Welcome
Thank you for visiting the Doby-Dobie-Dobey Family History site. This site represents the United States portion of the Doby Name Study, a global project registered with the Guild of One-Name Studies, which includes Doby, Dobie, and Dobey.
The "Doby" spelling of the name is by far the most widely used in the United States. Throughout this website, "Doby" refers to the family as a whole, regardless of the spelling variation. In the past, many people could not read or write and did not know how to spell their own name. When some type of document needed to be written or filled out, it was up to the person doing the writing to determine how best to spell the name. As a result, the descendants in certain branches of the family have a different spelling of their surname. Thus far in the research we have found records with the following spellings: DOBY, DOBBY, DOBIE, DOBBIE, DOBEY, DOBBEY, DOBE, and DOBBE.
Doby Origins
In the early and middle 1600s, there were several Doby arrivals in Virginia from Europe. None of these Dobys have further records except for one of the John Dobys, referred to as John#1, who established roots and a large plantation in the area that would become Sussex County, VA. He is the progenitor of most Doby/Dobie/Dobeys in the United States. Some of his great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren relocated to North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Texas. From there the Doby family spread out across the county. On the 1940 Census, there were White/Caucasian Dobys-Dobies-Dobeys in 46 states and Black/African American Dobys-Dobies-Dobeys in 20 states.
Duplicate Names
The Doby family seemed to like the names John, William, and Mary. In the 1700s and 1800s, almost every family in every generation had a John, William, and Mary. For that reason, the Doby Name Study researchers have assigned numbers to each John, William, and Mary (ex. John Doby #1 or John #1 Doby). These numbers have no special meaning and are simply used to help the researchers keep each individual separated.
Black/African American Dobys
Many of the early Dobys owned slaves. In most cases, enslaved people would assume the surname of the owner, which is where most Dobys of African descent in the United States get their last name. Every effort is made on this site to respect the emotions that can accompany some family histories. If there is anything we can do better, please feel free to contact us. More information...Doby Migration in the United States
Virginia
Sometime before 1675, John Doby #1 immigrated to the British Colony of Virginia. There are at least 20 birth records in England and Scotland that could be this John Doby so it's impossible to determine where he emigrated from, however, the area around the James River in Virginia was filled with English settlements. Given the "bad blood" between the English and Scots in the 1600s, it's likely that he was from England. Most Scots immigrated to/through Pennsylvania.
John #1 established roots in the area that would become Sussex County where the family remained for 3 generations before branching out to North and South Carolina in the late 1700s, followed by Texas and Georgia in the early 1800s. The early Dobys in Virginia were plantation owners, passing down land and slaves to their children. The family grew quickly and John #1 had 35 known great-great-grandchildren. Several branches of the family just disappear without a trace. Likely, they moved west into the "frontier" (central and western Virginia), where record keeping was non-existent.
From Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Texas, the Doby family spread out across the United States. A list of places in the Doby Family Tree can be found here.
More information ...
North Carolina
John Doby #5, great-grandson of John #1, was born in 1750 in Surry County, VA to Peter Doby and Mary Clifton. He relocated to Wake County, NC where he established a family and served in the NC Militia during the Revolutionary War. The children from his first marriage, which was probably to a Native American woman, settled in Wake County and the area that would become Jackson Hill, Davidson County, resulting in a higher Doby population in NC than any other state on the 1950 Census. His second marriage was to Sarah White. John, Sarah, and their children moved to Georgia before 1830. More information ...
South Carolina
John Doby #3, great-grandson of John #1, was born in 1742 in Surry County, VA. He and his family relocated to Eutaw Springs, South Carolina. He passed away in 1781. Most members of the Doby family in South Carolina can trace their roots to John #3.
Texas
William Edmond Doby Sr, great-great-grandson of John#1, was born around 1777 in Sussex County, VA. He encountered some financial difficulties in 1827 and disappeared. He turned up in Texas under the name "Dr. William Dunlap" where he became a merchant and landowner. In 1835 he returned to Virginia to retrieve his family, but died while he was there. Three of his sons relocated to Harris County, TX, where they remained. Most Dobys in Texas can trace their roots to William.
Georgia
John Doby #5 moved from North Carolina to Georgia sometime before the 1830 Census, along with his wife, Sarah White, and children. There were 6 children in his household on the 1830 Census of which three are known: Derrel Doby, Berry Doby, and John Doby. Additionally, his son William(#8) and daughter Jane were married before the 1830 Census. Most Dobys in George can trace their roots to John(#5).
The Doby Genealogy Series: A History of the Doby-Dobie-Dobey Family in the United States
If you have any questions or comments about the information on this site, please contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.