Doby/Dobie Name Study

Date: [unknown]
Surnames/tags: Doby Dobie Dobey

Doby/Dobie Name Study         Global Status Page

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About the Project

The Doby/Dobie Name Study is a registered one-name study with the Guild of One Name Studies. The project serves as a collaborative platform to collect information on the Doby/Dobie name and all the related surnames and spelling variants. The hope is that other researchers like you will join the study to help make it a valuable reference point for other genealogists who are researching or have an interest in the Doby name.

Table of Contents

• Project Members
• Major Areas of Research
• Related Surnames and Surname Variants
• United States
• Canada
• Australia
• Research Pages
• Doby/Dobie Wikitree Profiles and Categories
• Task List
• Related Web Pages
• Common Errors Found in Family Trees
• How to Join the Project

Project Members

• Allan Capps - Project Coordinator/United States, focused on North Carolina and descendants of John Doby (1750-aft.1833).
• Harry Doby - United States, focused on Georgia and descendants of William Augustus Doby (1798-1880).
• Cheryl Sershon - United States, focused on South Carolina.
• Charles Dobie - Canada
• Paul Doby - Australia

Current Major Areas of Research

• United States
• Canada
• Australia

Related Surnames and Surname Variants

• Doby
• Dobby
• Dobey
• Dobbey
• Dobie
• Dobbie
• Dobe
• Dobbe

United States

Most White/Caucasian Dobys in the United States can trace their roots to John Doby who immigrated from England (probably) to Surry County, Virginia sometime before 1677, when he bought land in James City County, Virginia. This Doby family settled in Albemarle Parish, Surry County, Virginia before branching out primarily to North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Georgia, but with branches of the family all over the country.

There are many branches of Black/African American Dobys in the United States. Their families can be traced to Doby slave owners in Virginia and South Carolina. Many of the Dobys in southeast Virginia in the 1600 and 1700s owned slaves. Additionally, James Cureton Doby (1801-1850) from Camden, SC was one of the largest slave owners in the county in the early 1800s.^[1][2]

As of March 31, 2023 there are 5280 people in the Doby/Dobie tree for the United States. The focus of the current research is the descendants of Sarah A Doby (1849-). She was born in Davidson County, NC. Her descendants spread out to Randolph, Stanley, Guilford, Mecklenburg, Surry and others in North Carolina, plus several locations in Virginia and West Virginia.

For updates on the project, like our Facebook page.

The research of the Doby/Dobie family in the United States will culminate in a series of books about the Doby family history and genealogy which will be divided into many volumes:

• Volume 1: First Settlers & Virginia. This volume will document the immigration and settlement of John Doby (1640-1722) from England (probabaly) to Virginia as well as his descendants in Virginia. It will also document to movement of Doby family members from VIrginia that resulted in large groups of Dobys in other regions of the country.
• Volume 2: North Carolina. This volume is currently in progress and is expected to be available in late 2023. It will cover the history and descendants of John Doby (1750-aft.1833), who is the progenitor of most Dobys that live in North Carolina. As of May 2022, the research has disovered large groups of descendants in Alamance, Davidson, Guilford, Mecklenburg, Orange, Randolph, Rowan, Stanly, Stokes, and Surry counties.
• Volume 3: South Carolina. This volume will cover the history and descendants of John Doby (1742-1781).
• Volume 4: Texas. This volume will cover the history and descendants of William Edmund Doby (Dunlap) (1777-1835).
• Volume 5: Georgia. This volume will cover the history and descendants of William Augustus Doby (1798-1880).
• Volume 6: African American. This volume will cover those of African descent who do not descend from John Doby (1640-1722), but got the Doby name from slave owners.

Canada

The Dobies in Canada can mostly be traced to Ireland and Scotland. The most comprehensive research on the Dobie/Doby family in Canada has been conducted by Charles Dobie. His research has not been entered into Wikitree yet, but it can be found here.

Australia

The Dobies of Australia can mostly be traced back to Scotland in the early 1800s. The most comprehensive research on the Dobie family in Australia has been conducted by Paul Doby. His research has not been entered into Wikitree yet, but it can be found here.

Research Pages

Here are some of the current research pages included in the study:

• The Ancestry tree for the Doby/Dobie family in the United States.
• Genealogy website for the Dobie family of Canada.
• Genealogy website for the Dobie family of Australia.
• The early Doby settlers in Rowan and Davidson Counties, NC, USA have been very confusing for many years. The research on the first generation of Dobys in those counties can be found here.

Wikitree Profiles and Categories

Profiles

• Earliest known Dobie/Doby in Australia.
• Earliest known Doby/Dobie in the United States.
  • Earliest known Doby/Dobie in Georgia.
  • Earliest known Doby/Dobie in New York.
  • Earliest known Doby/Dobie in North Carolina.
  • Earliest known Doby/Dobie in South Carolina.
  • Earliest known Doby/Dobie in Texas.
  • Earliest known Doby/Dobie in Virginia.

Categories

• African American Dobys/Dobies.
• Veterans
• Canada
  • Ontario
  • New Brunswick
  • Nova Scotia
• Scotland
• United States
  • Georgia
  • Maryland
  • Missouri
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • Oklahoma
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Virginia
  • West Virginia

Task List

• Add all persons to the Ancestry tree and to Wikitree. Progress tracked here: Doby Name Study Progress
• Research and document Black/African American Doby lines in the United States. (needs a researcher)
  • Create profiles for slaves of John Doby #10
  • Create profiles for slaves of Robert Doby
  • Create profiles for slaves of William Doby
  • Create profiles for slaves of Nathaniel Doby #1
  • Create profiles for slaves of Charles G Potts
  • Create profiles for slaves of Robert Neville Dobie
• Setup a Doby DNA project on Familytreedna.com. (Project requested in April 2023)
• Separate Doby Name Study category by country.

Related Web Pages

• Research on the Dobies in Canada - https://dobiegenealogy.org/g-list1.htm
• Research on the Dobies in Australia - https://dobie.name
• Research on Elizabeth (Doby) Gee (abt.1745-aft.1773), daughter of William and Hannah Doby - https://geesnmore.wordpress.com/charles-gee-iii
• Virginia Vital Records.
• Virginia Births and Christenings, 1584-1917.
• Houston Archeological Society Newsletter, Number 70, August 1981, page 16. (Some of the information in this source is thought to be incorrect. Use with caution.)

Common Errors Found in Family Trees

• Moses Doby - The Wikitree and Ancestry entries to Moses Doby were originally created by Allan Capps based on a marriage index. After the original, hand-written marriage record was found, it was clear that the last name was DOTY, not DOBY, meaning when the marriage index was transcribed from the marriage record, it was incorrectly written as "Doby". There is currently no record that a Moses Doby ever existed in North Carolina. If you find information to the contrary, please contact Allan Capps.
• John Jarrot Doby - Many Ancestry trees have an entry for John Jarrot Doby. John and Jarrot are two different people. Both can be found on the 1790 Census in North Carolina. John Doby (abt.1640-1722) was a white man who was counted on the 1790 Census in Wake County, NC. Jarrott Doby was a Free Person of Color who was counted on the 1790 Census in Northampton County, NC. If you find sources to the contrary, please contact Allan Capps.

How to Join the Project

To join the Doby Name Study, please contact the Doby/Dobie Name-Study Coordinator: Allan Capps for assistance.