MISC RECORDS for Roberts Family in Jessamine Co., KY Submitted by Ed Roberts Date: 5 May 1999 ******************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free genelaogical information on the Internet, data may be freely used for personal research and by non-commercial entities as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format or presentation by other organizations or persons.Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for profit or any form of presentation, must obtain the written consent of the file submitter, or his legal representative and then contact the listed USGENWEB archivist with proof of this consent. JESSAMINE COUNTY, KY Created 1799 from Fayette Co. County Seat: Nicholasville 40356 DEATHS, WILLS, PROBATE JAMES A. ROBERTS, 8 October 1906 NANCY ROBERTS, widow of Rankin Sr., April 1885 RANKIN ROBERTS, SR., 24 July 1877 ROSA B. ROBERTS, widow of James A. 12 January 1919 SARAH ROBERTS, widow of Thomas, 29 Nov 1834 THOMAS ROBERTS, 24 March 1830 MARRIAGES JAMES S. Roberts to Nancy Ann White, 18 Apr 1850, both of Jessamine Co. MARGARET A. Roberts to John A. Willis, 11 Feb 1851, both of Jessamine Co. POLLY Roberts to George L. Caldwell, 10 Sept 1829 SALLY Roberts to Samuel Taylor, 29 Oct 1835 SIMON Roberts to Hannah Cleveland, 1815 WILLIAM H. s/o William Billingsley Roberts to Mary B. d/o G.W.Edwards, 14 May 1871 BIRTHS BELLE d/o Rankin Sr. & Nancy (Jones) Roberts, after 1828 DAVID A. Roberts, 7 Spet 1815 EMMA d/o Rankin Sr. & Nancy (Jones) Roberts, after 1828 FLORA d/o Rankin Sr. & Nancy (Jones) Roberts, after 1828 HANDLEY s/o Rankin Roberts, Jr. JAMES A. s/o Rankin Sr. & Nancy (Jones) Roberts, 8 Oct 1841 JAMES OLDHAM s/o William Rankin Roberts, 1911 JANEY d/o Moses & Cela Roberts, 6 March 1873 MARY d/o Rankin Sr. & Nancy (Jones) Roberts, after 1828 RANKIN JR. s/o Rankin Sr. & Nancy (Jones) Roberts RANKIN SR. s/o Thomas & Sarah Roberts, 24 June 1799, near Brannon Station SUSAN d/o Rankin Sr. & Nancy (Jones) Roberts, after 1828 WILLIAM s/o Philip Roberts, 1800 (to Boone Co.) WILLIAM RANKIN s/o James A. & Rosa B. (Oldham) Roberts, ca 1876 JESSAMINE COUNTY, KY History of Kentucky, 1922, Vol. IV, page 7 WILLIAM R. ROBERTS, whose fine homestead farm is situated in Jessamine County, near the Fayette County line and 6-1/2 miles south of the City of Lexington, is a popular representative of one of the old and well known families of this favored section of the Blue grass state. This ancestral homestead, on the Nicholasville Turnpike, was formerly owned by RANKIN ROBERTS SR., grandfather of him whose name initiates this paragraph. The grandfather here owned a landed estate of 700 acres, and here he erected the substantial brick house which is still in use and in an excellent state of preservation. The building was completed about the year 1840, the brick utilized in its erection having been manufactured on the farm itself, and from the place having been taken the timber utilized in all exterior and interior woodwork of the building. RANKIN ROBERTS SR. was born near Brannon Station in Jessamine County, on the 26th of June 1799, a date that indicates conclusively that he was a member of one of the early pioneer families of this locality. He was a son of THOMAS and SARAH ROBERTS, the former of whom was born in Virginia in 1755, and the latter of whom was born in North Carolina. The death of Thomas Roberts occurred March 26, 1830, and that of his wife on the 29th of November 1834. Thomas Roberts reclaimed and developed one of the best of the pioneer farms in this section of the state and did well his part in the furtherance of the social and material progress and prosperity of the community. His name merits high place on the roll of the honored pioneers of Central Kentucky. Of his children the eldest was JOSEPH, who was born March 4, 1776, and the second son was RANKIN SR., who, on the 17th of October 1828, married Miss NANCY JONES. Within a short time thereafter Rankin Roberts and his wife established their residence on the old homestead now owned by the subject of this sketch, and here they occupied the present house from the time of its erection until their deaths. Mr. Roberts having passed away July 24, 1877, and his widow survived until April 1885. Their daughter SUSAN become the wife of Peter Foree, of Henry County, and was 45 years of age at the time of her death. MARY, EMMA, BELLE and FLORIDA all died in young womanhood, victims of consumption, and none of them had married. JAMES A. who was born October 8, 1841, died on the 65th anniversary of this birth. JOHN, another brother, was familiarily known as Jack, and was a bouyant and genial personality, a man of sporting proclivities, and he died in 1848, in his 63rd year. RANKIN (Rankin Jr.) died at the age of 70 years he having owned a part of the ancestral estate. His son HANDLEY is engaged in the wholesale hardware business in the city of Chicago. History of Kentucky, 1922, Vol IV, page 7 (cont) JAMES A. ROBERTS was united in marriage in November 1875, to Miss ROSA B. OLDHAN, daughter of Hiram D. Oldhan, of Madison County, and she passed to eternal rest on the 12th of January 1919. James A. Roberts became the owner of a valuable farm comprising 350 acres, and has gained marked success as a vigorous exponent of agricultural and livestock enterprise, with special attention given to the raising of cattle, swine and the breeding of fine Kentucky trotting horses. He has raised such standard bred horses for fully 20 years, and has sold the major number of the horses when they were colts. He is a member of the Providence Christian Church, as was also his wife, and that he did not readily lose some of the proclivities of his more unregenrate days is indicated by the following amusing incident. On one occasion the clergyman and a member of the church brethern called at the Roberts home to pass an hour or two. When the clergyman finally suggested a brief session of prayer Mr. Roberts replied: "I think that would be a d____d good idea." James A. and Rosa B. Roberts became the parents of three children who attained to years of maturity, WILLIAM RANKIN, of this review, being the eldest of the number and the only son. The two daughters NANCY BELLE and FLORIDA MASON, have been twice married but have no children, and they now reside with their brother on the old home farm. WILLIAM R. ROBERTS has been twice married. His second wife was MARGARET DUNCAN. Their one son, JAMES OLDHAN, aged nine years (1920), and the three children of HANDLEY ROBERTS of Chicago, are thus the only children representing the Roberts family in that generation. Handley Roberts' children are two sons and one daughter. William R. Roberts and his two sisters are associated in the ownership of the old homestead and he has specialized in the raising of standard bred horses, which he has sold as colts. He is a republican in politics, as is also his cousin Handley of Chicago, but his father and grandfather both gave allegiance to the democratic party.