1853                Address Unknown, New York, New York.                                                                      1853-1854       59 College Street, Nashville, Tennessee.

Dobyns & Church were first recorded in an announcement that ran on October 16, 1853 in the Nashville Union and American (Nashville, Tennessee).  Col. Dobyns, the extensive Daguerreotypist of Dobyns & Yearout, 59 College Street, who has just returned from his New York establishment, has several improvements which will be introduced in a few days.  We understand that the celebrated artists E. Church, so long and favorably known as one of the best in the city of New York, came out with the Col. For the purpose of remaining permanently in that gallery.  If he surpasses Yearout’s pictures, we should say Nashville will have something to be proud of.  We shall see what we shall see.

And secondly in an advertisement that ran from September 3 to December 30, 1854 in the

Nashville Union and American (Nashville, Tennessee).  Notice.—The Copartnership heretofore existing under the firm of Dobyns & Church and Dobyns & Co., is dissolved.  No one is authorized to collect debts of the concern but Mr. J. T. Yearout.            T. J. Dobyns.

Thomas Jefferson Dobyns, Edwin Church and John T. Yearout are all known and are recorded in other photographic directories.  What may be new information is the relationship of Dobyns & Clark.