Submitted by Descendants: Calista Cameron, James Stephen, Jane Ferrell, Joseph Cameron, Madeleine Claire, and Thomas Benjamin BODIFORD; and Mildred Amelia FERRELL
Martin Dolan was born in Ireland about 1823 but it is unknown when he immigrated to America. He was in Florida as early as December 1844, and voted in the first Florida election on 26 May 1845.
Owning 200 acres in Gadsden County, Martin obtained eighty acres in 1846, another eighty acres in 1856 and forty acres in 1857. It is notable that one of his descendants, Lila Dolan, currently lives on the 200 acre tract.
Martin remained in Gadsden County and is shown as a farmer in the 1850 and 1860 census. It is unknown when Martin died, but he does not appear in any 1870 census record.
Margaret Elizabeth “Eliza” Dolan, daughter of Martin, was born in Florida on 24 February 1843. On 9 May 1859, Margaret married Arlington McAlpin and deeded away her dower property on 23 August 1859. Margaret and Arlington named a daughter Margaret Elizabeth, but she went by the name “Lizzie”.
On 8 April 1908, after living a long life in Gadsden County, Eliza passed away and was buried next to her husband in the McAlpin Family Cemetery, Gadsden County, Florida.
Margaret Elizabeth “Eliza” Dolan and Martin Dolan were first established
as Florida Pioneers in 2010