Of late, I have been reading books by Margaret Mitchell and William Faulkner; while at the same time I have been studying the probate records of an ancestor of mine who died intestate 185 years ago. As I am recounting my analysis from said study, I find the need to restrain myself from injecting too much drama into the proceedings laid before me. The ancestor … Continue reading Now That’s What I Call Southern Gothic!

Joel Chandler Harris, author of Uncle Remus and B’rer Rabbit fame, wrote in his Stories of Georgia [1898], “The Revolutionary War in Georgia developed some very romantic figures, which are known to us rather by tradition than by recorded history.” This recalls one of my ancestors who is associated with a “tradition” surrounding his occupation during the American Revolutionary war. I was introduced to this … Continue reading The Legend of John McMullan

In August 1788, my fifth great grandfather John Dobbs a veteran of the Revolutionary war from North Carolina was awarded a land-grant in the state of Georgia consisting of 67 acres situated in what was then Wilkes County. In 1790, Elbert County was formed from a part of Wilkes County. From that time on, John Dobbs and his adult sons resided in Christian Township Elbert … Continue reading …and Milly, Uxor.

Yet again, I have solved another family history mystery and as usually happens upon solving one mystery, another mystery makes its ghostly presence known. Allow me to present The Case of Dobbs v. Prothro. The Dobbs in this case is David Judson Dobbs (1835-1877), my great, great-grandfather. The Prothro(s) being his brothers-in-law, Wilson and Gustavus Prothro – the brothers of my great, great-grandmother, Martha J. … Continue reading Dobbs v. Prothro

“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.” -Martin Luther King, Jr. Slavery has at times been referred to as “peculiar institution” and at times the word “peculiar” was used to imply that the institution was … Continue reading A Peculiar Institution

I am still sifting through little things that I discovered here & there, hither & yon during my recent exploration of 19th newspaper archives. Searching for my late mother’s ancestors in the deep South, I was finding lots of hits for her great, great-grandfather David Dobbs and his son David Judson Dobbs and his grandson James M. Dobbs who all lived in 19th century Georgia. … Continue reading Intriguing Items

Two cousins on my mother’s-side were famous men in the first half of the 20th century, both living in Atlanta, Georgia. One was a sports figure during the silver-age of baseball and the other was an early civil rights activist. John Gordon Dobbs (June 3, 1875 – September 9, 1934) was the grandson of my great, great-grandfather’s eldest brother, he and my grandfather were 2nd … Continue reading Two Dobbs Cousins

I made another pass at searching for my Dobbs ancestors in 19th century newspaper archives at NewspaperArchive.com, specifically David Dobbs, a 3rd great-grandfather and his son, David Judson (D.J.) Dobbs, my great, great-grandfather, both of whom were born and raised in antebellum Georgia. What I found was little bits and pieces of the puzzle… David Dobbs (1791-1871) was an attorney-at-law and a military leader in … Continue reading Bits and Pieces

I have made yet another discovery about an ancestor of mine. This time I found a photograph and possible evidence of the commission of a felony, but first a little background is in order… When I was a kid the only tangible ancestral artifacts that we had around the house was a very old flintlock pistol and a set of walking sticks. These were items … Continue reading International Man of Mystery-Pt. 1

On July 4, 1864, the day that my great-grandfather turned five years old, the town that he lived in, Marietta Georgia, fell to Union forces following a nearly two month-long series of battles and skirmishes in the vicinity of the town. The war was literally at their doorstep but from my perspective this is where the story ended for James Monroe Dobbs and his family … Continue reading The Third Man