Blount-Bradley-Monroe County TN Archives Biographies.....Robinson, James And Sarah 1753 - December 11, 1833 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/tn/tnfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Steve Robinson Steve Robinson March 6, 2017, 5:07 pm Source: Listed in Credits and bibliography Author: Steve Hammontree James and Sarah Robinson of Blount County, Tennessee James and Sarah Robinson are well attested in a number of historical sources as living in Maryville, Blount Co. TN. Their home there was primarily in the Six Mile community, south of Maryville, where they lived at the western base of Chilhowee Mountain from about 1814 to 1823. James was born between 3 May and 3 Aug. 1753, probably in Virginia. He fought in the American Revolution and was honorably discharged in September 1782. James and Sarah seem to have been married about 1783 or shortly thereafter. Sarah was born about 1762, her maiden name and place of birth unknown. After leaving Blount County, James and Sarah were living in Monroe Co., TN during the 1830 Census. James died 11 Dec. 1833, presumably in Monroe County. No details of Sarah's death are known, except that she died after the 1830 Census. James and Sarah Robinson were the parents of William, Rebecca, Sally, Letty, Betsy, Edward and John. James Robinson appears to have been the eldest son of Samuel Robinson of Cumberland Co., VA. Samuel was born about 1730, his parents and place of birth unknown. Samuel and his unknown wife were the parents of James, William, John and Samuel Robinson. James, born 1753, enlisted in the Revolutionary War with the Maryland Line and was initially attached to the Pennsylvania Navy before being transferred to the Pennsylvania Line. William was born about 1758/59. He enlisted in the Maryland Line a year after his older brother and then the two of them were transferred to artillery service in the Pennsylvania Line where they served together until the end of the war. William settled in Bedford Co., VA and died there in 1817. An affidavit in his widow's Revolutionary War pension application states that James, William, John and Samuel were sons of Samuel Robinson of Cumberland Co., VA. The affiant William Clark stated in Campbell Co., VA on 23 Apr. 1853 that as a youth at about 10 or 11 "he was well and intimately acquainted with the family of old Mr. Robinson," and that at the appointed day for the soldiers to start from the barracks at Cumberland Courthouse "he went with his grandfather to see them and there he saw James and William Robinson among the troops as soldiers," and that "when the war ended they returned," and that "after their return home he was intimate with them for some years and that he has often herd (sic) [them] relate many things that happened while in the service.." William's widow stated that James, William and John all fought in the Revolutionary War and that William served alongside his older brother James (see the Revolutionary War Pension application by Mason Gibbs Robinson, widow of William Robinson, filed 11 Apr. 1853, NARA #R8909; for a published digest of this pension application see Mrs. Milnor Ljungstedt, Virginia Military Records 738–40.). John Robinson was born about 1760 and settled in Cumberland Co., VA. He died there 12 Jan. 1838 (see NARA Revolutionary War Pension application #S6018). Military records show that James and William Robinson served together in the same units during much of the war. (Revolutionary War pension applications for William and John Robinson were discovered by Brent Wiseman, who has also researched the military records of James, William and John Robinson. Revolutionary War pension applications remain on file at the National Archives and Records Administration.) DNA testing indicates that the Y haplogroup of the Robinson family descending from James Robinson (1753–1833) is R–M269. Family Tree DNA describes this ahplogroup as follows: Haplogroup R-M269 is the dominant lineage in all of Western Europe today. It is found in low frequencies in Turkey and the northern Fertile Crescent, while its highest frequencies are in Western Europe. Garland Evans Hopkins, an early historian of Cumberland Co., VA, indicates that a James Robinson from Cumberland County fought in the Revolutionary War. Hopkins writes: Many members of the county militia went out in the service to win distinction as officers and privates. Among the Revolutionary soldiers mentioned in the Order Books and Committee of Safety minutes are: George Hammontree, William Adams, George Taylor, four sons of Samuel Goff, Henry Hunnobus, Richard Ellis, John Burton, Robert Brown, Abraham Chalton, John Davis, James Durham, John Nash, Drury Hudgins, Edward Pigg, John Chenault, John Bonton, Henry Lipford, Jesse Merryman, Thomas Merryman, Terry Galloway, James Robinson, Henry Walker, Robert Flippon, William Yours, William Newton, William Davenport, Jesse Dillon, John Baskerville, Jr., Jesse Bolling, James Thomas, William Griddle, William Andrews, Jesse Salmon, Samuel Hunt, Harrison Jones, Jr., Nathaniel Slaughter, Thomas Slaughter, David Smith, William Carter, George Aiken and Harris Hammontree. Nataniel Wade Barker, David Hughes, James Tucker, David Linch, Thomas Bolling, Henry Sumptor, William Miles, Hezekiah Carter, Hugh Robinson, Martin Aslin, John Diggs, Patrick Fitzsimmonds, Henry Fallwell, Hans Steger, William Turpin, Peter Pollock, John Williams, John Franklin, Samuel Robinson, Joel Johnson, Terry Gallaway, John Graves, John Cocke, William Powell, Richard Faris, Nathaniel Robinson, Andrew Edwards, Samuel Mosby, Edward Hix, Michael Tucker, John Wily, William Dillon, Jr., William Hudgins, William Saunderson, Robert Mosby, John Carter, Jesse Mosby, Wright Bond, Warren Parker, Daniel Johnson, John Clarke, John Scruggs, Jesse Dillon, William Ballieu, John Miles, William Jones, John Hendrick, Humphrey Coleman, James Winston, John Reade, James Hix, Jesse Peters, Habbacock Pride, Jesse Meador (Story of Cumberland County Virginia, 51–52; Hopkins cites two sources for the names in this list. The names George Hammontree through Richard Ellis are from Mrs. E. J. Harrison, Backgrounds of Cumberland County. The remaining names are from Order Books of Cumberland County, 1779). However, the James Robinson mentioned in the Cumberland County Order Books seems not to have been the person presently under discussion. The James Robinson mentioned in the Order Books on 26 Mar. 1781 served with the 2nd Virginia Regiment (Cumberland County Order Book 1779 – 1784, 153; Roger B. Ward, Cumberland County, VA Order Books 1767 – 1787, 108). James Robinson appears in Blount County records as Robinson, Robison, Robeson and Robertson, though his identity remains clear throughout. The same confusion recurs for his children. His sons appear as Robinson, Robison, Robeson, Roberson and Robertson. His daughter Sally appears as Robinson and Robertson. His daughter Rebecca appears as Robinson. The first evidence that the Robinson family was in Blount County was on 18 Mar. 1808 when Henry Whitenburger (Wittenberger) and William R. Robinson witnessed the sale of 67 ½ acres from Joseph Pate to Samuel Saffel (Saffell) for $350. The property was on Lackey's Creek in Blount County, just northwest of Maryville (Blount County Deed Book 1: 72–73, #111; see Jane Kizer Thomas, Blount County, Tennessee Deeds 1795 – 1819, 16). (The first Robinson in Blount County was Gailbraith Robinson, though no relation has been found between him and James. Gailbraith Robinson was on the list of those living south of the Hawkins Line on Nine Mile Creek as of 8 Nov. 1796; see Inez E. Burns, History of Blount County Tennessee, 1795 – 1955, 36). James and Sarah Robinson seem to have settled in Blount County in about 1808. In addition to the fact that their apparent son William Robinson appeared in Blount records in 1808. John Boyd of the Six Mile community stated in James Robinson's military pension application of 1818 that he had known James Robinson for about nine or ten years. James and Sarah Robinson lived in at least two places in Blount County. They were in Walland, Miller's Cove in east Blount County at least as of 1813, and then in the Six Mile community in southern Blount County at least as of April 1814. James is mentioned in the Minutes of the Millers Cove Baptist Church of Walland as James Robinson on 22 May 1813. Since no other Robinson is evident within the church minutes, he appears to be referred to in the fragmentary entry of July 1812 that states, "Robinson to write the ch…" He also seems to be mentioned in 1813 when "Brethren Thos Morrison Robinson G. Snider & Billy Halloway" were designated as preparing a letter of charge against Brother Thomas Bodkin(s), who had requested the letter and was withdrawing from the church because of differences in principles. (This disagreement may have been an early rumbling of the schism that gave rise to the division in 1838 between the Primitive and Missionary Baptist Churches in Blount County.) James and Sarah left their home on Six Mile Creek in 1823 when they were once again in Walland at the Millers Cove Church. (Millers Cove Baptist Church Minutes, Walland, Blount County, Tennessee, 1812 – 1824, Transcribed by Jan Biard Thomas.) James and William Robinson, Jeremiah Hammontree, Joseph Holloway and George Snider were members of the Six Mile Baptist Church and all owned property on Six Mile Creek. James and William Robinson are not found to have had property surveyed in Blount County at the time of the 1807 property surveys (see George and Juanita Fox, Surveyor Entry Book – District South of French Broad & Holston – State of Tennessee 1807). The Minutes of the Six Mile Baptist Church indicate that William Robinson and his wife belonged to the congregation when the minutes began to be kept in February 1813. James appears in the minutes as of April 1814. James Robertson and Jesse Sample (Samples) are mentioned in Blount County probate records of Alexander Hammontree who died 1812. Because James Robinson has such a strong association with the Hammontree family and because no "James Robertson" is distinctly known within the community, this reference to James Robertson was probably to James Robinson. James Murry (Murray) sold 146 acres on Six Mile Creek to George Snider for $400 on 15 Aug. 1817. James Robinson and Abraham Bayles (Bayless) served as witnesses. The property adjoined John Nell (Neal), John Boyd and Jeremiah Hammontree (Blount County Deed Book 1: 462–63, #620; see Thomas, Blount County Deed Book 1, 1795 – 1819, 82). On 29 Aug. 1821 George Snider sold the same 146 acres on Six Mile Creek back to James Murry (Murray) for $500. The property adjoined John Neel (Neal) and John Boyd. Witnesses were James Robinson and John Boyd (Blount County Deed Book 2: 198–99, #232; see Thomas, Blount County Deeds, 1819 – 1833, 41). John Boyd donated 2.6 acres to the Six Mile Baptist Church on 17 Sep. 1818. The property was described in the deed as having a "never failing spring." Witnesses to the deed were George Snider, James Robeson and Billy Holloway (Blount County Deed Book 1: 557; see Thomas, Blount County Deed Book 1, 1795 – 1819, 98). This James Robeson was almost certainly James Robinson. According to the Minutes of the Six Mile Baptist Church, the church nominated John Holloway and James Robinson as trustees for recording the deed. William Davis and Jas. Robeson (Robinson) witnessed the sale of 67 acres on Six Mile Creek from Minter Holloway to Joel Baker. The sale was dated 24 Nov. 1820. The witnesses appeared in court in December 1821 to certify the sale (Blount County Deed Book 2: 199). James and William Robinson signed a petition in 1820 with about one hundred land owners of Blount and Monroe Counties, including members of the Hammontree and Holloway families. The petition concerned the sale of former Indian land that became available for settlement through Calhoun's Treaty of 1819. This treaty abolished the Indian Boundary established in the First Tellico Treaty of 1798. This was the Indian Boundary that bordered Robinson and Holloway properties on Six Mile Creek. The petition concerned the sale of land by the State in Monroe County and a portion of Blount County. (Edythe Rucker Whitley provides a transcription of this petition and the names of its signatories (Tennessee Genealogical Records: Records of Early Settlers From State and County Archives, 131–32). Whitley dated the petition incorrectly to 1796. The Tennessee State Library and Archives identifies this petition as the first legislative petition of 1820 and so references it as TSLA Legislative Petition 1820–1.) James and William Robinson owned 31 acres on Six Mile Creek prior to December 1823. The property adjoined Jeremiah Hammontree, the Indian Boundary and James Holloway. (This was the Indian Boundary abolished by Calhoun's Treaty in 1819. It had been drawn so as to leave Chilhowee Mountain in the possession of the Cherokee. This boundary constituted the eastern border of James and William Robinson's property.) The deed identifies White Oak Creek as the boundary between the Robinson property and James Holloway. This creek is not named on any published map. The deed refers to James as Robinson and Robertson and to William as Robertson. According to Willie Hammontree's Map of Early Settlers of Six Mile Creek (as overlaid on a U.S.G.S. topographical map), the property of James and William Robinson is located in part at 2202 Jericho Road, Maryville. James and William's property on Six Mile Creek was purchased by Joel Baker in 1824 (Blount County Deed Book 2: 447–48, #529; see Jane Kizer Thomas, Blount County, Tennessee Deeds, 1819 – 1833, 93–94). EARLY SETTLERS OF SIX MILE CREEK The Minutes of the Six Mile Baptist Church make clear that James and William Robinson were prominent members of the congregation. James Robinson was unanimously elected and ordained as deacon on 15 Apr. 1814, a post in which he served as treasurer and administrator. He retained this position until he left the Six Mile community in November 1823. The Minutes also provide the names of Nancy, Sally, Letty and Betsy Robinson (details below). The U.S. Congress enacted legislation on 18 Mar. 1818 that provided military pensions for veterans of the Revolutionary War. According to records at the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, James Robinson of Blount Co., TN was allowed a pension based on his military service in the Revolutionary War (Revolutionary War Pension #S39050; see Burns, History of Blount County, 289; Blount County History Book Committee, The History of Blount County and Its People, 1795 – 1995, 58, §212). James applied for a military pension on 2 May 1818 and then again for its continuation on 3 Aug. 1820, making both sworn applications in court in Maryville, Blount County. James was allowed a pension of $8 per month, commencing 2 May 1818 and continuing until his death in 1833. James Robinson declared in his pension application that he enlisted in March 1776 as a Private in the Maryland Line under the command of Capt. William Brown who commanded the Putnam floating Battery (a gunship of the Pennsylvania Navy on the Delaware River) near Philadelphia. After one year James was transferred to artillery service in the Pennsylvania Line under the command of Capt. Lee, later Capt. Simons (Simonds) of Col. Proctor's regiment and the brigade of Gen. Henry Knox. James served in the war without interruption until he was honorably discharged in Philadelphia in September 1782. The court record of 1818 describes his military engagements as follows: during which time of service he was in many memorable and bloody engagements with the enemy particularly those of Brandywine, Germantown and Monmouth and lastly at the siege of York and Capture of Lord Cornwallis In his testimony of 1820, James described his military service in greater detail as follows: I was in the Naval engagement with the Roebuck man of war once the Liverpool Frigate on the Delaware and afterwards in the Battery at Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, German Town and Monmouth and the Siege of York in Virginia where Lord Cornwallis was taken and several other skirmishes. Brent Wiseman, a fourth great-grandson of James and Sarah Robinson, comments on James Robinson's naval engagements as follows: His application mentions the "Roebuck man-of-war" and the "Liverpool Frigate", and that he was in a naval engagement with these two. This is a pretty well- documented event that happened in the spring of 1776... these two British ships sailed up the Delaware, threatening Philadelphia, which was more or less the capital city of the colonies. The British had the best ships in the world, yet they were held off by a group of 13 smaller colonial vessels in a series of battles, and the mission was unsuccessful. The HMS Roebuck and HMS Liverpool first engaged the Pennsylvania State Navy on 7 May 1776 on the Delaware River near Philadelphia. This engagement included the Montgomery and the Putnam. According to military records, James Robinson served on both these ships, though it is unclear when he encountered the Roebuck and Liverpool, except he said he did so while aboard the Putnam. In his military pension application, James related only those incidents when he engaged combat, and thus for this reason he seems to have omitted reference to serving on the Montgomery. The HMS Roebuck was a warship constructed in 1774 for service against the fomenting American Revolution. It was the prototype of twenty Roebuck-class ships. Ships of this class were double-decked gunships with 44 guns. The lower decks contained 18-pound guns and the upper decks 9-pound guns. The HMS Liverpool was launched in 1758. It was a 28-gun frigate. The Putnam was a "floating battery" or gunship created for service in the Revolution. The Putnam may have had the same armament as the Arnold, another floating battery commissioned at the same time. If so, the Putnam would have carried 18 guns, each with a caliber of 18 pounds. The Montgomery was the flagship of Commodore Thomas Read beginning in April 1776. Read served as Commodore in the Pennsylvania State Navy until receiving a commission in the Continental Navy in October of that year. According to some sources, William Brown became Captain of the Montgomery only after Read's transfer. However, Brown had already attained the rank of Captain at least as of the year before and commanded the Montgomery as Captain while Read was still Commodore. James Robinson's payroll for 1 Jun. to 1 Oct. of 1776 indicates that he was serving on the Montgomery under the command of Capt. William Brown. It would have been customary for a Captain and Commodore to serve on a flagship together in that their responsibilities were quite different. But beyond commanding Commodore Read's flagship, Capt. William Brown and the Montgomery played a principal role a few months later in assisting Gen. George Washington in his memorialized crossing of the Delaware. James Robinson seems to have been assigned to the Montgomery at that time, since his service record follows Capt. Brown from the Montgomery in 1776 to the Putnam in 1777. However, James Robinson states in his military pension application in 1820 that he participated in the Battles of Trenton and Princeton. The Battle of Trenton was Gen. Washington's surprise attack against Hessian forces that occurred only hours after crossing the Delaware during the night of 25–26 Dec. 1776. Because the river-crossing was an act of stealth, naval artillery forces would not have been a high priority at the time, particularly when all available naval resources were needed to ferry Gen. Washington's army from Pennsylvania to New Jersey. James Robinson and other artillery forces of the Montgomery thus seem to have been dispatched to the surprise attack at Trenton. James remained attached to army forces for the second Battle of Trenton against Lord Cornwallis on 2 Jan. 1777 and the ensuing Battle of Princeton the following day. After these three land battles James returned to naval service aboard the Montgomery. (For a brief bio on Capt. William Brown and a photograph of his ivory satin waistcoat, see the article by Michael Shepherd at https://foxhistoriccostume.wordpress.com/2015/03/.) Brent Wiseman has researched James Robinson's military records during the Revolutionary War. He has found military records that pertain to a James Robinson who served under the command of Capt. William Brown in the Navy, and then under Capt. James Lee and then Capt. Jonas Simonds, both in artillery service, just as described by James Robinson in his military pension application. These records indicate that William Robinson served in the same unit with James Robinson under Capt. James Lee and Capt. Jonas Simonds, William being the younger brother of James according to other records. As indicated by muster rolls and payrolls, James and William Robinson held the position of mattross. Both in the army and navy, a mattross served with the artillery in assisting to load and fire the cannon, as well as to maintain a ready supply of ammunition. Mattross was a soldier of artillery, who ranked next below a gunner. The duty of a matross was to assist the gunners in loading, firing and sponging the guns. They were provided with firelocks and marched with the store-wagons, acting as guards. In the United States Army, a mattross ranked as a private of artillery. The word is probably derived from French matelot, or from German Matrose, both of which refer to a sailor or seaman (Wikipedia, sub verbum). Brent Wiseman has found detailed information for James Robinson's military service through the online website of the Pennsylvania State Archives. He writes as follows: These records are in the form of a card file, with each card pointing to an appearance on some kind of record, like a pay list or a muster roll. The cards are alphabetized. At the following link, I found 59 individual cards for "James Robinson": http://www.digitalarchives.state.pa.us/archive.asp? view=ArchiveItems&ArchiveID=13&FL=R&FID=561723&LID=561822 One card, No. 52, shows a James Robinson, Marine, serving under Capt. William Brown, June 1 - Oct. 1, 1776, "Served on the Montgomery as a Marine, Enlisted April 16, 1776." This almost certainly has to be our James. The Montgomery was one of the smaller ships which helped defend Philadelphia from the British ships Roebuck and Liverpool. The Montgomery was later burned to prevent its capture. Card No. 53, dated June 1, 1777, reads, "Served on the Putnam. Age 21. Enlisted April 16, 1776. On duty in town. Total time in service: 1 year, 1 month, 15 days." Capt. William Brown listed as commander. Here's a link to an interesting article on Colonel Thomas Proctor. The article was first published in Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, written by Benjamin M. Nead. Included is a muster roll of Proctor's regiment dated July 31, 1776; James Robinson is listed as a matross. William does not appear. By October 1777, James appears on a muster roll under a different colonel, John Lamb. http://usgwarchives.net/pa/1pa/1picts/proctor/pf1.html#sketch Brent describes James and William Robinson's artillery service under Col. John Lamb as follows: On every one of the muster rolls, James and William Robinson are found together, serving as matrosses. In all of them, Col. John Lamb is named as their regimental officer. Up through 1779 they are serving in the company of Capt. James Lee, and after that they are under Capt. Jonas Simonds. Card no. 43 lists James Robinson in the company of "Capt. Simounds", 2nd Regiment Artillery, under Col. Lamb. Card 44 lists James under "Capt. James Lee" in the same regiment. Card 45, dated 11 Sept. 1779, lists James under "Capt. James Lee" in unit "Arty. - Brig.Gen. Knox". And card 46, dated March 15, 1779, lists him under "Col. John Lamb", in "Regt. of Artillery." All of these cards, I think it's safe to say, refer to our James. Card 36 lists a James Robinson as a "matross" in the artillery at Yorktown (16- 23 May, 1781). According to the National Park Service website for Yorktown (which includes some great photos of cannons), "Artillery played a decisive role in defeating the British at Yorktown. According to Brigadier General Henry Knox, the American artillery commander, the Americans and French fired 15,437 artillery rounds at the British during the eight day bombardment. This is an average of 1.2 shots a minute!" http://www.nps.gov/yonb/learn/historyculture/revolutionary- war-artillery.htm Brent Wiseman also discovered that James Robinson and his younger brother William endured the military encampment at the Winter of Valley Forge. With reference to the Valley Forge website (http://valleyforgemusterroll.org/muster.asp), Brent writes: Entering the last name of Robinson and the state of Pennsylvania into the search engine reveals that James and William Robinson, matrosses of the 2nd Pa. Artillery Regiment under Col. John Lamb and the company of Capt. James Lee, were both on muster rolls taken at that bitter encampment. The 2nd Artillery Regiment, according to the website, "entered Valley Forge with 190 fit for duty", and "left Valley Forge with 126 fit for duty." Presumably James and William were among the 126. There are minor puzzles involved in comparing what James says about his military service in his pension application to what is found in his military records. The chief puzzle is that both he and William's pension application state that they enlisted in the Maryland Line, even though they are found in the ranks of the Pennsylvania Line. This problem seems to be resolved when James states in his 1818 application that after one year of service under Capt. Brown, he "by mutual consent of the Officers of both companies was exchanged into Captain Lees company of artillery." This exchange seems to have taken place when James re-enlisted for his second tour of duty in Capt. Brown's company as part of the Maryland Line, only to be transferred with his newly- recruited brother William to the Pennsylvania Line. William's pension application also states that he enlisted in the Maryland Line, though he too is found within the Pennsylvania Line. Capt. William Brown of the Maryland Line seems to have been attached to the Pennsylvania Navy though technically remaining within the Maryland Line. All these military assignments fell under the auspices of the Continental establishment, making transfers from one unit to another a fairly trivial matter. William's pension application makes clear that he and his older brother James were from Cumberland County, VA. They were thus somehow recruited from Virginia into the Maryland Line and then transferred to the Pennsylvania Line. Another puzzle is that when James transferred from Capt. William Brown to Capt. James Lee, he seems to have remained under the same Colonel, at least initially. This is because Capt. Brown and Capt. Lee were both under the command of Col. Thomas Proctor, though Capt. James Lee and his Company were soon assigned to Col. John Lamb's Artillery Regiment (including Privates James Robinson and William Robinson). After about three or four years, Capt. Simonds and his Company were once again under the command of Col. Thomas Proctor. (The military was constantly expanding during this time as new recruits were added, and thus the regimental assignments of some of the officers were fluid.) In his pension application of 1818, James described his date of enlistment and officers as follows: I entered on or about March 1776 for the war, on the continental establishment, in the state of Maryland on the Maryland line, in Capt. William Brown’s company, for the marine service in Board the Putnam Battery at Philadelphia, that he served in the same one year, when by mutual consent of the Officers of both companies was exchanged into Captain Lees company of artillery, Col. Proctor’s regiment in which I served until the end of the war, when I was honorably discharged in Philadelphia on September 1782. In his 1820 pension application, James adds that Capt. Lee was succeeded in command by Capt. Simons (Simonds). His enlistment and officers were described in the record as follows: Early in the revolutionary war in the month of March in the year 1776 as well as he recollects, in the City of Philadelphia he entered as a private with Capt. Brown who commanded the Putnam floating Battery that in a very short time he was transferred to Capt. Lees Com. of Col. Proctor’s Regiment of Artillery of General Knox’s Brigade that said Capt. Lee, was succeeded in the Common Company by Capt. Simons – that this deponent was thus enlisted and continued without intermission in the Military service of the United States during the whole of the said war. Capt. Jonas Simond's Company was in Col. Lamb's Continental Artillery Regiment from January 1777 through September 1778, and then remained in the same regiment from April 1779 to October 1780 when it was renamed the 2nd Continental Artillery Regiment. Capt. Simonds' Company then transferred to the 4th Continental Artillery Regiment under Col. Thomas Proctor as of January 1781. According to military records, Capt. Jonas Simonds and the 4th Continental Artillery Regiment fought in the Southern Campaign of the war beginning in 1781. Lord Cornwallis was commander of the British troops in the south, especially Charleston, until his troops moved north and were forced to surrender at Yorktown, VA. (For information on Capt. Jonas Simonds, see http://pasocietyofthecincinnati.org/Names/JonasSimonds.html.) James Robinson's younger brother William died in Bedford Co., VA in 1817. William's widow Mason Gibbs Robinson did not file a widow's application for pension based on his military service until 1853. By that time she was unable to remember many details of William's military service and was unable to recall the names of any of his officers. However, she presented affidavits from others that her husband William Robinson fought in the Revolutionary War in the southern campaign, particularly at the Battle of Guilford where he was wounded in the foot, and also the battles of Camden and Yorktown. Based on her testimony and the affidavits of others, Mason Robinson's application for widow's pension was granted (NARA #R8909). Because her application contains evidence that her husband William Robinson served together with his older brother James, and because military records show a William Robinson serving with a James Robinson under Capt. James Lee and Capt. Jonas Simonds, and because Capt. Jonas Simonds was in the same battles as William Robinson and his brother James as described in William's widow's pension application, then it seems highly likely that William Robinson of Bedford Co., VA and his older brother James were the James and William Robinson who served in artillery service under Capt. James Lee and Capt. Jonas Simonds. Furthermore, because James Robinson of Blount Co., TN was a private and mattross who served under Capt. James Lee and Capt. Jonas Simonds, then James Robinson of Blount Co., TN was very likely the older brother of William Robinson of Bedford Co., VA, making them both sons of Samuel Robinson of Cumberland Co., VA. William's pension file says he was brought up in Cumberland Co., VA but that he entered the Revolution with the Maryland Line one year after his older brother James. James' pension application simply states that he entered the Revolution with the Maryland Line. (Some discrepancies exist between the affidavits filed on behalf of Mason Robinson and what is known about James Robinson of Blount County, though these discrepancies seem to be explained by the several decades that had passed since the events in question.) In any case, the military records pertaining to James and William Robinson as privates and mattrosses within the Continental artillery service find precise agreement not only with the pension application of William Robinson's widow filed in Bedford Co., VA in 1853 but also with specific details provided by James Robinson's pension application filed in Blount Co., TN in 1818 and 1820. John Boyd appeared in Blount County Court on 2 May 1818 on behalf of James Robinson's pension application. His deposition was recorded in the application as follows: Be it remembered that this day came John Boyd before me the above named James Turk presiding Justice or aforesaid being duly sworn deposeth and faith that he has been acquainted with the said James Robinson for 9 or 10 years – that although they both served in the revolutionary war against the Common enemy yet he was not personally acquainted with him at that time – yet from the relation that said James has given this deponent from time to time of transactions taking place in the service and from the well known good Character of J Robinson this deponent believes every fact by him above stated. James Robinson stated in his pension application on 2 May 1818 that he was 64, and on 3 Aug. 1820 that he was 67, thus placing his date of birth between 3 May and 3 Aug. 1753. James testified in August 1820 that his family consisted of the following individuals: My family besides myself consists of my wife and five children, my wife Sarah Robinson aged 58 years… – my children are Sally Robinson about twenty years old – Letty 18 – Betsey 16 – Edward over 14 and John over 12 years old… (Military Pension transcribed by Roberta Pierson). Unfortunately, James' enumeration of his family members in his pension application included only his dependents who were still at home. The pension was need-based as pertaining to the applicant's assets, income and dependents. With James born in 1753 and his wife Sarah in about 1762, they may well have had children who were grown and out of the house before 1820. These unnamed grown children would appear to have included William and Rebecca and perhaps other unknown children. James Robinson testified in regard to his military pension in 1820 that he owned 31 acres in Blount County "on the verge of said county of Blount among knolls." This is a striking match to the Blount County property record indicating that James and William Robinson owned 31 acres on Six Mile Creek adjoining Jeremiah Hammontree, the Indian Boundary and James Holloway (Blount County Deed Book 2: 549–50, #529; see Thomas, Blount County Deeds, 1819 – 1833, 93–94). An inspection of the property referenced in this deed in the area of 2202 Jericho Road shows it to be situated amidst the knobs and knolls of the western base of Chilhowee Mountain. This western base marked a portion of the Indian Boundary that was abolished by Calhoun's Treaty in 1819, and thus James referred to his property aptly in 1820 by describing it as on the verge of the county. His property was as far as settlement had extended toward the base of the mountain. Thus, as evidenced by property records, the James Robinson who testified in court that he owned 31 acres on the verge of the county and who received a military pension in 1818 and 1820 is one and the same as the James Robinson who owned 31 acres on Six Mile Creek and who was a member of the Six Mile community. But even further, the names of James' children as given in his 1820 testimony correspond with individuals from the Six Mile community. James listed his children at home in 1820 as Sally, Letty, Betsy, Edward and John. The Minutes of the Six Mile Baptist Church mention Sally, Letty and Betsy, as well as William. Blount County marriage records indicate that Rebecca Robinson was married by the minister of the Six Mile Baptist Church, and a property record in Monroe County indicates that Edward and John had been living with Sally's family through 1836 with Rebecca's family living next door. Thus all the children James listed in 1820 can be found in the Six Mile community of the same time period, or else during the following decade after much of the family had moved to Monroe County. A likely reconstruction of the Robinson family of the Six Mile community seems to be that James and Sarah were the parents of as many as seven children, including William, Rebecca, Sarah (Sally), Letty, Betsy, Edward and John, though the parentage of William and Rebecca is not proven in documents. (Nancy may have been another child, born between Rebecca and Sally, though the single reference in the Minutes of the Six Mile Baptist Church to Nancy seems to have been to William's wife.) The Minutes of the Six Mile Baptist Church do not specify the relation of James, William and Rebecca, nor do they refer to James' wife by name. Sarah’s name is documented only in James' testimony for his military pension in 1820. William R. Robinson married Sally Witcher on Sep. 29, 1808 in Blount County (Edith B. Little, Blount County, Tennessee Marriages, 242, 309). This Sally Witcher Robinson seems to have been divorced from William Robinson and then to have become Sally Hicks. According to the Minutes of the Six Mile Baptist Church (February 1813), William Robinson was briefly married to and then divorced from his first wife, Sally Hicks, and then married at some undetermined time, having entered into this second marriage at least before 1813. The church minutes do not make clear the name of his second wife. William seems to be the William Robeson in the 1830 Census of Monroe Co., TN and then again the William Robison in the censuses of 1840 and 1850. If so, the 1850 Census indicates that he was 62 and his wife Nancy 70, both born in North Carolina. If Sally Hicks' maiden name was Sally Witcher, then William seems to have been both the William R. Robinson who married Sally Witcher in 1808 and the William Robison of Monroe County. William Robinson was born about 1788 and seems to have been married twice in 1808, first to Sally Witcher and then to Nancy. William and Nancy's daughter Jane was born about 1809. The Minutes of the Six Mile Baptist Church for “Saterday April 16th” (1814) read as follows: "received Sister Nancy Robinson by exp" (that is, by experience). This Nancy Robinson was probably the wife of William Robinson, though she may have been an otherwise unknown sister. William's wife is known to have been named Nancy, as evidenced in the 1850 Monroe County Census, as well as records from the Big Creek Baptist Church in Monroe County. There is no specific evidence that James and Sarah had a daughter Nancy. On "Friday April the 11th 1820" the Six Mile Minutes state that "B William Robinson and wife dismised from this church by letters." These letters were means of transferring membership from one congregation to another. (Other members who transferred their membership on the same day included B (Brother) Stephens and wife, James Reagan and wife, and Minter Holloway.) Rebecca Robinson was born about 1795 in Tennessee, as shown in the 1860 Census. Her marriage to Alexander Hammontree on 22 Dec. 1818 was performed by George Snider, minister of the Six Mile Baptist Church. Rebecca's parentage is not proven in documents, though it is extremely probable that her parents were James and Sarah Robinson who lived on Six Mile Creek next to the Hammontree family, who in turn lived next to George Snider, all of whom were members of the Six Mile Baptist Church. Rebecca's conversion into the church is not indicated in the church minutes, thus suggesting she had become a member before the minutes began to be kept in 1813. Rebecca's husband Alexander Hammontree had witnessed a deed on Six Mile Creek on 3 Dec. 1813 when his father Jeremiah Hammontree sold 47 acres to Edmond Holloway. Joseph and Billy Holloway also witnessed the deed (Blount County Deed Book 1: 353–54, #478; see Thomas, Blount County Deed Book 1, 1795 – 1819, 66). Sarah (Sally) Robinson's birth is given by censuses in the range of 1795 to 1803. The census of 1830 gives her age as 20–30, the census of 1840 gives 40 –50, 1850 gives 47, and 1860 give 65. Family tradition gives her birth as early as 14 Nov. 1797 and as late as 1799. The year 1797 seems to conflict with the fact that Sally's father stated under oath in August 1820 that she was "about twenty years old." Thus her year of birth seems to have been about 1798 or 1799. Letty was born about 1802, Betsy about 1804, Edward about 1806, and John about 1808 or 1809. The dates of birth for the children from Sally following are based primarily on their father's account of their ages in his court testimony of 1820. These dates tend to be corroborated by later censuses, insofar as they are available. According to the Minutes of the Six Mile Baptist Church, on "Satterday November the 21th 1818" the church "received sister Sally Robinson by exp" (that is, by experience). Letty Robinson was received into the church on 19 Oct. 1822 ("received sister Letty Robinson by exp"). Sally left the congregation on "Saterday Febuary the 16th 1822," about a month after her marriage to Harris Hammontree. The minutes on that date state as follows: Sister Salley Robinson now Sally Hammontree requests a letter from the church the church grants her a letter. On 15 Nov. 1823, James Robinson asked the church for a letter of dismission for his family. B Robinson applyed for letters of dismission for himself and wife and daughter the church grants them letters The daughter mentioned here seems to have been Letty, who had been received by the church in 1822. The fact that James did not include a second daughter and two sons in this request suggests that Betsy, Edward and John had not become members of the church by that time. The index of the church minutes lists this entry under William Robinson rather than under James, which seems an obvious error, since William had left the church three years earlier, and James becomes conspicuously absent only hereafter. On 20 Dec. 1823 the minutes refer to Barnes/Barns Holloway as filling in (as treasurer) in the absence of James Robinson in taking up and administering the church's contributions. The minutes continue hereafter through September 1826 without further reference to the Robinson family (Minutes of the Six Mile Baptist Church: 1813 – 1826, transcribed by Inez E. Burns). Upon leaving Six Mile in 1823, James Robinson was once again affiliated with the Miller's Cove Baptist Church in Walland, Blount County. The Minutes of the Millers Cove Baptist Church indicate his presence there in 1824 (Jan Biard Thomas, Millers Cove Baptist Church Minutes, Walland, Blount County, Tennessee, 1812 – 1824, 127). James and Sarah were living in Monroe Co., TN during the 1830 Census, as were a number of their grown children. The census lists James Robeson age 70–80 and wife 60–70. With them were four young adults, two males 20–30 and two females 20 –30. These individuals seem to have been Letty, Betsy, Edward and John. Living nearby were William Robeson (Robinson) and wife, both ages 40–50. Rebecca’s and Sally's families were also nearby. All these families appear in the census in Regiment 98. (The early tax lists in Monroe County were organized by regiments.) According to his Revolutionary War pension file, James Robinson is shown as receiving his annual pension of $8 per month from 1818 to 1833. His pension file ends with the notation, "Died 11th Dec'br 1833. Paid 1st qtr 1834" (National Archives and Records Administration, U.S. Pensioners, East Tennessee 1818–1832, 544; 1833–1852, 128). (Discovery of this record was first made by Brent Wiseman in August 2015.) No information for James or Sarah has been found beyond this point. James and Sarah's known children settled in Monroe and Bradley Counties, TN and Walker Co., GA, though they also may have had a son settle in Washington Co., VA. On 26 Aug. 1835, there was a James Robinson who witnessed a deed in northeastern Blount County between John Jones of Washington Co., VA and William D. Davis of Blount. The sale consisted of 228 acres on Ellejoy Creek for $500. The property adjoined John McNeely, Benjamin Tipton, James Davis and Robert Mannen. The deed was proven in court September of 1835. Jesse Brown, also a witness for the deed, testified that James Robison (Robinson) was then residing in Virginia (the deed refers to this James as Robinson and then as Robison) (Blount County Deed Book 3: 63–64, #767; see Thomas, Blount County Deeds, 1819 – 1833, 141). This James Robinson might have been a son of the James Robinson who died in 1833, this younger James born about 1786/1796. The location of John Jones in Washington Co., VA may be a clue of where James Robinson moved to in Virginia. (Donna Parten has proposed that the James Robertson mentioned in the estate papers of John Jones Sr. in Washington County in 1830 was James Robinson.) John Jones Jr. of Washington Co., VA was born about 1776, the son of John Jones Sr. who emigrated from Wales. John Jr. married Rachel Robinson in Washington County on 3 May 1798. After Rachel's early death, John married Patience Main on 18 Jul. 1802, and then was finally married to Elizabeth Cole. The unnamed child born to John and Rachel is listed with John and Patience in the 1810 Census but not in the 1820 Census. She may have died or married by that time. She is not mentioned in John Jr.'s will. John Jones Jr. died in 1836 in the St. Clair's Bottom community of Washington County. John Jones Jr. was financially well-off, purchasing property with his father early on and then purchasing the properties of his brothers when they left Virginia. John Jr.'s will refers to his brick home. John Jones Jr. of Washington Co., VA purchased 228 acres on Ellejoy Creek in Blount County from John Pitner for $600 on 13 Dec. 1820. The property adjoined John McNally, Benjamin Tipton, James Davis and Robert Murrin. Witnesses were Adam Pitner, Isaac Lindsay, and John Kincannon. The property had originally been granted to William Johnston in 1810 (Blount County Deed Book 2:206–07, #241; see Thomas, Blount County Deeds, 1819 – 1833, 42). Washington Co., VA borders Tennessee at Johnson County and Sullivan County. William Robeson (Robinson) and his wife were living near his parents James and Sarah in the 1830 Monroe County Census. With them were a daughter 15–20 and a son 10–15. Their daughter Jane was already married and out of the house. The daughter age 10–15 seems to have been Rebecca, and their son 5–10 was James. Jane Robinson Thompson, the daughter of William and Nancy was already married before the 1830 Census. Jane Robinson married Samuel Thompson in Blount County on 17 Jul. 1827. They were married by George Ewing, Justice of the Peace. Samuel seems to have been Samuel S. Thompson, born 1807, the son of Samuel and Sarah Thompson. Jane's brother James married in 1842 and named a son William Thompson Robinson in 1848. Samuel and Jane Robinson Thompson were the parents of Malinda Thompson, the second wife of Jeremiah Hammontree Jr. Jeremiah Hamintree (Hammontree) and Malinda Thomson were married in Blount County on 11 Jul. 1850. They were married by Leonard L. McFarling, JP. Malinda was born in Blount County, reportedly on 25 Oct. 1826, though she was probably born in 1828, given that her parents were married in 1827. DNA testing has shown that descendants of Jeremiah and Malinda Thompson Hammontree share the same Robinson DNA as other descendants of James and Sarah Robinson, the great-grandparents of Malinda Thompson Hammontree. This DNA evidence confirms the view that Malinda Thompson Hammontree was the daughter of Samuel and Jane Robinson Thompson, and that Jane Robinson Thompson was the daughter of William and Nancy Robinson. Jane Robinson Thompson seems to have died during the 1840s. Samuel Thompson, her apparent widower, married Dorcas Brown on 14 May 1848 in Blount County. Samuel and Dorcas were the parents of Margaret Thompson (Tallent). William and Nancy's daughter age 10–15 in the 1830 Census was Rebecca (Becky), born about 1814. Becky married Benjamin Perkins who was born about 1803 in North Carolina. Becky and Benjamin settled in northwest Georgia, as did other members of the Robinson and Hammontree families. The Walker County Messenger (Georgia) reported on 27 Jul. 1902 as follows: "Wm. Hammontree and wife went to Rocky Face Thursday to attend the funeral of their aunt, Mrs. Perkins." This notice appeared under the heading REO. (Reo was a community on the Walker- Whitfield County line. Rocky Face is in Whitfield Co., GA.) William Hammontree of Reo was the great-grandson of James and Sarah Robinson, the grandson of their daughter Sally Robinson Hammontree. It is not known how William Hammontree or his wife could have been related to Mrs. Perkins who died in 1902 unless Mrs. Perkins was the daughter of William and Nancy Robinson, making her the first cousin of James M. Hammontree of Reo, William's father. The Mrs. Perkins who died before Thursday, 24 Jul. 1902 thus seems to have been Rebecca (Becky) Robinson Perkins (1814 – 1902), the wife of Benjamin Perkins. In the 1850 Walker County Census, Benjamin Perkins was 45 and Becky 35. In the 1870 Catoosa County Census, Benjamin was 67 (born in NC) and Becky was 56 (born in TN). In the 1880 Whitfield County Census, Benjamin was 85, Becky 73, and their grandson Henry 6 (born in Arkansas). Benjamin and Becky were the parents of John, born 1831; James W., born 1833, and Margaret Matilda (Matilda), born 1836. Henry's death certificate in Loudon Co., TN gives his name as John Henry Perkins, 1874 – 1935, identifying him as the son of John Perkins born 1831. Matilda married Timothy Roberson. Margaret and Timothy were living with her parents in the 1870 Catoosa Co., GA Census, along with their children. DNA testing has confirmed that descendants of Becky Perkins are descended from James and Sarah Robinson. William Robinson named his daughter born 1814 for his sister Rebecca Robinson Hammontree. Then in 1827 Rebecca Robinson Hammontree named her only son William Robinson Hammontree. The 1840 Monroe County Census shows Wm. Robison (Robinson) and wife, both ages 50–60. With them was a male, age 20–30. This male was apparently James Robinson, born about 1819. James married Louisa Jane Hammontree in Monroe County on 25 Feb. 1842. Louisa was the daughter of Jacob Asbury Hammontree and his wife Jane. Jacob and Jane Hammontree lived near William and Nancy in the 1840 Monroe County Census. James and Louisa's son Jacob Asbury Robinson was born about 1850. (Jane’s Hammontree's maiden name is unknown. DNA testing has shown that she was not a daughter of James and Sarah Robinson. Sarah Robinson's mt-haplogroup is T2g2a. Jane Hammontree's mt-haplogroup is J1c1a.) William and Nancy Robinson were charter members of the Big Creek Baptist Church in Monroe County. The church was organized in 1834. Their son and daughter-in- law James and Louisa Robinson were also listed as charter members, though they were not yet married when the church was organized (Glenn A. Toomey, Jubilee Three: History of the Sweetwater Baptist Association and Its Affiliated Churches, 1830 – 1980, 215–16). William Roberson (Robinson) witnessed a deed of trust in Blount County on 28 Mar. 1843 between Jeremiah Hamentree (Hammontree) of the one part and James Hammontree and John C. Greenway of the other part. The deed was also witnessed by Enoch Robnett (Robinette) (Blount County Deed Book 12: 326). The Jeremiah and James Hammontree mentioned here appear to have been sons of William and Patsy Hammontree. William Robinson's son James had married their niece Louisa Jane Hammontree the year before. Enoch Robinette, who also witnessed the deed, is thought to have been the son of Moses Robinette. Moses Robinette (1750/55 –1846) and his unknown wife are thought to have been the parents of Mary, Rachel, Moses, George, Benjamin and Enoch. Mary Robinnett (Robinette) married William Wittenbarger (Wittenberger) in Blount County on 30 Jan. 1796. As referenced above, Henry Whitenburger (Wittenberger) and William R. Robinson witnessed the sale of 67 ½ acres for $350 from Joseph Pate to Samuel Saffel (Saffell) on 18 Mar. 1808. The property was on Lackey's Creek in eastern Blount County. According to the 1850 Blount County Census, Henry Wittenberger was born about 1785, and his wife Eliza about 1788. Eliza's maiden name is unknown. DNA testing has shown that descendants of James and Sarah Robinson have DNA matches with the Robinette family of Blount County, though it is not yet known how these families are related. William and Nancy are found in the 1850 Monroe County Census. The census lists them as William Robison age 62 and wife Nancy age 70, both born in North Carolina. Nancy Robison was a widow in the 1860 Census, living with James and Louisa Robison. Because these censuses identify William's wife as Nancy, it is likely that she was the Nancy Robinson received by conversion into the Six Mile Baptist Church on 16 Apr. 1814. James and Louisa had their surname given as Robinson in the records of the Big Creek Baptist Church when they were listed alongside James' parents William and Nancy Robinson. But other than that, James and Louisa adopted the spelling "Robison." Rebecca Robinson married Alexander Hammontree on 22 Dec. 1818 in Blount County. They were married by George Snider, MG (Edith B. Little, Blount County, Tennessee Marriages 1795 To 1915, 116, 241; Byron and Barbara Sistler, Early East Tennessee Marriages, vol. 1 (Grooms): 151; vol. 2 (Brides): 312). Rebecca was born about 1795, Alexander about 1796, both in Tennessee. During their early marriage, Rebecca and Alexander lived in Monroe and Bradley Cos., TN, and then moved to Walker Co., GA about 1851. Alexander died sometime before 1860 in Walker County. Rebecca was a widow living with her daughter's DeMore family in Ringgold, Catoosa Co., GA during the 1860 Census. The DeMore family was then in Bradley Co., TN in 1863, briefly in Indiana in 1865, and then back in Bradley County in 1865. Rebecca may have died in any of these places. Rebecca and Alexander were the parents of six children: Jane, born 1819/20; Mary, born about 1821, married Samuel Stewart in McMinn Co., TN on 14 Mar. 184, may have died in childbirth with her second child in 1845 or shortly thereafter; Nancy A. born about 1824, married William R. DeMore about 1845 in Tennessee, died 18 Oct. 1883 in Athens, Clarke Co., GA, buried in Oconee Hill Cemetery; unknown female, born 1825–1830; William Robinson Hammontree, born 5 Sep. 1827, married Tabitha Eleanor (Tabitha) Shirley about 1852 in Walker Co., GA, second marriage to Sarah S. (Sarah) Roberts Dean on 20 May 1879 in Clarke Co., GA, died 25 Jan. 1918 in Keith, Catoosa Co., GA, buried in Dunagan Cemetery, Whitfield Co., GA; Rebecca Caroline (Caroline), born about 1833, married Ransom Adolphus (Ransom) Jones about 1851 in Bradley Co., TN, died about 1897 in Whitfield Co., GA, buried in Dunagan Cemetery. Sarah (Sally) Robinson married Harris Hammontree in Blount County on 12 Jan. 1822. They were married by Archibald Maxwell, JP. Sally was born about 1798/99. Sally was reportedly born on 14 Nov., perhaps in 1798. Harris was reportedly born 1 Sep., either 1797/98. Both Sally and Harris were born in Tennessee. During their early marriage, Sally and Harris lived in Monroe and Bradley Cos., TN, and then moved to Walker Co., GA. They were charter members of the Friendship Baptist Church in the community of Reo, which straddles the Walker –Whitfield County line. Hammontree Drive in Walker County is in the immediate vicinity of where Sally and Harris lived. Sally and Harris both died in 1861 in Walker County and are buried in the Friendship Cemetery. They were the parents of ten children, all seemingly born in Monroe County, except the tenth, possibly born in Bradley Co., TN. These children were: unknown female, born about 1823; James M., born about 1824, married Mary Jane (Polly) Jones on 11 May 1846 in Murray Co., GA, died before 1898 in Walker Co., GA, buried Friendship Cemetery; unknown female, born about 1825; Jesse, born about 1826, married Nancy Neal in 1846 in Murray Co., GA (this portion of Murray County was later Whitfield County), died before 1870 in Dalton, Whitfield Co., GA; Elizabeth, born 1827; John Wesley (John), born 30 Dec. 1828, married Josephine Frances (Josie) Carlisle in about 1855, died 5 Mar. 1895 in Dripping Springs, Washington Co., AR, buried in Dripping Springs Cemetery; Edward Alexander (Ed), born 23 Jan. 1833, married Sarah Amanda Ellen (Ellen) Tate in about 1858, died 28 Feb. 1914 in Maysville, Benton Co., AR, buried Maysville Cemetery; Lydia Ann (Lettie), born 1834, married Caleb Ross (Caleb) Hendrix; Rhoda Jane (Rhoda), born 1837, first marriage to James A. Griffin, second marriage to Rev. Peter Rice; and William Marion (Marion), born 1840, died 1860 in Walker County, buried in Friendship Cemetery. Edward and John Robison (Robinson) lived for a time prior to 1836 on the property of Harris and Sally Robinson Hammontree in Monroe Co., TN. The property adjoined Alexander and Rebecca Robinson Hammontree. On 1 Jun. 1836, Harris Hammontree sold David Trundle 225 or 230 acres for $500. The property was described in the deed as adjoining a conditional line with Alexander Hammontree. This conditional line was revised in the deed as between David Trundle and Arch Sloan. Neighbors included Arch Sloan and John Morgan. The property was described as the former residence of Harris Hammontree, John & Edward Robison (Robinson). The deed was witnessed by Arch and Alex Sloan. Harris was not present when the deed was proven at the courthouse on Apr. 2, 1847 (Monroe County Deed Book O: 74–75). Edward Robison (Robinson) and his family were living in Monroe County during the 1840 Census. This census shows Edward Robison, age 30–40, and wife, age 20 –30. With them were one daughter 5–10 and another 0–5. These daughters were Catherine and Jane. Edward and family were then listed in the 1850 Census of McMinn County. Edward's wife was Mary, her maiden name unknown. Edward and Mary were the parents of Catherine, born about 1834 (possibly the first wife of James Monroe Smith); F. Jane., born about 1836, married James Monroe Smith (possibly after he had been widowed from her sister), died 1897 in McMinn Co., TN; William, born 1838; Elizabeth, born 1843; and Thornton, born 1846. (The death certificate of James Monroe Smith's eldest daughter gives her mother's name as Catherine. This has caused Terri Fogarty Rumans to suggest that James Monroe Smith was married first to Catherine Robinson and then to her sister Jane. Terri Fogarty Rumans is a 3G granddaughter of Edward and Mary Robinson through their daughter Jane Robinson Smith.) John Wesley (John) Robinson (Sr.) was born about 1809 in Tennessee. (According to his gravestone, he was born 1 Oct. 1812. But that year conflicts with other information and seems to be incorrect.) John married Nancy E. (Nancy) about 1835. Nancy was born about 1815. though her gravestone gives her birth as 29 Sep. 1822. Perhaps she was born 29 Sep. 1815. Nancy's maiden name was Copeland or Mathis. John obtained a Tennessee Land Grant in the Ocoee District of Tennessee on 9 May 1841. The grant was for 80 acres in Bradley County and was signed by Governor James K. Polk, later President of the United States. John and his family were in Bradley County in the censuses of 1850, 1860 and 1870. John was listed as John Robison in 1850 and 1860, and as John Robinson in 1870. Nancy died 10 Jul. 1867. John died 9 Mar. 1884. They are buried in the (Old) Lebanon Cemetery in Bradley County. (This cemetery belonged to Lebanon Methodist Church before the property was taken over by the Baptist Church.) John and Nancy were the parents of: Sarah J., born about 1838, died before 1929; James S., born about 1839, married Mary K. ((seems to have served as a Union soldier during the Civil War, see J. S. Hurlburt, The History of the Rebellion in Bradley County, East Tennessee, (James is listed as Roberson) Appendix 19); William, born about 1841 (seems to have died as a Union soldier in Nashville during the Civil War, see Hurlburt, The History of the Rebellion in Bradley County, East Tennessee, (William is listed as Roberson) Appendix 19); Caroline, born about 1843; Mary A., born 16 Oct. 1845, died 29 Oct. 1926 in Bradley County, buried in (Old) Lebanon Cemetery; Hiram Douglas (Hiram), born 17 Nov. 1847, married Nancy Victoria Smallwood, died 4 Jan. 1920 in Shawnee, Pottawatomie Co., OK, buried in Mount Zion Cemetery; John Wesley (John) (Jr.), born 11 Nov. 1850; married Ida L. Powell, died 10 Mar. 1940 in Chattanooga, Hamilton Co., TN, buried in Tryon Cemetery, Tryon, Chattooga Co., GA; Nancy E. (Nancy), born 25 Dec. 1853, married William Newton Mahan, died 7 Dec. 1929 in Dunlap, Sequatchie Co., TN, buried in Rankin Cemetery; Elizabeth, born about 1855, died before 1929; Robert Alexander (Robert), born 1856, married Nancy Annie Wilson, died 18 Jul. 1929 in Walker Co., GA, buried Wesley Chapel Cemetery; and Eliza C., born 28 Aug. 1859, married Othaniel Bolding (his second marriage), died 25 Sep. 1935 in Davis, Murray Co., OK. (John Sr.'s middle name is given as Wesley on the death certificate of his son Robert Alexander Robinson. Robert's death certificate gives his mother's maiden name as Mathis. His brother John Jr.'s death certificate gives it as Copeland.) James and Sarah Robinson's family history is as follows. James was born 1753 probably in Virginia, the son of Samuel Robinson. James and his younger brother William enlisted in the American Revolution in the Maryland Line and then transferred to the Pennsylvania Line, serving together during much of the war. James served aboard the Putnam and Montgomery in the spring of 1776, engaging combat against the HMS Roebuck and HMS Liverpool on the Delaware River near Philadelphia. He was present during the Winter of Valley Forge and was in several memorable battles, including Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth and the Siege of Yorktown for the surrender of Lord Cornwallis. James was honorably discharged in Philadelphia in September 1782. James and Sarah seem to have been married after James completed his military service. Sarah was born about 1762, her maiden name and place of birth unknown. James and Sarah were the parents of William, born about 1788 in North Carolina (married Nancy); Rebecca, born about 1795 in Tennessee (married Alexander Hammontree); Sarah (Sally), born about 1798/99 in Tennessee (married Harris Hammontree); Lydia (Letty), born about 1802; Elizabeth (Betsy), born about 1804; Edward, born about 1806; and John Wesley (John Sr.), born about 1809 in Tennessee (married Nancy). There were probably additional unknown children. James and Sarah were in North Carolina in 1805, so Letty, Betsy and Edward may have been born there. It is unclear when the family moved to Tennessee the second time, though they seem to have done so by 1808. James and Sarah had their earliest known home in Tennessee in Walland, Miller's Cove, in eastern Blount County. The family moved to Six Mile in southern Blount County at least by 1814 when James served as deacon, administrator and treasurer of the Six Mile Baptist Church. James and Sarah returned to Walland, Blount County by 1824 and were then in Monroe Co., TN in the 1830 Census, where they lived near other family members. James died 11 Dec. 1833, probably in Monroe County. No information has been found for Sarah's death. Neither has any information been found for the marriages or families of Letty or Betsy. (Marriage records from Monroe County do not exist from before 1838.) Sally Robinson Hammontree named a daughter Lydia Ann whose nickname was Lettie. Thus it seems likely that Letty Robinson's given name was Lydia. DNA testing has confirmed that descendants of James and Sarah through their apparent son William and their apparent daughter Rebecca are indeed genetic matches to descendants of their known children Sally and John. Thus despite the absence of documentary proof that William and Rebecca were children of James and Sarah, DNA evidence proves in fact that they were. James testified in 1818 and 1820 in applying for his Revolutionary War pension that he gave his military discharge paper to U.S. Senator Jesse Franklin in the hope of receiving a bounty land warrant for his military service. James was entitled to such a warrant but never received one. Jesse Franklin was Senator from North Carolina from 1799 to 1805, and then served a later term as Senator and then as Governor. James declared that he gave his discharge paper to Senator Franklin in 1805, and that he lived in North Carolina at the time. This is curious in that Rebecca and Sally tend to report in their censuses that they were born in Tennessee. Thus it seems that James and Sarah were living in North Carolina in 1788 at the time of William's birth, then in Tennessee from at least 1795 to 1798/99 for the births of Rebecca and Sally, then back to North Carolina by 1805, and then back to Tennessee before John's birth in 1808/09. It is clear that Alexander Hammontree married Rebecca Robinson, though it has been questioned whether Alexander's younger brother Harris married Sally Robinson or Sally Robertson. Sally's name appears in period documents as both Robinson and Robertson. Blount County marriage records indicate that Harris Hammontree and Sarah Robertson were married on 12 Jan. 1822 (see Little, Blount County, Tennessee Marriages, 117, 241; see Byron and Barbara Sistler, Early East Tennessee Marriages, vol. 1 (Grooms): 151, vol. 2 (Brides): 311). An inspection of the original marriage license shows that Robertson is clearly written. As a Robertson, Sally is thought to have been the daughter of Joseph and Margaret Darby Robertson (see Walker County Georgia Heritage Book, 1833 – 1983, 199). Joseph Robertson filed an application for a military pension in Blount County in 1832, where he died in 1834. But although Joseph owned property in Blount as early as 1796, most of his family history occurred in Greene Co., TN, four counties northeast of Blount. Sally is not included among the known children of Joseph and Margaret Robertson, and it is possible that her attribution as such was never made until the Walker County Heritage Book did so in 1984. On the Robinson side of the issue, the following entry appears in the Minutes of the Six Mile Baptist Church a few weeks after Harris and Sally's marriage: "Sister Salley Robinson now Sally Hammontree requests a letter from the church. The church grants her a letter Saterday, Febuary the 16 1822." This letter signifies that Sally Robinson Hammontree was transferring her church membership a month after the county marriage record gives the date of 12 Jan. 1822 for the marriage of Harris Hammontree and Sarah Robertson. The church minutes might be thought to be more reliable on the matter of Sally's maiden name than the county records, owing to personal familiarity, though genealogists have frequently described Sally as a Robertson nonetheless. An exceptional case is that Mary Nan Campbell Greeson and Sybil Reed Tate wrote in 1989 that Alexander and Harris Hammontree "may have married sisters," and then state, "Harris married Sally Robinson 19 [sic] Jan 1822 in Blount County, Tennessee" (Our Jones Family: Ransom Adolphus Jones, 1821 – 1898, 20). However, this controversy has taken place too often without a full inspection of all the available evidence, either with respect to the church minutes, property deeds or James Robinson's military pension application. The Six Mile Minutes indicate that James Robinson was a pillar of the Six Mile congregation, whereas Joseph Robertson was apparently not a member. Because Alexander Hammontree and Rebecca Robinson were married by the minister of the Six Mile Baptist Church in 1818, Sally's membership in this same congregation, where she is identified as a Robinson and then a Hammontree, causes her to appear much more as a Robinson than a Robertson. Additionally, a Monroe County deed for Harris Hammontree in 1836 indicates that Edward and John Robison (Robinson) were residing on the property there with Harris' family prior to that time. James Robinson had identified Sally, Edward and John among his dependent children in his Revolutionary War pension application of 1820. James Robinson's property record of 1824 shows that he owned 31 acres on Six Mile Creek adjoining the Hammontree property. His name is given in the deed as Robinson and Robertson. Sally's name as Robertson on her marriage license does not separate her from the family of James Robinson so much as it shows her inclusion in a family found in period documents as Robinson, Robison, Robeson and Robertson. All taken together (most especially in that James Robinson named Sally Robinson as his daughter, "about twenty years old" in 1820), it is clear that Harris Hammontree married Sally Robinson, the Hammontree and Robinson families both belonging to the Six Mile community. Alexander and Harris Hammontree married their Robinson next-door neighbors. Sources: Terry DeMore Abston, Sara Tate Ham, Willie Hammontree, Donna Parten, Roberta Pierson, Elizabeth Robinette Simmons, Steve Robinson, Janet Siegel Rogers, Sybil Reed Tate, Kathy Segars Teasley, Marcelle White, Brent Wiseman, and the Walker County Public Library in LaFayette. Works Cited Boyer, Reba Bayless. Marriage Records of McMinn County, Tennessee, 1820 – 1870. Privately published, 1964. Burns, Inez E. History of Blount County, Tennessee, 1795 – 1955. Maryville: Tennessee Historical Commission, 1957, revised 1988. Fox, George and Juanita. Surveyors Entry Book – District South of French Broad & Holston, State of Tennessee 1807. Privately published, 2004. Greeson, Mary Nan Campbell and Sybil Reed Tate. Our Jones Family: Ransom Adolphus Jones, 1821 – 1898. Privately published, 1989. Hopkins, Garland Evans. The Story of Cumberland County Virginia. Privately published, 1942. Hurlburt, J. S. History of the Rebellion in Bradley County, East Tennessee. 1866; reprinted by Sink-Moore Publishing Company, 1988. Little, Edith B. Blount County, Tennessee Marriages, 1795 To 1915. Mt. Vernon, IN: Wiedrich Publishing, 1982. Ljungstedt, Mrs. Milnor. "Notes from Declarations Made by Applicants for United States Pensions," Virginia Military Records: From the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, the William and Mary College Quarterly, and Tyler's Quarterly. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1983. Sands, Sarah Cox. History of Monroe County, Tennessee. 3 vols. Baltimore: Gateway Publishing, 1980 – 1982. Sartain, James Alfred. History of Walker County Georgia, vol. 1. Dalton: A. J. Showalter Company, 1932. Shepherd, Michael. "Captain William Brown and the Ivory Satin Waistcoat," in The Robert and Penny Fox Historic Costume Collection Website. Philadelphia: Drexel University, March 2015, https://foxhistoriccostume.wordpress.com/2015/03/. Sistler, Byron and Barbara. Early East Tennessee Marriages. 2 vols. Nashville: Byron Sistler & Associates, 1987. Tate, Sybil Reed, assisted by Mary Nan Campbell Greeson and Gordon Black. A Short Story of Dogwood Valley: 1830 – 1950. Privately published, 1994. Thomas, Jan Biard. Millers Cove Baptist Church Minutes, Walland, Blount County, Tennessee, 1812 – 1824. Signal Mountain, TN: Mountain Press, 2002. Thomas, Jane Kizer. Blount County, Tennessee Deeds: Deed Book 1, 1795 – 1819. Maryville: Blount County Genealogical and Historical Society, 1990. ––––––––. Blount County, Tennessee Deeds, 1819 – 1833. Bowle, MD: Heritage Books, 1993. Ward, Roger B. Cumberland County, Virginia Court Order Books, August 1767 to December 1787. Athens, GA: New Papyrus Publishing, 2003. Whitley, Edythe Rucker. Tennessee Genealogical Records: Records of Early Settlers from State and County Archives. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1980. ––––––––. Marriages of McMinn County, Tennessee, 1821 – 1864. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1983. J. Stephen Hammontree, Ph.D. Excerpted and adapted from Hammontree Genealogy: From Jonathan and Mary to Willaford and Ellen. 29 December 2004, Revised 22 August 2015 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/tn/blount/bios/robinson22bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/tnfiles/ File size: 72.8 Kb