Robert 1815
Robert Rankin (c1756-1815)
and his wife Elizabeth Russell
Compiled and copyrighted June 2010 by
Linda Sparks Starr
Although researchers disagree slightly when estimating the birth year
of Robert Rankin, they all agree he was the youngest son of George and Martha. Some add
he was their youngest child, but others (including this writer) believe
Mary was the younger of the two. Either way, Robert was quite
young when his father died in 1760. Although by today’s
standards he was still young in 1768 when his mother remarried, by
frontier standards he was old enough to apprentice himself into
learning a trade, or remain with his brothers helping with the farm
chores. Court officials only concerned themselves with protecting the
inheritance of the minor children; who fed, clothed and cared for them
was not an official concern. Robert's step-father's will
thus provides the most enlightenment into the dynamics of this
step-family. The only Rankin family member mentioned is his
step-daughter Mary. It seems obvious she grew up in his household
for he treated her in his will the same as his own grandchildren.
That suggests to me that Robert Rankin was the older of the two and
remained with his brothers when his mother moved from the Rankin
fireside.
Robert’s name appears with those serving in the militia company
of Capt. John Givens between October 1777 and March 1782.
[Boogher p. 223-224] In 1787 John
Rankin paid the personal property tax for his brothers Robert and
James, suggesting the three remained on John’s portion of the
farm once owned by their father. [SchreinerYantis-Love p. 125]
John’s January 1790 will divided his 110 acres and all his
moveable (personal) estate between these two brothers. This gift of
land to the two of them complied with the stated wishes of their
father’s 1760
will. But John added two clauses to the deal: in
exchange for this largess, James and Robert were to provide the
necessary means to clear the heirs of their deceased brother Thomas of
any debts his estate owed their father George’s estate.
Additionally, they were to make a token payment of a few shillings to
brother William and sisters Jean and Mary (or their heirs).
[Prichard p. 20 citing Augusta Co. Will Book 7 p. 200] Robert
appears on the Augusta County Land Tax Rolls for the first time in
1790; he is shown as owner of 55 acres. [Sparacio p. 101; 106]
Even though Robert was in his forties when he married 12 September
1805, all researchers say this was his only marriage. The bride,
Elizabeth Russell, was the daughter of Andrew Russell who died 1803;
she was also the sister of Jane who married Robert’s brother,
James Rankin. [Prichard p. 20] In 1813 he and James purchased two tracts from the heirs
of their brother Thomas. The deeds identified the tracts as:
“ ... a parcel of land lately
bequeathed by John Crawford dec’d to the heirs of Thomas Rankin,
dec’d and also ... land adjoining the above-mentioned tract
and lately belonging to the estate of Thomas Rankin dec’d, both
tracts being on the Middle River in the county of Augusta adjoining the
land of the late Robert Crawford dec’d ... the two tracts
[combined] containing by estimation one hundred and eighty-eight acres.”
[Augusta Co. Deed Book 36 (or 38) page 1-2] Thus the two brothers who
didn’t receive any land from their father’s will, ended up
with two-thirds of his total land holdings plus a portion of an
adjoining lot.
The untimely death of Robert 5 April 1815 created a minor problem
for Thomas’s heirs. Everything had been finalized – land
changed hands and the first payment received – but the witnesses
had not yet proven the deeds. The heirs executed a second deed,
this time to “James Rankin and
the heirs of Robert Rankin deceased of the county of Augusta Virginia.”
That was the easy part for the court appointed administrator over
Robert's estate, Alexander R. Givens. His next step wasn’t
difficult either. A sale bill dated 29 September 1815 shows the items
sold were from the “Inventory
of that part of Personal property of Robert Rankin dec’d which
was not in common between him, the said Robert Rankin, and his brother
James Rankin Sr.” [Henry Rankin citing DAR Lineage
Book 166 p. 33 Mrs. Lyda Rankin Martin #165.105] Among the
purchasers at this sale were neighbors James Crawford, Samuel Crawford
and Robert’s brother, Capt. James Rankin.
Dividing their legacy from John Rankin was a far more complicated task.
They jointly held in common all the land, slaves and personal estate
(plantation tools, livestock, horses, crops, household items etc.) once
owned by their brother John. One can imagine they worked the land
together even after their marriage, just as they had done when John was
still alive. Towards this end James Rankin Sr. filed a friendly lawsuit
against Robert Rankin’s
representatives. The suit record is undated but it
provides the exact death date of Robert: 5th April last.
[Chalkley vol. ii p. 208 citing circuit Clerk’s Office O.S.
272; N. S. 96] (Although a few researchers give 1814 as the year
of his death, all records point to 1815.) Even more importantly,
this record gives us a definitive list of Robert’s surviving
heirs: his widow Elizabeth and three underage children: George,
Andrew Russell and Mary Ann.
Curiously, Henry Rankin Jr. reported Robert and Elizabeth both died in
Pocahontas County, now West Virginia. There’s nothing in
the above record that says where he died; but everything points to his
death in Augusta County. Miss Dice, a Richard Rankin descendant
but lifelong resident of the area, said Robert’s son George is
buried in the same cemetery as his Uncle Thomas and grandfather
George. Perhaps she was confused and it’s Andrew Russell
Rankin who is buried there instead? In either case her statement
suggests the family remained in Augusta County until after
George’s marriage or the death of Andrew. One researcher
gave 1814 as the death year for Elizabeth (Russell) Rankin. However,
she clearly out lived Robert. The family group sheet provided by Henry
Rankin Jr. says of the three children:
George born 1806 married in 1829 Mary
“Polly” Evans. (Miss Dice gives the date of their marriage
as 19 May 1825. Neither cited a source.)
Mary Ann born 1808 married William Barry; they went
to Missouri.
Andrew Russell born 1808 died 1829; he did not marry.
SOURCES
Boogher, William Fletcher, compiler. Gleanings of Virginia History.
1903. e-mail 29 Feb 2000 to WVPionners-L list by Weikart, Patsy
H.
Chalkley, Lyman, abstracter. Chronicles
of Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia: Augusta County 1745-1800
in three volumes. Genealogical Publishing Co.
Baltimore. Also see: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~chalkley/
Dice, Miss, a Rankin family researcher, and descendant of Richard Rankin
Prichard, A. M., researcher. Rankin
Relations.
Rankin, Henry P. Jr. researcher.
Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Love, Florene, compilers. The Personal Property Tax Lists for the
Year 1787 for Augusta County, Virginia. Genealogical Books
in Print, 1987.
Sparacio, Ruth and Sparacio, Sam publishers. Augusta County, Virginia Land Tax Books
1782-1788 The Antient Press. 1997. Land Tax Books 1788-1790.
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Linda Sparks Starr copyright (c) 2010