Eli Christian Robertson (1840 - abt. 1908)

Born 27 Jul 1840 in Breckinridge County, Kentucky

Ancestors

Descendants

Died about 27 Feb 1908 at about age 67 in Higginsville, Lafayette County, Missouri

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Biography

Eli Robertson was a volunteer in the Confederate Forces, before the Secession. He was recruited by a Captain Wade, a family friend, whose family came out on the same wagon train. Samuel (Eli's grandfather) raised fancy Morgan horses, and so Eli was supplied with a fancy horse. Have seen a copy of his enlistment papers, and the estimated value of his horse. Even the value of his tack was listed. Eli had his Civil War Uniform stored at the farm in Gentryville for years. It consisted of one blanket, one waterproof, the uniform, and two square toed horsehide (homemade) shoed. They were made identical square toed, and one wore them to shape the shoes to the right or left. His biggest problem, he told Fratie was to keep his feet dry. They greased the shoes with waste cooking fat to make them waterproof ... then the fat turned rancid and they smelled! Eli's unit fared better than most for they were all farmer's sons, and knew how to live off wild game, and gleaned corn from the cornfields and ground and made their own cornbread. Eli first saw battle at Springfield, Blue Mills, then traveled inside the Kansas line down into Arkansas. He fought in the battles at Pea Ridge, Bentonville, Elkhorn, Corinth, Baker's Creek, Big Black, Iuka, Franklin, etc. It was at the battle of Franklin (one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War) Eli had his horse shot out from under him. He evidently suffered a leg wound, but was not sent home. He walked as an infantryman for the rest of the war. He recovered to fight in the battle of Vicksburg. At the end of the war he was captured, imprisoned at Ship's Island, and finally pardoned. It took him three months to walk home. Eli told Fratie that his biggest problem was in keeping his feet dry. He washed and darned his wool socks himself. In the morning he would take his partially dry socks and put them underneath his shirt, above his belt, and wear them all day to have dry socks at night. After Eli returned from the war he married Sarah Jane Butler, and they lived near Evona, north of Gentryville, on the way to Albany. He was the father of ten children. Upon the death of Sarah he courted Fratie, although he was approx 24 years older then Fratie. She had a job working at the next farm. He was a handsome man, tall in stature, very blue eyes, and sandy hair and beard. He was living on a prosperous farm and Fratie thought he was well-to-do. Shortly after they were married she discovered that the farm actually belonged to Sarah Butler Robertson. The children of that union insisted on selling the farm and they were forced to leave. They then moved to Lawrence, Kansas. Eli clerked in a store there, owned by a relative. After not making it there, they moved to Siloam Springs, Arkansas where Eli worked in the timber. When he developed a double hernia and could no longer work they moved to Evona, Missouri, where the family could assist them. When he could no longer work Fratie refused to have more children...Eli was 72 when the youngest was born and Fratie could not work as a seamstress if she continued to have more children. So Grandfather Eli took himself off to Higginsville, Missouri to the old soldiers home (Confederate) Fratie refused to go along as life there was humiliating, and hard. She preferred to stay with her family where she could have more help and friends, and continue her work as a seamstress, knitter, and weaver by which means she supported her children. All during the Civil War Eli rode and walked 9,000 miles. How he survived we'll shall never know. But it took a toll on him, for he was often irritable in later years. His children found him to be a bit short tempered, definitely not a well man. But he did walk back twice from Higginsville, Missouri to visit Fratie and the children. After ten children, then six more, he was tired of children! In Higginsville he listed none of the children as descendants, for he was peeved at all of them.

Story written by Eli's Granddaughter Merle Ballinger Sherwin daughter of Sarah Estella Robertson

Sources

• "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6XS-8F3 : 14 August 2017), Eli Robertson, Miller, Gentry, Missouri, United States; citing enumeration district ED 279, sheet 551D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0687; FHL microfilm 1,254,687.

• "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M463-DTK : 12 April 2016), Ele Robinson, Missouri, United States; citing p. 26, family 199, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 552,275.

• "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHC1-W7V : 14 December 2017), Eli Robertson in entry for James Robertson, 1860.

• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9124684