Kentucky: A History of the State, Perrin, Battle & Kniffin, 2nd 
ed., 1885, Hopkins Co.

WILLIAM L. DOBYNS, Hopkins County, was born in Rutherford County, Tenn.,
November 25, 1838, and is a son of Thomas E. and Amanda A. (Oden) Dobyns,
the former a native of Christian County, Ky., and the latter of Rutherford
County, Tenn., of French descent.  Thomas E. Dobyns was educated in his
native county.  When a young man he removed to Tennessee, where he was
married, and where he carried the mail for a time, and afterward engaged in
farming for four years.  In 1844 he returned to Christian County, Ky.,
where he resided for some four or five years, and then came to Hopkins
County.  Here he bought a farm near White Plains, upon which he resided for
three years, when he sold and bought another in the same neighorhood [sic],
where he died August 9, 1854, in his forty-eighth year.  William Dobyns was
employed on his father's farm until he attained his majority.  In the fall
of 1861 he enlisted in Company I, First Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry,
Confederate States army, which was eventually transferred to Gen. Wheeler's
command.  He served one year, after which he re-enlisted in the Tenth
Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry, and served under Gen. John H. Morgan until the
command was captured near Buffington's Island in southern Ohio.  He was
then retained as a prisoner of War at Camp Morton, Indianoplis [sic], and
Camp Donglas, Chicago, for eighteen months, and was exchanged in February,
1865.  He participated in the battles of Fort Donelson, Shiloh, and
Perryrille as well as many lesser engagements.  After the war he returned
to Kentucky, and was engaged in farming on the home place for about three
years.  He was then employed ed [sic] as a salesman in a general store for
M. Rice for nearly two years, after which he was engaged in the tobacco
trade at White Plains for two years.  He then removed to northern Texas,
where he was engaged in  agricultural pursuits for another year, after
which he returned to Hopkins County, Ky., where he was engaged in farming
and the tobacco trade for two years, and for the next four months had
charge of a Granger's dry goods and grocery house at White Plains.  In 1878
he opened a general store on his own account, at the same place, where he
has since been doing a flourishing business.  He is also quite extensively
engaged in the tobacco trade.  In 1878 he was elected county assessor of
Hopkins County, by a larger majority  than any other officer had ever
before received.  He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and in politics
a Democrat.

Dobyns Oden Wheeler Morgan Rice
=
Rutherford-TN Christian-KY OH IN Chicago-Cook-IL Fort_Donelson-Stewart-TN
TX

http://www.rootsweb.com/~kygenweb/kybiog/hopkins/dobyns.wl.txt