St. Joseph County Biography Ref. Page

Picture to yourselves - a long low house, with a sloping roofed porch along the front - set in a clump of tall trees and much shrubbery - all under a sunny Virginia sky and, I imagine, you have the picture of the birthplace of our forefather John D. Robertson.

There lived in Stafford Co., Va., adjacent to the old Washington plantation a woman of middle age by the name of Sarah Scott. Her maiden name was Thomas. She had been married twice and by a former husband had a daughter named Anne Grey. She married a man by the name of Gray and had sons by that name, whose descendants lived somewhere in Illinois, and were great stock raisers - especially swine. Anne Gray married again a man from Scotland name Robertson and to them were born twins - named John Derrick, (which I suppose was the father's given name) and Eliza. When the children were very small the mother died and grandmother Scott cared for them. When they were five years old, the father set sail for Scotland to get a legacy, which had been left to him. He was never heard from and he was supposed to have been captured by the pirates as they were plentiful on the seas at that time. It must have been in John Adams Administration for the twins were born on September 7, 1791 which was in Washington's administration. This Robertson may have been related or had his maternal home in County Antrim of Ireland - at least the Antrims were cousins of great grandfather. Old Billy Antrim and great grandfather being second cousins. After the death of the father, Granny Scott had the entire care of them.

She was a slave holder and a thoughtful woman for she said it was raise corn during the summer, feed it to the hogs in the fall and feed the pork to the "niggers" in the winter and then begin all over again next year. She tired of that so freed her slaves and decided to come to Bourbon Co., Kentucky where her brothers - the Thomas's - had come with Daniel Boone. They were the founders of Thomas Station in Kentucky. This journey must have been made when the twins were eight or ten years of age. Some of the Grays came also and later moved up into Illinois.

After living awhile in the blue-grass regions of Kentucky - Granny Scott and the twins moved in 1802 over the Ohio River into Warren County, Ohio. They crossed the Ohio at Cincinnati which was a small village, having only 2 stores, the block house of the Revolution and a few cabins.

Sarah or Granny Scott was a remarkable woman. She claimed to be a direct descendant of Robert Bruce of Scotland. She was also a cousin by marriage of General Winfield Scott. She was no doubt of temperamental mind for great grandfather said when he was good and she was in a good mood she would say sweetly "Where you going, Johnny?" but if circumstances were different and she was vexed she would say scrappily "Whar you going Jack?" She was a sort of doctor for it was said she could ride miles to care for a sick woman when she was past 70 years of age. She must have reached a ripe old age for she lived some years after Great Grandfather was married. She lies buried somewhere in Warren County, Ohio near Covington. Here the grandchildren had grown up and married. Eliza married an uncle of Abraham Lincoln's and had one son John Robertson Lincoln. He had one daughter Eunice who married a man by the name of Miltonberger and who was still living on the father's old farm. John Derrick Robertson married Elizabeth Goble, January 21, 1813. She was the daughter of Caleb Goble (of the French family of Goblien - the famous tapestry makers of France). Her mother was a Pennsylvania German woman by the name of Leasure. She had 10 brothers and sisters, whose names were as follows: Lucinda Miller, Dowd Goble, Nellie Lindley, Abraham Goble, John Goble, Lottie Girard, Sallie Hurley, Rhoda Brandenburg, Daniel Goble, and Joseph Goble, all these lived in Ohio and Indiana.

They, John and Betty, settled on land leased by Granny Scott and here was born to them four sons, one of whom died in infancy. The others were William H., born November 22, 1813, Daniel Derrick, born September 10, 1815, and James W., born June 28, 1820. In 1824 he moved from Ohio to Indiana and entered land in Wayne County. He lived there about 12 years and was a respected and honored citizen, for he served as Justice from 1828 to 1833. Imagine what little advantages for book learning he had when you think of his boyhood in the wildernesses of Kentucky and Ohio - so when his boys went to school he went with them and by diligent study and reading he became well versed in the Scriptures and law.

In 1836 he came to St. Joseph County to secure homes for himself and boys, and settled in Greene Township. The following year was the one with two winters and becoming discouraged he stated back to Richmond but his son William was in Union Township and not of the same notion so as "Barney wouldn't go - grandmother wouldn't either," and they lived in Union Township 'till 1841 when they moved back to Greene Township. He served there as Justice in 1843. Later resigned to run for Associate Judge, was elected and in September 1844 he and Powers Green became Associate Judges of the Circuit Court of St. Joseph County. He served about seven years in that capacity.

On March 19, 1855 he moved to South Bend, where he spent the remainder of his life. His wife later broke her hip and was an invalid for a number of years, dying March 24, 1873, being nearly 81 years of age. On April 6, 1885 John D. Robertson fell asleep having ended a remarkable career of 93 years, 7 months, 6 days.

He was a man of Scotchy makeup both physical and mental, a thoughtful turn of mind, a keen sense of justice. He was a man of over medium size in the prime of life, with dark curly hair and a piercing blue eye. He was quick of temper but kindly withal. He had little peculiarities like all of us - one was sitting down to the table before the meal was ready. However he was very temperate in eating or drinking for he said he made it a rule to leave the table when he felt he had about half enough. He was frugal but not penurious or over careful of his money. He loved justice and equity. In politics he was a Staunch Whig and later a Black Republican. In religion he was a Methodist.

He was a great hunter in pioneer times and an excellent rifle man. Even after 70 years of age he killed a cat at the barn, shooting his old rifle from his porch - quite a distance as many remember.

He was a loyal friend and under his bruck, rather harsh manner at times beat a loving heart and true. One of his old associates said of him "Judge Robertson is a mighty fine man but he is a little fractious.

Compiled by: Catherine Grundy

Arthur St. Clair was born in Scotland in 1734, a grandson of the Earl of Rosslyn; educated at the University of Edinburgh; studied medicine under John Hunter; inherited a large fortune on the death of his mother; entered the British army as an ensign, May 13, 1757, and the next year he came to America; became distinguished under General Wolfe at Quebec; married at Boston, May 14, 1760, Miss Phoebe Bayard, half-sister of Gov. James Bowdoin; resigned his commission in 1762; settled in Pennsylvania, in 1764, erecting a fine residence and several mills; held many offices, civil and military, and during the Revolutionary war was eminent in his services; was a member of the Continental Congress 1785-�87; became the first Governor of the Northwestern Territory February 1, 1788; made the treaty of Fort Harmer with the Indian tribes in 1789; fixed the seat of the Supreme Court for the Territory, January, 1790, at a point which he named Cincinnati, after the society of which he was an officer; became Commander-in-Chief of the U. S. army, March 4, 1791, which position he resigned, May 5, 1792; made an unsuccessful expedition against the Indians of the Miami and the Wabash, but was vindicated from all blame by a Congressional committee of investigation; was removed from the post of Governor, by Jefferson, Nov. 22, 1802, when he settled in a log house on the summit of Chestnut Ridge, near Greensburg, Pa., where he passed his remaining years in poverty and fruitless efforts to effect a settlement of claims against the U. S. Government, but receiving small pensions, both from the National and State Governments. He died near Greensburg, Aug. 31, 1818. In 1812 he published a �Narrative of the Manner in which the Campaign against the Indians in 1791 was conducted.�