Dabney Family Genealogy & History

Samuel Frederick "Ted" Dabney Jr. was a pioneering American electrical engineer and co-founder of Atari, Inc., a cornerstone in the video game industry. Dabney, alongside Nolan Bushnell, developed foundational video circuitry for iconic games like Computer Space and Pong, which became the first successful arcade video game. Dabney's expertise in electronics, honed at Ampex and Bank of America, contributed to his role in creating motion systems using cost-effective components. Despite being overshadowed in Atari's history, Dabney's contributions are pivotal to gaming technology's evolution.

Ted Dabney was born in San Francisco, California, to parents Irma and Samuel Frederick Dabney. After their divorce, he was primarily raised by his father.

Augusta Keith Dabney was a prominent American actress, celebrated for her extensive work in daytime soap operas. Notably, she portrayed Isabelle Alden on "Loving" and was also part of "Young Dr. Malone," "Another World," "As the World Turns," and "Guiding Light," among others. Her career spanned from Broadway, with a debut in "Abe Lincoln in Illinois" (1938), to her final film appearance in "The Paper" (1994). Dabney was recognized with a BAFTA nomination for her role in "That Night!" (1957), highlighting her remarkable acting talent.

Augusta Dabney was born on October 23, 1918, in Berkeley, California, to Thomas G. Dabney and Jessie Dabney. She pursued higher education at the University of California at Berkeley before advancing her acting studies in New York.

Robert Lewis Dabney was a prominent Southern Presbyterian pastor, theologian, and Confederate army chaplain, known for his influential roles in Virginia. He served as chief of staff to Stonewall Jackson and authored a widely-read biography of him. Dabney was a professor at Union Theological Seminary and later at the University of Texas. His architectural designs have influenced church architecture in Virginia, with several listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. His works, including "A Defense of Virginia" and "Systematic Theology," remain notable, though his views on slavery and white supremacy have been controversial.

Born on March 5, 1820, Robert Lewis Dabney was the sixth child of Charles William Dabney and Elizabeth Randolph Price Dabney, tracing his lineage to Cornelius Dabney, a 17th-century settler in Virginia. His brother, Charles William Dabney, served as captain in the 15th Virginia Infantry Regiment. Dabney's familial ties also connected him to Stonewall Jackson through his wife, Margaret Lavinia Morrison, who was a third cousin to Jackson's wife.

Virginius Dabney was a prominent American journalist and writer, celebrated for his editorial leadership at the Richmond Times-Dispatch from 1936 to 1969. Dabney's progressive editorials, notably against the poll tax and the Ku Klux Klan, earned him the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing in 1948. As a respected figure in journalism, he also served as president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors and contributed to the New York Times. Dabney later chronicled Virginia's history through several books and served as the first rector of Virginia Commonwealth University.

Born on February 8, 1901, at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginius Dabney was the son of Richard Heath Dabney, a history professor, and a descendant of Thomas Jefferson. His paternal grandfather was a Confederate veteran and author, emphasizing a rich familial connection to Virginia's history.