Robert Doby

Robert Doby is seated with one of his grandsons, Nathaniel Thacker, standing beside him. I inherited this photo upon the death of my grandmother, Hannah Edmona (Thacker) Stallard, in 1997. She was one of his granddaughters. Her mother was Artha (Doby) Thacker Bolling Couch. Artha was a daughter of Robert's third wife, Julia Ellen (Moncus) Doby.



Robert "Bob" Doby was born to William Thomas Doby (1823-1869) and Edith Winkler (1822-aft. 1880). He was married 6 times, having children with his first three wives only. His wives, listed in order, were: Rosa (Mays) Doby, Sarah E. "Sallie" (Moncus) Doby, Julia Ellen (Moncus) Doby [a sister to Sarah Moncus], Elizabeth Jane (Snodgrass) Cowden Doby, Matilda (Vaughn)Helton Doby, and Alabama Eppert Eliza Sylvania Sahvie "Mal/Malnie/Malie/Malba" (Horne) Kelly Davis Ring [2 married names are missing here] Doby. His last wife, Mal, had also been married six times. Horne was her maiden name. At any rate, she was buried in this cemetery in 1937 and has a grave marker. Doby is her middle name on the marker, follwed by Horne. It is interesting because family history says she always went back to her maiden name after each marriage. Perhaps it was just a mistake by the funeral home, but interesting, nonetheless. Beside her grave is an unmarked grave that is sunken in and of an unusually long length. I believe this is Robert Doby's gravesite. A casket had to be built to accommodate his height. Given the length of his casket and the length of this sunken in grave, plus the fact that it is beside Mal Horne Doby's grave leads me to this conclusion. Also, Robert and Mal lived in a section of Green Hollow just below this cemetery. I have searched other cemeteries in Wise County and have never found a grave site for him. The funeral home that took care of his remains has records that his casket was taken to a church on Turkey Branch. There is an old church at the intersection of Turkey Branch Rd. and Hurricane Rd. that is very close to the turn off for Green Hollow Rd., where Robert and Mal lived. In 2003 I contacted Sturgill's Funeral Home inquiring about the cost for resuming the body...hopeful to get DNA evidence to prove my belief one way or the other....however, the cost prohibited me from doing so. Also, all of his living descendants would have to be contacted and all would have to agree for the body to be exhumed, then the court would have to agree to do it. So, it was never done.