I have to say the more I think about it, Samuel Obey is unlikely to be related to the Bolbec Aubers who were very rich, just from the areas he was living in, which were where the poorer journeymen weavers lived. I do not believe he can be of the Caen Aubers, because Jacob's 1727/9 royal bounty record almost certainly rules that out. Both these families almost always use the form Auber or Aubert.
Gabriel Aube's line seems the only likelyhood, it is the oldest so most likely to be Anglicised. The Obee/Obe/Aube form seems to best fit them, and I wonder is this because they were from Paris outskirts, rather than Normandy like the other two branches, and it was a regional spelling difference/pronunciation coming into play? We know Tobie and Jean were having children in the right place at the right time. We know they definently had at least one son, Tobie, not recorded on the baptisms, so all their children are not accounted for. We know the church they were using St Dunstan's were recording births irregularly and missing children at this time. The last child they baptised was at St Marys Whitechapel, in 1724 with adress Wentworth Street. The first child Samuel baptised 1740, he spells his surname the same, uses the same church, and gives an address at Bell Yard which is connected to Wentworth Street. He called a son Jacob. Tobie Aube had a brother called Jacob.
Ok, we can't prove it. But balance of probabilites, I think he is their son.
