1773 – born in Virginia
1799 – graduated from the College at Hampton-Sydney (Virginia)
1799 – approximate year licentiate of Second Presbytery of South Carolina
1804 – July 23. Received into Presbytery of Washington ; preached from 1 John 3:3; to serve one Sunday at Scioto Salt Works, rest at Buckskin and Mt Pleasant, all in Ohio
1805 – accepted call from Buckskin & Concord churches in Ohio; ordained 3 Oct
The Synod of SC had said to Rev. Alexander James Gilliland, who in 1805 moved to Red Oak, Brown Co, OH (Washington Presbytery, strongly abolitionist): “to preach publicly against slavery in present circumstances, and to lay down as the duty of every one to liberate those who are under their care, is that which would lead the way to disorder and open the way to great confusion.” (Gillett, 1864)
1809 – called by Smyrna & Williamsburg Churches in Ohio to split time between them
1810 – preach 8 days between Little Miami and White Oak Churches (note that the Methodist Rev. Robert Dobbins served Methodist White Oak Church)
1811 – spent one month as missionary in Fayette County, Kentucky
1814 – Presbytery ordered 1,000 copies of Lyman Beecher sermon; Dobbins contributed $1 to the purchase.
1818 – left Smyrna Church
1819 – left Williamsburg Church
1819 – 1834 – various stated supply and short term appointments in Ohio
1821 – on committees with Rev. James Gilliland; moderated meetings where James H. Dickey was stated clerk
1826 – Stated Supply at Ripley, Adams Co, OH, Presbytery of Chillicothe
1830-1834 – Presbytery of Cincinnati
1834-1835 Presbytery of Washington
Rev. Robert B. Dobbins of Sardinia, Brown County, OH was an ardent abolitionist (along with Gilliland of Red Oak) (History of Brown County, Ohio)
1835 – Presbytery of Schuyler in Illinois, where he was to form a church at Bennington, Illinois (this was near Bernadotte, Fulton County, Illinois)
1836 – Missionary assignment to Macomb, IL (report of General Assembly)
1836 – Jan 19 – officiated marriage in McDonough County, IL, of Jonathan Berry, Esq of Tazewell Co to Mrs. Jane Foster of McDonough Co
1837 – signed Rev. War pension application for Jacob Zoll, Fulton Co, IL (ref)
1841 – Stated Supply at Bennington Presbyterian Church, Bernadotte, IL in Peoria Presbytery (Minutes of General Assembly). In 1856, name of church was changed to Ipava Presbyterian Church.
1844 – preached at Osceola O.S., Stark Co, IL which founded in 1839
1846 – Dobbins & Dickey (James H. Dickey, who Dobbins knew in Ohio) were anti-slavery and apparently debated the issue with William J. Fraser.
1854 – died
1854 – buried at Dobbins Cemetery, Fulton Co, IL; tombstone enscribed “Against Freemasonry and Slavery”.
Sources:
http://www.phcmontreat.org/bios/Bios-D.htm
Minutes of the General Assembly, 1838-1841. http://books.google.com/books?id=CmorAAAAYAA
http://www.illinoisancestors.org/stark/publications/1916bookstarkco_anditspeople_vol1.pdf
Gillett., E. H. (1864) History of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, Volume 2. http://books.google.com/books?id=SWbUAAAAMAAJ
Galbraith, R. C. (1889) The history of the Chillicothe presbytery: from its organization in 1799 to 1889. http://books.google.com/books?id=614sAAAAYAAJ