Person:Stephen Robinson (7)

  Featured Page: Week of September 22, 2014

American Revolution Veteran

Biography of Stephen Robinson, Sr.

Stephen Robinson Sr. was the son of Edward and Judith Southall Robinson. He was born about 1745 according to records submitted to the Daughters of American Revolution^[1]. DAR records show him born in Goochland County, Virginia and Cumberland County, Virginia. There are all kinds of birth dates for him in various family genealogies, and his birth date is uncertain, but falls between 1740-1750 based on the 1830 U. S. Census^[1]. Stephen married Elizabeth Holland, daughter of Dr George Holland and his first wife, Sarah Ford, on 13 June 1774^[2] in Louisa County, Virginia. Stephen and Elizabeth Holland Robinson had eleven children: George, Polly, Stephen, Archer, John, who was born near Nashville in 1778/1779, James, Jane (Jenny), Sally, Edward, Nancy and Augustin.

American Revolution Service

Stephen fought in the Revolution, serving as a private in the Militia of Virginia^[1]. His service is listed in the Auditor's Account Book XVIII, at the Virginia State Archives in Richmond, VA as a Revolutionary War Veteran, Virginia line, paid 19 Apr 1784 for 1781 service. He is also listed in Gwathmey's Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution^[8].

In the year 1782 he is found on the Cumberland County, Virginia "Continental Census"^[3]. He is still living in Cumberland County, Virginia on the 1790 Census, reflecting that there were 5 in his household and that he owned 3 slaves.

Move to Tennessee

Stephen conveyed his Virginia land to his brother, Field Robinson, in 1797 before moving his family to Tennessee. Stephen had also finished with the settlement of his father's estate as his executor and is believed to be his eldest son.

About 1799, Stephen and "Betty" Holland Robinson leave Cumberland and are found in Smith County, Tennessee along with their nine children who made the trip with them. Their eleventh and last child, Archilbald or Archie, was born soon after they came to Tennessee. Goodspeed's History said, "John Robinson born circa 1799 (b. 27 January 1798) near Nashville, was brought as an infant to a country infested by Indians, to Temperance Hall"^[5]. In the "History of DeKalb County, Tennessee", William Thomas Hale states that Stephen Robinson settled near Temperance Hall^[6].

In Thomas Webb's "History of DeKalb County, Tennessee", he states, "Adam Dale was the first to settle permanently in what is now DeKalb County. He probably explored the area in 1797 and returned to Nashville. The next year he came back with Stephen Robinson and two brothers, Leonard and John Fite, who brought the first wagon into the Smith Fork Valley. These men, like most early settlers, were looking for good land. They were not, however, penniless wanders; all four of them were settled family men, and all were relatively prosperous"^[7].

In Webb's Bicentennial History of DeKalb County, he says:

"Stephen Robinson was the first settler at Temperance Hall, and he owned land and at least three slaves in Cumberland County, Virginia as early as 1782^[7]. His grandfather, John Robinson, had been a slaveowner and Stephen's mother, Judith, had sufficient property to make a will dividing it among her children^[10]. By the time Stephen made his own will in 1828 (he died in 1835), he owned fourteen slaves, more than a thousand acres of land, an apple orchard, and a rather substantial house judging by the part of it he left to his wife: "the two sellar rooms, two west rooms on the first floor and the west room above the stairs"^[11]. The Holland's were also people of some wealth; Betty's grandmother, Judith Holland bequeathed four hundred pounds each to four of her grandchildren^[12]. Judith Holland did not sign her name to her will, nor did Stephen's mother, Judith or his grandfather John to theirs. Stephen was literate, however, as were his children. The accounts of his nieces in Virginia at the time Stephen left there show expenditures for books and tuition^[13], and Stephen left one of his grandsons $200 for his education"^[9].

The early citizens appear to have had considerable concern for the education of their children, and as the population grew, for the establishment of schools. They were even more concerned with the establishment of law and order. The earliest pioneers of the Cumberland River area in 1780 had set up a government under the Cumberland Compact, and DeKalb County citizens were under the jurisdiction of a county government from the time of their first arrival. In 1803, Stephen Robinson was on a Smith County jury^[14].

In 1820 Stephen is found on the Federal Census for Smith County^[15]. He is listed as Stephen Robertson Senior. There are no other Robinson's listed, so this has to be him. There are 14 slaves in his household. 8 persons are working in Agriculture. He has six persons in his household. Since his youngest child was born c. 1800 (Archie), and there are 2 males and 1 female under 10 it's possible he had another family or grandchildren living with them. These could perhaps be the three children of Sally Robinson Simpson as Augustin, her brother, is appointed their guardian in 1822. Sally was living in 1828, but is referred to in her father's will as Sally Robinson and not Sally Simpson. Again in 1830 there are small children in the household as well as a male 30-39 who could be their father.

Stephen's Death

Stephen Robinson, Sr., and Elizabeth “Betty” (Holland) Robinson spent the remaining years of their lives at their home in Smith County near the present location of Temperance Hall (now DeKalb County). Stephen Robinson, Sr., died in Sep 1835, and “Betty” died about 1838. Stephen Robinson's Will is dated 11 March 1828 and was recorded in Smith County on 16 September 1835. The will of Elizabeth Robinson, widow of Stephen, was recorded in Smith County on 12 Apr 1843. An inventory of the personal property of this estate is very lengthy and contains such items as glassware which one would not expect to be found in this area at such an early date.

There is some speculation as to the location of the graves of Stephen Robinson, Sr., and Elizabeth (Holland) Robinson. It's possible that they were buried on their farm where Ethel (Sykes) Hayes now lives. Others are of the opinion that they must have been buried at the Edward Robinson Cemetery on the west side of Smith Fork Creek about three-fourths of a mile below Dowelltown. There are three very old graves in this cemetery that are covered with large flat rocks which are thought by some descendants to be the graves of Stephen and Elizabeth.

For an extensive history on Robinson descendants, see the website: Robinson Family

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} ROBINSON, STEPHEN, in Daughters of the American Revolution. Genealogical Research System.
2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 Stephen Robinson and Betty Holland, in Dodd, Jordan. Virginia, Compiled Marriages, 1660-1800: [database on-line]. (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 1997)
   13 Jun 1774.

   Louisa County, Virginia

3. ↑ ^3.0 3.1 Jackson, Ron V. Virginia Census, 1607-1890
   P16.

   Township 0503; Continental Census

4. ↑ Cumberland, Virginia, United States. 1790 U. S. Census Population Schedule.
5. ↑ ^5.0 5.1 Stephen Robinson, in Goodspeed Publishing Company. Goodspeed's history of Tennessee: containing historical and biographical sketches of thirty east Tennessee counties: Anderson, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, James, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Loudon, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Polk, Rhea, Roane, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, Washington. (Nashville, Tennessee: Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1886-1887).

   Five Wwites, three blacks

6. ↑ ^6.0 6.1 Hale, William Thomas, and Mike Marler. History of DeKalb County, Tennessee. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1977).
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2} Stephen Robinson, in Webb, Thomas G. (Thomas Gray), and Robert B. Jones. DeKalb County. (Memphis, Tennessee: Memphis State University, c1986)
   pp 9, 11.
8. ↑ Stephen Robinson, in Gwathmey, John Hastings. Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, 1775-1783. (Richmond, Virginia: Dietz Press, 1938)
   p593-E.

   "Index of the Revolutionary records in the Virginia State Archives", compiled by Dr H J Eckenrode in 1912 and 1914.

9. ↑ Stephen Robinson, in Webb, Thomas G. (Thomas Gray), and Tennessee) Tennessee Historical Commission (Nashville. A bicentennial history of DeKalb County, Tennessee: marking the bicentennial of the state of Tennessee in 1996 and the bicentennial of the first settlement of DeKalb County in 1997. (Smithville, Tennessee: Bradley Printing, c1995)
   p 54.
10. ↑ Virginia. County Court (Cumberland County); Virginia. Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery (Cumberland County); and Virginia. Circuit Court (Cumberland County). Will books, with inventories and accounts, 1749-1887: general indexes to wills, 1749-1975. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1949)
    Book 1, page 343.
11. ↑ Stephen Robinson, in Historical Records Survey (Tennessee); Tennessee. County Court (Smith County); and Historical Records Project (Tennessee). County Court minutes, 1799-1835, Smith County, Tennessee. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1939-1940, 1942)
    Bk 3, p 141.
12. ↑ Virginia. County Court (Goochland County). Deed books (with wills, inventories, etc.), 1728-1901: general indexes to deeds, wills, etc., 1728-1969. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1948, 1974)
    Book 6, p179.
13. ↑ Virginia. County Court (Cumberland County); Virginia. Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery (Cumberland County); and Virginia. Circuit Court (Cumberland County). Will books, with inventories and accounts, 1749-1887: general indexes to wills, 1749-1975. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1949)
    Bk 3, p 398.
14. ↑ ^14.0 14.1 Tennessee. County Court (Smith County). Minutes, 1799-1960. (Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee State Library and Archives, 1963)
    pp 55, 70, 1799-1804.

    Stephen Robinson served as juror.

15. ↑ ^15.0 15.1 Stephen Robertson Sr, in Smith, Tennessee, United States. 1820 U.S. Census Population Schedule
    M33_125, p 479, 7 August, 1820.

    Robertson, Stephen,
    Free White Males 1-10, 2 Free White M, 26-44, 1; Free White M, 45 & Over, 1; Free White F, under 10, 1; Free White F , Over 25; 1, 14 Slaves

16. ↑ Smith, Tennessee, United States. 1830 U.S. Census Population Schedule
    Roll 181, p 109.

    Robinson, Stephen,
    Free White M 5-9, 1; Free White M 10-14, 3; Free White M 15-19, 1; Free White males 30-39, 1; Free White M 80-89, 1; Free White F 5-9, 1; Free White F 70-79, 1; 15 Slaves.

17. ↑ Stephen Robinson Sr Will Transcript.
18.   Stephen Robinson's birth date is given as 1745 in Daughter's of American Revolution records. This would make his father 15 at the time he was born. It also means there are 13 years between children. It makes more sense that he was probably born in 1754 and that would make him about 21 years old at the time of his first child's birth, and 20 years old at the time of his marriage to Elizabeth Holland.