Reuben Tobias Dooley was born on October 2, 1847, in Indiana to Silas and Sarah Dooley. His father was a farmer who owned $3,320 of real estate and $800 of personal property by 1860. He grew up and attended school in Washington, Indiana, and he married Saloma Newlin on November 7, 1868. They had at least three children: Winfred, born around 1870; William, born around 1873; and Charles, born around 1876. They lived in Washington, and Dooley worked as a farmer. By 1870, he owned $700 of personal property. He died on September 3, 1891.