Rev. Dr. Charles Edwin Willoughby Dobbs - Generation 4

The story of Charles Edwin Willoughby Dobbs begins on August 12, 1840 when he was born as the first son of William Drewery Dobbs and Elizabeth Lesley. He died on September 28, 1916 in Louisville, Kentucky at the home of his son Charles Dobbs on Thrush Rd. in Audubon Park. He had been scheduled to be the guest preacher at one of the local Baptist churches, but while he was getting dressed in the morning, he died of congestive heart failure due to an enlarged heart.

CEW Dobbs, as he was most commonly referred to, lived an amazing 76 years. He was a charismatic, dynamic, well-spoken, well-educated go-getter of his time. If you google on CEW Dobbs, you will find an abundance of information, which is quiet an honor to someone who was born 169 years ago!

Buried in the treasures sent to me by Gordon Simpson was a fine biography of CEW that was written for the occassion of his 50th anniversary in the Ministry. Frances Eleanor Dobbs Marler sent me the memorial card that goes with it. All of this has come together in the last month, and I am excited to share these things with you now.

On the memorial card, there are two pictures. On the left side is a picture of CEW on March 6, 1864 when he was ordained at the Court Street Baptist Church in Portsmouth, VA. On the right hand side is a picture of CEW on March 6,1914 when he was the pastor of Eaton St. Baptist Church in Key West, Florida. On this card, CEW wrote the following: "I am a soldier under orders, fighting the good fight of faith."

Before he joined the ministry, CEW was a soldier of another sort. He was a member of a Virginia Militia, The National Grays. He served at Harper's Ferry during John Brown's raid in 1859. He was 19 at the time. At some point, he ended up being captured by the Union Army. I have a handwritten document sent to his wife Mary E. Dobbs by the Union Army's Field Commander stating that CEW would be released into her custody if he promised not to print anything bad about the United States of America. This made more sense to me when I read the following biography and discovered that he had been trained in printing and newspaper work.

I don't know which newspaper printed this story because all I have is the clipping. That is research for another day.

The Local Hall of Fame

When a man has spent practically fifty successful years in the ministry, expounding and spreading the word of Jesus Christ, it is sufficiently evident that in his line of endeavor he has been what the world terms a "successful man". Such a man is Dr. C.E.W. Dobbs, pastor of the Eaton street Baptist church of this city, who accepted the call to this church more than five years ago. He is the oldest minister in years and in point of service in this city. Dr.Dobbs is seventy-five years of age today.

Dr. Dobbs was born in Portsmouth, Va., and is a descendent of one of the fine old families of that state. During his early years he attended the schools of Portsmouth and Norfolk. He afterward graduated from the Virginia Collegiate Institute of Portsmouth. Still later he attended the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary whe that institution was located at Greenville, S.C. He was in active newspaper work for a time, being connected editorially with Portsmouth and Norfok papers. He began his career as a minister in Kentucky, serving the Bowling Green Church for seven years. He was afterward pastor of churches in Columbus, Miss., Cartersville, Ga., Madison, Indian, (hole in paper)...five years. He came to Key West from Fernandina, Fla.

During his career as a minister Dr. Dobbs has taken an active part in the editing of various denominational and other journals. For several years he was editor of the Indiana Baptist and was associate editor on several state denominational papers. He has done a vast amount of writing for religious and other journals, and is an exceptionally gifted writer.

During his stay in Key West Dr. Dobbs has won the confidence and esteem not only of his own church members, but of all the people of Key West who have had the privilege and pleasure of knowing him. In his quiet, earnest manner he has always taken the deepest interest in anything and everything that seemed to be for the betterment of the city. And so, Key Westers have come to regard him as one of themselves, even though he has not lived here a great number of uears. He is a most entertaining conversationalist and a man of high intelectual attainments. His sermons are logical, forceful and convincing. His manner is very cordial and he is in every respect a typical Southern Gentleman.

The End