaving James, Edward, Sophia, Robert, Lucy and Dorothy, that James died without child, that William died leaving an only child Anna who intermarried with James Booker. Sarah Dix and Dorothy Gatewood were sisters of the half blood to John Edmondson, that Dorothy died in 1811 leaving Thomas, Richard and Fielding Gatewood. John Henshaw seeks compensation. His bill was answered in 1820 by James Webb and Dorothy his wife, Edmund Cauthorn and Martha Todd his wife, Anthony Hayes and Fanny his wife, and William Smith and Sally his wife. John Edmondson died possessed to two tracts of land in Essex County, South Farnham parish. Their answer seems to imply that Susannah might have had a brother James, but wording is unclear. The name Throgmorton is spelled Throckmorton throughout their answer. Martha Todd Cauthorn had been Martha Throckmorton, Fanny Hayes had been Fanny Throckmorton. Judith Throckmorton, who married Robert E. Brooking is now dead. Some of the land had been previously conveyed to John Turner, who died leaving a widow Cary Turner and an only son Major John Boughan Turner. Other property was conveyed to Mace Clements who has died and left a widow Eliza who married a Foster, the said Foster having died, and Mace and Eliza Clements had a daughter Mary. James Edmondson died in 1791 leaving a will proved in Essex in 1792, leaving estate to his nephews James, Gabriel and William Throckmorton and neices Dorothy, Martha, Frances, Sally, Lucy and Judith Throckmorton. James’s widow held the land until she died in 1805. [Virginia Colonial Abstracts, Volume II, ed. Beverley Fleet, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1988, pages 439–441.]

“Died on Monday Inst [28 July 1806] Mrs. Gatewood, consort of Philemon Gatewood, Esq., naval officer of this port.” [Norfolk Gazette & Publick Ledger (Norfolk), 1 August 1806.]