M. about 1735 in Charles County, Maryland1
Wife: Mary ________
D. before 23 Jul 1808 in (probably) Lincoln County, North Carolina2
During much of the 18th century, John Robey made a living growing tobacco in the region around the Potomac River. John was born in about 1714 in Charles County, Maryland,1 the peninsula south of present-day Washington, DC. His father was also named John, as was his grandfather who had come over from England in the mid-1600s.1 The Robey family was numerous in Charles County, and it’s challenging to accurately piece them together due to a lack of vital records. John’s mother may have been named Sarah Berry, but this isn't proven.
Map of colonial Maryland showing Charles and Prince George's Counties.
What is known about John is that his early years, and into his middle-age, were spent on small tobacco plantations. The climate and geography of southern Maryland was ideally suited for growing the crop, and it was the reason most people settled there. The peninsula where John lived had natural irrigation from many small streams, which along with rich soil, made the land perfect for growing tobacco. It's likely that John got married during the early 1730s, and his wife was only known by the first name Mary.1 They had at least eight children, the youngest being born in 1763.3
On November 12, 1750, John purchased an 84-acre plantation in Charles County for the price of 5,000 pounds of tobacco.1 Most plantations in Maryland were given names to identify them, and this was a section of a larger one called “Three Brothers.” Later, another record dated April 1764 showed he bought more land adjoining the earlier purchase, and this was called “Roby’s Help.”1 Two years later, John’s name appeared in another transaction, this time a lease for a tract called “Partnership,” located near a place called “Zachiah Manor.”1 The document showed he would gain possession of 150 acres on Christmas Day of 1766, and that the rent for it was 850 pounds of tobacco per year. In the terms of the deal, he was forbidden from cutting trees for wood. He kept this land until September of 1774.1
Typical tobacco farm in Maryland.
After that, John seems to have moved to an adjacent county. A census was taken in Maryland in the summer of 1776 which showed him living in Prince George’s County along with wife Mary and eight others ranging in age from 6 to 23.4 In February 1778, his name was on a list of men who took the oath of allegiance in support of the Americans declaring independence.5 It’s believed that John continued to live in Prince George’s County until the early 1790s, when in his old age, he joined younger family members in moving to Iredell County, North Carolina.3
By the end of his life, John’s wife had died and he was living in the care of his children. All three of his sons had farms there, and it’s likely he lived with one of them. A grandson, Robey Tucker, may have taken him into his household for a time, and John wrote a will dated February 1, 1804 bequeathing Robey’s wife Rachel five pounds for presumably caring for him.2 John lived another four years, dying in early 1808 at the age of about 94.2
Among John’s descendants is Vice President Dan Quayle’s wife Marilyn Tucker.
Children:
1. Mary Robey — B. about 1736, Charles County, Maryland;3 D. before 1 Feb 1804;2 M. (maybe) Thomas Tucker3
2. Leonard Robey — B. about 1738, Charles County, Maryland;1 D. 1815, Iredell County, Maryland;3 M. Emma Wedding (~1735-?), 1770, Charles County, Maryland3
3. Esther Robey — B. about 1740, Charles County, Maryland;1 D. before 1 Feb 1804;2 M. ______ Tucker2
4. Berry Robey — B. 1742, Charles County, Maryland;3 D. 1820, Iredell County, North Carolina6
5. Tobias Robey — B. about 1745, Charles County, Maryland;3 D. before 12 Nov 1802, Iredell County, North Carolina3
6. Basil Robey — B. Charles County, Maryland3
7. Elizabeth Robey — B. Charles County, Maryland;6 M. _______ Barel6
8. Edith Robey — B. about 1762, Charles County, Maryland;6 D. before 1 Feb 1804;2 M. John Smith, 18 Jan 1778, Rowan County, North Carolina6
9. Millie Robey — B. 6 Jan 1763, Charles County, Maryland;3 D. 25 Apr 1844, Giles County, Tennessee;3 M. Jeremiah Parker (1766-1841)6
Sources:
1 Early Colonial Settlers of Southern Maryland and Virginia’s Northern Neck Counties (website)
2 North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970, FamilySearch.org
3 Robey/Roby/Robie: the family history from early England to America, William Grafton Robey Jr., 1994
4 Maryland Records: Colonial, Revolutionary, County and Church from Original Sources, Vol. 1, Gaius Marcus Brumbaugh, 1915
5 Maryland Indexes, Oaths of Fidelity, 1778, Maryland State Archives
6 "Families of Mary Elizabeth Polly Parker McConnell," Christian County, Missouri Genealogy (website)
