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Special thanks to Wayne Roberts for data shared on this family.
John Roberts was born ca 1780/1784 in Wayne Co, NC, somewhere
in the Walnut Creek vicinity. He is a proven son of
John Roberts and Nancy (---) of Wayne Co, NC.
John Roberts Jr was apparently home with his parents for the 1790 and
1800 census.
On 3 Sep 1801 John Roberts (Sr) gave property to his son John Roberts
Jr "for natural love and affection to my son". I don't have the details
of this deed, but apparently it was for 970 acres in Duplin Co, NC
(Wayne Co, NC Deed Book 7 page 386).
On 8 Jul 1802 Randolph Rogers sold John Roberts Jr 5 tracts of land
in Duplin Co, NC for $1500. The first tract was 99 acres on Juniper
Branch. The second tract was 300 acres on a prong of Cabbin Branch. This
land was described as once being owned by
Henry Roberts. The third tract was 50 acres. The fourth tract was
100 acres. The fifth tract was 961 and 1/2 acres for a grand total of
1,510 1/2 acres. This deed was witnessed by
John Roberts, Reuben Searles and John Croom.
(Duplin Co, NC Deed Book N page 451).
John Roberts Sr died circa February 1803 in Wayne Co, NC. His estate
records were numerous, and John (Jr) was mentioned several times.
On 3 Mar 1803 John Roberts Jr was listed as a purchaser at an estate
sale for his father.
In July 1803, John Roberts Sr's heirs petition the New Bern District
Court (which was the State court covering several counties, including
Wayne) for a division of the estate of John Roberts. John Roberts (Jr)
was named in this record. The following is an almost complete transcript
of that record:
Isaac Roberts, Stephen Grant and his wife Patience, Anne Roberts, Owen
Roberts, Bright Roberts, Polly Roberts, (the latter 4 minors) by their
next friend Isaac Roberts, complain that John Roberts of Wayne County,
died intestate owning 1000 or 1500 acres in Wayne County, 600 acres in
Lenoir County, 600 in Johnston County, and 975 acres in Duplin County.
that he left a widow Nancy Roberts and 9 children: Charite Roberts
married to Spyers Ham, Henry Roberts, John Roberts & the above
said petitioners. The petitioners state that after Charite Roberts
married Spyers Ham, John Roberts gave a deed to Spyers Ham for 110 3/4
acres in Wayne County on Ready Swamp on the prong of Stony Creek,
William Ham the father of Spyers paying to said John Roberts 75L. that
said John Roberts gave to his son Henry Roberts, 200 acres joining the
same, and to his son John Roberts 975 acres in Duplin County, but
no allotment to the rest of his children. the widow had received dower
of 509 acres in Wayne Co. Petition for division. Commissioners: Richard
Croom, Benjamin Smith (Taylor), John Gaylord, William Smith, Barney
McKinney. 1 Oct 1803 Division of the lands of John Roberts, decd. Isaac
Roberts drew the Hall & Johnston land of x00 acres. Anne Roberts drew
the Trent land in Lenoir County of 670 acres. Patience Grant drew 422
acres. Owen Roberts drew 66 acres and the Walnut Pocoson called the
Jernigan land of 200 acres. Bright Roberts drew 200 acres. Mary Roberts
drew 227 acres. Plat shown.
The above record shows that John Roberts Jr didn't inherit any
additional property, since he had already been given 975 acres in Duplin
Co, NC prior to John Sr's death.
To complicate matters, there was another
John Roberts in Duplin County at the same time as this John, so in
some cases, I may have their records mixed up. The other was a son of
William Roberts of Duplin Co, NC.
Around this time (ca 1800/1810) John Roberts married Mary Lawhorn
in Wayne Co, NC.
John Roberts was listed on the 1806 tax list in Duplin Co, NC. I feel
fairly sure this is the John Roberts under study here, and not the
other, as the other had no property yet by 1806.
On 22 Apr 1806 John Roberts was appointed a constable in Duplin Co,
NC. I don't know which John this was, whether this one (son of John Sr),
or the other one (son of William).
(Duplin Co, NC Court of P&Q)
On the same date, 22 Apr 1806, John Roberts proved a deed in court
between Jacob Minsey and Willis Hines.
(Duplin Co, NC Court of P&Q)
On 20 Oct 1806 John Roberts and Francis Oliver proved the Last Will
and Testament of William Duncan in Duplin County court.
(Duplin Co, NC Court of P&Q)
On 7 May 1808 John Roberts sold 96 acres to James Herring of Wayne
Co, NC. The land was in Duplin, Head of Cabbin Branch, Simon Herrings'
corner. Witnesses were James Bourden and William Whitfield Jr. I don't
know if this was a portion of John's land that he inherited from his
father, or part of some land he purchased himself.
(Duplin Co, NC Deed Book 3A page 488).
On 27 May 1808 James Bourdon sold 21 acres on Cabbin Branch to John
Roberts, adjoining John's property. Witnesses were William Whitfield Jr,
Willis Hines, and Levin Watkins. (Duplin
Co, NC Deed Book 3A page 517).
On 18 Oct 1808 the deed between John Roberts and James Herring was
acknowledged in Court by John Roberts.
(Duplin Co, NC Court of P&Qs)
On 17 Jan 1809 John Roberts was named to be on the Jury for the next
court session. (Duplin Co, NC Court of
P&Qs)
On 17 Oct 1809 John Roberts was named to be on the Jury for the next
court session. (Duplin Co, NC Court of
P&Qs)
There were two John Roberts listed on the 1810 census in Duplin Co,
NC. The other John (son of William) was listed near his father William,
on the same page. This John (son of John Sr) wasn't near them. John seem
to have his orphaned brothers and sister with him, or at least someone
their same ages. This census also showed John with two slaves.
1810 census analysis (based on available evidence):
1810 Duplin Co, NC pg 15 John Roberts 00210-00200-0-2
Analysis:
1 Male(s) 26-44 (1765-1784) John ROBERTS (1780/84) s/o John & Nancy
2 Male(s) 16-25 (1784-1794) Owen ROBERTS (1790/94) brother
Bright ROBERTS (1790/94) brother
2 Female(s) 16-25 (1784-1794) Mary LAWHORN Roberts (1784/94) wife
Mary ROBERTS (1790/94) sister
On 15 Jan 1810 John Roberts was listed on the Duplin County Jury for
that session. (Duplin Co, NC Court of
P&Qs)
On 18 Aug 1810 John's wife Mary "Polly" Lawhorn Roberts was named in
the estate division of her father John Lawhorn's property. She was
listed as "Polly Roberts". (Wayne Co, NC
Estates Book 1 page 313)
On 22 Nov 1810 James Bourdon sold 10 1/2 acres on East Side of Cabbin
Branch to John Roberts. The land bordered John Roberts and Rachel
Hughes. Witnesses were: Samuel Bourdon, Edmund Whitfield, and William
Whitfield. (Duplin Co, NC Deed Book 4A
page 369).
On 18 Jan 1811 John Roberts and
Owen Roberts (his brother) witnessed a deed between his brother
Bright Roberts and his brother-in-law
Burwell Boyette in Wayne Co, NC.
(Wayne Co, NC Deed Book 9 page 384).
On 22 Jan 1811 John Roberts was listed on a Duplin County Jury.
(Duplin Co, NC Court of P&Qs)
On 21 Oct 1811 John Roberts was named to be on the jury for the next
session of court. (Duplin Co, NC Court
of P&Qs)
On 23 Oct 1811 the Deed from James Bourden to John Roberts for 10 1/2
acres was acknowledged in court. (Duplin
Co, NC Court of P&Qs)
On 20 Jan 1812 John Roberts was listed on a Duplin County Jury.
(Duplin Co, NC Court of P&Qs)
On 19 Jan 1815 John Roberts (C. Branch) was named to be on the next
jury. This is the first record I found that tried to distinguish the two
John Roberts. The "C. Branch" obviously means Cabbin Branch where this
John Roberts lived, which was just inside Duplin County, very close to
the Wayne County line. A Court record the next year (1816) referred to
the other John Roberts with "B. Marsh" after his name.
(Duplin Co, NC Court of P&Qs)
On 2 Nov 1816 John Roberts witnessed the Will of William Whitfield Sr
in Wayne Co, NC. Allen Whitfield, Jacob Herring and Graddy Herring also
witnessed. (Wayne Co, NC Wills)
John Roberts was listed on the 1818 tax list in Duplin Co, NC. He was
listed with 1,015 acres, and 1 white poll (himself, probably) and 2
black polls (two slaves). The other John (son of William) was also
listed, but only 203 acres. The 1,015 acres for this John (son of John
Sr) doesn't quite add up with the various deeds and such, it seems John
should have had even more than that, but there could be a mistake
somewhere, or a missing deed.
John Roberts (son of John Sr) lived somewhere along Cabbin Branch in
an area along the Duplin - Wayne County border. His land was in both
counties, it seems.
For the 1820 census, there were three John Roberts listed in
Duplin County, and one in Wayne County. In each of these four cases, the
John Roberts is the right age to be this John, but I'm not sure they are
properly sorted out. I'll take them one by one. In fact, one of these
might just be a duplicate of the other.
The first John in Duplin County in 1820 was on page 172, and listed
as "John Roberts, s.h.". I don't know what the "s.h." means. Usually
initials after a name refer to some distinguishing feature, such as
occupation, or where the person lives, or "son of so and so". I don't
have the actual census record handy, so I don't know who this John's
neighbors were, but other names on the same page include Samuel Bourdon,
Bryan Carraway, and various Whitfields. These are names known to be
associated with the John Roberts under study here (son of John Sr). The
household enumerations for this John also seem to tie in with John's
known family. However, I still don't know what the "s.h." stands for.
1820 census analysis (based on available evidence):
1820 Duplin Co, NC pg 172 John Roberts, s.h. 100110-40010
Analysis:
1 Male(s) 26-44 (1775-1794) John ROBERTS (1780/84)
1 Male(s) 18-25 (1794-1802) Brother? Brother-in-law? (1800/02)
1 Male(s) 0-9 (1810-1820) Henry ROBERTS (1816/17) son
1 Female(s) 45 & up (before 1775) Mother? Mother-in-law?
1 Female(s) 26-44 (1775-1794) Mary LAWHORN Roberts (1784/94), wife
4 Female(s) 0-9 (1810-1820) Tabitha ROBERTS (1810/11) daughter
Margaret ROBERTS (1811/12) daughter
Nancy ROBERTS (1814/15) daughter
Sarah ROBERTS (c1820) daughter
The next John in 1820 Duplin was on page 186, and just two households
from
William Roberts, and probably his son. His household lines up well
with what we know about that
John Roberts.
The third John Roberts in Duplin in 1820 was on page 190 and was on
the same page with several familiar names associated with John, son of
William. This makes this look like a duplicate of the other John. And on
the previous page was an apparent duplicate of William Roberts.
The John Roberts in 1820 Wayne Co, NC was on page 481, but
unfortunately, this census was alphabetical, so we can't tell where he
lived in the county or who his neighbors were. His household was too
small to be the John Roberts we are studying here.
John's wife Mary Lawhorn Roberts died sometime around 1823, quite
possibly in childbirth with her last child Mary on 27 Apr 1823, or soon
after.
John Roberts married a widow Ann Hines Pipkin, sometime in
1823. She was a daughter of Willis Hines and Sally Carraway. I haven't
been able to identify Ann's first husband, other than that his surname
was Pipkin.
There were two John Roberts' listed on the 1830 census in Duplin
County, NC, but they are easily distinguished. This John had a much
larger family than the other John (son of William). Several of John's
family members from 1830 are still unidentified, and may be Pipkin
children belonging to Ann and her first husband.
1830 census analysis (based on available evidence):
1830 Duplin Co, NC pg 148 John Roberts 1030101000000-0252010000000
Analysis:
1 Male(s) 40-49 (1780-1790) John ROBERTS (1780/84)
1 Male(s) 20-29 (1800-1810) Brother? Brother-in-law? Son? (1800/02)
3 Male(s) 10-14 (1815-1820) Henry ROBERTS (1816/17) son
Jesse PIPKIN (1817) step-son
Son? (1815/20) * Not in 1820 might be a Pipkin
1 Male(s) 0-4 (1825-1830) Gideon M. ROBERTS (1827) son
1 Female(s) 30-39 (1790-1800) Anna HINES Roberts (1796) wife
2 Female(s) 15-19 (1810-1815) Tabitha ROBERTS (1810/11) daughter
Margaret ROBERTS (1811/12) daughter
5 Female(s) 10-14 (1815-1820) Nancy ROBERTS (1814/15) daughter
Sarah ROBERTS (c1820) daughter
Julia PIPKIN (1819/20) step-daughter
Step-daughter? * Not in 1820
Step-daughter? * Not in 1820
2 Female(s) 5-9 (1820-1825) Mary ROBERTS (1823) daughter
Susan J. ROBERTS (1824) daughter
Starting around this time, John Roberts was listed in Wayne County
records instead of Duplin. I don't know if this means he moved to a
different part of his property, of if the County lines were ran out and
now put him in Wayne County. Much of the land he obtained in Duplin
County deeds was later disposed by his heirs in Wayne County deeds, so
it seems most logical that the county line "changed" or was that they
didn't really know which county they were in before.
On 20 May 1834 John B. Hurst sold 117 1/2 acres to John Roberts "of
Wayne", land on a prong of Powells Creek. I don't know where this land
was, but it was in Wayne County. Witnesses were James Griswold, and
James F. Kornegay. (Wayne Co, NC Deed
Book 16 page 134).
On -- Feb 1836, the estate of Willis Hines, Ann's father, was divided
and "Anna Roberts" drew Lot # 4. (Wayne
Co, NC Deed book 17 page 280).
On 20 Nov 1837 John Roberts gave 29 acres to his son Henry Roberts
"for love and affection". Witnesses were Daniel Kornegay (John's
son-in-law) and Willis Pipkin (John's step-son).
(Wayne Co, NC Deed Book 17 page 293).
On the same date, 20 Nov 1837, John also gave his son Henry Roberts
34 acres on Cabbin Branch. Same witnesses.
(Wayne Co, NC Deed Book 17 page 293).
John Roberts was listed on the 1840 census in Wayne Co, NC, in Indian
Springs District. He was two houses from his son
Henry Roberts.
1840 census analysis (based on available evidence):
1840 Wayne Co, NC pg 232 John Roberts 0012000100000-0002010000000
Analysis:
1 Male(s) 50-59 (1780-1790) John ROBERTS (1780/84) s/o John & Nancy
2 Male(s) 15-19 (1820-1825) Son? (1820/25) * Not in 1830
Son? (1820/25) * Not in 1830
1 Male(s) 10-14 (1825-1830) Gideon M. ROBERTS (1827) son
1 Female(s) 30-39 (1800-1810) Ann HINES Roberts (1796) wife
2 Female(s) 15-19 (1820-1825) Mary ROBERTS (1823) daughter
Susan J. ROBERTS (1824) daughter
John Roberts died ca February 1842, for on that date, Elisha Pipkin
was named as his administrator. (Wayne
Co, NC Estates).
On 12 Apr 1842 John's widow Ann, was mentioned in a deed between
Elisha Pipkin and wife Tabitha to Henry Roberts, where the Pipkins sold
174 1/2 acres on Cabbin Branch to Henry Roberts. The land was described
as "excepting Ann Roberts dower lands".
(Wayne Co, NC Deed Book 19 page 54).
On -- May 1842, the heirs of John Roberts, deceased, made a deed
dividing his land. The heirs were named as: Tabitha Pipkin, wife of
Elisha Pipkin; Margaret Kornegay, wife of Joseph Kornegay; Nancy
Kornegay, wife of Daniel Kornegay; Sarah Roberts; Mary Wilson, wife of
Francis O. Wilson; Susan Roberts and Gideon Roberts.
(Wayne Co, NC Deed Book 19 page 542).
On 20 Mar 1845 Anna Roberts sold two tracts of land to James Peal.
One tract was 181 and 3/4 acres, and the other was 111 acres. Witnesses
were Benajah Herring and
Henry Roberts. (Wayne Co, NC Deed
Book 20 page 120).
On 1 Feb 1848, John C. Broadhurst (Ann's son-in-law) sold Ann Roberts
two tracts of land, one being 193 acres and the other 123 acres.
Witnesses were James K. Parker and J.K. Green.
(Wayne Co, NC Deed Book 21 page 26).
On the same date, 1 Feb 1848, John C. Broadhurst gave his minor
children into Ann Roberts' care. The children were Thomas Woodly
Broadhurst, Mary Ann Broadhurst, and Martha Margaret Broadhurst. Same
witnesses as before. (Wayne Co, NC Deed
Book 21 page 28).
Ann Roberts was listed on the 1850 census in Wayne Co, NC, in the
division south of the Neuse River. Many of her children and step
children were nearby.
(Note: The dates at the end of each line are not part of the original
census, but are approximate birth years based on age)
1850 WAYNE CO, NC Page House/Family # 460/ 460 -- SOUTH OF NEUSE R. Twp
ROBERTS ANN 55 F W 1500 DUPLIN CO, NC 1794/1795
HERRING ANN 35 F W WAYNE CO, NC 1814/1815
BROADHURST THOMAS 5 M W WAYNE CO, NC 1844/1845
BROADHURST MARTHA 3 F W WAYNE CO, NC 1846/1847
Ann Roberts was listed on the 1859 Wayne County tax list in Indian
Springs District.
On 18 Feb 1859 Anna Roberts made her Will in Wayne Co, NC. She names
Willis Pipkin, a minor heir of her son Jesse Pipkin, deceased; Son
Gideon M. Roberts; Minor heirs of daughter Julia Edmonson, deceased;
Grandson Thomas W. Broadhurst, Alexander Pipkin, and granddaughter
Martha Broadhurst and Louisa Ann Pipkin. Executor was her son Gideon M.
Roberts. Witnesses were W.F. Pollock and Celia Pipkin. The Will wasn't
proven until 1866. (Wayne Co, NC Wills).
Anna Roberts was listed on the 1860 census in Wayne Co, NC in Indian
Springs Township. Her post office was listed as Mount Olive. She was
residing with her son Gideon Roberts and his family (who lived in the
town of Mount Olive).
(Note: The dates at the end of each line are not part of the original
census, but are approximate birth years based on age)
1860 WAYNE CO, NC Page House/Family # 960/ 960 -- INDIAN SPRINGS DIST Twp
ROBERTS G W 33 M W PHYSICIAN 3000 8515 NC 1826/1827
ROBERTS MARGARET 26 F W NC 1833/1834
ROBERTS JAMES D 8 M W NC 1851/1852
ROBERTS JESSE F 5 M W NC 1854/1855
ROBERTS ANNA 63 F W 4000 6800 NC 1796/1797
HURST THOMAS B 15 M W NC 1844/1845
HURST MARTHA M 12 F W NC 1847/1848
"Mrs. Ann Roberts" was listed on the 1863 Wayne County tax list in
Buck Swamp District, and listed with 10 slaves.
Anna died before August 1866 in Wayne Co, NC, for on that date, her
Will was proven in Court. |