John Robertson (1755 - 1826)

Ancestors

Descendants

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Biography

John was born in 1755. He passed away in 1826.^[1]

John Robertson married (1) Elizabeth Royall, (2) "Elizabeth Branch Worsham Robertson".^[2]

Elizabeth Royall was the sister of Joseph Royall^[3][4] Their parents: John and Elizabeth (Worsham) Royall. John Royall's will, dated 23 January 1786 (proved 26 May 1791), named two Robertson grandchildren, James Robertson and John Royall Robertson. In 1794, John Robertson is named in a suit in Amelia County, Virginia with Worshams and "Betty Branch his Wife" against various Royalls, including the "exec of Joseph Royall Dec'd".^[5]

Family

Sons by Elizabeth Royall, named as grandsons in her father's 1786/1791 will:

• James Robertson^[5]
• John Royall Robertson^[5]

Another son:

• Joseph Roy Robertson, married Lucy A. Brooks^[2]

John Robertson married his second wife, "Betty Branch Worsham Robertson" about or before 1792:

• p 6, .. that Betty Branch, one of the plaintiffs, was at the time ^of the institution of this suit^ of the exhibition of the said bill, and for two years previous thereto, & is now, the wife of John Robertson…(same)…Lucy one of the plaintiffs was, and is now the wife of John Scott.^[6]

She was the sister of John Worsham (whose will was the subject of the 1794 suit - Plt William Worsham Etc, Def William Royall Etc.). John Worsham's will, dated 19 October 1779, was proved 24 February 1780 by William Royall (one of the executors - the other being Joseph Royall). The plaintiffs were siblings of John Worsham: "William Worsham, Henry Worsham and Thomas Worsham by John Gooch his trustee and your orators Betty Branch Robertson and Lucy[?] are the brothers and sisters of a certain John Worsham late of this county..."^[6] In 1780, Betty was the wife of a different Robertson.

John Robertson's Will

Probate^[7]

Name: John Rolintino [John Robertson]

Residence Date: abt 1823

Residence Place: Amelia

Will Date: 29 May 1823

Probate Date: 23 Mar 1826

Probate Place: Amelia, Virginia, USA

Inferred Death Year: 1826

Inferred Death Place: Amelia, Virginia, USA

Item Description: Will Books, Vol 10-11, 1823-1829

Others Listed:

• John Robertson [self?]
• Betty Branch Robertson, wife
• Joseph R Robertson, son
• Elizabeth Robertson, daughter
• Martha Robertson, daughter
• James Robertson, Jr. who married my late daughter, Polly [nickname for Mary]
• Ann Jane Robertson, daughter of son of Joseph R. Robertson
• John R Robertson, son
• Edwin Robertson, son

Research Notes

The following was copied in from Robertson-5103 (following a merge on 14 October 2023 with a profile that had been reworked to match Robertson born 1750/died October 1826).

• For anyone searching for the John A. Robertson (born 1755, died before 7 March 1826) who married Elizabeth Royall,^[2] you may want to view John's letters to Thomas Jefferson re their 1814 divorce.^[8]
• The date of 7 March 1826 is from the John Robertson born c1755 - John A. (also possibly a John Archer) - who married an Elizabeth Royall in 1776. John A. died in Amelia County, Virginia, about March 1826.^[7]

If the 1814 divorce was for this John Robertson and Elizabeth Royall, it would mean that she was alive when her father wrote his will in 1786. The abstract does not mention her.^[5]

Location Notes: The profile for the other John Robertson (c1750-1826) had death in Nottoway Parish, Amelia County, but his will was proved in Nottoway County (see his profile) and this John Robertson's will was proved in Amelia County.^[7]

Per the WikiTree category page for Nottoway Parish, Amelia County (as of 14 October 2023):

• Nottoway Parish, formed in 1748, served Amelia County (until after 1785) and Prince Edward County from 1753 to 1755. (This is one of two Nottoway Parishes. The other was formed in 1734 and served Isle of Wight and Southampton Counties.)^[9]
• "Nottoway County was created 22 December 1788 from Amelia County."^[10]

Sources

1. ↑ Edmund West, comp.. Family Data Collection - Individual Records [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed 14 October 2023), "Record of John Robertson", Ancestor # A216526.
3. ↑ The relationship is based on John Robertson being a witness for Joseph Royall's 10 September 1783 will and the mention of Robertson grandchildren in John Royall's 1786 will.
4. ↑ Amelia Co, VA, Chancery Causes, 1738-1939. Index Number 1809-001, Gdn(s) of Frances Cooper &C by etc vs James T. Royall. Local Government Records Collection, Amelia Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia. https://www.lva.virginia.gov/chancery/full_case_detail.asp?CFN=007-1809-001#img
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3} From Joseph Royall's profile:
   • 23 Jan 1786, John Royall, father of Joseph, wrote his will and it was proved 26 May 1791. Wife, unnamed, Son John, granddaughter Elizabeth Royall, Grandson James Robertson, Grandson John Royall Robertson. Son Joseph's children (unnamed) Exec. Peter F Archer, and son John. Wit William B Giles, Richard Ogilby, R Archer, Chastain Cocke. Amelia County Virginia WB 4, 1786-1792, Bell Hubbard Wise, p 21.
   • Aug term 1794, William Worsham, Thomas Worsham by John Gooch, John Robertson and Betty Branch his wife, John Scott and Lucy his wife VS William Royall and John Royall, William Royall exec of Joseph Royall Dec’d and John Royale, Richard, Joseph A, William & James T Royall, Daniel Hardaway deft. IN CHANCERY Aug. Term. Amelia County Virginia OB 20: 316. (Referenced as children of Joseph Royall dec’d in John Royall's 1786 will.) Amelia County Virginia WB 4, 1786-1792, Bell Hubbard Wise, p 43.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Apparently from the August 1794 term of the Chancery Court records for Amelia County, which would put his marriage to Betty in 1792 if the suit was begun in 1794. The text is from Worsham-170; sources for the profile (as of 14 October 2023):
   • Amelia County Virginia WB 4, 1786-1792, Bell Hubbard Wise, p 43.
   • https://www.lva.virginia.gov/chancery/case_detail.asp?CFN=007-1796-006
   • http://www.oocities.org/worsham-washam/Page343.htm
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2} "Virginia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1900", Will Books, 1734-1865; General Indexes to Wills, 1734-1974; Author: Virginia. County Court (Amelia County); Probate Place: Amelia, Virginia
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 62347 #1630055 (accessed 23 October 2022)
8. ↑ National Archives Founders Online,
   John A. Robertson to Thomas Jefferson, 12 December 1820
   John A. Robertson to Thomas Jefferson, 20 December 1820
   Thomas Jefferson to John A. Robertson, 29 December 1820
9. ↑ Spradlin, Freddie. Parishes of Virginia (on Virginia GenWeb), accessed 19 September 2020.
10. ↑ FamilySearch, accessed 21 September 2020).

Sources copied in from John Robertson (1750-bef1826), but most had been added when the profile was John born 1755/died before 7 March 1836 (see this changes page):

• W. R. Turner; Old Homes and Families in Nottoway; usgwarchives.net, worldcat.org; p. 75 <- this source was added in 2019, when information about the other John Robertson (married Sarah Jennings) was added to the profile previously for John Robertson born 1755/died before 7 March 1826 (see this changes page, which also shows that the unsourced Find a Grave memorial for the other John Robertson [b 1750] was added at the same time - Find A Grave: Memorial #111602861).
• Ancestry Family Trees (Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members): http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=4552506&pid=1452
• https://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=grantpinnix&id=I007562
• http://www.virginians.com/redirect.htm?topics&100
• England, Select Cheshire Bishop's Transcripts, 1598-1900
• England, Select Essex Parish Registers, 1538-1900
• The Reverend George Robertson : rector, Bristol Parish, Virginia (1693-1739) : his ministry, marriage, immediate descendants
• U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
• U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900
• U.S., Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783
• Virginia Marriages before 1824
• Virginia, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1607-1890
• Virginia, Compiled Marriages, 1660-1800
• Virginia, Marriage Records, 1700-1850
• War of 1812 Papers, 1789-1815

Ancestry link for the creation of an earlier version of a profile for John Robertson Sr. (apparently the one born 1755): Public Member Trees: https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/76274903/person/36343986554/facts