Cornelius Roberts

ROBERTS, CORNELIUS Ancestor #: A096908
Service: VIRGINIA Rank(s): SOLDIER
Birth: CIRCA 1744
Death: ANTE 1- -1790 RUSSELL CO VIRGINIA
Service Source: VA MAG OF HIST & BIOG, VOL 47, 1939, PP 39-40
Service Description: 1) CAPT CHARLES MORGAN, MONTGOMERY CO MILITIA

RESIDENCE
1) County: MONTGOMERY CO - State: VIRGINIA

SPOUSE
Number Name
1) MARY X

Child [Spouse #] Spouse
ARCHIBALD [1] SARAH PENNINGTON
JAMES [1] NANCY X
NATHAN [1] ABIGAIL BISHOP
ELIZABETH [1] ABRAHAM CHILDERS
DANIEL [1] ELIZABETH KISER
DANIEL [2] MARIA X JAMES
JESSE [1] MARY POLLY SIMPSON SKAGGS
MOURNING [1] JACOB TALLEY

• https://services.dar.org/Public/DAR_Research/search_adb/default.cfm

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CONTINUATION FROM NOTES IN CORNELIUS NOTES: 6 boys and 6 girls. In June of 1788, while digging for ginseng on the Black Mountain, Cornelius was scalped and killed by a band of Cherokee Indians led by Robert Benge. Cornelius and Mary left a legacy of 117 known grandchildren and 663 known great-grandchildren. Cornelius was 42 years old when he was killed. His father: James Archibald ROBERTS. Marriage 1 Mary BENTON b: 1750 in Virginia

   * Married: Abt 1767 in Orange County, Virginia 1 Children

• 1. Has No Children Elizabeth ROBERTS b: 1768
• 2. Has Children Mary Ellen ROBERTS b: 1770
• 3. Has No Children James ROBERTS b: 1772
• 4. Has No Children Nathan ROBERTS b: 1774 in Fincastle, Grayson Co. Virginia
• 5. Has No Children Isaac ROBERTS b: 1776
• 6. Has Children Daniel ROBERTS b: 1777 in Montgomery/Grayson County, Virginia
• 7. Has Children Jesse ROBERTS b: 1778 in Montgomery, Grayson Co. Virginia
• 8. Has No Children Amellia ROBERTS b: 1778
• 9. Has No Children Susanna ROBERTS b: 1780
• 10. Has No Children Sinai ROBERTS b: 5 Jun 1781
• 11. Has No Children Archibald ROBERTS b: 1 Mar 1784
• 12. Has Children Mourning ROBERTS b: 14 Aug 1788

Cornelius Roberts served in the Virginia Militia in 1774 with Daniel Boone in the war against the Shawnee Indians. In 1788 Cornelius went into the Black Mountains in Russell, Va to gather valuable, medicinal ginseng and was scalped and killed by Cherokee Indians. # ID: 14176928

1. Name: Cornelius Mumbray ROBERTS
2. Given Name: Cornelius Mumbray
3. Surname: Roberts
4. Sex: M
5. Birth: 1749 in Deal, Kent, England
6. Death: June 1788 in Black Mountain, Lincoln Co., Virginia
7. Event: Elizabeth, Mary Ellen, James, Nathan, Amelia, Isaac, Daniel, Jesse, Suzanna, Sinai, Archibald, Mourning Number of Children 12 Russell/Pittsylvania/Grayson/Botetourt Co., Virginia
8. Baptism: 28 Jan 1749
9. Note: 'Neil' Rev. War Vet. approved by DAR. Militia of Elk Creek Dist of Montgomery Co VA. Soldier in Lord Dunmore's War of 1774. Pike County Kentucky 1822-1976 Historical Papers #2 for the Pike County Historical Society, Pikeville KY 1976, p 62-70. Article - "Cornelious Roberts; 1749-1788, His Begats and their Alliances" by Rodney D. Veitschegger: Cornelious is on the 1st list of tithables of Pittsylvania Co, VA in 1767. He was in Lord Dunmore's War of 1774. This was to protect western settlements. Scalped by Indians on Black Mountain which is on the KY/VA line in Harlan Co KY. Father: James ROBERTS b: 1724 in Deal,Kent,England Mother: Elizabeth MUMBRAY Marriage 1 Mary BENTON b: 1750 in Orange Co., North Carolina

   * Married: about 1766 Children

  1. Has Children Nathan ROBERTS b: 1774 in Botetouri Co., Virginia One of the Elmires, three of the BREEDINGS and Neal Roberts, from

the New Garden settlements in Russell county, were found on Black monutain,

killed and scalped Children of Cornelius Roberts and Mary Benton 1. Mary Roberts Born: 1768 Henry Co. VA Married: Shadrack Monk /cgi-bin/Genealogy/County.cgi?County=
Died: 1802-1809 Russell Co. VA 2. Elizabeth Roberts Born: 1770 Grayson Co. VA Married: Abraham Childers 1786 Russell Co. VA Died: February 17, 1833 Letcher Co. KY 3. James Roberts Born: 1772 Grayson Co. VA Married: Nancy Damron /cgi-bin/Genealogy/County.cgi?County=
Died: 1858 Pike Co. KY 4. Nathan Roberts Born: 1774 Grayson Co. VA Married: Abigail Bishop November 10, 1779 Knox Co. TN Died: 1840-1850 /cgi-bin/Genealogy/County.cgi?County=
5. Amelia 'Milly' Roberts Born: 1775 Grayson Co. VA Married: Edward Frost October 3, 1791 Washington Co. VA Died: 1860-1870 Walker Co. AL 6. Jesse Roberts Born: circa 1776 Grayson Co. VA Married: Mary Ann Simpson Skaggs /cgi-bin/Genealogy/County.cgi?County=
Died: 1857 Taylor Co. KY 7. Daniel Roberts Born: 1777 Grayson Co. VA Married: 1. Elizabeth Kiser circa 1798 Russell Co. VA LOOK UNDER MARYS NOTES FOR REST OF INFO

There is an awesome website that has a wealth of information on Cornelius Roberts and his descendants...

http://mkhgenealogy.com/Roberts/
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GEDCOM Note

Notes

Cornelius Roberts was probably born sometime before 1746 in what is now Henry County, Virginia. His father was most likely James Roberts, although this has not been proven, and his mother’s name is unknown. Cornelius married Mary Benton about 1767. They lived in Henry County for a few years until about 1769-1770 when he obtained land as a Right of Settlement in Grayson County, Virginia. During Lord Dunmore’s War against the Shawnee Indians in 1774 Cornelius served in the militia with the now legendary Daniel Boone, and then in 1780 he fought against the British in the American Revolution in the militia of the Elk Creek District. It was around 1783 that he finally settled down for good in what is now Russell County, Virginia. Cornelius and Mary had a total of 12 children, 6 boys and 6 girls. In June of 1788, while on an expedition to the Black Mountain to collect the valuable herb, ginseng, Cornelius and his party were attacked by a band of Cherokee Indians led by the infamous Robert Benge. Cornelius was scalped and killed in the attack. Cornelius’ twelth child was born a few months later and was named Mourning in his memory. 25 years later Cornelius’ son, Daniel, and a party of menhunted down and killed Dick Benge, the son of Robert Benge. Cornelius and Mary left a legacy of 117 known grandchildren and over 660 known great-grandchildren. Cornelius was 42 years old when he died.

It is unsure but county of death is believed to be Southern Russell County near Cedar Creek in Virginia. Cedar Creek is a branch of the Clinch River.

The earliest records of Cornelius Roberts appear in the late 1760's in Halifax and Pittsylvania Counties Virginia. According to several survey documents Cornelius occasionally went by the name of "Neel."

Cornelius served in the militia during Lord Dunmore's War on the Shawnee Indians in 1774.Cornelius Roberts was a member of Capt. David Looney's Company, one of the 7 companies from Fincastle County. An interesting fact about the Looney company is one of it's Lieutenants was Daniel Boone. Boone was the famous Boone who explored and settled Kentucky. The presence of Daniel Boone in the company of Cornelius Roberts is particularly interesting since a little over two years later, in 1777, a son was born to Cornelius Roberts and named Daniel Roberts. No facts have been found to show that Cornelius Roberts was related to any Daniel Roberts in Virginia. It seems highly likely that he named his son after Daniel Boone who surely was already a famous and well known person by 1777.

  SEVERAL STORIES EXIST CONCERNING THE DEATH OF

             CORNELIUS ROBERTS

(The following account is the tradition related in the Bolling book.)

The Roberts family and some of his in-laws had unknowingly moved and settled within five miles of Chief Benge and his tribe. This was a nearby area now known as Robert's branch.

It is said that Robert's small son had seen some Indians nearby. He told his father about it and said that if they should come that he was going to hide under the trunk of an old tree, near the branch, where the water had washed the dirt from around it.

Roberts gathered his son-in-laws for a battle with the Indians. The Indians attacked at night. It was said that Roberts yelled, 'why don't you wait until daylight and fight like white men?' They said that the young Roberts boy did just as he said and hid under the trunk of the tree near the branch. The Roberts dog attacked an Indian and pulled him over the tree trunk where the boy was hiding. Apparently the Indian did not see him. The Roberts man was killed during the attack. The family buried him under a large chestnut tree. They cut the tree and scattered chestnut burrs so the Indians would think they had cut if for the chestnuts.

This tradition is similar in several ways to that of the Alfred Huff story. Both stories say the attack was at night. Both stories tell about someone hiding in or under a tree. One story says that it was Thomas Lovelady, and the other story says that it was the young son of Roberts(Daniel would have been the right age). Both stories mention son-in-laws. One refers to son-in-laws of the Breeding man. The other story refers to son-in-laws of Roberts. Benjamin Bolling did live in Wise County which was near the Black Mountain in 1789, one year after Cornelius was killed.

However, Cornelius Roberts did not live five miles from where he was killed. All the Deeds and other records show that he lived in the vicinity of Cedar Creek a branch of the Clinch River in southern Russell County. The Breedings and a William Elam lived in the same area. They were on a trip in the mountains to gather ginseng. Cornelius Roberts did not have two son-in-laws killed by Indians. The official account in the Calendar of Virginia Papers gives the names of those killed.

    STILL ANOTHER ACCOUNT OF HIS DEATH

Cornelius Roberts was killed by Indians along with three men of the Breeding family and one man named Elam.
After the death of Cornelius, his widow Mary married Rev. John Frost, (This occured sometime from 1790-1793) brother of Thomas Frost.

Material in Hands of Mrs. Charles Henry Roberts, Mt. Carmel, Illinois, 1950. Cornelius Roberts built a fort on Dan River to protect from Indians; while gathering herbs was killed by the Indians. Two sons came into Tennessee. One of them married and went south, his large family spreading into the south and southwest. The other was Archibald Roberts.
Charles Henry Roberts was the son of Charles 4, Wesley Roberts (Nathan 3, Cornelius 2).

The tradition of Family of Mourning Roberts is that she was name Mourning because her father was killed two months before she was born.

THE INFORMATION BELOW IS A LIST OF CHILDREN I FOUND ON HIS WIFE'S FINDAGRAVE PAGE: Mary Ellen Benton Roberts Findagrave #117792547

Their first child, Mary Ellen was born there in 1768. They then moved to Botetourt Co., Virginia (now Greyson Co.). Eight more children were born there. They were: Elizabeth (1770-1833), James R.(1772-1858), Nathan E.(1774-1850), Amelia "Milly"(1775-1865), Daniel (1777-1847), Jesse (1778-1857), Susanna (1780-??) & Sanai "Sena"(1781-1874). Then the family moved to Washington Co., Virginia (now Russell Co.). Their last three children were born there. They were: Archibald (1784-1860), Isaac (1786-1839) & Mourning (1788-1866).* Reference: [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/32622269/cornelius-alexander-ro... Find A Grave Memorial] - [https://www.geni.com/projects/SmartCopy/18783 SmartCopy]: ''Sep 14 2022, 20:48:40 UTC''