Joseph Roberds (1767 - 1863)

Born 4 Feb 1767 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania

Ancestors

Son of Freeman Roberds and Martha Runyon

Husband of Anna (Randel) Roberds — married before 19 Nov 1791 in Cane Creek MM, disowned marriage out of unity, Union County, South Carolina

Descendants

Died 6 Jul 1863 at age 96 in Monroe, Grant County, Indiana, United States

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Biography

The following is from the History of Clinton Co., Ohio:

Note: birth year of 1776 published in History of Clinton County was in error, Joseph would not have fathered a child at age 14 and he was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, not South Carolina. Ann Randall was a member of the Society of Friends but not Joseph Roberds. The Clinton County biography was written by his grandson, Rev James Roberds.

Joseph, or, as he was generally called, "Squire" Roberds, was an early, well-known and much-respected citizen, being one of the first Justices of the Peace and the second Sheriff of Clinton County. He was born in Union District, South Carolina, on the waters of Broad River, on the 4th day of February, 1776. At the age of twenty-two years, he was married, in his native state, to Anna Randall, with whom he lived in great harmony for about sixty-two years. Mr. and Mrs. Roberds were members of the Society of Friends, but their marriage was not consummated according to the custom and rules of that society. This violation of rules in that day was regarded as far more serious matter than at present. The transgression, if one it was, was brought before the meeting, and no satisfactory acknowledgement being made for it, the offending parties were "disowned." Some years afterward, Mrs. Roberds attached herself to another branch of the Christian Church and remained a member in good standing until her death; but Mr. Roberds, although holding sound religious views, and having and experimental knowledge of sins forgiven, never afterward became a member of any religious society.

In 1804, Mr. Roberds left South Carolina, on account of slavery, and took up his residence in Ohio. His way West was through the States of North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky, by the Cumberland Gap, the Crab Orchard, near Danville, and Lexington, Ky., to Cincinnati. Much of the country through which they came was sparsely populated, and the residue, with slight exceptions, was an out and out wilderness, broken by a succession of lofty mountains and interspersed by deep and rapid streams, which they generally had to ford in the absence of bridges, ferries or even canoes. His first settlement north of the Ohio River was on the Little Miami, near Waynesville, Warren County, a place where many emigrants made short stops for the purpose of viewing the country before locating. At this place it is supposed that he tarried long enough to raise a summer crop. In 1805, he removed to a point on Lytle's Creek, about three miles below where the town of Wilmington now stands. At this place, he raised his second crop in Ohio. The following spring, having purchased a small tract of land in the green wood, on the south side of Cowan's Creek, he removed to it and commenced an improvement. His cabin and other buildings stood about forty rods nearly due east from the present residence of Thomas Curtis.

From the spring of 1806 to 1810, he appears to have engaged industriously in opening his land to the sun, erecting buildings and cultivating crops. Early in 1810, Clinton County was created. At first it was divided into three townships - Chester, Vernon and Richland. To each township was given the election of three Justices of the Peace. The first election for filling that office in Clinton County was fixed by Judges Hughes and Hickson for April 21, 1810. Mr. Roberds' residence was included in Richland Township. Mr. Roberds, Absalon Reed and William Venard were returned as elected for Richland. In 1813 Mr. Roberds was elected to the same Office. April 3, 1813, he was appointed by the County Commissioners Collector of the State revenue and county tax for Clinton County. April 8, 1814, he was re-appointed by the Commissioners to the same office. At the election on the second Tuesday in October, 1814, he was elected Sheriff of Clinton County, succeeding Jonathan Harland, the first Sheriff of Clinton County, who, having served two terms, was ineligible to re-election. In 1816, he was re-elected to the office of Sheriff; his term expired 1818, and he in turn became ineligible to re-election. His successor in office was Joel Woodruff. On the second Tuesday in October, 1819, Mr. Roberds was elected County Commissioner for Clinton County. At the same time, the electors of Union Township, which had been created in August, 1813, elected him to the office of Justice of the Peace for that township.

Early in 1818, an action of ejectment was brought against Mr. Roberds for the 100 acres of land on which he lived, including the fifty acres purchased in 1805 or 1806, and fifty acres adjoining, which he had acquired afterward. The same suit embraced several of his neighbors, who like Mr. Roberds, had purchased lands in survey No. 625, and had paid for them in full, supposing that they had an unimpeachable title. All had purchased their lands of one Samuel G. Martin, an early settler in the neighborhood, who had purchased fairly enough, but had not paid the purchase money, and now was unable to pay it. The suit in the Court of Common Pleas went against the tenants at the October term, 1818; it was appealed to the Supreme Court, where it was decided in the same way. In 1822, application was made to the court for pay for the improvements made on the land. The court recognized the validity of the claims and appointed three commissioners to value these improvements.

On the first Monday in April, 1821, he having previously removed from Union Township to Wilson's Branch, north of where Sabina now is, he was elected Justice of the Peace for Richland Township. At the spring election in 1824, and again in 1827, he was re-elected to the office of Justice of the Peace for Richland Township. At the annual October election in 1822 he was re-elected to the office of County Commissioner, and again re-elected in October, 1826, to the same office. His last term as County Commissioner expired in the fall of 1829, and his last term as Justice of the Peace in the Spring of 1850 [I believe this should read 1830 - ELR], Esquire Roberds was now old. From this time, it is believed he declined further service. In the fall of 1833, Esquire Roberds removed to Indiana and settled near Jonesboro, Grant County. In 1850, his wife died. He died in July 1863, in the ninety-eight year of his age.

DNA

Paternal relationship is confirmed through Y-chromosome DNA testing. David Curtis Roberds Jr, FTDNA kit #B223817, and his 3rd cousin once removed, Alan L Roberts, FTDNA kit #909537, match at a Genetic Distance of 4 on 111 markers thereby confirming their direct paternal lines back to their MRCA Thomas Roberds. FTDNA indicates that the probability the two share a common ancestor within the last 4 generations is 44.09% and within the last 5 generations is 59.61%.

Genetic Distance: 4

Big Y STR Differences: 8 of 656

Paternal relationship is confirmed through Y-chromosome DNA testing. David Curtis Roberds Jr, FTDNA kit #B223817, and his 5th cousin once removed, Meryl Roberts, FTDNA kit #B274389, match at a Genetic Distance of 6 on 111 markers thereby confirming their direct paternal lines back to their MRCA Thomas Roberds. FTDNA indicates that the probability the two share a common ancestor within the last 6 generations is 72.22% and within the last 7 generations is 81.64%.

Paternal relationship is confirmed through Y-chromosome DNA testing. David Curtis Roberds Jr, FTDNA kit #B223817, and his 6th cousin, Joseph Grant Roberts, FTDNA kit #157652, match at a Genetic Distance of 2 on 37 markers thereby confirming their direct paternal lines back to their MRCA Thomas Roberds. FTDNA indicates that the probability the two share a common ancestor within the last 7 generations is 84.45% and within the last 8 generations is 89.02%.

Paternal relationship is confirmed by a triangulated group consisting of David Roberds GEDmatch A166357, Ronald Louis Swonger GEDmatch A803989 and Kenneth Noel Reed Jr GEDmatch A065035 sharing a 13.5 cM segment on chromosome 12 from 6852447 to 13083137.

Paternal relationship is confirmed through Y-chromosome DNA testing. David Curtis Roberds Jr, FTDNA kit #B223817, and his 5th cousin once removed, Meryl Roberts, FTDNA kit #B274389, match at a Genetic Distance of 6 on 111 markers thereby confirming their direct paternal lines back to their MRCA Thomas Roberds. FTDNA indicates that the probability the two share a common ancestor within the last 6 generations is 72.22% and within the last 7 generations is 81.64%.

daughter of Meryl Roberts autosomal match:

• Paternal relationship is confirmed by an AncestryDNA test match between David Roberds and Vicki Roberts his fifth cousin 2x removed. Their most-recent common ancestors are their 5th-great grandparents, Thomas Roberds and Sarah Gilbert. Predicted relationship from AncestryDNA: 5th-8th Cousins, based on sharing 7 cM across 1 segments.

• Paternal relationship is confirmed by an AncestryDNA test match between David Roberds and Thomas MacDonald his seventh cousin 2x removed. Their most-recent common ancestors are their 6th-great grandparents, John Roberds and Elizabeth Westland. Predicted relationship from AncestryDNA: 5th-8th Cousins, based on sharing 16 cM across 1 segments.

• Paternal relationship is confirmed by an AncestryDNA test match between David Roberds and Laura Peterson his fourth cousin 2x removed. Their most-recent common ancestors are their 3rd-great grandparents, Joseph Roberds and Ann Randel. Predicted relationship from AncestryDNA: 5th-8th Cousins, based on sharing 20 cM across 1 segments.

• Paternal relationship is confirmed by an AncestryDNA test match between David Roberds and Cathy Clift his fourth cousin 1x removed. Their most-recent common ancestors are their 3rd-great grandparents, Joseph Roberds and Ann Randel. Predicted relationship from AncestryDNA: 5th-8th Cousins, based on sharing 9 cM across 1 segments.

Sources