The Doby family in North Carolina

Almost all Doby families that have been in North Carolina for more than 150 years can trace their lineage to John Doby (John #5). John was born in 1750 in Albemarle Parish, Surry (now Sussex) County, Virginia to Peter Doby and Mary Clifton. His first marriage was around 1768. It's likely that she was a Native American and from a tribe that was local to either Sussex County, VA or Wake County, NC. In 1907, 11 of John's great-grandchildren and 7 great-great-grandchildren applied for membership in the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation. Their application was denied for lack of proof, but their story was that John's wife was "Indian". Most Doby families in North Carolina have heard the story from their grandparents that they have "Indian" blood. Many descendants of John Doby and his first wife have small amounts of Native American DNA. John and his first wife had six known children:

• Elizabeth Doby - was born around 1769, probably in Orange County, NC. She married James Nicholas and seems to have remained in Orange and Wake Counties, NC. Her son, James Dorsey Nicholas was married in Indiana and spent the rest of his life there and Illinois.
• Alsey Doby - was born around 1771 in Wake County, NC. He married Mary "Polly" Sneed, daughter or Robert Sharp Sneed, in Wake County, NC in 1806. Mary was born around 1793 in Wake County. They remained in Wake County until at least 1819, when Alsey was listed on a land record. Sometime before they 1830 Census, they relocated to Rowan (later Davidson) County, where his brother, John(#12) was living. The last record for both of them is the 1860 Census. Their death date and burial location are not known. Their children are listed below...
• Olive Doby - married Michael Little and seems to have remained in Wake County, NC. Research on her descendants has not been started.
• John(#12) Doby - was born around 1780 in Wake County, NC. He married Bina Johnson in 1805 in Rowan County, NC and they had eight children. Bina died around 1840 and John married a second time to Alsey LNU (not to be confused with his brother, Alsey). John died around in June 1849 in Davidson County, leaving his wife, Alsey, destitute. His children are listed below.
• Sarah Doby - married George McDonald and seems to have remained in Wake County, NC. Research on her descendants has not been started.
• Berry Doby - served in the United States Army from 1809 to 1814. He died on 20 Aug 1814, presumably at Fort Hampton in Alabama. On his military paperwork, it lists his complextion as "red", which could be a result of a Native American mother.

It's not known what happened to John first wife. One possibility is that she died while giving birth to Berry in 1784. John married a second time around 1784 to Sarah White, daughter of William White and Sarah Lucas. They had five children and settled in Jasper County, Georgia.

Untangling the Early Dobys of Davidson County, NC

On the 1830 Census, there were three Doby heads of household in Davidson County: Alsey Doby, John(#12) Doby, and William(#16) Doby. There are no birth, marriage, or death records that tell the fathers of the 19 children counted on the census, so, for decades the fathers of these 19 children have been a mystery. Many researchers have guessed and that was the best that could be done, until now. Recently, new records have become available online that provide documentation to prove all but one father/child relationship. Below is the result of that research. NOTE: Davidson County was created from Rowan County in 1822. People born before 1822 were born in Rowan County. People born in 1822 or later were born in Davidson County. There are no birth records. The birthdates are based on census data and may not be accurate.