On the trail of the first Willoughby

Kedar Dobbs married Mary Willougby when he returned from the Hudson Valley Theatre of the Revolutionary War. They had three children, one born in 1782 whom they named Willoughby Dobbs.

Willoughby grew up and married Rachel Edmonds (b. 1784) on October 20, 1805 by Reverend William Grimes. This is well documented in Virginia records.

The first time that he appears by himself in the census records is in 1820. I assume that he was living and farming with Kedar before that because in the 1810 census, Kedar Dobbs is living in St. Bride's Parish with 6 other family members, none of whom appear to be his wife.

The 1810 Census shows Kedar as the head of household. He would have been 62 in 1810. He died in 1816. In addition to Kedar, there is one male between the ages of 26 and 44, One female between the ages of 26 and 44, and four children - three young females under 10 years old, and one female between the ages of 16 and 25. There was also 1 slave, gender unspecified.

Willoughby served as a private in the War of 1812 in the 9th Reg't (Sharp's) Militia. I don't know where or how much time he spent doing this.

In the 1820 Census, Willoughby is listed as the head of household and is 38 years old. Rachel is 36. In addition, there are 6 children - 2 sons under 10 years old, 3 daughters less than 10 years old, and 1 daughter between 10 and 16.

Willoughby is shown as being engaged in agriculture. There are no slaves listed.

By the 1830 census, Willoughby is not listed and presumed deceased and Rachel is 46 and there are 9 children - son less than 5 yrs, son 5-9 yrs, son 10-14 yrs, son 15 to 19 yrs, daughter less than 5 yrs, daughter 10 to 14 yrs, daughter 15 to 19 years, and two daughters 20 to 29 yrs. In addition, there are 5 slaves - 1 male 10 to 23 yrs, 2 males 24 to 36, 1 female under 10, and 1 female 24 to 36. It could be a family from the composition and ages.

In 1840, I can't find any Dobbs's in the Norfolk, Portsmouth, St. Bride's Parish area. What could have happened and where did they go?

The Federal Mortality Schedule lists a Miss Dobbs born in 1820 who died in 1850. This might be one of them.

Rachel Dobbs' obituary appeared in local newspaper in 1846 and reads:

"In Portsmouth, Va., on Saturday, the 5th inst., of Pulmonary Consumption, Mrs. Rachel Dobbs in the 62nd year of her age. She was a subject of many severe and heavy trials, but the everlasting arms were underneath her, and the eternal God was her refuge."

I can only imagine what these severe and heavy trials must have been with nine children, a farm, no husband, and the pre-Civil War economy.

Where is Rachel buried? Could Willoughby be with her?

What about the other siblings that I haven't found. I have traced two of them because I knew their names from my great-grandfather's, (Charles Dobbs), files.

William Drewery Dobbs, born in 1816, had ten children and lots of descendants.

His brother, Joseph E. Dobbs, had three children, died early of consumption, and had less.

Since this is the next generation, it will be grist for another blog on another day.