John Alexander Roberts (abt. 1700 - 1788)

Born about 1700 in Cornwall, England

Husband of Virginia (Horseley) Roberts — married 1721 in Virginia

Descendants

Died 1 Apr 1788 at about age 88 in Colony, Laurel, Kentucky

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Stacy Pulliam [send private message], Susan Peirce [send private message], and Warren Roberts [send private message]

Biography

John Roberts was a Virginia colonist.

John Alexander Roberts was born in 1700 in Cornwall, England [other researchers offer birth dates as early as 1695, and state that DNA evidence suggests John's birth/origin may have actually occurred in Northern Wales--see lynnesgenealogy website listed in sources for particulars, however no sources are given there for this particular information, so these are just hints].

John passed away in 1770. [Alternate information: John passed away in 1780 in Amherst County, Virginia, at the age of 85.]

Origin Story

The first part of this reporting below appears fanciful, as the title Earl of Radnor became extinct on the death of the fourth earl, John Robartes, a lifelong Bachelor.^[1] However, the reported marriage date and lists of children, etc, are more contemporary and align with some sourced facts. It is hoped that John Alexander Robert's true origin may someday be discovered.

On Sunday, 6 January 1907, the Richmond Times Dispatch newspaper wrote:

"John Roberts, a merchant on a limited scale, married a cousin of Queen Elizabeth, who raised him to the peerage, making him first Earl of Truro and Viscount Bodrims. John Roberts, second Earl of Truro, was made by Charles II, first Earl of Radnor. We find John Alexander Roberts, fourth Earl of Truro, in a part of Virginia, which was Caroline county, where he married in 1721."^[2]

On Sunday, 2 April 1916, the Richmond Times Dispatch newspaper wrote:

"John Roberts, first earl of Radnor, and John Alexander Roberts, fourth earl of Truro, came to Virginia. We find that John Alexander, in 1721, married in Caroline County, Va. By this marriage were eight children – Sarah Roberts, born November 5,1722, Henry, Elliott, Elizabeth, Morris, Francis, John and Drusillla. In company with his children, he moved in 1746 to Albemarle County, Va., and patented lands on Rockfish River, about six miles from the James, and was justice of the peace, which office was then held for life, and was constituted the highest court in the colony, with appeal to the Governor and council. Elliot Roberts married Elizabeth Phillips, of Amherst County, Va. Issue: John M., Captain Zack, Henry and Mathew and seven others – names not found. John M. first married Miss White, of Albemarle County, Va., by whom were Fountain, Jeremiah W and Captain John E., and Elizabeth. By a second marriage to Miss Matilda Jane Harris, sister to the wives of Captain Zack Roberts and his brother, Henry Roberts, were: Ann Tate, Matilda Jane, Milton, Emily and Henry M. Roberts. Matilda Jane Roberts married William Addison Roberts. HE was born in 1811 in Appomattox County, died in Roanoke, November 13, 1889. His wife died in 1862 . Their children were: Bettie Ann, John Milton and Ella Horsely Roberts. Bettie Ann Roberts married Dr. William H Horton. He died June 5, 1862,when their only child, William H Horton was just three weeks old. He was born May 11, 1862. His mother died July 9, 1890. William Addison Roberts was a son of John Roberts whose brothers, Alexander and Joseph were half-brothers of Henry Dawson Roberts. John Roberts, just mentioned, married Virginia Horsley. His son John married Malinda Coleman. Issue: Price and Alice Roberts."^[3]

Move to Albemarle County

In the mid-1700s, John's name (or possibly John Jr), as well as the names of his brother (or son, Henry Jr), and son, Morris, are included in a list of possible settlers in the portion of Albemarle County that was near or in the portion that later became Amherst County and now lies in present day Nelson County, Virginia. Also recorded, in 1742, was an Alexander Roberts, who purchased 350 acres near the Rockfish River in old Goochland County, now lying in present day Nelson County. (see pg 77 of this source) ^[4]

Research Notes

Potential Christening Record:

• Baptism: "England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975"
  FHL Film Number: 916983
  Ancestry Record 9841 #79780850 (accessed 26 June 2022)
  John Roberts baptism on 21 Apr 1700, son of Robert Roberts, in Maker, Cornwall, England.

Possible Arrival:

• Passenger List: "U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s"
  Place: Virginia; Year: 1714; Page Number: 146
  Ancestry Record 7486 #4083576 (accessed 26 June 2022)
  Name: John Roberts [John Alexander Roberts]; Arrival Year: 1714; Arrival Place: Virginia; Primary Immigrant: Roberts, John; Source Publication Code: 6223; Annotation: Abstracts of Virginia Land Office patent books 9 through 14, covering the early decades of the eighteenth century. Includes numerous references to land patented by "French refugees," the Protestants (Huguenots) who fled France after Louis XIV revoked the; Source Bibliography: NUGENT, NELL MARION, abstractor. Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants. Vol. 3: 1695-1732. Richmond [VA]: Virginia State Library, 1979. 578p. Indexed.;
  Household Members:
  John Roberts.

IF from WALES instead, perhaps this Arrival:

• Passenger List: "A List of Emigrants from England to America, 1682-1692, 1718-1759"
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 61073 #3433 (accessed 26 June 2022)
  Name: John Roberts; Age: 20; Birth Year: abt 1701; Occupation: Glover; Departure Date: 15 May 1721; Departure Place: Dolgellthe (Dolgelly), Merioneth, Wales, England; Destination Place: PA.; Arrival Country: USA.

The Y chromosome genetics indicate that John Alexander Roberts was of North Welsh descent. It is unclear whether he was born in the colonies, Britain or elsewhere.

Sources

1. ↑ Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, April 7). John Robartes, 4th earl of Radnor. Wikipedia. Retrieved June 26, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Robartes,_4th_Earl_of_Radnor
2. ↑ Richmond Times Dispatch, Richmond, VA, Sunday, 6 Jan 1907, Page 40
3. ↑ Richmond Times Dispatch, Richmond, VA, Sunday, 2 Apr 1916, Page 12
4. ↑ Seaman, Catherine H.C. “Tuckahoes and Cohees: The Settlers and Cultures of Amherst and Nelson Counties, 1607-1807 : Seaman, Catherine H.C. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming, Pg. 87 & others.” Internet Archive. Sweet Briar College, January 1, 1992. https://archive.org/details/tuckahoescoheess00seam/page/104/mode/2up

• Source: Baptism Record: [1]
• WikiTree profile Roberts-5359 created through the import of Lane Family Tree.ged on Oct 17, 2012 by Sammy Lane. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Sammy and others.

• Source: S3403103425 Title: Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Note: This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created. Page: Ancestry Family Trees Note: Data: Text: http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=7284992&pid=-1077653111

See also:

• Lynnes Genealogy, John Alexander Roberts Be sure to click on footnote numbers in body of text. These link to sources which can be verified.

Family Search John Roberts Principal England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975

Christening21 April 1700 Maker, Cornwall, England Father:Robert Roberts

• U.S. Immigration

Virginia Marriage Index Roberts Family Bible

• Place: Virginia; Year: 1714; Page Number: 146

Edit Source Source Information Title Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s Author Gale Research Publisher Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2010.Original data - Filby, P. William, ed. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2010.Original data: Filby, P. William, ed. Passenge

Virginia Land, Marriage, and Probate Records, 1639-1850 Author Ancestry.com Publisher Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.Original data - Chalkley, Lyman. Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia, 1745-1800. Extracted from the Original Court Records of Augusta County. Baltimore: Genealogical P

• https://lynnesgenealogy.com/JARobertsDescendants/website/b1.htm

https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/166731444/person/102207270415/facts