Owen Roblin h/o Mary Ruttan - s/o Owen Roblin
Sr.
Owen Roblin, husband of Mary Ruttan, was long
ago placed in the family of John Roblin and Sarah Wessels by C. Loral
and Mildred Wannamaker. When I started doing genealogy I simply took it
as a fact and never questioned it. About a year ago I stumbled over a
file where the researcher had placed Owen in the family of Owen Roblin
Sr. I simply thought this researcher was in error and paid no
attention. Not too long after that I came across some information that
made me think again.
In the article "The Roblins …Revisited", C.
Loral Wannamaker writes:
"John Roblin died before letters patent were
issued for lot No. 25 (Thurlow). The Heir and Devisee Commission
awarded the lot to John Roblin Jr. of Whitby " as eldest son and heir
at law of John Roblin Deceased, " in July 1829"
This was startling as John was listed as being
born 1791 and Owen born about 1772. If this were the case Owen should
be the "oldest son and heir". So I started looking. The findings follow:
1. One piece of
information the Wannamakers did not have
when they wrote their manuscript was the birth date of Sarah Wessels. She was baptized 05 Jul 1761 in the Dutch
Reform Church in Paramus, New Jersey. I would suggest that she is also
born close to that time. Her sister Ariaantje/Harriet (who married
William Rowe) was born Nov 10, 1768 and baptized Dec 25, 1768
...suggesting that Joseph and Arianntje (the parents) did not wait long
to baptize the children. Her brother Nicholas was baptized July 7,
1759. If Sarah had been born by that time she would have been baptized
at that point also. It is fairly certain that Sarah was born the same
year she was baptised.
We have a date of birth for John Roblin Sr. of
May 2, 1755 (source unknown).
We know that Owen married Mary Ruttan by 1793...they has their first child, Rebecca
in 1794. Owen is also listed in the Returns of the Inhabitants of
Adolphustown, March 28, 1794
with a family consisting of one man and one woman.
For Owen to marry and have a child in 1794 he
would need to be born by at least 1776 (probably sooner). If we look at
the age of Sarah Wessels in 1776 she is 15 years old...maybe 16....old
enough to be married and have a child BUT if we look at the age of her
daughters we find:
Elizabeth b. abt 1776 ....married
Nov. 1791 (Rev John Stuart Anglican Parish Register
Baptisms-Marriages-Funerals Kingston, Upper Canada 1784-1811). Born in
1776 she would have been only 15. She would have had to be at least 15
to marry.
Sarah Roblin b. abt 1777....married bef. 1793.
James and Sarah Wilson are witnesses to the inventory of John Roblin's
estate when he dies Feb 27, 1793....she had to have been married prior
to 1793. She would likely have been 15-16 before her marriage which
makes her born by 1777.
Rebecca Roblin b. abt 1778.....married Jan 5,
1794 (Anglican Registers 1787-1814; Rev John Langhorn, Rector of
Ernestown) To be 15-16 at this time she had to have been born 1778.
We have three daughters for John Roblin and
Sarah Wessels born 1776, 1777, and 1778.
There is no room for Owen
to have been born from 1776 to 1778....and Sarah Wessels was not
old enough to have had him before 1776.
2. In the 1851
Adolphustown Census Transcript by Russ
Waller, Owen P. Roblin age 85 is listed with Mary age 76 (pg 10). They
are living on Lot 24, Con 3. Also living on Lot 24, Con 3 are Stephen
Roblin, his wife Amy Allison and family. Stephen Roblin is the son of Owen Roblin and Mary Ruttan. Russ Waller who
did the 1851 Transcription lists this as Owen Roblin and Mary Dulmage.
However Owen Roblin who married Mary Ruttan (s/o Philip Roblin and
Elizabeth Miller) died in 1845. If he had been still living he would
have been 77 years old not 85, and Mary Dulmage would have been 70 not
76. This Owen and Mary, are Owen P. Roblin and Mary Ruttan. If Owen
were 85 in 1851 he would have been born 1767. The date given for Mary's
birth is Jan 1776, making her 76 years of age as recorded.
A birth date of 1767 would be in keeping with
the ages of Owen Roblin Sr's daughters, Mary born 1769 and Rebecca born
1771.
3. The Wannamakers
state that Owen s/o Owen Roblin Sr. and wife Mary (last name unknown)
"went early to Owen Sound". Checking out the history of Owen Sound I
find that this community was not settled until 1836-1840.
Owen Sound and vicinity was opened relatively late for
settlement, as it was First Nations land until an 1836 treaty. This
would not be "early" in the life of Owen, even if he had been born 1772
which is the date given by the Wannamakers .....he would have been 64 years of age. A thorough search by Joan
Hyslop archivist at the Owen Sound Museum, has found no sign of
Roblins' in Owen Sound. There is no Roblin in an 1851 directory of Owen
Sound, nor in an 1857 one. The 1865-1866 W.W. Smith Gazetteer &
Directory of the County of Grey does not list any Roblins at Owen
Sound. Nor does an 1869 listing. Nor does an 1892 directory.
There is a David Allen Roblin who received land
from the crown in St Vincent, Grey County in 1851. This is David Roblin
b. 1812 h/o Pamelia Hawley and son of Rev.
John P. Roblin s/o Philip Roblin and Elizabeth Miller. David sold Lot 8
N1/2 Con 11 to a Archibald McDonell of Kingston, Frontenac County for
2000 pounds on May 3rd, 1859 and it does not appear that he ever lived
in St. Vincent.
4. The Wannamakers
listed six children for the family of Owen and Mary (s/o Owen Roblin
Sr) who were believed to have gone to Owen Sound. They list the
following children:
Sophia Roblin 1814-1880 married John Babcock 1810-1878
Eunice Roblin married
John Van West or Van Nest
Jane Roblin married Lewis Brickman
John Ivy Roblin 1800 - 1879 married Mary Ann
Cole 1803 - 1878
Philip Robin
George Roblin
We know that John Ivy Roblin b. 1774 h/o Mary
Ann Cole is the son of Owen Philip Roblin and Mary Dulmage. Owen Philip
Roblin and Mary Dulmage also have sons George and Philip.
It was the three girls that I was having
trouble with so I decided to try to trace them through the
husbands...this is what I find:
Lewis Brickman b. 1818 d. 23 June, 1882 buried
in Albury Cemetery married Margaret Jane Cole b. 19 Jan 1824 d. 29 Dec
1893 buried Albury Cemetery.
John Ward Babcock b. 8 July 1810 Ameliasburgh
d. 8 May 1878, buried Albury Cemetery married Sophia Cole 18 May 1833.
Eunice Post Cole b: 29 JUL 1817 married Peter
Van Whart b. 1818
It appears that the Wannamakers have confused three Cole girls for Roblins. These girls were
the daughters of John Cole and Sophia Redner. There is a well
documented history for this family.
5. There has never been any doubt that Owen
Roblin Sr had a son Owen Jr.
- in 1782 Owen Roblin Sr. is listed in the
records of the British Headquarters in New York City as being with a
wife and four children.
- Return of Disbanded Troops - 4th Township
(Adiolphustown) Oct 5, 1784
Owen Roblin - men 1
boys (10+) 1 (no women)
-
1786 Provisioning Lists - 4th Township (Adolphustown) between
July 1-!ug 31 1786
Owen Roblin men 1
boys(10+) 1....no women
- Old United Empire Loyalist List
Owen P. Roblin s/o Owen Sr ...listed as 21 years of age-L.B.M.
1793, 200 Land Board Mecklenberg
- the manifest of the "Hope", the ship that
Peter Ruttans' group of Associated Loyalists sailed on, lists
both Owen Roblin Sr and Owen Roblin Jr. (Voyages of a Different
Kind by Larry Turner pg 119)
There is no doubt of the existence of Owen
Roblin Jr s/o Owen Roblin Sr, the age of this Owen and his marriage is
the question.
6. To have been listed on the "Hope" as an
individual in his own right and as an adult, he would have to have been
at least 16 years of age. The "Hope" left New York
July 4, 1783. To be 16 at this point Owen Jr would have been
born 1767…this would match exactly the 85 years of age recorded for Owen Roblin h/o Mary given in the 1851
Adolphustown Census.
John Roblin who
was born May 2, 1755 would only have been 12 years old in 1767 and
Sarah Wessels b. 1761 would only have been 6 years old.
7. Owen Roblin Jr
s/o Owen Roblin Sr. is listed with a birth date of 1774 because of the
Old UEL list...
"Roblin, Owen P do. Son of Owen, Senr., is 21
years of age--L. B. M. 1793, 200."
There are two explanations here. First , this
could mean ...he has attained the age of 21 (which he was required to
be before he could apply for land) and not that he was exactly 21. Or
second (as suggested by Rosalyn Insley) Owen P. Roblin listed as 21
years of age is the son of Philip Roblin and Owen Roblin Jr. is the son
of Owen Roblin Sr. Philips' son is not
likely to be known as Owen Jr….a "Junior" in his family would be Philip
Jr and a "Junior" in Owen Roblins' family would be "Owen Roblin Jr."
*note - Owen P. Roblin s/o Philip Roblin was
born 1774.
7. From the Returns of the Inhabitants of
Adolphustown, dating from March 28, 1794,we find Owen Roblin, Sen.,
living alone; Owen Roblin Jr. is listed as one man and one woman. In 1795 Owen, Sen., does not appear, but the
family of Owen, Jr., is given as two men, one woman, and one female
child. For the next succeeding three years the men in this family are
recorded as two. In 1800 the men are only one. From this record we
infer that Owen Roblin Sen., living alone in 1794, went to live Owen Roblin Jr. Thoug we do not have a lot and
concession number in 1794 the property abstract for Lot 24, Con 3
Adolphustown shows 100 acres received by Owen Roblin Nov 5, 1803 and
sold to Stephen Roblin Mch 1829. Lot 24, Con 3 is the same lot listed
in the 1851 Adolphustown Census where we find Owen Roblin and Mary
Ruttan as well as his son Stephen Roblin and family. If Owen Roblin h/o
Mary Ruttan were the son of John Roblin and Sarah Wessels it is not
likely that Owen Roblin Sr. would live with this family in his old age.
8. Following the Returns of the Inhabitants of
Adolphustown from 1795, when Owen is listed with one daughter (Rebecca
b. 1794) through the years to 1822 we find that the births of children
correspond to those of the family of Owen Roblin and Mary Ruttan.
Men
wmn boys girls
total
1794 1
1
2
Owen and Mary
1797 2
1
1
1
5
Owen, Mary Owen Sr. Rebecca & Jacob
1799 2
1
2
1
6
Owen, Mary Owen Sr. Rebecca, Jacob and Stephen
1800 1
1
2
1
5
Owen, Mary, Rebecca, Jacob and Stephen
1801 1
1
2
2
6
Owen, Mary, Rebecca, Jacob, Stephen and Mary
1802 1
1
2
3
7
Owen, Mary, Rebecca, Jacob,Stephen, Mary and
Elizabeth
1803 1
1
2
2
6
Owen, Mary, Rebecca, Jacob, Stephen, Mary and
Elizabeth*
1804 1
1
2
4
8
Owen, Mary, Rebecca, Jacob, Stephen, Mary,
Elizabeth & Margaret
1805 1
1
2
4
8
Owen, Mary, Rebecca, Jacob, Stephen, Mary,
Elizabeth & Margaret
1806 1
1
3
4
9
Owen, Mary, Rebecca, Jacob, Stephen, Mary,
Elizabeth & Margaret & John Wesley
1807 1
1
3
4
9
Owen, Mary, Rebecca, Jacob, Stephen, Mary,
Elizabeth & Margaret & John Wesley
1808 1
1
3
5
10
Owen, Mary, Rebecca, Jacob, Stephen, Mary, Eliz,
Margaret, John W. & Rachel
1809 4
males 6 females
10
Owen, Mary, Rebecca, Jacob, Stephen, Mary, Eliz,
Marg, John W. & Rachel
1810 1
2
3
4
10
Owen, Mary, Rebecca**, Jacob, Stephen, Mary, Eliz,
Marg,, John W. & Rachel
1811 1
2
3
6
12
Owen, Mary, Rebecca, Jacob, Stephen, Mary, Eliz,
Marg, John W., Rachel, Ann, Phoebe
1812 1
1
3
6
11
Owen, Mary, Jacob, Stephen, Mary, Eliz, Marg, John
W., Rachel, Ann, Phoebe ***
1813 2
1
3
5
11
Owen, Mary, Jacob, Stephen, Eliz, Marg, John W.,
Rachel, Ann, Phoebe & Owen ****
1814 3
1
2
4
10
Owen, Mary, Jacob, Stephen, Marg, John W., Rachel,
Ann, Phoebe, Owen *****
1816 3
1
3
5
12
Owen, Mary, Jacob, Stephen, Mary or Eliz, Marg,
John W., Rachel, Ann, Phoebe, Owen & Philip
*one of the girls appears to be missing, but
reappears the following year
** Rebecca is now 16
***Rebecca is married
****Jacob is now 16, one of the girls is
missing - perhaps Mary is helping Rebecca through her first pregnancy?
*****Stephen is now 16, and now two of the
girls are missing - I assume Mary and Elizabeth are living and working
outside the home?
(The next returns are for 1820 and 1822 -
because of the gap it is difficult to accurately conjecture who is
where)
In Conclusion, I am convinced that we have only
two Owen P. Roblins' in the second generation:
-Owen P. Roblin b. 1767 h/o Mary Ruttan and son
of Owen Roblin Sr
-Owen Phillip Roblin b. 1774 h/o Mary Dulmage
and son of Philip Roblin and Elizabeth Miller.
…there is no Owen Roblin son of John Roblin and
Sarah Wessels.
Linda Herman
1504 Birdwood Crt,
<
rodbigelow@netzero.net
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