John Roberts (1657 - bef. 1695)

Born 1657 in Overton, Northamptonshire, England

Husband of Sarah (Marks) Roberts — married 1676 in Overrton, Northamptonshire, England

Descendants

Died before 12 Oct 1695 before age 38 in Chester, Burlington, New Jersey

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Hope Moore [send private message] and Corey Roberts [send private message]

Biography

John Roberts was born in Northamptonshire, England.

Will

Will Date: 07 MAY 1695, Probate 12 Oct 1695.

Place: New Jersey

^[1]

Emigration

Event: On the ship "Kent", Gregory Marlow, Master.

Type: Migration

Date: 16 AUG 1677

Place: Racoon Creek, Province of West Jersey

Notes

John and Sarah Roberts came to NJ in 1677 on the KENT from Ourton, Warwickshire, England. They were Quakers and among the first settlers of Burlington County, NJ. ^[2]

The sailing ship, the "Kent," first arrived in what is now New Castle, Del., before heading north to Jersey. It was the first group of English or Quaker settlers brought over by William Penn.

Journey to America In 1677, John and Sarah Roberts of (Market) Overton, Northamptonshire, England, embarked on a journey of a lifetime when they and 230 other passengers, nearly all Quakers, set forth for America from England on the sailing ship, the "Kent." When King Charles II, in his royal barge out on the Thames as the boat passed, inquired where such a host of people were headed. When he was told they were of the Society of Friends and embarking on a new life in the New World, the English king gave them his personal blessings.

The Kent was the first ship to bring English or Quaker settlers to Burlington County at the request of and facilitated by William Penn and his co-proprietors of West Jersey. After their initial landing in what is present-day New Castle, Delaware, the ship and its passengers headed north and for some unknown reason anchored at the mouth of Raccoon Creek opposite the village of Chester in West Jersey.

Before leaving England, John Roberts had purchased one-sixteenth of a share of land in the province of West Jersey from Thomas Olive (Ollive) as shown by the following record dated 26 Dec., 1676-7:

“Thomas Ollive of Wellingborough, County of Northampton, haberdasher, to John Roberts of 'Ourston’ same County, yeoman, for one-sixteenth of a share of West Jersey bought of William Penn et at, January 23d, 1676-7.”

The price paid for this tract, which contained approximately 400 acres, was 10 Pounds Sterling. In 1682 (no month given in the record) he purchased 68 acres on the northern side of the Rancocas about one mile above the road leading from Bridgeboro to Burlington. The following deed dated 14 Nov., 1682, indicates that they settled on this tract:

“John Roberts inhabitant upon Rancocas Creek, yeoman, to John Hollinshead for a wharf lot in Burlington belonging to the one-sixteenth of a share bought of William Penn et at on January 23d, 1676-7.”

On Nov. 14th, 1682, Daniel Leeds surveyed 267 acres for John Roberts “at the Indian town of Penisoakin between the two branches of Cimsissinck Creek.”¹ They apparently did not settle on this tract before 1683 or possibly 1684, as the Burlington Meeting record of the birth of their daughter, Hannah, reads “Hannah, daughter of John and Sarah Roberts of Northampton River, born in Sixth month, 1683.” The Roberts Monument on the southern side of Camden Pike just over the bridge across the north branch of Pensauken Creek, marks the approximate location of their first home. Family tradition says they lived for a time in a cave on the bank of the creek.

John Roberts died in 1695 and was buried in the old burying ground on the Pensauken, a little above the Club House of the Valley Brook Country Club which was formerly the home of Charles C. Haines. His widow, Sarah Roberts, a woman of exceptionally strong character and executive ability, died about 1712.

Their children were John, Sarah, Mary and Hannah. John, the only son, married Mary Elkington, daughter of George and Mary Core Elkington, the founders of the Elkington family of Burlington County.

By the way, "CimsIssinck" sometimes spelled "Simsisslnck," was the Indian name for Pensauken Creek. The word Pensauken, which is spelled in many ways in the early records, was the name of an Indian tribe who lived between the two branches of the creek, probably on the Roberts plantation.

Roberts Landing Monument Location: Entering Maple Shade from Moorestown over the "Iron Bridge" which crosses the north branch of Pennsauken Creek, on the left hand side of the road, between the north and south ramps on Main Street leading to Route 73. It is across the ramp from the Maple Shade VFW building. Large brown-colored electrical generators are adjacent to the site. It is best to park at the VFW parking lot.

Significance - "On the 14th day of November, 1898 about 100 persons, more or less related to each other, gathered on the pasture of John R. Mason, in Chester Township, near what is known as the "Iron Bridge" over the north branch of the Pennsauken Creek on the Moorestown and Camden turnpike road at about 2:30 o'clock" according to a publication memorializing the event. They were there to dedicate the obelisk-shaped monument which can be seen today on this site. The monument marks the spot of the original settlement of the Roberts family in New Jersey, in 1682. The inscription on the monument reads: "John Roberts and his wife Sarah from Northampton, England 1677 settled here 1682. Erected by their descendants, 1898".

John and Sarah Roberts were among about 230 people, most of them Quakers, who, having sailed from England, arrived in New Jersey on August 16th, 1677 on "The Kent". They made their way first to Burlington, and with their fellow Quakers, established a community there. John had purchased a 267-acre plantation on the north branch of the Pennsauken Creek and laid claim to it in 1682. He and Sarah took a boat up the Pennsauken Creek, disembarking at their new property and while they were building their first home lived in a cave at the spot marked by the Roberts monument today.

_______________________________________ Maple Shade (Fomerly Chester) Township was first settled by the Roberts family in 1682 and developed in the early years, before the independence of the colonies, as primarily agricultural. For its first one hundred years, only Kings Highway served the area, providing poor travel, and residents chose travel by boat rather than overland as a result, until 1794 when the road that was to be Main Street was constructed to connect Kings Highway with the Cooper River ferry. Afterwards, new settlers and the families of the original settlers encouraged the division and sharing of the large plantations into smaller holdings, still agricultural in nature.

1685 Aug. 10 - Memo of Deed, John Roberts of Pimsawquin, W. J., yeoman, to Noel Mew of R. I., for 300 acres in the Second Tenth.

1682 ___ ___, Return of Survey for John Roberts, of 68 a. on Rancokus alias Northampton R., between Thomas ffrench, the Mill Creek and Tho. Eves, incl. the island in the river, 3 a., near Wm. Evans' meadows.

1682 Jan. 12 - Return of Survey, for Thomas Eves, of 100 a. on Rancokus, betw. John Roberts, the Mill Creek and Thomas Ollive.

1682 Nov. 14 - Deed. John Roberts, inhabitant upon Rancokus Creek, yeoman, to John Hollinshead, for a wharf lot in Burlington, belonging to 1-16 of a share, bought of Thomas Ollive February 26, 1677. ^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ NJ Calendar of Wills https://ia800902.us.archive.org/14/items/calendarofnewjer00newj/calendarofnewjer00newj.pdf
2. ↑ History of Burlington County p 272
3. ↑ Patents and Deeds and Other Early Records of New Jersey 1664-1703.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Hope Moore for creating WikiTree profile Roberts-6273 through the import of Moore _ Grant Family Tree.ged on Mar 3, 2013.