Alexander Robertson

Several Kentucky histories have been written about Alexander Robertson, mostly in connection with biographies of his son, Judge George Robertson ("Historical Sketches of Kentucky" by Lewis Collins, 1850, published by Lewis Collins, Maysville, Ky and J. A. and U. P. James, Cincinnati; "History of Lexington, Kentucky" by George Washington Ranck, 1872, published by Robert Clarke & Co., Cincinnati; "Lawyers and Lawmakers of Kentucky" by H. Levin, editor, 1897, published by Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago to name a few).  Because of information supplied by son George those histories are uniform in identifying Alexander's final destination in 1779 as Gordon's Station, about 4 miles north of Fort Harrod (modern Harrodsburg), on December 24, during "the hard winter."  Gordon's Station would have been approximately 40 miles northwest of Kennedy's Station.  In "Annals of Augusta County, Virginia, From 1726 to 1871" it states "Alexander moved with his family."  But it was very common to travel in large groups for safety from Indians and wild animals as well as for health and life necessity support.  Could Alexander have been in the same group as the James and Matthew written about in the Fort Boonesborough topic - coming through the Cumberland Gap, moving north into Kentucky, arriving at Kennedy's Station about December 16 or 17, then moving on with a smaller group to reach Gordon's Station by December 24?  Seems to me to be very possible and plausible.  In fact "A Genealogy of the Buford Family in America" by Marcus Bainbridge Buford; San Francisco; 1901, page 95 states "Alexander and Margaret R. Robertson settled, in 1774, at Dunker's Bottom, on New River, about twenty miles above English's Ferry, where they lived until the latter part of 1779, when they emigrated, with a colony, to Gordon's Station, about four miles north of Harrodsburg, Kentucky, arriving there December 24, 1779.  They brought with them their three eldest children, who were born in Virginia."

Alexander's parentage also seems fairly clear - the above histories point to Alexander being born November 22, 1748 near Staunton in Augusta County, Virginia to one James Robertson.  His father died in 1754 and his will, dated September 11, 1754 in Augusta County and proved in court November 20, 1754 in Augusta County (Augusta County Will Book 2, page 72) states his wife was "with child" (daughter Sarah) and names sons George and Alexander and unnamed daughters as heirs when they come of age.  When executors Mathew Robertson and John Poage refused to execute, widow Elizabeth (Crawford) served as executrix.  "Lawyers and Lawmakers of Kentucky" goes ahead to state Alexander was "the son of James Robertson, who, with his father of the same name, emigrated to America from the neighborhood of Colerain, in the north of Ireland, about 1737.  They were members of a colony that settled on Burden's (Borden) grant, in the then trans-Alleghany wilderness of Virginia."  "A Genealogy of the Buford Family in America", pages 92-93, describes the advent of the Burden grant as a "grant of land made by Governor Gooch to one Burden, an agent of Lord Fairfax" in a area of uncharted Virginia settled by pioneers John Salling, John Lewis, and John Mackey near the forks of the James River.  Governor Gooch "authorized Burden to locate five hundred thousand acres of land in the vast territory then known as Frederick and Augusta Counties, on the condition that he should, within ten years, settle one hundred families thereon, in which case he should be entitled to one thousand acres adjoining each home, with the right to enter as much more at one shilling per acre.  In order to comply with the terms of the agreement Burden visited England, and in 1737 brought from the north of Ireland, from Scotland, and from the border counties of England, upwards of one hundred settlers" with James Sr. among them.  Nothing is mentioned of other sons or other family members such as brothers, uncles or the like immigrating with James Sr. and Jr.

Little is known of James Sr.  A will has not been found and we know little of his family except for James Jr. and a few siblings based on Judge George Robertson's autobiography.  It is likely James Jr. was of majority age since he was mentioned in several publications as accompanying his father in 1737 (e.g. "Annals of Augusta County, Virginia" by Jos. A. Wadell; Wm. Ellis Jones, Book and Job Printer; Richmond, 1886), and not just biographies of one of his descendents.  James Jr. married Elizabeth Crawford in Augusta County in 1739.  James Jr. purchased, for �30 current money Virginia, 274 acres on Lewis Creek in Beverley Manor from John and Margaret Lewis on February 18, 1743 - said property deeded to John Lewis by William Beverley on February 21, 1738.  The Burden tract bordered the Beverley Manor tract of land (2,071 acres conveyed to Col. Lewis Beverley by deed dated February 22, 1738), with the east border of Burden being the west border of Beverley Manor.  James Jr.'s land adjoined the lands of Rev. John Craig, James Trimble, and Daniel Deniston and was acknowledged in Orange County Deed Book 1, page 65 with Margaret Lewis releasing her dower April 15, 1746.  This tract lay between Staunton and Rev. Craig's residence, which was about five miles from town.  These Robertsons, because of their long standing location in Augusta County, are usually the family units that Stephen descendants attempt to link to.  But based on the assumed age of James Jr. then James Sr. would likely have been approximately 40 when he immigrated, making it very doubtful he was alive in 1775 let alone the father of Stephen.  James Jr. died in 1754, ruling him out as the father of Stephen, and no records have been found to indicate James Jr. had a son James.  It seems Alexander's family does not represent a good match for parentage of Stephen.

If we are to believe Joseph's biography, then Stephen's father must have been old enough to be married by 1760, or earlier, to have 11 children by the time of the Revolutionary War.  What other Robertsons were in the area who might fit the bill as progenitor of Stephen?

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