The Descendants of John Robblee, Loyalist, and His
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The Descendants of John Robblee, Loyalist, and his wife Susannah Baker of Dutchess Co., NY & Nova Scotia Compiled by Cindy Walcott <cwalcott141 at gmail dot com) Fall 2018 The original research on the Canadian Robblees was done by Bob Robblee. I well remember the day that the phone rang in my Vermont home – more than 25 years ago? And it was Bob, a new-found cousin. We had a great conversation, which led to a collaboration over many years. I owe a debt of gratitude to Bob, who generously shared his research with me. I have worked to expand it, including adding newly available sources over the years. But truly, the credit goes to him. The Canadian Robblees are descended from the Loyalist branch of the family. John Robblee and his brother Thomas settled in Nova Scotia when they found themselves no longer welcome in the colonies. The family stayed in the Maritimes for many years, but eventually some branches found their way to the Canadian West, and some back to the US, where their ship-building and sailing expertise were but to good use in the Boston area. Most of the modern-day Robblees are of this family. Some of the family did adopt the spelling Roblee. I would ask that anyone using this report not turn “speculation” into “fact” when using the data for his or her own purposes. I welcome any questions, criticisms, confirmations, rebuttals, etc. My interest is in placing all of the individuals in their own families, locations and historical context. Conventions used: A date with “est” in front of it is, in fact, an estimate. A date with abt in front of it is more likely to be more accurate than an estimated date, as it are based on what is known about the individual or family. A date of birth followed by (cal) is calculated from date and age of death. A location with a question mark after it – a guess based on where people were last known to be living. A location with (prob) after it – a stronger supposition than above. A location with (res) after it – usually the place where the last Social Security benefit was sent. Sources are included in the endnotes and in the narrative. We try for primary sources where they are available. Identifying information on individuals who are less than 100 years old who do not have death dates. In 2018, a Roblee/Roblee YDNA study was initiated by Linda McGinnis. The project, called Roblee DNA Project, is housed at FTDNA. It is open to all family members. The more people who participate, the better. We hope that this project will help us to settle some longstanding questions about our family’s origins. Additions, corrections and questions are always most welcome. 1 Generation One 1. John Robblee, b. bef 9 Mar 1739/40 in Huntington, Suffolk Co., NY,1 (son of Andrew Rublier [1709 - ] and Abigail Hawkins), d. 14 Jan 1810 in Wallace, Cumberland Co., NS, Canada,2 buried in Dotten Cem., Cumberland Co., NS, Canada.2 John Robblee bought land in the Nine Partner's Patent in October of 1765, with his brother Thomas. After a couple of years, he released his share of the property to Thomas, and went to live on land he had purchased in Dutchess County from Indians. He later returned to Nine Partners. Presumably, this is the John Rubelee who was chosen fence viewer in the Crum Elbow Precinct of Dutchess Co., NY on 6 Apr 1773 (Source: Roosevelt, Franklin D., ed. Records of the Crum Elbow Precinct. Dutchess County Historical Society 1738-1761. Collections of the Dutchess County Historical Society, Vol VII, 1940) The two brothers were Loyalists, and were forced from their lands. They served in the British army during the Revolution. In 1783, they left New York for Nova Scotia, where they were given land in compensation for lands confiscated. The following is quoted from an article by Brian McConnell, UE, titled Cairn to Westchester Loyalists in North Wallace, N.S. It is available at: <http://www.uelac.org/PDF/Cairn-to-Westchester-Loyalists-in- North-Wallace-NS.pdf>. The article paints a picture of what it was like for the families who left New York for Nova Scotia in 1783. “The Loyalists who settled here left New York during the first week of June, 1783 on board two vessels, the “Thetis” and the “Nicholas and Jane”. They travelled up the Bay of Fundy and landed at Fort Cumberland on July 15. It was considered too late in the year to continue on to to Remsheg as there would not be time to build shelters and plant before the winter. After wintering in tents at Fort Cumberland, the Loyalists completed their journey in the spring of 1784. Among the leaders accompanying the Loyalists were several Officers who had served in a Loyalist battalion known as Delanceys Volunteers or Westchester Light Horse, at Westchester, New York. These included Captain Moses Knapp who in 1783 had been - 3 - ordered by Sir Guy Carleton to serve at Westchester. He and Captain Samuel Kipp, also of Westchester, were both granted lands at Remsheg. They and members of their families left for exile in Nova Scotia. The Dotten family that donated the land for the Loyalist Cairn remembers their family connection well. According to a story that appeared in the Truro Daily News on June 18, 2008, on the occasion of the 225 anniversary of the arrival of the Loyalists, family member Marion Dotten the described the history. She told how when James Dotten sailed into Wallace Bay more than two centuries ago he had meagre supplies but nonetheless great ambition. He and hundreds of others had fled from the United States to Nova Scotia's North Shore leaving behind all his worldly possessions. “They were treated very badly after the war,” said Marion Dotten. “They were persecuted, tarred and feathered. They ran them out. Everything they had was confiscated or burned. I imagine he was quite excited to see the trees lined up to the edge of the shore when he arrived here, excited to see the new possibilities.” Dotten arrived with only a few building tools, a cow and enough food for a year. His wife Abigail and two children under the age of three stayed in New York but set out on foot to reunite with their husband carrying little more than the clothes on their back. 2 There were 109 lots of 200 acres each in the Remsheg Grant for the Westchester Loyalists. The Deed was dated June 16, 1785 and registered July 14, 1785 . A transcribed copy which indicates the names is attached as Appendix A. (4) They were also each given one of 239 three acre building lots in the surveyed township of Fanningsborough, part of the Remsheg Grant. It was named after Colonel Edmund Fanning, who had raised a regiment of Loyalists called the Kings American Regiment. He fled to Nova Scotia in 1783 where he was appointed Lieutenant Governor and received a grant of 800 acres. In 1786 he was appointed Lieutenant Governor of St. John's Island (later named Prince Edward Island) The descendants of many of these families that were granted lands are still in the area today including surnames such as: Brown, Dotten, Forshner, McKim, Piers, Tuttle, and Williams.” "By family tradition, the Robblees are of Scotch origin, but more probably the name is an Anglified form of the German Rapalye. (Sabine mentions several prominent Loyalists of New York named Rapalje and Rapelje. ED.) This name when spoken sounds to English ears very like Rabbalee, from which the transition to Robblee is easy. JOHN ROBBLEE came with other Loyalists to Clements, where so many of Dutch and German extraction settled, bringing with him his eldest son, Thomas. Before 1800 the latter was in Granville, on a farm which comprised the most interesting spot, historically, in the Dominion, perhaps on the continent the site of Demonts' first fort and settlement, and of the Scotch settlers of 1621-1630 ; and when he took possession the outlines of the old Scotch works were plainly visible. A dwelling house, built twenty to thirty years ago, stands on the very spot where Champlain's map of 1605 shows the bakery stood. In digging the cellar, a bar of iron, such as would be used to support the arch of an oven, several cannon-balls and shells, and fire-bricks of foreign make were unearthed. John's sons, William and Joseph, went to New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, and founded families in those provinces. THOMAS ROBBLEE, son of Joseph, adopted by his uncle Thomas, who had no children, was born 1774, died 1854, married 1798, Hannah Delap, born 1780, died 1877." (History of the County of Annapolis, 1897, page 582) In 1999, Bob Robblee said the following on the Roblee listserv: "Surprisingly, one of the best collections of Loyalist Records is housed in the New York Library. I'm not familiar with which exact building in which this is housed, but I have seen documents taken from that source. The Memorials, as they were called, or Petitions to the King, of John and Thomas Robblee, for the lands they had lost were found there by a previous researcher, now passed on, Pearl Anderson Donnan, whose Mother was Atlanta Grace Robblee, from Annapolis, Nova Scotia. John Robblee, I believe, served in the Weschester Loyalists under Col. Delancey. Two reasons for this: John settled with the rest of that group in the Ramsheq Valley near Wallace, Nova Scotia and Col.