Descendants of Zaccheus Roberts
See Introduction to Elias and Zaccheus Roberts
Sources: Roberts Families of Roane County, TN, by Snyder E. Roberts, and others stated below
ZACCHEUS ROBERTS was born 12 May 1753 in PA, and died 29 Dec 1826. He married NANCY BRASHEARS 11 Dec 1788 in Pendleton Co, SC, daughter of Robert Samuel Brashear and Phoebe Nicks.
The Zaccheus Robarts bible has been donated to the State Library and Archives in Nashville. A copy was made by Mrs. Memory Lester in 1944, and published in her book, The Southern Bible Records. Page 271, copied below: [In a personal letter to Mrs. Minnie Earle Welcker, Mrs. Lester says she believes the father of Zaccheus was Edward, but she can find no proof]
Zaccheus Robards b 12 May 1753, d 29 December 1825 about three hours before day; married 11 December 1788 to Nancy (Brashears) Roberts b 11 May 1773, died 12 July 1850
Their children:
Edward Robarts b 10 Sep 1789, d 26 Dec 1789
Basil Robarts b 17 Sep 1790 [or 91, not clear], d 15 Apr 1795
Zerubabel Robarts b 8 April 1792, d 12 April 1795Brashear Roberts b 19 Feb 1795
Robert Zaccheus Robarts b 28 ay 1797, d 29 Apr 1875 m 3 Nov 1852 to Mary Roberts d 8 June 1886
Nancy Robarts b 1 May 1800, m 11 Nov 1823 to Alexander Nesmith
Elizabeth Robarts b 4 Sep 1802
[one child b 1805, but name is torn off page]
Zedekiah Robarts b 29 Oct 1807
Isaac Robarts b 3 July 1812, m 27 Feb 1831 [not sure of yr] to Elizabeth
John C B.......[not clear] Robarts b 19 Oct 1814
David F. Robarts b 17 July 1809
Bazzel Brashear d 10 Aug 1826
"Zaccheus Robarts His Book"
Note the name was spelled Robarts early in the record and then later entries spelled the name Roberts.
Mrs. Lester says that in a short biographical sketch of a grandson, Benton Nesmith, in several Alabama books of prominent men of Alabama, it is stated that his grandfather, Zaccheus Roberts, was born in PA and fought in the Rev. War.
A typewritten copy found in Roberts Vertical File at TN State Library, Nashville has the above data, plus, under "Deaths" it lists Polly Guffee, Nov. 19, 1835. It does not mention the John C.
A xerox copy of the bible made in 1995 is very poor. It does, however, show plainly, "Polly Guffee died in November the 19 in the yeare of our Lord 1835." This entry is listed immediately following the entry for death of Zaccheus Roberts' death in 1825.
The record of Zaccheus and Nancy's marriage is very plain. December 11 in the year of our Lord, 1788.
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Zaccheus was a Revolutionary War Veteran. His widow claims he entered the service in 1776 until peace was made in 1783, that he claimed to have been in actual service, either scouting or on the line principally in SC, as she believes, a volunteer. They married on Saluda River, SC, near the mouth of the creek they called George's Creek . Note: Zaccheus' Military File has mixed in with his records, papers from the file of Ezra and Patsey Roberts. This is an error by Archives Files, and has no bearing on Zaccheus.
Children of Zaccheus Roberts and Nancy Brashears are:
i. EDWARD ROBERTS, b. 1789; d. 1789.
ii. BASIL ROBERTS, b. 1790; d. 1795.
iii. ZERUBABEL ROBERTS, b. 1792; d. 1795.
iv. BRASHEAR ROBERTS, b. 19 Feb 1795, Roane County, TN; d. 12 Sep 1862; m. PEGGY L. ROGERS, 11 Sep 1828.
v. ROBERT ZACCHEUS ROBERTS, b. 28 May 1797, Roane County, TN; d. 29 Apr 1875; m. MARY MOORE.
vi. NANCY ROBERTS, b. 01 May 1800, Roane County, TN; d. 1867, Lawrence, AL; m. ALELXANDER NESMITH, 11 Nov 1823, Roane Co. TN.
vii. ELIZABETH ROBERTS, b. 1802; m. THOMAS NESMITH, 29 Jan 1829, Roane County, TN.
viii. ZEDEKIAH ROBERTS, b. 29 Oct 1807, Roane County,TN; m. MARTHA BARNETT, 29 Dec 1829, Roane County, TN. Dau. of Carter Barnett, RWS. Children contributed by Chester Davis, ELIPHANZ@aol.com
- AMANDA ROBERTS, b. 1832. m FRANKLIN GRIGSBY.
- NANCY ROBERTS, b. 1834; m. WAYNE AGEE.
- MARY ROBERTS, b. 1836; m. WILLIAM LONG.
- ETHA ROBERTS, b. 1842. m JOHN L. SHARP
- WILEY B ROBERTS, b. 1844.
- ZACHARY T ROBERTS, b. 1849.
ix. DAVID ROBERTS, b. 1809.
x. ISAAC ROBERTS, b. 03 Jul 1812, Roane County,TN; m. ELIZABETH LYLE/LILES, 28 Feb 1832, Roane County,TN. m2 ELIZABETH DUNAWAY
Isaac and Elizabeth Lyle/Lile may have had at least 3 children in Roane County. The 1850 Roane census, would make us suspect these children would have been born during their life together: PARGRANNA (male) 1831, HARRIET W. 1834, and MARY E. 1835. More research needed !
Isaac Roberts was the youngest son of Revolutionary war soldier, Zaccheus Roberts and Nancy Brashears of Roane County, Tennessee. When he arrived in Morgan County in 1842 at the age of 30 he already had a colorful past. He had volunteered for service in the Tennessee Volunteers in the Black Hawk Indian War (referred to also on his service records as the Cherokee War.) He served as a private in the company of Captain Joel Hembree in the militia commanded by Col. Abe Byrd. He volunteered at Kingston, Tennessee on July 1, 1836, was mustered in July 8, 1836 at Athens, Tennessee and was honorably discharged at Calhoon/Macmin(sic) Tennessee on July 7, 1837. Family legend says that when he returned home to his wife in Roane County, Isaac found that she was married to someone else thinking he had been killed in battle. He left Roane County and worked on riverboats up and down the Tennessee for five years after that. One day Isaac had business in Somerville, Alabama and was walking toward the town when he passed by a farm. Isaac spotted a young lady named Elizabeth Dunaway, milking a cow. He fell in love with Elizabeth at first sight and they were married September 18, 1842. Her parents were Joseph Dunaway and Frances Frost.
Isaac and Elizabeth had a family of several children: Adliza, Lucrisa ("Kit"), Martha Veranus ("Nan") Ethelyn, (Lynn) Josephine, (Joey) Robert Zacharias, (Bob) and Isaac Douglas Valandingham (Doug). At the time of Isaac's death in 1890, he and Elizabeth lived between the Neel and Punkin Center Communities on the "Holt Place". Isaac was buried in that area with several of his family members, but the exact location is unknown.
Adliza died as a young adult. Ethelyn "Lynn" was a spinster and a well known practitioner of folk medicine Robert "Uncle Bob", who married Mary Elizabeth Hill, was a colorful character and everybody's favorite guest. He played the fiddle and danced well into his 90's. He also carved walking sticks and other items of wood. Lucrisa married Absalom Daniel. She died young leaving 4 young children. Two of her little girls had preceded her in death and another little girl died a month after Lucrisa. Josephine was one of the charter members of Upton's Chapel Church. Martha (Nan) married William Norwood. Elizabeth, Ethelyn, Josephine, Lucrisa, and several other family members are buried in the Roberts-Brown Cemetery on Brown Road in the Liberty Community.Submitted by
Carolyn Roberts Lane, Danville, AL
Sources: Military Records of Isaac Roberts, Family History, History of Upton's Chapel by Jenny Fisher.