A couple of years ago, Cadie did a lot of work on my fathers' family tree. Growing up, my dad was the lawyer for the family so he was the one with knowledge of the first second and third cousins.(He was also a reservist for the Coast Guard, the Lieutenant Commander of the New Rochelle Coast Guard Station by the time he retired - a busy guy!) He also used to talk about visiting a cousin in Leyden Mass. in the summer on a family farm. This is Cadie's research. Joseph Lawrence Hai-Sung Chow was not only of Irish and Chinese descent, but the research leads to a tenuous link to the Mayflower.
Leyden is not too far from Amherst, Joe always thought that if we had a free afternoon we could try to find it - we never had that free afternoon
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The “Robertson Boys of Leyden”
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Chas Lon John Jas Alb Ros Ed + 3 girls = 10
Among our family’s mysteries, none is more tantalizing then the story presented by this picture, which came to us captioned as above. To those brought up in the 1970’s it looks more like a Virginia Slims commercial than a family heirloom!
Who were these guys and how are we related to them? We remember being young children and told that our grandparents, Bill and Barbara Robertson, stopped in Leyden, Massachusetts to visit Ray Robertson on their way to Rangeley, Maine each summer. There are pictures, like the one here, of my father (Lawrence Bennett Robertson) and uncle (William Osborne Robertson, Jr.) as young boys with their father. The back of this photo says it was taken in July 1929 at the “Robertson Homestead” and I was told by my father that was Leyden.
Exactly where is Leyden? The technical answer is northwestern Massachusetts, but for those of my generation who have tried to find it the real answer is the next hill over from Brigadoon! Tucked into the rocky terrain of New England hillside, encompasses just about 18 square miles. Its population in 1790 was 998 , in 1874 was 519, in 2000 was 772. It took Leyden as its name (after Leiden, Holland, temporary home of the Pilgrims before coming to America) when 1809, on Washington's Birthday, the District of Leyden, prior to that part of Bernardston, became the Town of Leyden. Leyden was a remote and apparently hard place to live one hundred and fifty years ago, and even today s it is still pretty inaccessible. Why were there Robertsons there? My father’s explanation was that the first Robertsons to settle up there were horse thieves looking for a good place to hide. Given the strong puritanical thread running through the Robertsons we do know, this seems unlikely.
To add to the mystery of Leyden we heard stories growing up that a Robertson had been so displeased to be told he would benefit from his civil war pension (another clue that we are related!) that he gave it over to the town of Leyden on the condition that they build a library with it. Today at the intersection of the two central roads in Leyden, Greenville Road and West Leyden Road, there are four buildings: the town hall, the general store, the Methodist Church and the Robertson Memorial Library.
The Robertson Memorial Library is a small wood frame building, perhaps 15 feet by 15 feet which sits perched precariously on the edge of an incline across the street from the Town Hall. As can be seen in the picture with my brother, Mark Robertson and my son, JB Welling, beneath the doorway is engraved “Robertson Library 1913”.
Inside the one room structure and next to the stone fireplace is a picture of the man who made it possible, James. R. Robertson (per the label on the picture) .
According to the Leyden history, the library was dedicated to Mr. Robertson’s parents, Roswell and Mary (Wheeler) Robertson. Looking at him and the family resemblance there can be little doubt that we are his descendants. But how?
In February of 2002, I visited the Town Hall in Leyden and was allowed to wade through their records. It seemed that perhaps the father of the “Robertson Boys” was William Robertson, referred to in the Leyden town records as born in Brattleboro, Vermont. His wife had a somewhat less common name, Mary Eliza Martin. In a burst of optimism I searched on the internet for “’William Robertson’ Brattleboro” and to my utter amazement the whole family unit popped out – William, Mary, 7 boys (with the same names as in the caption of the photo) and three girls, with names of their own (not only that but the marriages of two of the girls, Martha and Julia were recorded in the Leyden town records!) The Shelby Site (http://jrshelby.com/rfotw/seaver_e.txt) lists the names:
236 WILLIAM ROBERTSON: June 14, 1811; m. July 7, 1834, Mary Eliza Martin (b. Dec. 8, 1811). Ch.: Edward Wm. (July 16, 1835), Harriet E.(Apr. 30, 1837), Roswell B. (July 6, 1838), Martha Cutting (Sept. 10,1840), Albert Russell (below), James Polk (Nov. 29, 1844), John Henry (Aug. 17, 1846), Alonzo Madison (Aug. 7, 1848), Charles Herbert (Nov.25, 1850), Julia Jeanette (July 16, 1853).
Albert Russell: b. Guilford, Vt., Nov. 19, 1842; m. July 3, 1864,
Ann Riddell.
(A) William Gaun: b. June 18, 1865; Mar. 1, 1903; Cong.; Mason; served Civil War.
(B) LeRoy Albert: Nov. 1, 1879, Winooski, Va.; Jul. 12, 1880.
(C) Grace M.: Winooski, Vt., June 14, 1881; Epis.; (BB); r. 24
Grant St., Burlington, VT
Well, Shelby got the research headed in the right direction, but was not completely accurate. For instance, without even opening a web page it is clear that Albert Russell’s son, born in 1865 did not fight in the Civil War! But it turns out Albert did; he and his brother James (then 20 and 18) enlisted as privates in the 52nd Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers in September of 1862. They served during the siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana, a battle that secured the Mississippi which struck a fatal blow to the South. Two years later, John Henry joined up when he turned 18 and also fought in Louisiana. More on that in their individual biographies.
William Robertson (1811-1891) Before Marriage & Other William Robertsons
William Robertson was born in Brattleboro, VT about June 16, 1811. His father, William was also born in Brattleboro and his mother, Tamar Barton was born in Petersham, Massachusetts. William and Tamar were married in Brattleboro on June 23, 1810. Upon the death of William & Mary Eliza’s son Roswell, a paper reported (presumably on information provided by the family) that “He was of Scotch ancestry, his (Roswell’s) great grandfather and grandfather being pioneers in early New England communities.”
This brings up two points. First, though the picture was titled “The Robertson Boys of Leyden” it is clear on reflection that Leyden should not be considered the exclusive location of these folks, either as a family unit or individually. Leyden is very close to the Vermont-Massachusetts border; Brattleboro is just 11 miles away. Chesterfield, NH, just over the Vermont- New Hampshire is just 10 miles from Brattleboro. New York is about 40 miles to the west. To complicate matters, the borders moved a few times, particularly in the mid 1700’s courtesy of the royal governors of New Hampshire and New York . All of which speaks to the fact that one has to keep an open mind as to where the family might be at any given time. Having said that much of the activity in this part of the world took place in Franklin County, MA and Windham County, Vermont.
The second point is that there are a number of Robertson families in the Vermont area in the early nineteenth century, though perhaps less than one might expect. A review of the genealogical websites shows a marked tendency for Robertsons to settle in the South.
There were however, three noted Robertson’s who were involved in paper making in the lower Vermont area. William Robertson (1793-1868), son of George Robertson of Aberdeen Scotland, manufactured paper in Putney, VT as well as Hinsdale, NH. He married Christiana Ross (1793-1867) in Scotland and they settled eventually in Hinsdale NH. They had 3 girls and 4 boys, including John Robertson (1824-1898). He was born in Halifax Nova Scotia where his parents lived for three years after emigrating from Scotland and before moving to Putney VT . He started out paper making with a brother, eventually founded the Robertson Paper Company which remained in business until 1987. The site of the Robertson Paper Mill in Windham county Vermont is on the National Register of Historic Places. This family does not seem to be related to the Leyden family.
Captain William Robertson (1822-) was born in Harford, CT to George Robertson and Margaret Benson. He also settled in Putney VT and engaged in papermaking. One source states he was a cousin of John Robertson, above, but no details are available. He married and had three children, but does not seem directly related to the Leyden family either.
Another nearby family with a William is that of Archibald Robertson (1708-1803) who came from Scotland with his wife, Elizabeth Watson, and three children as dissenters from the Church of Scotland. They had three children. James (1741-1830) fought in the Revolution and settled in Chesterfield , NH. The sources tell us the names of James’s 14 children, none of whom were William and the only one similar to our family is a James. One of his grandsons, Noyes Robertson (1818) was a prominent citizen of Keene, NH. John settled in Charleston, NH.
Archibald’s third son, William (b 1750 Scotland- d 1841 Brattleboro), married Mary Swan and had 4 sons and 2 daughters. One of his sons, John (b 6/26/1778 in Brattleboro) married a Polly Clendenin December 27, 1779 and they had five children. Given the dates, none are our family directly, but the names make you wonder about the connection: Roswell (1799-1873), Betsey (1801- ), John (1805-) Russell (1807-1880) and Richardson (1809- 1882).
The Brattleboro Town records show another Archibald Robertson (with no indication he is related to the Archibald above), married to Polly, who had nine children, the second of which is named William, born Aug 9, 1797 at Hinsdale, NH . Though this is close, the censuses and death records for “our’ William consistently have him born in1810-11 in Brattleboro. This means this William is too old to be our guy and too young to be his father.
The 1840 US Census, which just ticked off ages and gender for other than the head of the household, shows a William Robertson living in Dummerston, VT (less than 4 miles to Brattleboro). There is a veteran in the household, 89 year old William Robertson (identified on a schedule – actually there are 3 versions but it all seems to be the same – on two he is identified as W M Robertson, but I think the census taker just misread the shorthand “Wm”. ) The household consisted of a man and woman between 80-90; ticks of the right ages to be William & Mary (20-30) Edward William, 5-10, Harriett under 5 and Roswell under 5. There are two other males- between 15-20 and 60-70 and a woman between 50-60. Perhaps William & Mary Eliza were living with William’s parents and grandparents. The numbers fit, but there is no other evidence. In several family trees on Ancestry.com there is a profile of a “William Robertson” born Sept 8, 1750 Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, died April 18411, Dummerston, Windham Vermont”. That is virtually all the information, but it would be consistent with the 89 year old veteran in 1840 and with the comment in Roswell’s obituary that his father’s family was Scotch.
Finally there are a few “William Robertson” sightings not connected specifically to a family. A William Robertson, b 1765, married Nancy Shepardson on June 19, 1794 probably in Guilford, VT where her father had been a captain during the Revolutionary War and was very active in the town. Nancy’s father, Stephen Shepardson, descended from Daniel Shepardson who arrived from England in 1628-29 and whose progeny settled in the Attleboro/Rehoboth area then eventually in Guilford VT. As we shall see Mary Eliza Martin’s family followed the same path. Unfortunately, though proximate and of an age where he could be our William’s father, the Leyden town records are pretty clear William’s mother’s name was Tamar Barton.
An amusing reference to “William Robertson” in Brattleboro is this clipping from The Brattleboro Messenger from May 1822. So much for the horse thief!
A note on a probable explanation for why William Robertson is such a popular name. There was a renowned Scottish academic, William Robertson (1721-1793). He was born at Midlothian, Scotland and educated at the University of Edinburg where he studied divinity. He became Royal Chaplain to George III (1761), Principal of the University of Edinburgh (1762), Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1763, and Royal Historiographer in 1764. His most notable work was perhaps his History of Scotland 1542 - 1603 which was first published in 1759. He was a significant figure in the Scottish Enlightenment and also of the moderates in the Church of Scotland. This portrait of him hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
There are a couple of more Robertsons to discuss. As we will see later at the time of 1850 US Census William and Mary Eliza were living in Westminster, VT with the eight children alive at that time. Their name is incorrectly listed as “Robinson.” Interestingly the next household is headed by George “Robinson”, age 26 born in Vermont, his wife Margaret, age 27 and children, Alice and George A. In 1860 George W. Robertson, age 36, born in Vermont with wife Mary (not too fine a difference), age 37 and their five children (including 12 year old Alice, but no George) are living in Northampton MA with six young men identified as “mechanics” including RB Robertson, age 21, born in Vermont. Roswell B. Robertson, who would have been 21 at the time of the census, has not otherwise been found in a census and his obituary said he had lived in Northampton. One of the other boys is Dennis Burton (or perhaps Barton?) age 22. Next door to George in 1860 is a Russell Robertson, 45 born in Vermont with his wife Elvira and four kids. In 1870 George W, 46 born in VT, Margaret, and the same four kids are living in Springfield, MA another town Roswell was said to have worked in. Russell & Elvira are also in Springfield, MA in 1870. It seems reasonable to conclude that George and Russell are related to William, but presently, except as stated above there is no evidence to support it.
Mary Eliza Martin (1811-1894) and The Martin Family
Mary Eliza Martin was born Dec 8, 1811 in Guilford, VT to Edward Martin and his wife, Mary Goodwin. Unlike the Robertson family, Mary Eliza’s ancestors are well documented. In 1880 a gentleman named Henry J. Martin published “Notices: Genealogical and Historical of the Martin Family of New England” referred to henceforth as the Martin Genealogy. He relied on an earlier work prepared by a Wheeler Martin in 1816 .
For the period before the 1670’s the picture is not dissimilar to the speculation on the Robertsons above- stories of the Martin family of Compton Martin, Somersetshire England, allegedly founded by Martin de Tours in his conquest of Pembroke about 1077. Martin’s sister is reputed to be the mother of St Patrick of Ireland.
According to the Martin Genealogy, several generations later, on March 20 1635 a Robert Martin and his wife Johanna, both 44, set sail with Rev. Joseph Hull from Weymouth, Dorset, England to Weymouth, New England. Robert and Johanna stayed at Weymouth for a bit, then in the mid 1640’s they became among the first settlers of Rehoboth, where Robert became one of the leading men, serving as “townsman” and constable. Robert’s brother Richard came to New England about 1663 with his son John and by 1669 was in Rehoboth. Alternatively, the Willard Family Tree says that John was born in 1634 at Ottery, St Mary, Devon, England and that his father’s name was Edward.
The two sources agree that John Martin married Johanna Esten and the family settled in Rehoboth, MA. They had five boys and four girls and the third son was named Ephraim who was born on February 7, 1676. Ephraim stayed in Rehoboth, settling on a farm and he married Thankful Bullock in 1699. They had four boys and either seven or eight girls. Their eldest son, Edward was born October 22, 1700. He too stayed in Rehoboth and farmed. He married twice, first on November 8, 1722, to Rebekah Peck who was also born and raised in Rehoboth. She died on April 14, 1731, leaving her husband with three daughters (ages 2-6) and a son, Silvanus. On January 19, 1732 Edward married Martha Washburn of Bridgewater, MA. They had one daughter. He died June 2, 1745.
Silvanus Martin was born on July 1, 1727. On February 20, 1746 he married Martha Wheeler, the eldest daughter of Colonel Philip and Martha (ne Salisbury) Wheeler, who had also been born in Rehoboth, on November 1, 1727. Once Massachusetts declared itself independent of Britain, Silvanus was appointed as head of a militia company (and henceforth was called Captain Silvanus Martin). He also served as a justice of the peace, a member of the “Committee of Safety” and a selectman in the town of Rehoboth. In 1776 Silvanus commanded a company under General Spencer against the British on Rhode Island and helped drive British ships from Bristol Harbor which is described more fully by Judge Wheeler Martin in his 1816 work . Silvanus died on August 13, 1782 and a copy of his will is in the Martin Genealogy , giving his widow, Martha, use of the lands and his personal property “for so long as she shall remain my widow”. To his minor unmarried daughters he directs that they receive, when they turn 18 or marry, property “of equal sorts & value as I have given to my other daughter, Hopestill” which was inventoried in his records as well as to all of the surviving children “one bible & one watts psalm book and one large silver spoon” ! In addition to the books and spoons, his “eight sons now surviving “, split everything the balance of the estate.
Martha Wheeler Martin survived until March 6, 1819 when she was 92. Her obituary says she left six sons, two daughters, 80 grand children, 90 grand children’s children and two great grand children’s children to mourn her departure from earth” Her family
William Robertson and Mary Eliza Martin were in fact married on July 7, 1834 in Brattleboro, Vermont.
Much subsequent research indicates William and Mary’s children were born in Vermont although exactly where is uncertain. My comment about the Robertson’s puritanical bent, written several months before doing this research, seems prescient, as there are indications that Mary Eliza. Martin’s ancestors were Puritans!
