Gathering Leaves

Some notes regarding the Kendall surname..

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My ggg-grandfather, David Dobbs (c 1792 – 1872), was a plantation owner, a founder of Georgia Military Institute, and a founding member of the Baptist Church in Marietta, Cobb County, Georgia. In searching Google Books I have found him mentioned a few times in regards to business, military and political affairs in mid-19th century Georgia.

In a recent search for him in Google Books I once again found him mentioned – this time in a book described as  a "Burlesque reports of cases…before justices of the peace."  I found the following in “Joseph Gault’s fifth edition of his Reports: entitled A coat of many colors” by John Gault, published by Americus Law Book Co., 1902. The chapter is entitled “A Preacher Collecting Money”. In the story my ggg-grandfather refuses to drink with a drunken preacher who has come to town to collect a debt…

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Once upon a time my gg-grandfather, David J. Dobbs, and his wife, Martha J. Prothro, owned a plantation outside of Marietta, Georgia. Apparently a portion of the plantation was owned by Martha’s father, Evan Prothro of South Carolina. Evan died in 1864 and Martha’s brothers became executors of Evan’s estate. Sometime in the early 1870’s the plantation was sold at which time Martha’s brothers claimed that money was owed to them. David J. Dobbs did not dispute that money was owed, but refused to pay the money saying that it made no sense to pay the debt on the grounds that Martha, being a daughter of Evan and therefore a beneficiary of the estate, was entitled to the money away.

A lower court ruled in favor of the executors of the estate, but David took the case to the Georgia State Supreme court and won. The amount of money in dispute? $370.

In a search of Google Books I found the State Supreme Court ruling…

Reports of Cases in Law and Equity, Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of the State of Georgia, in the Year … By Georgia. Supreme Court

In 1859 the Georgia State Legislature authorized the citizens of Marietta to build a railroad from their city to the Alabama state line. As seen below, my ggg-grandfather, David Dobbs, was part of the corporation formed to build the railroad.

I don’t know if the railroad was ever built or if it was built was it destroyed later by Sherman’s Army.

Acts Passed by the General Assembly of Georgia By Georgia