Because of the number of William Robertson living at the time and the lack of records, there have been several women who have been identified as the first wife of William Robertson. No one has been proven but according to Charles Deusner in his book, Through the Gap, Elizabeth Latham is the most likely candidate. Charles does an excellent job in outlining the facts which I will not repeat here.
One person put forth by several researchers is Frances Ann Nelson based on an indenture and release recorded on 18 September 1767 and another indenture recorded on 28 September, both in Fauquier County, Virginia. However, this William Robertson died in Fredrick County, Virginia in 1797 or 1798, meaning Frances Ann Nelson could not be the first wife of our William Robertson. There was another William Robertson whose wife was Mary who owned land in Culpeper County, Virginia. This William, however, died and left his estate to his wife, Mary.
William married Mary Hardin, daughter of Martin Hardin and Lydia Waters, upon the death of his first wife. William and Mary did not have any children together. A Mary Robertson is buried in the old Caldwell Cemetery, three miles northeast of Springfield in Washington Co., KY. This Mary could be the second wife of William Robertson. Her tombstone indicates that she died in 1811 in her 73rd year. This however conflicts with other information that has her year of birth as 1741. Other members of the family of Mary’s first husband, Robert Wickliffe, are also buried in this cemetery.
According to the book, Hardins and Hardings of Virginia and Kentucky, by Dorothy Ford Wulfeck, Mary moved from Prince William Co., Virginia to George’s Creek in Fayette Co., Pennsylvania in the early 1700s and then to Kentucky in 1786.
William and his first wife (presumably Elizabeth Lathem) had two children, John and Elizabeth.
John Robertson
John Robertson was born about 1753 in Virginia and died about November 1813 in Nelson County, Kentucky. He was married first to Elizabeth Williams. John and Elizabeth had one daughter, Sarah Williams Robertson who married Martin Hardin Wickliffe. Sarah and Martin had one daughter.
After Elizabeth’s death, John married Mary Parker, the daughter of Richard and Grizzel (Nalle) Parker. John and Mary had 10 children:
- Elizabeth Robertson who married Samuel Handley.
Elizabeth and Samuel had no children. - William
Nelson Robertson who married Amelia Booker Overton. William and
Amelia had 13 children. - Gilly Robertson who married Cornelius Bodine. Gilly and Cornelius
had 5 children. - Richard Parker Robertson who married Mary Torsey Briggs. Richard
and Mary had 11 children. - Nancy Robertson on who married Andrew Briggs.
Nancy and Andrew had 8 children. - John M. Robertson who died as an infant.
- Matilda Roberson who married George L. Leachman.
Matilda and George and 12 children. - John William Robertson who died at the age of
17. - Handley Robertson who died at the age of 15.
- Cyrus Robertson who married Mary Ann Humphrey.
Cyrus and Mary had 6 children.
Elizabeth Robertson
Elizabeth was born 30 Jul 1756. The last name of Elizabeth’s
first husband is Garnett. She is listed as Elizabeth Garnett on the marriage
records pertaining to her marriage to Joseph James, her second husband. The
likely name of Elizabeth’s first husband is Anthony who died in Lincoln County,
Kentucky about 1784. The Garnett’s were from Culpeper County, Virginia.
Elizabeth’s second husband was Joseph James. Joseph James is
shown in the 1810 Nelson Co., Kentucky census with two males under 10 years of
age, one male age ten to sixteen, one male over age 45 and one female over the
age of 45. Joseph sold land to Thomas James in 1815 and Elizabeth and Joseph
sold furniture and slaves to Thomas during the same year.
There are no know children of Elizabeth Robertson.
