| 4. | John Robinson was born in 1689 in Henrico County, Virginia, USA (son of Thomas Robinson and Elizabeth); died in Apr 1768 in Cumberland County, Virginia. Other Events:
- Land Division: 1720, Henrico County, Virginia, USA; John Robertson, William Bradshaw, William Bradley, sons-in-laws, divided the lands that had belonged to their mother-in-law Mary Fields Jones.
- Deed: 25 Mar 1726, Henrico County, Virginia, USA; John Robinson & Tabitha his wife of Henrico Co. to Joseph Mayo of same, for 30, land on north side of James River, 2 miles below the falls, 50 acres, next to Wm. Bradley, said Mayo and the River. No wit. Signed John & Tabitha Robinson rec. 4 Apr 1726
- Land Grant: 20 Jul 1738, Goochland County, VA; 400 acres near the head of Muddy Creek (VA Patent BK. 18 1738-39, p. 161)
- Boundary Chg: 1748, Goochland County, VA; Part of Goochland County, which had originally been Henrico County, becomes Cumberland County and the following year some of Henrico County becomes Chesterfield County
- Deed: 25 Aug 1749, Cumberland County, Virginia; CUMBERLAND COUNTY, VIRGINIA DEEDS, 1749 - 1752: Page 64, Aug. 28, 1749 from John Robinson of Cumberland Co. and Thomas bounded by Samuel Nichols and Deep Creek, Muddy Creek including Robertson of Chesterfield Co (More)
- Land Patent: 7 Aug 1761, Cumberland County, Virginia; John Robinson [Robertson] patents 290 A. George the third, To all ye know that for divers good causes and considerations but more for and in consideration of the sum of thirty shillings of good and lawful money (More)
- Will: 11 Dec 1767, Cumberland County, Virginia; (Whoever wrote the will changed the spelling of Robinson more than once.) I give and bequeath to my sons....one shilling sterling out of my estate they having before received their equal parts of my estate to that sum.
Notes:
Robertson is unquestionably one of the oldest names in Scotland even though the name was not listed there until late in the 14th Century and is thought to be of Gaelic origin, meaning "son of Robert."
When this writer (Billie Lewis Redding) published her Franklin County Ancestory book, she had not discovered that "Robertson" family was actually the Robinson family who had settle on the James River in Henrico County in the early 1600's. Why the family used the name Robertson more consistentl while in Franklin County, but used Robinson before and after living in that county is puzzeling.
The name Robertson is definitely from a clan in Scotland, being part of a larger clan. There is the possibility, however that the name Robinson came from Scotland's borderlands where the family may have married into English families just over the boundary.
James River, along with sections of Virginia's eastern shore, was first settled by Englishmen who had sons and grandsons who would become the first great leaders of the new republic. Following the English were the Scots who came by the way of today's Northern Ireland.
King James, for whom the James River was named, wanted the Presbyterian Scots to move to Ireland to educate the natives; "to educate" meant to "convert" the Irish Catholics to Protestantism. Tempting offers were made to lure them to Ireland, but after arriving, the Scots were severely wronged by the English who levied excessive taxes on the products that Scottish manufacturers produced and imposed unresasonable rents with little chance of complete ownership.
Those Scots began to emigrate but while living in Ireland they maintained their Scottish culture by marrying other Scots and not into the Irish families. Those immigrants are usually referred to today as "Scot-Irish."
Thomas Robinson is the progenitor of the Robinson family but no parents have been documented. A number of family researchers have written undocmented ancestries for him, but this writer has documented the family only to Thomas.
When he landed in Virginia, Thomas was in a colony that had been declared a crown colony by the king in 1624, has been settled, in general, by what has been termed "useless men" of the English gentry who expected their indentured servants to do the labor. Thomas also found that the "planters" as the newcomers were called, were laying the foundation of self-government and were accumluating large plantations while recovering from an Indian massacre that, along with other later atrocities, took lives of many settlers.
The Robinson family lived along the James River near (with some land abutting) Colonel William Byrd, a tabacco merchant whose son, William Byrd II, is remembered as the "father of Richmond." Byrd projected a plan to establish a town at the falls of the James, and in 1733 the city of Richmond was founded.
A Thomas Robinson was brought to Virginia by Thomas Stegg of Charles City County in 1640. On 1 June 1636, James Place of Henrico County "rec'd 550 acres for brining Thomas Robinson and others..."NW toward the Falls of the Main River" which refers to the Mames, Virginia's oldest main waterway. There were Thoams Robinsons of other dates listed, but it seems evident that the Thomas Robinson brought by James Place of Colonel Stegg is the correct ancestor. Both Stegg and Place may have applied for and received their lands a few years after the ebarkation date so Thomas could have been in Henrico County even earlier that 1636-1640. The location referring to the "headright" lands appears to be near the location of the Field and Jones family who lived by Thomas Robinson.
Henrico County, an original parish in 1634, has lost the earliest records and the first extant records are in a mess, therefore the information on the first two ancestors of this Robinson family has been declared by educated supposition and experience in working with land records on the part of this researcher and in cooperation with helpful corresponding Robinson cousins.
It is believed that the Thomas Robinson who was in Henrico County in or about 1636-40 has a son Thomas Jr. who was born about 1650, or a bit later and the younger Thomas married Elizabeth whose maiden name was not found. Thomas Sr. also had a son named John who married Mavell East, daughter of Thomas East.
Thomas Robinson Jr. later became known as "the elder" had a least 3 sons, John, Thomas and George.
Born about 1688 John, son of Thomas the younger and wife Elizabeth lived near both his father, Thomas and his uncle John (who married Mavelle East); therefore the only way to differentiate between the two John Robinsons is to name each John with his wife. John the younger married Tabitha Jones.
Thomas Jr. Owned land on Gilly-Gilley's Creek. Thomas Robinson sold one hundred acres of his land on the 17th of April, in 1693/94 the next record found for him was in January, 1739 when he deeded land to his sons Thomas Robinson and George Robinson.
The deed shows that ancestor John is a brother to the above George and Thomas the younger, and son of Thomas the elder and that John had already moved from Henrico County to that part of Goochland County which is today's Cumberland County, Virginia. Evidently Thomas had given John land on Gilley's Creek when John married Tabitha in or about 1715.
Thomas witnessed the will of Charles Scruggs, stepfather of Tabitha. Charles Scruggs left his daughter, Judith all his worldly goods. Judith married William Bradshaw and was the receipient of all her father's estate, but for some reason, after the death of Scruggs, the estate was settled and Judth shared the whole estate with John Robinson and wife Tabitha and other siblings. There was a division of land among John Robinson, William Bradshaw, William Bradley (wife Hestor) granddaughter Mary Pirront.
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In 1720 John Robinson and his brothers-in-law, William Bradshaw and William Bradley divided the lands that had belonged to their mother-in-law, Mary Field. That land was sold in 1726. For the next twelve years, he and his family lived on his father's Gillies Creek land.
In 1738 he patented 580 acres in Goochland County and moved there. A year later his father Thomas deeded his own land to his sons Thomas and George stating that the said Thomas Robinson the elder for Divers good Causes & considerations him thereto moving but more Especially for the Good Will and Natural love he hath and doth bear to the said Thomas and George his Sons and for their better Support and preferment hath given granted Released and Confirmed and by these presents doth Give Grant Release and Confirm unto his two sons Thomas and George Robinson aforesaid all that plantation and Tract of land whereon the said Thomas Robinson the Elder now dwelleth containing by Estimation two hundred acres more or less lying in the parish and county aforesaid on Gilly's Creek...to be Equally Divided between them in the manner following that is to say Thomas Robinson aforesaid to have that plantation whereon his brother John formerly dwelled...
John Robinson lived in Cumberland County thirty years. His will was written in 1767 and probated the next year. Tabitha is not mentioned in the will so must have died before her husband.
Land Grant:
Received two grants from George II, England. Both grants were for 580 acres in Goochland County in the area which is today Chumberland County "on the north branches of Deep Creek, adjacent to Stephen Hughes, John Hobson, William Bradshaw and Joseph Foqua. According to a researcher, the original land grant for John had been found in a desk that belonged to Field Robinson and then handed down through Field's descendants and "now in the possession of Benjamin F. Robinson and would you believe they sold the desk!"
Patent B18 (56-7) was for four hundred acres near the head of Muddy Creek and reads:
George II, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith To all to whom these presents shall come, Greetings: Know ye that for divers good causes and consideration, but more especially for and in consideration of the sum of forty shillings, good and lawful money for our use, paid to our Receiver General from revenues from this, our successors do give, grant, and confirm unto the said John Robinson one certain tract or parcel of land containing four hundred acres lying and being in the County of Goochland near the head of Muddy Creek bounded as follows, to-wit: beginning at several pointers from Samuel Nichols? corner 16 degrees East 355 poles to pointers; thence on William Bradshaw?s line West 168 poles to a hickory; thence to William Taber?s line the same course continued for 41 poles to a pine on the West side of a meadow North 120 poles to pointers; thence by lines the same course 123 poles to pointers and then East 139 poles to the first station with all woods, high grounds, swamps ? and low grounds, meadows, taking his share of all veins and quarries as well discovered or not discovered within the bounds of ground being part of the four-hundred-acre tract, and the rivers, water, and water courses herein contained together with the privileges of hunting, hawking, fishing, fowling, and all other profits, commodities, et ceters, whatsoever to have, hold, possess, and enjoy the said tract or parcel of land and all the granted premises in every part thereof, with their, and every one of their privileges unto the said John Robinson and his heirs and assigns forever.
Will:
Cumberland County Virginia Will bk. 1 Pg. 343
In the name of God amen I John Roberson of Cumberland County being sick and weak of body but of perfect sence and memory thanks be to God do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament hereby revoking and disenulling all other wills or writings heretofore by me made for this purpose do make and ordain this my last will and testament in manner and form following; viz. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I give and bequeath my soul to almighty God that gave it and my body to the earth to be decently buried at the discretion of my executors hereafter named and my worldly goods I give as followeth. Item I give and bequeath to my four grand children John Roberson, Susannah Roberson, Elizabeth Roberson and Joseph Robertson my Negro man Jack to be equally divided amongs: them when my aforesaid grandson John Roberson shall arrive to the age of twenty one years and ?till that time he the said Negro Jack to be under the care and direction of my son Joseph Roberson for the support and maintenance of my four grand children above named. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Item I give and bequeath to my sons John Roberson, Thomas Roberson, Field Roberson, Christopher Roberson, Edward Roberson, Joseph Roberson and Hezekiah Roberson, one shilling sterling out of my estate they having before received their equal parts of my estate to that sum. I give and bequeath to my three daughters Susanah Bradshaw and Elizabeth Hogan all the rest of my estate to be equally divided between them only reserving seven pounds which has already been paid to William Bradshaw my will is that he allows two thirds of that money out of his part of my estate to the other two namely Judith Bradshaw & Elizabeth Hogan after paying my just debts and funeral expenses. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lastly I nominate and appoint my sons in law Field Bradshaw and William Bradshaw whole and sole executors of this my last will and testament. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this eleventh day of December in the year of our Lord 1767. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ John Roberson L.S. his mark X Will of John Robertson Test Adcock Hobson Joseph Roberson ? his mark Hezekiah Robinson William Robinson ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At court held for Cumberland County the 25th day of April 1768. This last Will and Testament of John Roberson Dec?d was proved by the oaths of Adcock Hobson, Joseph Robertson and Hezekiah Robinson three of the witnesses thereto and by the court ordered to be recorded and on the motion of Field Bradshaw one of the executors therein named who made oath according to law certificate is granted him for obtaining a probate thereof in due form giving security where upon he together with Josiah Bradshaw and Daniel Russell his securities entered into bond with condition according to law and liberty is reserved to the other executor to join in probate. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Test: Thompson Swann Clk. A CopyTeste: Betty R. Wilton ? Deputy Clerk, Circuit Court, Cumberland County, VA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CLK Page 305 The appraisal of the estate of John RoBinson by John Hughes, Nicholas Formby, and Henry Flippen done on Aug 25, 1766: "One feather bed and furniture, and old sack bag and wearing apparel, a remnant of ...some old pewter and knife and fork, two small grind stones, parcel of...of two bushels...a parcel of old books, and old Casket, piece of bacon, old wood bench, old work bench, some beeswax, one chest of desk and books, some walnut plants.
Died:
Will probated 25 April 1768
John married Tabitha Jones, (Scruggs) in 1714 in Henrico County, Virginia, USA. Tabitha (daughter of Edward Jones and Mary Field) was born in 1694 in Henrico County, Virginia, USA; died in Bef. 1768 in Henrico County, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
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