Can someone help me find info about Jacques James ?

Question

I'm looking for any information for my 4th gr-grandfather.  He ended up at St. Andre d'Arguenteuil, Quebec, Canada where he was granted a parcel of land from Patrick Murray in 1804. Other than the 1825 census, there is no other information of where he came from.  It's believed he was a black Loyalist.  His name has many variations, but is known as Jacques James Robinson/Robertson and was married to Marie Trottier although there is no marriage record.  Does anyone have any info they could share?

Answer 1

I saw your post and I thought I could help. When I first saw this I thought he must have come from France. I believe now he came from New South Wales, Nova Scotia.  I went to the Familysearch.org and was able to find out that he died in 1838 in St. Andre  d' Arquenteuil.  I was also able to find his Pedigree Chart Resource File Submission ID  MMD1-21c.  I was also able to find his children that is listed on his Family Pedigree and they are as follows:  

Joseph Robinson 1799- 1875 -  his spouse is Esther Payineau - 1820-1896. -------------Jean Baptiste Robeson  -----1804   --------Francois Robinson --1806---   Marquerite Robertson --1808  --------Benjamin Robertson -  1810 ------------Louise Robertson --1815.  

James Robinson was born 1780 and I believe that it was New South Wales, Nova Scotia. However I don't have the proof you need. But I am going to the genealogy Center today and hopefully I can find something on him, I didn't think about going to Nova Scotia to see if that is where he got married.    I will let you know what I find out if any. Thanks for letting me work this one.  Nancy

Comments

Hi Nancy, thank you for the info.  I do have all the info that you posted. Death is listed as 1838 because that was the last known event he attended was at his son's marriage. in 1838, then there's nothing.I have never been able to find anything on his birth at all.  1780 is a guess that most researchers have, it's also the birth year for his wife Marie Trottier (she is a Quebecoise).  The 1825 Census lists him as a married male 40 but not yet 60 yrs of age, so his birth year could be anytime in that age span from 1765-1785.

I would love any info you could turn up on him from the Genealogy center!

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Hi both,

I'm also a potential descendent of Jacque/James and Marie. My GG grandmother was Margaret (Marguerite) Robinson from Quebec. She was a woman of colour (either black or mixed) born Aug 1812. She met my GG grandfather in Montreal and they emigrated to Port Hope Ontario, marrying there and finally settling in Centralia Ontario, just outside of London. Many members of our family have undergone DNA testing and consistently we're showing mid/west African ancestry - the story in our family was always GG was native. There's no native showing up and I've not got a photo of her, as well as her eldest daughter and youngest son (my G grandfather) which definitely suggest African vs native ancestry. I'd like to explore this further. Have you done any DNA research?

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Hi both,

I'm also a potential descendent of Jacque/James and Marie. My GG grandmother was Margaret (sometimes listed as Marguerite) Robinson from Quebec. She was a woman of colour (either black or mixed) born August 1812. She met my GG grandfather in Montreal and they emigrated to Port Hope, Ontario, marrying there and finally settling in Centralia Ontario, just outside of London. Many members of our family have undergone DNA testing and consistency we're showing mid/west African ancestry. The story in our family was always GG was native. There's no native showing up and I've now got a photo of her, as well as her eldest daughter and youngest son (my G grandfather) which definitely suggest African vs native ancestry. I'd like to explore this further. Have you done any DNA research?

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Wow!  This is fantastic Melodie!  I've been researching for a long time and have never been able to get anything on Marguerite at all. We see the odd record of her being godmother at some of her nieces and nephews baptisms but nothing else!  My brother, me, my three children and my dad's sister all have a tiny bit of African DNA.  It all comes from the same area.  Cameroon/Congo/Southern Bantu and Ivory Coast/Ghana regions.  It's varies in percentages from some families to the others.  My 3rd great grandfather is Joseph Robinson (Robertson) and my 3rd great grandmother is Marguerite Eugenie Villeneuve.  Joseph was married a 2nd time to Esther Papineau.  The native comes from the maternal side of the Villeneuve sisters who married these Robinson men.  Marguerite Eugenie Villeneuve married Joseph Robinson, Rosalie married Benjamin and Angelique married Jean Baptiste.  The Villeneuve women's mother is Marie Anne Suzanne Quesnel, her parents were Louis Quesnel and  Marie Suzanne Wakakejiyokwe Magoya.

Melodie, I've been doing research for about 20 years now and have had some of the Robinsons tested.  Would be interested in communicating and would love more information on Marguerite!

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Just another comment about Marguerite, she was born in 20 Aug 1808 and there is a baptism record.

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Donna,

This is super exciting for us... we've been trying to crack this nut for so long, and we have sifted through a lot of misinformation perpetrated by two generations above about who Margaret/Marguerite was. I'm on a mission to bring her into the light. There are so many "coincidences" that I'm convinced this is who she was. Let's connect by email and I can give you more information. I'm at melodiebarnett@gmail.com.

Looking forward to connecting!

Melodie

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Hello ladies,

I was looking over the information you have for Robinson, Robertson & Robeson.

Do you have any information that any of them settled or were born in Georgia or South Carolina?

My gg grandfather was African american but looked white.  I have found cousins through Ancestry that state the same about their GG Grandfather. We think both were brothers.

Your heritage seems very close to mine.

Cameroon, Congo, Benin/Togo etc...

Some of the names match my ancestors however the dates don't. However we don't have any info prior to 1870.

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Hi Paulette,

I’m pretty new to this search and Donna may have more, but I’m exploring James/Jacques further. The Nova Scotia angle makes sense whether he (or his parents ... the spread we have on his birth date is quite broad) was a free man or a freed slave, though New South Wales doesn’t work; would likely be Halifax. Many loyalists were evacuated from the US, specifically New York (see Book of Negros) as a result of their loyalty to the crown during the revolutionary war. Upon further digging there is a small subset of Robinsons and Robertsons who require further investigation. A few of these are South Carolinian. However, this would be 1780s/90s. Not sure that lines up with your query.

Melodie

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My great great grandparents were angelique villeneuve and Jean Baptiste Robinson, their daughter, Elizabeth Ann was my great grandmother

Answer 2

Hi Donna,

I just found out that your ancestor Jacques James Benjamin Robinson is my great-great-great-great grandfather.  He had a son named Jean baptiste Robinson who married Angelique Villeneuve a canadian native in Argenteuil, Quebec.. They Moved to Hawkesbury, Ontario had resided there until their death.  One of their sons, Joseph Robinson, also had a son named Joseph Robinson.  They were living in the Treadwell-Plantagenet area, in Ontario (west of Hawkesbury)  He married Elzire Hunault had they moved to Orleans where they bought land had were vegetable producers.  Joseph and Elzire, my great grand-father on my father's side  had 5 sons and one daughter.  Their son Philias Theophile is my paternal grand-father .  Another of their sons, Joseph Jr.  is my great-grand-father on my mother's side.  Both my parents are Robinsons and were related before getting married.  Our branch of the Robinson family is French speaking had we mostly all live in the Navan area, just east of Ottawa.  Many of my relatives were gardeners like my great-grand-father and sold their produce at the Byward and Parkdale Markets in Ottawa.  Jacques James Benjamin Robinson was a freed black from Georgia USA.  Born in 1780, he moved to Argenteuil Quebec where he married Marie Cecile Trotier, a woman of color in 1800.  He died on jan 7 1851, and she died Oct. 10, 1850, both in Argenteuil, Quebec.  I hope this helps you.

Comments

I know who he is!  I'm asking if anyone knows where he came from and don't say Georgia, there's no proof of that!!  I'm sure that a lot of what you're saying is probably true, however, there is no proof that he was born in Georgia, do you have a paper trail?  Proof?  He certainly didn't die in 1851!!!   Where did you get that proof?  From everyone else who copies from everyone else?  That death record that everyone has chosen to go with is that of an 18 year old, Jacques James Robinson would be about 71 years at the time of that death date (1851) and if that were true, he would survive Marie Trottier.  And by the way, where did you find a marriage record for them?  Proof, supporting documentation?  no eh?  Please, do your research and post supporting documentation if you have it, don't copy other people's misinformation!  I've been on this for almost 25 years, he's a big brick wall that everyone is taking a wild stab at!  

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Hi Gulyaine.. these are also my relatives .... i've reached out to the Black Loyalist Society to try and help trace their arrival to Nova Scotia.. for both Marie Trottier and Jean-Baptiste Robertson

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Chantal, Marie Trottier is a mystery as well, we have a definitive death date for her and various documents throughout her life while having children and raising them to adulthood, but nothing about her beginnings or that of her husband Jacques James Robinson.  There is no marriage record to be found! I don't know that they were in Nova Scotia at all!  I've taken an extra step today; I've ordered a YDNA test from FTDNA, the biggest one, and my nephew, a direct line Robinson descendant will be taking the test.  I'm hoping I get some answers!

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I can see that Donna for sure! I was surprised to find as much about her family tree on Family Search... yet nothing for JJB Robertson.

I don't know if the marriage noted to be in Delaware is a doc i can find.

 I've found the baptism and death act for Marie Trottier... but the writing is so poor that i can't tell for sure if one is for mom (Marie Cecile)  and the other for daughter..

If the Black Loyalist Society is able to help i will share what we find. I sincerely hope we collectively find more clarity... had i not persisted (and i'm so late in knowing) this important part of our story would never be told to me.. i'm not sure there was ever a plan for that with so much cultural genocide that took place.  i'm glad to be here now.

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I had found that baptism record for a Marie Trottier, but not at all positive that it's the correct Marie Trottier as it is a very common name!  When I researched that family further, it just didn't seem to add up.  One of the marriages of Marie Trottier's sons states that her brother Richard was present at the marriage.  So we know she has a brother Richard.  That original baptism record for Marie Trottier gives the mother's name as Marie Cecile Le Negre and father as Francois Trottier.  If I research that couple, they do not have a son named Richard.  I just looked at the two baptism records I have for Marie Trottier and see that Marie Cecile Le Negre has been changed to Lemyre which makes zero sense!  I can clearly see Le Negre.  Le Negre is an actual surname!  I can see that the godparents on the document are Pierre Monet and Marie Genevieve Monet.  I don't think that baptism record is the proper one for our Marie Trottier!

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What i'm hoping for Donna is that the genealogist i hired, to affirm  the Indigenous side of the family, happens to find some info re the Robertsons.. she pretty much told me she wouldn't touch it because it's not her specialty and i understand that, but you never know what she might find.   After that i think i'll probably have to reach out to a specialist in African American genealogy  like Sherri Camp ... that's my thought after reading about so many efforts made..  suffice it to say both Marie and JJB Robinson were a displaced people either post or during enslavement.. Good night for now Donna. I'm also reachable at chantal.sdcleduc@gmail.com and plan to pursue this til the story is complete.

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The grandmother of the three Villeneuve sisters is the one who was native.  Marie Trottier's death record has in the margin "femme de couleur", woman of colour.  She may have been native.  I'm 1% native, but could come from anywhere!

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I almost feel like we should connect via phone Donna. Let me know if you're up to that and we could exchange numbers via email.

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Sent you an email with my phone #