Toby was an African American man residing in Pasquotank County, North Carolina. Toby had been enslaved by Thomas Pritchard, a Quaker, since at least 1769. Later he came under the ownership of fellow Quaker Matthew Pritchard, who, due to his religious beliefs, freed Toby in about 1776. Later, North Carolina passed a law stating that enslaved people could not be freed without permission of the courts. In 1778 local officials arrested Toby, arguing that he had violated the law even though he had been emancipated prior to the law, and sold his labor at public auction. Any further information regarding this individual has not been located.

In the 1778 writ, the individual named Pritchard listed after Toby is likely an error. Rather than being a separate enslaved individual, Pritchard is likely a reference to Toby's enslaver.