Barbara (Light) Robb (1758 - 1831)

Born 1758 in Conestoga Valley, Lancaster, Province of Pennsylvania

Ancestors

Wife of John Williamson — married [date unknown] in poss Berkeley Co [W]VA

Wife of Alexander Robb — married about 1786 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

Descendants

Died 31 Dec 1831 at about age 73 in New Richmond, Ohio Township, Clermont, Ohio, United States

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Biography

Barbara married John Williamson on an unknown date in poss Berkeley Co [W]VA. The couple had 3 children: John Williamson, Joseph Williamson and Catherine Williamson.

Research Notes

(NOTE: The following genealogical sketch was written in the late 1880's by Jane Warren Archard.)

"MY GRANDMOTHER - AND HER FAMILY: BARBARA LIGHT WILLIAMSON ROBB"

Barbara Robb was born in Pennsylvania and died in New Richmond, Ohio, aged sixty-five years.

She was married very young to John Williamson. To them was born three children, John, Joseph and Katy.

John and Joseph were one day out in the woods with their father, and the Indians waylaid and killed their father. The little boys got away unhurt, but vowed they would have their revenge, and after peace was declared they waylaid and shot and killed an Indian.

Barbara soon married again, this time to Alexander Robb. To them was born seven children, James, Andrew, Letticia, Jane, Amintua (or Amintna), Samuel and Benjamin.

Alexander Robb was from Ireland. He was a school teacher, and weaver, by trade, but he had got in the habit of drinking whisky and other strong drinks, and when intoxicated he was very cruel to his family, especially to his wife and step-children. A few months after Amintua was born, he tied his wife's hands and feet together and threw her over the fence, and when the child was born her back was not right, and she never walked like other people; altho she was forty years old when she died, she never walked but a few steps at a time without crutches.

Amintua was a great reader, had a good mind, and was a firm believer in the Bible and always attended church, rain or shine, night or day. The story was told that she was going home one night and it was very dark, and there was a storm approaching and some lightning, and that she stopped by a ditch and was waiting for a flash of lightning, and said "Wink, Jesus, so I can get over the ditch."

But Amintua's mother died and was buried the first of January, 1832, and Amintua's trouble was so great that it unsettled her mind, and she continually grieved for her mother. She lived eight years without much mind, and concluded one day that she would not eat any more and that would help her to go to her mother sooner. The doctor and all her friends tried to get her to take some food, but she said "I am going to my mother." My mother said to her one day, "Amintua, I wish you would take some food. I am afraid you are doing wrong to starve yourself." So she said in reply, "Letty, you have enough to do to attend to your children" and she refused all food for forty days and nights, and was almost a skeleton. She died in her fortieth year.

But to return to my grandmother, she had five Robb children, and her husband as cruel as ever. About this time the Williamson boys killed the Indian and my Grandfather and some of his drunken friends were determined to have them arrested. This was more than my Grandmother could bear, and when her husband was absent she got the Williamson children's clothes and her own and packed them on a gray horse, and traveled sixty miles to the Ohio River. Here she sold the horse for a Page #2

canoe, and her and (the) three children came down the Ohio River from the mouth of (the) Big Beaver to New Richmond, Ohio. This was in 1802.

Her father, John Light, had settled in New Richmond in 1797. His son, Jacob Light, laid out the village of New Richmond.

But she did not bring her children for her kinfolks to keep. She took them to Cincinnati and put her boys to the cabinetmaking business. Katy, she kept with her until she was married; she moved to Indiana and soon died. In a short time, the Williamson boys married and settled in Cincinnati. But it was but a few months untill my Grandfather concluded he would follow his wife to Ohio, and he sold all his property and came to the Ohio River, and bought a little family boat and put his goods and children in it and came to New Richmond. It was in the same year that my Grandmother came, 1802.

Alexander Robb soon bought the farm now owned by G. W. Caslen and William Donaldson, and the farm where the old stone mill now stands. It was in the bottom a short distance below this mill that my Grandfather died. This was in 1810. He was buried in the Robb cemetery joining the Caslen farm.

But to return to my Grandmother's history: When her husband came to Ohio, he seemed to be a reformed man, and they lived together again, and Samuel and then Benjamin were born. About this time my Grandfather began to drink again, more than ever, and as cruel as ever. He had taught Letticia and Jane to weave, and Letticia did weave for the neighbors and they paid for the weaving in provision for the family.

But my Grandfather drank harder than ever, and would bring his drunken friends home with him and would drive his family out of the house. It was no difference to him what kind of weather it was, but the family learned by experience that when my Grandmother was away when he came home drunk he would always be kind to the children.

One day he came home very angry, and got a big butcher knife and tried to kill the whole family, but they made their escape out of the house. He swore then he would kill Letty, who was in the loom house weaving. She heard the family scream that Father was coming to kill her. There was only one door and a little square window in the loom house, and I heard her say she jumped out of this little window in a moment and saved her life.

Now my Grandmother concluded she would leave again for a while, so she went to Cincinnati to stay with her sons. She had not been gone but a few days when my Grandfather took another drunk and was brought home by his comrades very sick. His comrades were two Mr. D's and Two Mr. L's (Donaldson's and Light's?) old settlers not far from the old Robb mill. Those friends stayed with him day and night, and concluded he would soon die, and they got him to make a will and disinherit my Grandmother. So they drew up a will to suit themselves and had him to sign it, and in a few hours he died and they sent for my Grandmother to come to the funeral, and she came as soon as she could; and when she came those comrades of his that had written the will brought it out before a big log fire to read it to her. They said to her that her husband had disinherited her, so she went near enough to help read the will, and Page #3

before they were aware of what she intended to do she pulled it from their fingers and threw it in the flames. What aggravated her so was those men brought the will out in the same room where her dead husband was. She thought they ought to have waited untill he was buried.

Soon after this, Letticia and Jane were engaged to be married, and they began to think what the wedding dresses would be, so they carded and spun cotton and bleached it white. and took some maple sugar and a roll of flax linnen they had made for market, and carried it to Cincinnati on horseback and bought some notions for their wedding and some cotton yarn called turkey red. This red they wove in with their white in a small check. This turkey red they could wash and boil without fading.

The road then to Cincinnati could only be traveled on horseback. It was woods nearly all the way, and deep ravines, and if the river was high they would have to go back over the hills; but my mother said they always started before daylight and got back the same evening, for it was dangerous to cross these ravines after night fall. People were often killed, especially those that had money or goods with them. This white and turkey red made them beautiful dresses. People all wove homemade clothes then in this settlement.

Letticia was married to James Warren in December, 1811, and settled in New Richmond. Jane was soon married to Thomas Williamson ("August, 1813 or 1815" written in pencil. It looks like "1813"), in their, Warren's, house. They settled in New Richmond.

James Warren had the first tannery and Thomas Williamson the first carding machine that ever were in New Richmond. In those days, people that had sheep would shear the wool from the sheep, then wash it and pick everything out of the wool, then they would tie it in some old bed clothing and carry it to the carding machine. Each one had to take a pot of grease, about one pound of grease to every five pounds of wool. The carder would put this grease on the wool before they put it in the machine, and the wool would come out at the other side of the machine (in) beautiful rolls about two feet long and about as thick as one's front finger. They had a box to catch the rolls in; when the box was full, the carder would pick them up and give them a little twist and lay them carefully down and so on, untill the whole bundle was done. Then they would pin it up--no not pin it; they had hawthornes prepared to pin it with. Pins in those days were made with heads screwed on them and were very costly.

James Robb soon married and settled on the farm now owned by G. W. Caslen. James bought the interest to the farm of some of the heirs. He gave my Mother a ten-gallon iron kettle and an old mare for her share of all that big tract of land, supposed then to be its real value.

Andrew went back to Pennsylvania and married and settled there. He came back to Ohio. His wife died in New Richmond. He went to Texas and died there.

Benjamin went to Texas and settled and died there.

Samuel married and lived in a house near where the old stone mill now stands. He afterwards moved to Iowa and died there. He died in 1881, being the last one of the brothers and sisters to die.

Page#4

(AN ADDED SHEET BY THE SAME AUTHOR)

It was here at Daniel Light's that James Warren and Letticia Robb were married. That was in 1811. About this time, New Richmond was laid out in lots, and James Warren built the first tannery in that place, the same place where the tannery now is.

As soon as New Richmond became a village, the Methodists built a log church at the foot of the hill, just below Bond's Hill, and the society that worshipped at Light's all went to the new log house in New Richmond. This was the first religious organization in New Richmond.

But town did not suit Warren, and he came and bought part of the Ivy Brook Farm, and built a stone house on it. About 1830, Daniel Light and wife died, and in a few years the Ivy Brook Farm was for sale, and James Warren bought it and built the house that is on it now. And he had the old church, distillery, and dwelling torn down (and) a wall made of the stone in front of his new house.

James Warren and his wife were married, and joined the church, and died, and were buried on the Ivy Brook Farm.

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ADDITIONAL NOTES ADDED BY FRANK LIGHT

The Andrew Robb mentioned on Page #3 went to Pennsylvania and stayed in Lebanon at the home of Samuel Light, one of Barbara Light's little brothers. Andrew married Elizabeth Light, daughter of Samuel. One account states that the couple eloped while the family was at church. If true no animosity seems to have resulted.

Jane Warren Archard states that Elizabeth Light Robb died in New Richmond but other accounts place her death in Scott Co IN.

On Page #4 "the society that worshipped at Light's" refers to Barbara Light's brother Daniel in whose home the Methodists previously met regularly.

FLL, 2/27/2003

Sources

• Unclassified: Text: OP Light papers. In 1966, my grandmother obtained from her sister O. P. Light's hand-written family records, which I copied and returned. These papers have since disappeared, probably thrown away by my great-aunt's daughters when she gave up housekeeping. These papers provided dates and several generations of the Light, Prather and Veach families. There was nothing on the Dickinsons but the name and dates of Harriet Dickinson. The Lights he listed are exactly as later research has proven his family to be. (accessed before 30 December 2010)

Acknowledgments

• This person was created through the import of Shortened files.ged on 30 December 2010.