Varina Ann Banks Howell Davis (1.4.1.2.4.7.2) - First Lady of the Confederacy This past November I attended my first D.A.R. meeting which celebrated Veterans Day with the local S.A. R. chapter here in Springfield Missouri. I was welcomed by mothers and daughters, descendants of American Revolutionary patriots, who were sharing stories about their colonial histories that intertwined with our own Robinett history. It began to dawn on me, an avid genealogist and fan of DNA studies, that a great deal of our own American story is carried not only down the Y DNA or male line, but it is preserved culturally and historically just as easily on the mother-daughter lines. Although genetically we cannot trace absolute matches this way within a surname, history does continue. As I look at my own daughter Chiara, I think of how this will be of value to her, and her family one day. So began my quest to learn more about our own D.A.R., daughters of Allen Robinett, or in this case of Allen and Margaret Symm Robinett. Not a lot has been published to date about A&M‘s first daughter, Susanna, but we do know that she married in England before coming to America Robert Ward and settled in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. There is extensive information available about the Ward families available on line. If you are interested to learn more about their roots try the Cecil County historical society. Annapolis Maryland is another location that needs extensive exploration…oh and by the way summer is a good time to visit, crab season you know. After I had exhausted my on line resources looking up stories on Susanna, and not yet able to plan a trip to Maryland, I decided to begin doing research on Sarah Robinett. What I found blew my hair back. Most early Robinett stories dwell in and around the Mid Atlantic states. This one does as well. However there is a wonderful new bit of history in England, and Washington D.C., Natchez Mississippi, and Richmond Virginia. If you are at all interested in Civil War history stay tuned because this promises to be entertaining for you, especially. In all accounts of Robinett records to date, it appears that Sarah and her older brother Samuel, possible third child of A&M, travelled to America in the autumn of 1682. They were a part of the first purchaser group who settled in Philadelphia, and Chester County Pa. Sarah was born possibly 1670, making her all of 12 when she made the harrowing voyage across the Atlantic as a member of William Penn‘s ―Holy Experiment‖, pilgrimage to Philadelphia. Richard Bond, of Maulden, Cornwall England born 1650 died 1708 Chester County, son of William Bond, b 1622, son of Johes Bond(e), born 1547. The Bond men ‗ given‘ names are interesting, going back in the family there are Wilm‘s and Ricus‘, mostly centering around Earth (Erth, Earthe), Cornwall, England. The original home of the Bonds was in Cornwall County, England, where there remains to- day the ruins of an ancient castle, Erth Barton Manor, which was held by their antecessors for more than three hundred fifty years. The Erth manor may have been built before the Norman invasion, some evidence dates it back to 562AD. They belonged to the landed aristocracy of their day, and were recognized by the higher castes in the social realm. The Bond family pedigrees are very well documented, especially in Britain . Richard‘s family can be traced on Ancestry.com back to the 1300‘s, but other Bond family sites will offer you more history. This next section comes with a warning label; it is important background, however nerdy. My intention is to give you a good source link, sorry for the stuffiness! The following is an excerpt about the Bond family that can be found I on page 240 of John Burkes 1835 publication, ―A Genealogical and Heraldic History of The Commoners of Great Britain And Ireland Enjoying Territorial Possessions or High Official Rank: But Uninvested With Heritable Honours.‖ History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland. Bond, of Grange. ―The family of Bond was of great antiquity in the county of Cornwall, ("Bond, of Cornwall, a very ancient family, from whom those of London are descended."-Guillim's Heraldry, edit.-In the pedigree of Sir Thomas Bond, bart. in the college of arms, drawn up in the year 1669 , his ancestor, William Bond, of Buckland , in the county of Somerset , is described as being "ex antiquissima Bondorum stirpe in Provincia Cornubiæ oriundus.") and are said to have been originally seated at Penryn in that county, (Mr. Bond has an old MS. pedigree on vellum, dated 1636 , which deduces their descent from a Norman, who came in at the Conquest, and married the daughter and heiress of Bond , of Penryn , in Cornwall : and in Anderson 's pedigree, of Churchill , Duke of Marlborough , we find that Hugh Fitz Roger , second son of Roger de Courcil , (a follower of William the Conqueror, and who obtained from him extensive estates in Somersetshire , Dorsetshire , and Wiltshire , as appears by Domesday), espousing the sister and heiress of Bond, lord of Fisherton , their offspring assumed the surname and arms of that family, viz. sa. a fess or, and hence came the family of Bond . This Bond (or Bondi as he is called in Domesday book) appears to have been a Saxon, and is mentioned in that record as holding Fisherton , in Wilts , as well as other lordships in Dorset and Somerset , as early as the time of Edward the Confessor.) but removed thence, at a very early period, to Earth , in the parish of St. Stephens , an estate they acquired in marriage with the daughter and heiress of a very ancient house, which took its name from that place. ("In following the course of the Lyner, you falle downe by Master Bond 's ancient house at Earthe , descended to his ancestors from a daughter and heir of that name.")‖ Well, here is another mystery to explore. Why did Richard C. Bond come to America? He seemed to have it made back in the old country, or did he? For now let‘s focus on Sarah Robinett (1.4) and Richard Bond as a couple, working hard to grow their land and family. Richard who was 20 years Sara‘s senior, married Allen and Margaret‘s youngest daughter in 1691 in Chester County, 8 years after her parents settled ―Nethercutt‖, the Robinett settlement on Ridley Creek. This would have made Sarah approximately 21 years of age at marriage, while Richard C. Bond would have been 41. They were married for about 17 years, when Richard passed away at the age of 58 in 1708. Allen and Margaret passed in 1694, so Sarah and Richard had a period of about 8 years to develop and maintain their holdings as a couple. Samuel was still very close to Sarah after Richard‘s passing, as he lived to the ripe old age of 75, until 1745. If you read the first volume of Allen Robinett‘s Descendants in America you will see that Sarah and Richard were very involved with Samuel and the management of Allen‘s land and interests. You will find references in Allen‘s will that indicate Richard, Sarah, and Samuel were the direct descendants who inherited Land from Allen indicating that there were close family relationships on the ―Nethercutt‖ settlement. This opens up some ideas for further research to try to better understand the social history of the time on Ridley Creek. Hopefully some of Richard‘s records will give us some clues about Allen and Margaret in the 12 year lives as Americans. Sarah (1.4) and Richard Bond had a son, Samuel Bond (1.4.1) 1692. Samuel lived out his life on another Robinett farm on ―Milford Hundred‖, in Cecil County Maryland, just below Chester County, Pennsylvania. Samuel married Ann Sharpless 1708-1786, born in Ridley Creek Township, Chester County, and had two daughters Margaret and Sarah Bond. Ann Sharpless was the daughter of John Sharpless and Hannah Pennell Sharpless, passengers on the Friendship in 1683 and neighbors of Allen and Margaret. The Sharpless family has some of the very best documented history and best attended family reunions to date. They have really keep their bonds in tact! There is a family story in the Sharpless family collection about the marriage between Samuel and Ann: ―This marriage took place in 1726, and a pretty little traditional romance is woven about it, which says that they eloped at the ages of nineteen and fourteen years, respectively; and that they were pursued by the girl's father, who arrived too late to prevent the ceremony; but he, seeing the fallacy of farther opposition, joined, good naturedly, in the nuptial feast and "took the children home." Samuel (1.4.1) and Ann Bond were the parents of Richard Clayton Bond (1.4.1.1), Sara Bond (1.4.1.2), Margaret Bond (1.4.1.3), Susanna Bond (1.4.1.4) in Cecil County Maryland . So you can see that the family names passed on in this fourth generation of Bond-Robinetts. Now let‘s focus on grandma Sara‘s (1.4) namesake, and follow her path forward. Sara Bond marries into a Welsh family from New Castle, Delaware. Sara married Ebenezer Howell and bore 9 children in 16 years, living in New Castle Delaware and Shiloh, Cumberland New Jersey. Richard Clayton Bond had 15 children.