Dolly (no surname given) was named as a daughter in the Robertson Co, TN will of Richard Woodward written  Feb 21,1839:

10th – I give and bequeath unto my Daughter Dolly a privilege of having the use of my Land Whereon I now live to make support for her and the Children that she has with her, her life time or widowhood or
so much as will make support for her & children and no further.  I further give a certain negro woman named Lydia and one negro man named Handy also, one bay horse known by the name of Ball, one cow and calf, one Bed and sted and furniture consisting of two sheets, two bed quilts, two pillows and a certain portion of the farming tools as my Executor may think proper to herself and her heirs forever and no other purpose.

Richard Woodward's will was not found immediately after his death, and John S Bigbee was appointed administrator. Because the will had not been found, the slaves Handy and Lydia that Richard had intended to go to Dolly were hired out.

Hire of Negroes until 25th Dec 1841
1 Man Ben                     To    Richd Randolph                     80  25  -
1 Man Handy                 To    B Raney                                90  00  -
1 Woman named Lydia   To    D Mulloy                              50   -   -
1    Do                Nancy & 2 children  To  [L?/S?] Johnson   11   -   -
1 Boy                  Louis                            W C Woodward   10   -   -

Apparently some of the livestock or furniture that Richard intended to go to Dolly had also been sold. Once the will was found, Dolly seems to have been reimbursed for these items and for the hire of her slave (just one slave or both?):

Dolly Kerbys Receipt for hire of slave and property sold  229
 

The following was contributed by Darlene Embry, a descendant of James Kirby:

My gr. gr. grandfather was James Monroe "Jim" Kirby. In his Civil War Pension Files, Jim said his parents were Hardy and Dollie Kerby of Robertson Co., TN. On his marriage bond to 2nd wife Mattie Dunn Owen, Jim said his parent's were Joe Kirby and Dolly Woodward. I have no doubt as to who his mother was but the father is a different story since I now have 3 different names for his father......
Dorothy or Dolly supposedly married Hardy Kirby sometime after 1830. I have not been able to locate a marriage record for them either, but they had two children, John born about 1835, and Martha in 1838.
Hardy apparently is deceased before March of 1839 when his brother-in-law, William C. Woodward, is appointed administrator of his estate. Dolly, however, continued to have children..3 more that I know of..my James in 1845, Julia about 1850, and Henry about 1853. I do not know if Dolly remarried but I have not found any records to suggest that she did. A cousin who has also done research on this family claims that Dolly's last 3 children were illegitimate. I hope she is wrong as it would, as she put it, "effectively end the Kirby line."

1830 Census - Robertson Co., TN
Hardy Kerby - 1 male under 5 - 1 male 30 to 40 - 1 female 5 to 10 - 1 female 30 to 40
(This may reflect a wife prior to his marriage to Dolly Woodward.)

Robertson County, Tennessee Abstracts of Chancery Court Loose Papers, 1844-1872 by Jean M. Durrett & Yolanda G. Reid, 1986.

Lawsuit # 277
Dolly Kerby vs Johnson & Metcalf
RE: Accusation by Dolly Kerby that her negro man, Handy, was taken from her fraudently by Enoch
Metcalf.
Richard Woodard, dec., father of Dolly Kerby.
W. C. Woodard, bro. of Dolly Kerby.
Enoch Metcalf, father-in-law of W. C. Woodard.
Filed: 1845

Lawsuit # 281
Dorothy Kirby vs Elijah Eubank
RE: Accusation that Elijah Eubank obtained title to her negro man, Handy, by fraudulent means.
Elijah Eubank - nephew of Dorothy Kirby.
Mr. Nemo (Wilson C. Nemo) - teacher in neighborhood.
Filed: 1846
 

1850 Robertson Co., TN., Census, District 1, 18 Sep 1850:
HH # 567
Kirby, Dorotha  age 35  TN
       Martha   age 12  TN
       James    age  6  TN

1860 Statewide Tennessee Census
Robertson Co., TN:
Kirby, Dorothy  age 52
       John     age 23
       James    age 14
       Julia    age 12
       Henry    age  7

1870 Robertson Co., TN., Census, District 15, 18 Jul 1870:
Kirby, John       age 35**
       Daroffa    age 65
Kirby, Betsie     age 35*
       Nicy A.(B) age  7
       Jno F.(B)  age  5
       Albert(B)  age  1
Woodard, L.(B)    age 70 domestic servant (Liddie)

*(In 1880 Robertson Co., TN., District 15:
Elizabeth Kerby (B)(Head) age 34  TN
Nicean Kerby    (B)(Dau)  age 17  TN
Albert Kerby   (MU)(Son)  age 11  TN
Babe Kerby     (MU)(Son)  age 10  TN
(B)=Black
(MU)=Mulatto

1880 Robertson Co., TN., Census, District 15
Carrol, Wiley (Head)  age 68  NC*
Carrol, Liddy (Wife)  age 29  TN
Carrol, Sandy Derham  age 11  TN
Kirby, Dolly          age 78  TN
Kirby, Julia          age 29  TN
Kirby, Victoria       age  9  TN
These last four are listed as "Other" in the relationship to head of household column.
*(Wiley J. Carroll married Lydia A. Jones June 2, 1872 in Madison Co., TN.)

I know that early census records are not the most reliable sources for ages or birthplaces. I have found numerous discrepancies for both from one census record to another. Other researchers have said that in some instances the information given to the census takers came from secondary sources such as neighbors or other family members who may have been guessing when it came to ages and birthplaces. For that reason I use those two bits of information as references only until other records can be found.

I have wondered about the Kirby family listed with Dolly and John in 1870 as black. Also Liddie Woodard who is black as well. My grandmother Kirby had said that her ancestors were "Black Irish". I
believe that can mean several things including Native American and/or Negro ancestry.

Jim Kirby's Civil War Pension File, General Affidavit:
Claimant: "says that he resided in the Country and in the County of Robinson and in the state of Tennisee, and about four miles from the Pos-Office of Cross Plains, then his Post-Office, in said County and State aforesaid, during the years of 1850 and until he enlisted in the late Civil War, in the year of 1863, as a private in Co, I. 6th Ky, Redgemant or cavalry, And resided with his Mother, whose name was Dollie Kirby, and that his father died when he was a small chap about 3 years old, and his name was Harddy Kirby, when he died I was so small that I don't remember of seeing him."

Jim Kirby's marriage to 2nd wife Mattie:
Name and birthplace of groom's father:  Joe Kirby (no bp given)
Name and birthplace of groom's mother:  Dolly Woodward (no bp given)

Jim Kirby's death certificate:
Name of father: Thomas Sydney Kirby
Birthplace of father: North Carolina
Name of mother: Dortha Denstha Woodward
Birthplace of mother: North Carolina
Informant was Julia Young (Julia Kirby), sister of Jim Kirby. My gr. Aunt Louise Kirby Carroll remembered Julia (her Aunt), and that Julia was Jim's sister and a child of Dolly Kirby. The 1880 Census is the last record I have of Dolly.

**John Kirby, believed to be the first child of Hardy and Dolly, born 1835, was with the Grafton Winfield family in Robertson Co., in 1850. He is listed as 15, and deaf. In Robertson Co., Abstracts of Chancery Court Loose Papers - John Kirby vs. Lucinda Kirby, RE: Petition for divorce, Dorotha Kirby signs as security for John Kirby, filed in 1854. There is a marriage of a John Kirby and Lucinda Innman on April 16, 1854 in Sumner Co., TN. I do not have any further information on Martha or Henry.

I do accept that Dolly Woodward Kirby is my Jim Kirby's mother, and most likely the mother of the other children listed with her in the census records.

The researcher who believed that Dolly's last 3 children were illegitimate made reference to a bastardy case which she had seen, but she did not want to share any other information than that. I have to assume those records would be in Robertson County if they exist at all.

Donna Boots and I examined these records and independently came to the same conclusion concerning the Blacks associated with Dolly:

Richard Woodward's 1839 will left a slave named Lydia to daughter Dolly. Lydia had probably used the surname Woodard prior to Richard's death and simply continued using that surname. Lydia/Liddie is no doubt the L Woodard, Black domestic servant age 70 on Dolly's 1870 census. (Slaves were listed on separate schedules in 1850 and 1860.) Although Betsie Kirby was not listed as Black on the 1870 census, she is no doubt the same as Elizabeth Kirby on the 1880 census who was listed as Black. Elizabeth/Betsie's age is inconsistent (1870 age 35, 1880 age 34), but she was probably born after 1839 since Richard Woodward's will made no mention of Lydia's child or children. Also, Elizabeth/Betsie used the surname Kirby which would tend to indicate that Elizabeth's owner at the time of her birth or at least soon after her birth was Dolly Kirby.

Dolly Kirby purchased 40 items at Richard Woodward's estate sale, second only to her brother William Coffy Woodward. Her husband Hardy Kirby had died by 1739, so she was a widow at the time of this sale.

It is also probable that Dolly's sister, Lucinda Woodward, had married Isaiah Kirby.  I. Kirby purchased 14 items at the estate sale. He was the third most prominent buyer. An Isaiah Kirby (probably the same as I Kirby) owed the estate 90 44 - . This was the largest note listed. There was also a second note for Isaiah Kirby for 3 46 - . Isaiah Kirby's wife in 1850 was Lucinda, age 48, b NC. Any possible kinship between Hardy Kirby and Isaiah Kirby has not been determined.

Other Kirby's who appeared as buyers at the estate sale were Elisha/E Kirby (3 entries) and A Kirby (1 entry).
 
 

A HUGE thanks to  ,   , and   who contributed many of the records included here.

Additions and corrections are welcome! Contact  .