James, Jacob, and Margaret Robbins and Their Families

March 28, 2022April 12, 2022 / robbinsroots / Leave a comment

I decided to combine these three children of Jacob and Mary Robbins into one post primarily because I don’t have a lot of source material about each one. My biographies of each will be rather short. While they didn’t all live in Decatur county, Indiana, each had some part of their family reside there.

Some of these families first settled in Jennings and Scott counties, Indiana, located to the south of Decatur. Keep in mind distances here are fairly small so even if someone lived in another county, they could actually be just down the road. Here is a map, just for comparison, of the geographical closeness of these areas.

James Robbins

When was James Robbins born? He married in 1790 and no consent by his parents has been found, though there is one for his wife. That would indicate he had reached the age of 21, providing a birth year of 1769 or earlier, in North Carolina. Then, he appears in the 1830 and 1840 Jennings county, Indiana censuses, with an age given as being between 50 and 60, and 60 and 70, respectively. That would give a birthdate ranging from 1770 to 1780. I’m going to propose a birthdate of about 1769 to 1770. (I had always listed the next brother, Jacob, as older than James, but this re-evaluation of the few sources we have made me switch them in my records).

James married Hannah Jarrett on 3 August 1790 in Franklin county, Virginia. Hannah’s grandparents provided consent.

Hannah Jarrett’s grandparents give consent for her to marry James Robbins

The next records in which I find James are tax records for Shelby county, Kentucky, where he first appears in 1797 continuing through 1805. It should be noted that, as ever with the Robbins family, there was another James: that one being a first cousin, the supposed son of Nathaniel Robbins, James’ uncle, and a few years younger. That James seems to have moved to nearby Bath county, Kentucky.

Also in Shelby county, in 1804, our James was a bondsman and a witness for his sister Margaret’s marriage to Thomas Robbins (see below).

And that is the last record in which I find James and Hannah Robbins until 1830 where he appears in the Jennings county, Indiana census: 1 male aged 50-60 (James), 1 female aged 50-60 (Hannah), and two males aged 15-20 (presumed to be sons James Jr. and Andrew M.). James is again found ten years later in Jennings county, now 60-69, with one female 60-69 (Hannah) in the household. Neither James nor Hannah are found again after that and presumed to have died in the 1840s and buried at some currently unmarked location in Jennings county.

Bottom of the deed – executed in 1839 but not recorded until 1847

In looking at land records in Jennings county, I was excited to find one recorded in 1847 where James and Hannah Robbins sold land to Jacob Robbins. That would have advanced their lifetime a bit in the records. Unfortunately, the land transfer actually took place in 1839 but wasn’t recorded until 1847. Jacob probably had a reason to demonstrate legal ownership at that point and took the deed to the courthouse for recording, still leaving us with the 1840 census as the last appearance of James in the records.

James and Hannah Robbins are believed to be the parents of the following children:

Ransom Robbins (1793-1868) – lived in Jennings county, Indiana, before moving to Le Sueur county, Minnesota.
Jacob Robbins (1796-1874) – lived in Jennings and Fulton counties, Indiana.
Mary (“Polly”) Robbins (1798-1886) – married James Green and lived out her life in Jennings county, Indiana.
John Robbins (1805-1888) – lived in Jennings, Clinton, and Fulton counties, Indiana. Note: he was married to Mary Margaret Deweese in Decatur county – she being the relative of other Deweese’s who married Robbinses in Decatur.
Matilda Robbins (1807-1888) – married Thomas Robbins Jr., son of Margaret (below), lived out her life in Jennings county, Indiana. Their son Absolem Robbins moved to Decatur county, Indiana, where they have descendants to this day.
James Robbins (1811-1885) – lived in Jennings and Jackson counties, Indiana, before moving to Cloud county, Kansas.
Andrew Martin Robbins (1814-1882) – lived in Jennings, Jackson, and Marshall counties, Indiana, before moving to Le Sueur county, Minnesota.

Jacob Robbins (II or Jr.)

Jacob Robbins, another son of Jacob and Mary, was born anywhere from about 1767 to 1773 or later in North Carolina. The earlier date has been passed down in the family but the latter is deduced from his age in the 1840 and 1850 censuses and is the date I’m using.

The first record in which he appears is his marriage to Rachel Robbins, a daughter of his uncle Nathaniel and aunt Ann Robbins in 15 November 1790 in Franklin county, Virginia. Both sets of parents give consent for the marriage and brother William is one of the bondsmen. If consent was necessary for the marriage then Jacob was under the age of 21, giving a birth year no earlier than 1769. Because his marriage required a consent from his parents, while his brother James’ marriage the same year did not, I’m working on the assumption that James was the elder.

Consent by parents for Jacob and Rachel Robbins to marry

It is said that Rachel Robbins died young, around 1801, and that Jacob Robbins then married Nancy Hanks. This Nancy Hanks should not be confused with Abraham Lincoln’s mother Nancy Hanks – despite wildly inaccurate trees on Ancestry and elsewhere, Abe’s mother was not married to Jacob Robbins before Thomas Lincoln. However, it is believed that she was a cousin of Abe’s mother. I’m not going to go into the murky history here but you can read my previous post about the Robbins-Hanks-Lincoln connection. It is also suggested that Nancy (Hanks) Robbins died early and Jacob married a third time, one suggestion being to a Sarah Jane Johnston. I have found no marriage records between Jacob and anyone other than his first wife, Rachel.

One of the problems with identifying this Jacob in the records is that once he came of age (he is estimated to have reached 21 sometime in the early 1790s) it is hard to distinguish between he and his father and, later, his nephew Jacob, son of William. In the early Kentucky tax records, for example, it’s hard to tell them apart as we find listings for Jacob, Jacob Sr., and Jacob Jr. The name Jacob appears in Shelby county from 1796 to 1804, then picking up in Henry county in 1805 and running through 1825.

I’ll briefly mention some of the history written down by Jacob’s grandson, Harvey Robbins. Harvey’s stories, a bit imaginative and not always accurate or consistent as they were derived from oral history on these early generations, unlike his first-person accounts of the trip west and the Indian wars, still provide some color for these early years. He recorded that his grandfather Jacob was involved in the Pigeon Roost settlement of southern Indiana, infamous for the massacre by Indians that took place in 1812. The attempt to settle in Indiana failed because of this and Jacob returned to Kentucky. Harvey also mentions that his grandfather was nicknamed “Big Toe” Jake while his son, Harvey’s father, was called “Little Toe” Jake. Neither the event or the nicknames appear in any historical record.

I believe he is the Jacob Robbins who appears in the 1840 Scott county census, listed as a male between the ages of 60 and 69, with one female between the ages of 40 and 49 (identity unknown), and one male under 5 (unknown; a grandchild perhaps?). And then in the 1850 Decatur county census he is listed, age 77, living with a 12-year-old John H. Robbins, relationship unknown.

I covered this in a previous blog post here but it is possible we have a photograph of this elderly Jacob Robbins. The photo below came from the late Patrick Masterson, a descendant of Jacob, and he claimed that this photo was of Jacob Robbins. Photography was becoming more widely available in the 1850s – could this be the earliest example we have in the family?

Below is my list of the children of Jacob Robbins. Because of the gap in birthdates it is certainly possible that he had additional children, who either died in infancy (except for family records there were few sources in early Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana that would list these children), or are simply unknown to us. This is where some DNA research (of which I am not an expert) could prove useful, especially for those who have genetic matches to Robbins families that don’t seem to fit elsewhere but point towards this family line.

Aaron Robbins (c1791-?) – nothing much known.
John Henry (Hance) Robbins (1797-?) – lived in Decatur before moving to Scott county, Indiana.
William (“Rock Creek Billy”) Robbins (1801-1864) – lived out his life in Decatur county, Indiana and has descendants there today, I believe.
Jacob Robbins (III or Jr.) (1809-1896) – lived in Decatur county, until 1852 when he and his family, along with cousin Nathaniel and family, moved to Oregon.

Margaret Robbins

We do not have a lot of information, at present, about Margaret Robbins and her husband Thomas Robbins. Margaret was probably born about 1784 while the family was living in Franklin county, Virginia.

The first record she appears in is her marriage to Thomas Robbins in 1804 in Shelby county, Kentucky. The bondsmen were Thomas and her brother James, consent was given by parents Jacob and Mary (indicating a birthdate later than about 1783), which was witnessed by her brothers Absalom and James Robbins. While it is unclear who Thomas Robbins parents were, it has been suggested that his father was Richard Robbins and his mother possibly a Catherine (to date I’ve found no documentation for this), with Richard being suggested as the eldest son of Nathaniel and Ann Robbins, making Margaret his first cousin, once removed.

Permission for Margaret Robbins to marry Thomas Robbins

Thomas Robbins appears in the 1806 and 1807 Shelby county, Kentucky, tax lists, before showing up in Henry county in 1808 and continuing through 1814. Their absence after that suggests that Thomas and Margaret may have been among the early settlers of Indiana.

While their oldest son Thomas Robbins Jr. appears in the 1830 Jennings county, Indiana, census, Thomas Sr. is not found there. It is possible that one of the two other Thomas’s in that census year in Indiana, one in Jefferson county (next door to Jennings) and one in Daviess (a bit to the west) are our Thomas Sr. but the information doesn’t jibe clearly (not that that is unusual in census records).

There are several confusing land transactions in Jennings county which refer to Thomas’ widow Margaret and heirs (listed as Thomas Jr., William, and Polly Robbins). These records focus on a particular 40-acre section of land in that county, transferred back and forth beginning in 1840, suggesting a death date for Thomas before that. As Margaret is not found in the 1850 census, at least under the name of Robbins, it is possible she was deceased by that date. Further research, including into potential probate or court records for Thomas Sr., might clear up some of the questions.

The children of Thomas and Margaret Robbins:

Thomas Robbins Jr. (1805-1858) – married Matilda Robbins, daughter of James (above), lived out his life in Jennings county, Indiana. Their son Absolem Robbins moved to Decatur county, Indiana, where they have descendants to this day..
William R. Robbins (c1807-1880) – lived in Jennings county before moving to Washington county, Indiana.
Mary (“Polly”) Robbins (?-after 1843) – nothing much known.

[Jacob Robbins-Jacob and James and Margaret Robbins]

1922 Robbins Reunion Program

March 14, 2022 / robbinsroots / Leave a comment

Many thanks to Sue Ardery Simmons and Joan Ardery for their contribution of a copy of the official program for the 1922 Robbins Reunion. This year’s reunion might not be so formally organized but it should still be a wonderful event! Remember to check the reunion link at the top of the page for updated information.

Absalom Robbins Sr. and Family

March 14, 2022March 14, 2022 / robbinsroots / Leave a comment

The second known child of Jacob and Mary Robbins was Absalom, born 11 September 1765 in Rowan (now Randolph) county, North Carolina. The area in Rowan county the Robbins family lived in later became Randolph when it was formed in 1779. (Note that Absalom is sometimes also spelled Absolem, among other variations; the name comes from the Bible where it is commonly spelled “Absalom”).

We have his birth date from the deposition he gave in support of his sister-in-law Bethiah’s application for a pension based on his brother William Robbins’ Revolutionary War service. In his deposition, Absalom states that:

“…he was born on the 11^th day of September 1765 in Randolph County North Carolina that he resided in his said native County from the time of his birth until the surrender of Lord Cornwallis. He was too young to serve in the army during those years of trouble but he was still old enough to observe passing events, and he still has the most vivid recollection of many incidents of that period. He further states that he is the brother of William Robins late of this county [Decatur] who died on the 11^th day of Sept 1834, and who was at the time of his decease a pensioner under the government of the United States and the husband of Bethia Robins, who is an applicant for a pension….”

Absalom was married to Mary Ogle on 13 March 1787 in Franklin County, Virginia. Mary’s parents were Hercules Ogle and Mary Carson, probably. There are several records mentioning Absalom and father-in-law Hercules, besides the 1787 marriage bond where both were the bondsmen for the Robbins-Ogle marriage.

Unlike his brother William, for whom I have found no land records in Virginia, in 1790, at the age of 25, Absalom Robbins is listed in the Montgomery county, Virginia, tax books as the owner of taxable property “in the district of Thomas Robinson, Commissioner, formerly the upper district of Botetourt County and now the lower of Montgomery County for the year 1790.”

Absalom Robbins, as assignee of father-in-law Hercules Ogle, received a land grant for 56 acres on the Mine Creek waters of Little River adjoining Ogle’s land, and he received a land grant for 56 acres on the Mine Creek waters of Little River adjoining his own lands.

In 1791 Absalom was a witness, along with his brother William, to the marriage of his sister Mary Robbins to Valentine Chastain.

In 1800 he is first found in the Shelby county, Kentucky, tax lists, where he appears through 1805, thereafter appearing in Henry county, Kentucky. In 1804, while in Shelby county he witnessed the consent given by his parents for his sister Margaret to marry Thomas Robbins.

Later in 1809 in Henry county he gave consent, along with his wife Mary, for their daughter Elizabeth Robbins to marry Philip Stark. In 1818 he gave consent, alone, for son John to marry Edy Sanders. He appears in the 1810 and 1820 censuses for Henry county and appears in that county’s tax lists through 1828.

There is then a gap of some years before we find Absalom in any more records (I have not found him in the 1830 census). In 1838 he received a land patent in Decatur county, Indiana, for 40-acres in Section 4 of Township 9 North, Range 9 East (located about midway between Harris City and Gaynorsville). Other neighboring land owners in his section include his nephews Marmaduke and Nathaniel Robbins, Nathaniel’s son William Franklin Robbins, and several other names associated with the Robbins family: Herren, Meredith, VanTreese, and Burke.

Approximate location of Absalom’s land in Decatur County

In 1842 Absalom Robbins married Susannah Huffman, for some reason in Hendricks County, Indiana, which is located to the northwest of Indianapolis, quite a distance from his home in Decatur County. The couple sold part of the same land that Absalom had received in 1838 to Jacob Deweese in 1847. Deweese was married to Absalom’s grandniece, Mary Helen Robbins (daughter of Marmaduke and granddaughter of Absalom’s brother William). And in 1853 in they sold part to “Absolem Robbins of Breckinridge County, Kentucky.”

By the early 1850s some of Absalom’s children had moved out of Decatur County, including Nancy (to Oregon in 1852), John (to Missouri, Iowa, and Illinois by 1840), Mahala (to Missouri by 1840), Absalom Jr. (to Kentucky by 1840), as well as numerous grandchildren, in particular the children of Micajah (to Kentucky by the early 1850s).

While Absalom and Susan were living in Decatur County for the 1850 census, he apparently decided to join his Kentucky children and grandchildren, and moved to Breckinridge County, Kentucky, by the mid to late 1850s.

While it is rare to find death records for this time and place, we are lucky to find Absalom Robbins listed in the 1860 Mortality Schedule of the U.S. Census. The mortality schedule was a special enumeration collecting the details of those persons who died within the previous census year. In 1860 the census enumerators listed the “name of every person who died during the year ending 1^st June, 1860, whose usual place of abode at the time of death was in this family.” And lo and behold, we find Absalom:

Absalom Robbins entry in 1860 Mortality Schedule

Now, he wasn’t quite 100 years old, he was 93, but who’s quibbling at that point?

It is suggested, but not confirmed, that he might be buried in the same decrepit cemetery where Absalom Jr. and Jemima are buried in the Old Robbins Schoolhouse Cemetery (you can find a brief description on FindAGrave here).

Below is my list, believed to be complete and accurate, of the children of Absalom and Mary Robbins. This list of names comes from miscellaneous family records, county histories, and the occasional other document that provides a relationship.

There is one possible problem with my list: Absalom Robbins Jr. Some oral family history says that Absalom had a son Absalom Jr. who in turn had one son Absalom III, who was married to Jemima Hanks. I’ve made the case that there were only two Absaloms, and that Absalom III was really the youngest son of the elder Absalom. I won’t go into all the reasoning here, and I may very well be incorrect, but you can read my blog post about it here. Note that some of the dates below are estimates based on available records.

Micajah Robbins (1788-1865) – lived out his life in Decatur county, Indiana.
Elizabeth (Robbins) Stark (1790-1886) – married Philip Stark, lived many years in Decatur county, before moving to Boone county, Indiana.
George Robbins (1792-1887) – lived out his life in Decatur county, Indiana.
Nancy Robbins (1797-1880) – married her cousin Nathaniel Robbins, lived in Decatur county, until 1852 when she and her family moved to Oregon.
John Robbins (1799-1857) – lived in Decatur county, Indiana, before moving on to Missouri and Iowa.
Mahala Robbins (1802-1866) – married David May, lived in Decatur county, Indiana, before moving to Missouri and Texas.
Absalom Robbins Jr. (1810-1885) – lived in Decatur county, Indiana, before moving to Breckinridge county, Kentucky.
Charity Robbins (1811-1892) – married (1) James Hanks and (2) John Purvis; lived out her life in Decatur county, Indiana.

I believe that today there are descendants of Micajah, Elizabeth, George, and Charity in Decatur county, Indiana.

My next family group post will discuss three siblings of William and Absalom: Jacob Jr., James, and Margaret.

[Jacob Robbins-Absalom Robbins]

William Robbins Sr. and Family

February 25, 2022February 25, 2022 / robbinsroots / 1 Comment

This is the first in a series of blog posts about major Robbins family groups in anticipation of this years’ Decatur County, Indiana, bicentennial reunion.

The eldest son of Jacob and Mary Robbins appears to be William Robbins, who was born on 21 September 1761 in Rowan county (now Randolph), North Carolina (Randolph county not being established until 1779). William served in the North Carolina militia during the Revolutionary War (you can read about that here: https://robbinsroots.blog/2017/07/01/william-robbins-teenager-in-the-american-revolution/) and was married to Bethiah Vickrey, a daughter of Marmaduke and Elizabeth Vickrey, on 27 February 1779. (Vickrey may also be spelled Vickery).

There is a family tradition that Bethiah Vickrey was married to two separate men named William Robbins. I’m not sure that I believe this account. I won’t go into all the reasoning here but the marriage date above comes from Bethiah’s application for a pension based on the service of this William Robbins in the war. All of the known children were born after this date. Therefore, either Bethiah was married to one William and not two, or she lied on the application. Without any further evidence, one way or another, except for oral family tradition, for the purposes of this post I’m assuming one marriage to one William Robbins.

Following the Revolutionary War, which devastated parts of North Carolina with partisan, brother-against-brother violence and destruction, William and Bethiah moved to Franklin County, Virginia, with other members of the Robbins family. One marriage bond there in 1791 lists William as a witness to the marriage of his sister Mary to Valentine Chastain. Another marriage record in 1795 has William, along with his brother Absalom serving as a bondsman for the marriage of their sister Martha (called “Massey”) to Rene Chastain. I have not found William in any land records in Virginia, either Franklin, nor nearby Montgomery county where others of the family lived.

William and Absalom Rob[b]ins witness the marriage of their sister Mary Robbins to Valentine Chastain

William Robbins does appear in Henry Co., Kentucky deeds, and he appears in that county’s tax lists beginning in 1804 and continuing through 1825. He also appears in the 1810 and 1820 censuses there in confusing census entries, and in 1822 was a bondsman along with John Herren to Herren’s marriage to William and Bethiah’s daughter Theodoshia. At some point after that he moved to Decatur County, Indiana.

On 26 May 1826 he was a granted a federal land patent to 80 acres of land in Decatur County, located in Section 9 of Township 9 North, Range 9 East, about half way between todays Greensburg and Westport. Others in the same section were his son Nathaniel Robbins; nephews Micajah, George, and Henry Robbins; and son-in-law Abraham Anderson. Surrounding sections were also full of family members.

Location of William Robbins property in Decatur County, Indiana

Later, in 1831, William and Bethiah deeded the property over to their son-in-law Abraham Anderson, who was married to their next to youngest daughter Charlotte. The deed entry records that “for and in consideration of the natural love and affection which he the said William Robins hath and beareth unto the said Abraham Anderson as also for the better maintainance support livelihood and preferment of him…” and that further “…it is express[ly] understood that the said William Robins is to have the use and possession of the above granted premises as long as he lives, and at his death the above deed to be of Full Force and virtue in law.” The closeness of the parents to Charlotte and her husband is also underscored in the 1850 census where the widow Bethiah is listed living in the household of the couple.

Signature of William Rob[b]ins from his pension application

William applied for a pension based on his service in the North Carolina militia on 31 October 1833. Following his death, his widow Bethiah applied for her portion of the pension, with a supporting affidavit from William’s brother Absalom.

William died on 11 September 1834 and is buried in the Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Decatur County. His widow Bethiah survived until 8 December 1850, living until she was 90-years of age.

William Robbins gravestone installed by the D.A.R.

The three oldest children of William and Bethiah were born in North Carolina before the parents had left the area. All of the remaining children were born in Virginia, with exception of the youngest who was born after they arrived in Kentucky.

Below is a list, believed to be complete and accurate, of the children of William and Bethiah Robbins. This list of names comes from miscellaneous family records, county histories, and the occasional other document that provides a relationship.

Abel Robbins (1779-1866) – lived his entire adult life in Henry county, Kentucky.
Charity Robbins (1780-c1832) – married Buell or Boal Wooden and lived in Henry and Oldham counties, Kentucky.
Benjamin Robbins (1781-1841) – said to have gone to Tennessee.
Marmaduke Robbins (1786-1838) – settled in Decatur county, Indiana.
Jacob Robbins (1786-1873) – lived first in Decatur county then moved to next-door Bartholomew county, Indiana.
Elizabeth Robbins (1788-1877) – married Jesse Watkins and they settled in Scott county, Indiana.
Mary (aka “Polly”) Robbins (1791-1851) – married John Kirkpatrick and they lived in Decatur county, Indiana.
Nathaniel Robbins (1793-1863) – married his first cousin Nancy Robbins – they lived in Decatur county, Indiana, and then traveled to Oregon in 1852.
John Robbins (1795-1881) – lived out his life in Decatur county, Indiana.
William Robbins, Jr. (1797-1868) – lived out his life in Decatur county, Indiana.
Charlotte (Lottie) Robbins (1799-1874) – married Abraham Anderson and they lived out their lives in Decatur county, Indiana.
Theodoshia (Dosha) Robbins (1804-1881) – married John Herren; they lived in Decatur County until they moved to Missouri, and then finally on to Oregon in 1845.

Of these children, the only one known, for certainty, to have descendants today in Decatur County is William Robbins Jr.

Some of the children had descendants in the county for many, many years, but over time they moved elsewhere in Indiana, elsewhere in the U.S, or, in a few cases, moved internationally. A few of the family lines just petered out in recent decades. I believe that the last descendant outside William Jr.’s family (in fact a descendant-in-law – is that a term?), was Dorothy (Meek) Gannon who died in Greensburg in 2007. She was the wife of William Emerson Gannon, a descendant of Polly (Robbins) Kirkpatrick. The descendants of William Jr. in Decatur county were prolific, as were the family members who moved elsewhere.

However, William Sr. wasn’t the only child of Jacob and Mary to settle in Decatur County and leave descendants; my next post will discuss their son Absalom Robbins, who also has descendants there today.

[Jacob Robbins-William Robbins]

What do we know about Jacob Robbins?

January 31, 2022 / robbinsroots / 1 Comment

Jacob Robbins, and his wife Mary, are important to our family history as they are the progenitors of all of the Robbins’s that eventually settled in Decatur County, Indiana.

I have not spent a lot of time in recent years researching the Robbins family before their arrival in Virginia and Kentucky from North Carolina in the 1780s, 90s, and early 1800s. Early North Carolina records are fairly sparse, at least as far as our Robbins family goes and drawing conclusions can be difficult.

While DNA evidence shows our connection to Daniel Robins of New Jersey, the intervening generations are unclear. Rather than going out on a limb without the supporting documentation to even build a circumstantial case for our descent from Daniel, I have long since turned my attentions to what I could document. And our earliest “documented” ancestors are Jacob and Mary Robbins. This post will examine what we know about the couple and summarize existing records (or at least those found by me to date).

We know from these records that Jacob’s wife was named Mary. We do not know for certain her surname. The most frequently found surname listed in online family trees for Mary is “Wells” or “Welles.” I have found no documentation confirming that but perhaps other family researchers have (and, sorry, dozens of online family trees simply listing “Welles” as her maiden name do not count). Their oldest child, William, was born, by all accounts, in 1761 in what is now Randolph Co., North Carolina (Randolph County wasn’t established until 1779 and at this time it was still part of Rowan). Assuming that Jacob and Mary married soon before and in North Carolina, no marriage record has been found for the couple.

The records that I have identified for Jacob and Mary fall within a 17-year range: 1787 to 1804. This is a brief period for which there are a limited number of Jacob Robbins who could be confused with this ancestor. After 1804 it becomes more difficult to differentiate between Jacobs, as younger ones have come of legal age and may start to be found in official records. We’re lucky if a record lists the Jacobs as Sr. and Jr., which helps us differentiate between them.

If my outline of the early family line is correct, we have our progenitor Jacob, we have his son Jacob II (born about 1767, reaching the age of 21 in 1788, and married in 1790), and we have Jacob II’s son Jacob (born 1809). The only other Jacob during this time period was a grandson Jacob (1786-1873) son of William, who came of legal age in 1807. Legal age was 21 years for males in early Virginia and Kentucky. Therefore, only father and son could be confused during this time period.

Here’s an outline of the Jacobs, showing that only Jacob II could possibly be confused with our progenitor prior to 1807.

The records we have consist of land records, marriage bonds, and tax lists. This is a chronological order of the documents I have found so far, with commentary:

16 July 1787 Botetourt Co., VA

Jacob Robbins received a land grant for 108 acres adjoining lands of Nicholas Allee on the waters of Little River Nicholas Allee was the father of Keziah who married Daniel Robbins, a son of Nathaniel and Ann Robbins, with Nathaniel being a brother of Jacob. Botetourt, Montgomery, and Franklin counties are all located in southwestern Virginia.
(see map below for geographic orientation)

1804 Virginia map showing location of Botetourt, Franklin, and Montgomery counties

15 Nov. 1790 Franklin Co., VA

Jacob and Mary Robbins gave consent for son Jacob Robbins to marry Rachel Robbins, daughter of Nathaniel and Ann Robbins. Jacob Robbins II and Rachel Robbins were first cousins.

Jacob and Mary Robbins give consent for son Jacob Robbins, and Nathaniel and Ann Robbins give consent for daughter Rachel Robbins, to marry

1790 Montgomery Co., VA

Jacob Robbins is listed as owner of taxable property “in the district of John Robinson, Commissioner, formerly the upper district of Botetourt County and now the lower of Montgomery County.”

24 Sept. 1791 Franklin Co., VA

Jacob and Mary Robbins gave permission for their daughter Mary Robbins to marry Valentine Chastain; witnessed by William and Absalom Robbins. While not stated in the marriage bond, witnesses William and Absalom Robbins, both over the age of 21, are brothers of Mary.

Jacob and Mary Robbins give permission for daughter Mary to wed Valentine Chastain

25 May 1795 Montgomery Co., VA

Jacob Robbins received a land grant for 500 acres on Little River adjoining a survey made for Hercules Ogle Hercules Ogle was the father of Mary Ogle, wife of Absalom Robbins, Jacob’s second oldest son.

17 Sept. 1795 Franklin Co., VA

Jacob and Mary Robbins gave consent for daughter “Masey” Robbins to marry Rene Chastain; witnessed by William Robbins. “Masey” or “Massey”) was a nickname for Martha Robbins. Again, while not stated directly in the marriage bond, witness William Robbins was a brother of Masey. Valentine and Rene Chastain were brothers.

Jacob Robbins gives consent for daugher “Masey” (aka Martha) to marry Rene Chastain

9 March 1797 Montgomery Co., VA

Jacob Robbins, as assignee of Zachariah Stanley, received a land grant for 225 acres adjoining his own land “on top of the mountain” including some of the waters of Piney Branch Waters of Little River and some of the waters of Pig River. This is the final land record found for Jacob Robbins. Unfortunately no sales of land by Jacob Robbins in Franklin or Montgomery counties have been found so far.

16 June 1800 Shelby Co., KY

Jacob Robbins is listed in the county tax list, with white male over 21 (Jacob), and one horse/mare. Jacob Robbins is not found in tax lists for Shelby County, Kentucky, prior to 1800, giving us a rough estimate of 1799 for his emigration to Kentucky. (See map below for geographic orientation)

Example of tax list entry: 1800 Shelby County, Kentucky, listing Absalom, James, and Jacob Robbins

7 May 1801 Shelby Co., KY

Jacob Robbins is listed in the county tax list, with one white male over 21 (Jacob), and two horses/mares.

1804 Kentucky map showing location of Shelby and Henry counties

30 March 1802 Shelby Co., KY

Jacob Robbins is listed in the county tax list, with one white male over 21 (Jacob), and three horses/mares.

23 April 1803 Shelby Co., KY

Jacob Robbins is listed in the county tax list, with one white male over 21 (Jacob), and one horse/mare.

9 May 1804 Shelby Co., KY

Jacob Robbins is listed in the county tax list, with one white male over 21 (Jacob), and one horse/mare.

25 October 1804 Shelby Co., KY

Jacob and Mary Robbins gave consent for daughter Margaret Robbins to marry Thomas Robbins; witnessed by Absalom and James Robbins. This is the final record for which we are sure it is the eldest Jacob Robbins that is being mentioned.

Jacob and Mary Robbins give permission for daughter Margaret to marry Thomas Robbins

The marriage records are very useful in establishing relationships that might otherwise have to be guessed. They tell us specifically that Jacob and Mary were the parents of Jacob II, Mary, Martha, and Margaret. We do not have a marriage record for oldest son William, and the marriage records for sons Absalom and James do not have parental consent attached. It was common in this family for older brothers to be witnesses and/or bondsmen, once of age, so these records provide good circumstantial evidence that William, Absalom, and James are sons of Jacob and Mary Robbins.

I have not identified any earlier nor any later records specifically for this Jacob Robbins, though it’s possible one of the Jacobs in later records is this individual. I believe it is likely that our earliest Jacob died in Kentucky, sometime not long after 1804. There is no evidence he ever left Kentucky for Indiana with his children and grandchildren, and certainly no evidence he arrived in Decatur County after its establishment in 1822. Unfortunately, because many women were invisible in the records of this time, we can’t say whether his wife Mary survived to move on to Indiana with other family members.

Perhaps others have found traces of Jacob Robbins the eldest?

William Franklin Robbins: Family Historian

January 25, 2022January 27, 2022 / robbinsroots / 1 Comment

At the 1922 Robbins reunion, celebrating 100 years of the Robbins family being in Decatur County, Indiana, a man named William Franklin (W. F.) Robbins read a history he wrote about the family. This history was also published in the newspaper along with the story about the reunion.

William Franklin (W. F.) Robbins (photo courtesy of Joyce King Higginbotham)

When I first started researching my family history in the late 1970s, my parents and I visited Greensburg, Indiana, where we met up with Melvin and Rosalie Robbins. Rosalie had a done a lot of family history and she gave me my first copy of W.F. Robbins’s history. I say, first copy, because over the following years, each time I made contact with another Robbins family researcher, they usually sent me, uninvited, another copy of the W.F. Robbins history, until I had quite a collection!

The typed copies all mentioned that they were transcribed from the history as printed in the Greensburg newspaper, but no one seemed to have a copy of the actual article. It was only in the 1990s, with the assistance of interlibrary loan of microfilm, that I was finally able to find the article in the newspaper and make a fresh transcription.

Now, more recently, I have been given a copy of the physical newspaper that contains the history, by Robbins cousin Sherrill Beck.

In transcribing and reading the history I did notice that W. F. got some things wrong, but in general the story of a large family moving into a county, with some folks staying for decades, with others moving on to new locations, was accurate. Considering that the man was compiling a family history without the Internet and online collections of genealogical material, genealogy libraries, or easy access to near or distant record collections, he wrote a good introduction to our family’s history.

So, who was William Franklin Robbins? He was born in 1850 in Decatur County to Jonathan and Margaret (Spilman) Robbins and was reared near the small community of Westport. Jonathan was the son of George, the third child of Absalom and Mary (Ogle) Robbins. Margaret Spilman was the sister of Sarah Spilman, wife of Jacob Robbins, who emigrated to Oregon in 1852. The close, first-cousin, relationship between W.F. and his cousins in Oregon is reflected in his knowledge of his Pacific Northwest kin and their knowledge of Decatur County happenings.

W.F. Robbins was raised among the many, many Robbins family members that lived in Decatur County at that time. He, himself, was one of nine siblings, while his father Jonathan was one of eleven, and each in turn had large families. He was married to Julia Elizabeth Miller in 1873 and the couple had seven children of their own, five of whom lived to adulthood: Mary Cordelia (Robbins) Morgan, Elizabeth Leota (Robbins) Davis, Emma Flora (Robbins) Williams, Henry Cleveland “Cleve” Robbins, and Courtland Carlysle “Todd” Robbins.

W. F. was educated at Hartsville College, in neighboring Bartholomew County, just about ten miles to the northwest. (The school was in Hartsville from 1850 to 1897, when the college building was destroyed by fire in January of 1898).

He taught school in Sandcreek Township in the 1870s and in 1886 was elected trustee of that township and served for eight years. Besides a lifetime of farming he also worked as an attorney in Westport, and after moving into Greensburg about 1912, he served as the Decatur County prosecuting attorney from 1913 to 1915. Politically he was a Democrat and a supporter of temperance, helping to “banish the saloon.” A wealthy landowner, according to a local newspaper he was referred to as “Squire” Bill. At the time of his death he and his wife Julia resided at 410 North Broadway in Greensburg.

His death made the front pages of the Greensburg newspapers, The Evening Times and the Greensburg Daily News.

Seven months after the 1922 reunion, and just four weeks after he and Julia’s 50^th wedding anniversary, William Franklin Robbins was killed when his automobiile was struck at the Mulberry Street crossing in Westport by a B. & O. passenger train detouring over the Big Four tracks. The newspapers reported that the car was carried about 50 feet down the tracks. He had been visiting one of his sons outside Westport before coming into town to conduct some business.

One of the newspapers stated: “It is believed that Mr. Robbins, being familiar with the regular train schedules on the track which he was crossing, did not take the extra precaution to look up and down the track as he approached it.”

The train…..”hit the Overland car which he was driving and smashed it to pieces. The body of Mr. Robbins was carried about fifty feet and he lived but a few minutes. The body was taken to the Hamilton undertaking parlors” [now known as the Bass & Gasper Funeral Home in Westport].

“Because of telephone trouble the word did not reach Mrs. Robbins in this city for more than an hour after the accident. A Times reporter who called carried the first word to her of a report that her husband had been injured. She stated that she had already become uneasy because of having no message from him after his arrival in Westport as she had expected and had made an unsuccessful attempt to use the telephone. It was left to a daughter to convey to her the death message.”

Not only was the news slow to reach his wife, but due to the fact there were multiple William Robbins’ in Decatur County there was confusion about who exactly had been in an accident. The newspaper reported: “When the news first reached Greensburg it was reported it was William H. Robbins of southeast of Greensburg. Later it was reported that it was Will S. Robbins of Horace.”

William Franklin Robbins, the very accomplished early historian of the Robbins family, is buried in the Mapleton Cemetery in rural Decatur County. The gravestone he shares with his wife Julia has their photograph embedded in the center.

[Jacob Robbins-Absalom Robbins-George Robbins-Jonathan Robbins-William Franklin Robbins]

Dedicated Robbins Reunion Page

January 25, 2022 / robbinsroots / Leave a comment

I have created a page on this blog dedicated to the 2022 Bicentennial Robbins Reunion. You can find the link at the top of the page in the center, just below the 1922 reunion photo.

I will post all the information you will need about the reunion, such as times, events, etc. on that page, as changes occur.

We also have a Facebook “event” page set up. If you wish to be connected through Facebook you can always friend me, even temporarily, and I’ll invite you to the reunion event. Once invited, you, in turn, can invite others!

1922 Robbins Centennial Reunion

January 2, 2022 / robbinsroots / 2 Comments

On June 11, 1922, the Robbins family celebrated 100 years in Decatur County, Indiana. So many people showed up that the event made the front page of the local newspaper, The Evening Times. The headline read: “1,000 People at Reunion: Sixty-Two Families Were Represented at the Robbins Annual Assemblage Yesterday.”

The actual 100-year-old newspaper was given to me by Sherrill Beck, a descendant of Jacob Robbins (1809-1896), a leader of the 1852 Robbins wagon train to Oregon. The Robbins family in Oregon kept in contact with their Decatur County relatives for many decades. In fact, Harvey Robbins, brother of Sherrill’s ancestor Levi, reportedly went back to Indiana to attend the this reunion.

The article states:

One thousand persons, it was estimated, participated in the annual reunion of the Robbins families of Decatur county held Sunday at the Liberty Baptist church and at which the one hundredth anniversary of the pioneer Robbins settlement in Decatur county was celebrated………the descendants of the pioneers who attended the reunion yesterday were representatives of practically every field of human endeavor. At the reunion 62 Robbins families were represented.

The newspaper went on to state:

One of the big features of the all day meeting was the dinner which was served at noon in the grove adjoining the church. With the exception of one table at which the elder members of the Robbins descendants were served, the dinner was served in cafeteria style. Two hay wagon loads of food were served during the noon hour. Twenty gallons of ice cream in cones was consumed during the day.
The program which was given in two sessions, morning and afternoon was excellent and included a number of exceptionally fine features. “A History of the Early Robbins Pioneers,” read by Squire William F. Robbins [a descendant of Absalom Robbins], was of special historical value and will be printed The Times tomorrow. Roy C. Kanouse, who claims he is one of the Robbins descendants by marriage [he was the husband of Elizabeth “Nell” Pleak, a descendant of William Robbins], was in charge of the program which was given as follows.

While this was a special, centennial reunion, the Robbins family had been having reunions for years and were so well organized they had officers. The newspaper reported the following were elected:

W. S. Robbins was elected president of the organization of the descendants for the coming year. Other officers elected were: Frank R. Robbins, vice-president; Earl Robbins, secretary; Mrs. J. B. Kitchin, assistant secretary; committee on time and place for holding next reunion, C. F. Wright, Frank Kitchen, and John E. Robbins of Horace; corresponding committee, J. B. Kitchin, W. F. Robbins, John E. Robbins, of Greensburg; tables and eats committee, Robert McCoy, George Robbins, L. W. Gillespie, Londa Wright, Arthur Lemmon, John Gilchrist; committee on entertainment, Roy C. Kanouse, Hal Kitchin, Harry Robbins; finance committee Walter B. Pleak and W. H. Robbins; advising and assisting committee, F. B. Kitchin, Charles M. Woodfill, John E. Robbins of Horace; committee on parking, Ira Rigby, Calvin Thornburg, William Sefton Robbins, Bernard Kitchin, and Greely Robbins.

In the summer of 2022 we may not have 62 separate families represented, nor 1,000 attendees, but those of us who attend can be assured of an unforgettable bicentennial reunion.

I might add that William F. Robbins’ History was a great resource for me getting started in Robbins genealogy. My next post will discuss the life of William and his sad death only six months later.

Robbins Bicentennial Reunion – 2022

November 22, 2021 / robbinsroots / 1 Comment

We now have a date and a place for the Robbins Bicentennial Reunion in 2022. Saturday, July 30th, at the Westport Community Center in Westport, Indiana, about 20-minutes south of Greensburg, will be the location for the event. The Robbins family first arrived in Decatur County in 1822; a 1,000-person reunion was held in 1922; and we hope to have a great attendance at this once-in-a-lifetime event. Decatur County is also celebrating it’s bicentennial next year and there will be county-wide events.

In 1822 the children of William, Absalom, and Jacob Robbins arrived in Decatur County, with their parents and other relatives arriving over about the next ten years. They were later joined by some of the families of their younger siblings James Robbins and Margaret (Robbins) Robbins (she was married to Thomas Robbins). Other members of the family settled in nearby Jennings, Scott, Bartholomew, Washington, and Jefferson counties. I will highlight some of the Decatur County families in upcoming blog posts.

With the date and venue scheduled, we can now begin more serious planning. Safety considerations for Covid, publicity, food and catering, cemetery and local history excursions, and more, all remain to be planned. Any blog readers who would like to help, in any way at all, can contact me at “mittge @ yahoo.com.” If you have Facebook an Events page has been set up by cousin Laura Robbins Miller. Contact me for an invitation to this private group. And keep reading this blog for further updates!

A Visit to the Nathaniel Robbins House

September 20, 2021 / robbinsroots / 1 Comment

I had known for some time that a house built by Nathaniel Robbins about 1859/1860 still existed on land that was part of his original Oregon donation land claim. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. Opened to visitors once a year, usually on fairly short notice, I had never been able to visit before. (Being located midway between my old home in Seattle to the north and my new home in Florence to the south, it wasn’t easy to make plans for a last minute 3-hour drive).

In June of this year I received an email from Carson Ellis, who introduced herself, along with her husband Colin Meloy, as owner of the Robbins-Melcher-Schatz House (as it is formally referred to in National Register descriptions). Carson had started producing a podcast in which she and her friend Alix Ryan discuss the history of the house, property, and the stories of the previous owners. She invited me to visit the house and be interviewed about the Robbins family. I was thrilled and honored for the invitation and leapt at the chance to visit.

The podcast is called “Old Bright” (after an oxen on the Robbins 1852 Oregon Trail crossing) and you can listen to the episodes on any podcast app, such as Apple Podcasts (iTunes), Stitcher, Spotify (which I use), or even directly from the website: https://www.oldbrightpod.com. Covering more than just the Robbins family, Carson and Alix have interesting conversations about the property, the owners, and social history. Great conversationalists and great researchers they have discovered a lot of information about the house and it’s previous occupants. Carson stated that she has always been interested in the history of any house she has lived in.

I visited the house, along with my sister Kathy, earlier this month, and we were warmly welcomed by Carson and Alix, with a quick hello from Colin. Before I go any further, you should know something about Carson and her husband Colin.

Carson Ellis is an artist, children’s book illustrator, and author, and while Carson will modestly say “I didn’t win the Caldecott, just an Honor”, I know, as a librarian, that a Caldecott Honor Award is nothing to dismiss. The Caldecott is awarded each year by a division of the American Library Association, to the “most distinguished American picture book for children.” There is one winner each year, with three or four honors awarded to runners-up they deem worthy. Carson received the Caldecott Honor award in 2017 for her picture book Du Iz Tak?

Carson’s husband Colin Meloy is a multi-instrumental musician, singer-songwriter, and author, and is well known as being the front man of the Portland based group, The Decembrists. He and Carson together have authored and illustrated a number of children’s books including Wildwood. (Colin’s sister Maile Meloy is also a well-known author whose books we carry here at my library!). They are the parents of two children and are the perfect owners for such an historic property.

Carson Ellis Carson Ellis (left) and Colin Meloy (right) signing *Wildwood* at the Portland Bazaar 420 Northeast 9th Ave, Portland, Oregon, December 11, 2011 (photo by Dennis Bratland, Wikipedia Commons)

In the 1993 application to be listed on the Historic Register, the then owners didn’t have much information on the first builders, the Robbins family. I hope I was able to fill in some details for Carson and Alix for “Old Bright.”

Nathaniel and Nancy Robbins filed for their Donation Land Claim in the 1850’s on land in the northwest corner of Clackamas County. Their son William Franklin Robbins filed for land to their northwest, primarily in Washington County, while sons Dow, James, and Norval, and daughters (and their husbands) Jane, Zobeda and Nancy, and grandson Nathaniel Barnes, filed on land to their south. In between was the claim of Robert Bird, an earlier settler and namesake of the Robert Bird Cemetery, where many of these early Robbins are buried.

1993 Plan of Robbins property (original Nathaniel Robbins house circled in red)

As mentioned earlier the house was built around 1859 or 1860, as a simple 2-story rectangle divided into three rooms, with an open second floor, probably used as bedrooms. That structure still exists as the front of the house, with one of its original interior walls removed, now serving as the living room and parlor for Carson and Colin and kids.

Nathaniel Robbins house – original 1860 building from the front

As described in the National Register application:

“The one and one-half story rectangular form of the original building is approximately 41 feet long and 17 feet deep. The low pitched gabled roof and banded eaves with heavy partial returns define the Classical Revival style that dates the house in the period from 1820-60. The original four panel entry door and multi-light sidelights and transom are also indicative of its Revival origins. Large boulders found on the property and hand hewn 10 inch by 10 inch mortised and pegged sills provided the house with its foundation. Hand cut notches in the north and south sills hold the floor joints that originally supported a rough-hew plank floor. The walls are constructed using the box method of vertical planks covered with narrow battens, then clad with wide drop siding secured with hand made iron nails and finished at the corners with corner rakes.”

The application goes on:

“The floor plan of the original house, also typically New English, is two rooms wide and one room deep, with the parlor to the left of the entrance, and the living/cooking/dining area to the right. A wood burning cookstove was located in the center. The stairway in the rear led to the bedrooms above.”

Nathaniel Robbins drowned in the Tualatin River in 1863 and in 1876 the property was sold to Christian and Augusta Melcher, who seem to have made few changes before selling the property to Wilhelm and Elizabeth Schatz in 1894/95. The Schatz family are responsible for much of the additions to the house as well as the massive barn (which before this summer’s heat wave served as a home to barn owls), the water tower, machine shed, nut house, a cool room (a 2-story brick addition), and more.

The Schatz’s owned the property up through the 1960s, and after the house sat empty for ten years, sold to the folks who restored it and applied for National Register Status. Carson and Colin purchased the house in 2010 where they have found it perfect for their combined art and music interests (Carson uses the “nut house” as her art studio while Colin uses part of the machine shed for his music studio). The interior of their house is as warm and inviting as they are.

If you want to read more in depth about the details of the house and property, along with viewing floor plans, it’s easiest just to Google “Robbins-Melcher-Schatz” and click on the link to the National Park Service’s PDF file of the 47-page application.

After visiting the Robbins-Melcher-Schatz house I was interested in learning about other historic family properties and was pleased to find a website, http://heritagedata.prd.state.or.us/historic/, where you can search by name or location for inventoried historic properties. These are not just National Register properties, but includes those inventoried by each county for their historical or architectual significance. Among the family properties in Oregon that I have been able to identify so far are: Sharp Residence, John Aden Residence (possibly partly built by Joseph Barstow), Isaac Ball House , A. E. Thompson House, L. W. Robbins House, Willard Robbins Residence, Willard Robbins Barn, Levi Robbins Farm, Kirchem Residence, Loveridge-Cunha House, W. Arthur Robbins House, and Robert L. and Rose Herren House. I’m sure there are more. It may be time for another road trip!

[Jacob Robbins-William Robbins/Absalom Robbins-Nathaniel Robbins/Nancy Robbins]

Robbins Roots

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