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Gorge Lewis Robertson, son of Elizabeth and Harvey Robertson was born in the state of Virginia in the year 1817, March the eighth one hundred and nineteen years ago. He was the son of a family of eight children: Judith, Millie, Lucinda, Anthony, Harvey, Tom, Cornelious and himself the youngest.
When he was about one year old he and his parents and his brothers and sisters moved to Tennessee. He remained in the home of his father til he was a young man, when he wanted to see some other part of the country so he took his worldly posessions consisting of what clothes he had, a horse and saddle and started out on horseback.
He stopped in Missouri near Springfield, where he met a family by lthe name of Johnson. He married the eldest daughter Emily, of Mr. & Mrs. Williamson Johnson, he being twenty nine years old and his young wife sixteen. To this union were born eleven children two sons and nine daughters, Viz Elizabeth, Harve, Benjamine, Lucinda, Jane, Armilda, Ida, and Elva beside three having died when small.
While his oldest children were quite small his father died who was still living in Tennessee; he, George, went back to Tenn. and brought his aged mother to live with him in Mo.. The last years of her life she was an invalid, he secured a negro mammy, as they were called in those days, to care for her. She lived to the unusual age of Ninety Six years.
During the war of 1861 between the North and South things became most unpleasant for George, as most of his wifes people favored the South and he had Northern views and seventeen of his wifes relatives were fighting for the south he saw plainly he would have to join the Confederate army or leave Mo.. They had and opportunity to leave and go out under protection of a regiment of union Soldiers; so along with several other families they left in wagons for Illinois.
In crossing the Mississippi river he stepped out on the wagon tongue to unreign his horses to drink and he slipped off the tongue and the wagon ran over him breaking several ribs. He was disabled for a few days but he wouldn’t give up so on they went till they arrived near Springfield and near here they remained for about two years.
About that time he heard of cheap land in Iowa, so hither they came landing in Dallas C. in Oct. 1864 settling on the land where his son Ben now lives, the old house stood west of Ben’s about a half mile. But misfortune came to him in the loss of his wife Emily in year 1868? leaving him with a large family; one daughter Elizabeth was married at this time. He struggled along as best he could, the oldest daughter Lucinda being fourteen years old at the time of her mothers death.
A few years later he became acquainted, through a friend, John Halderman, with a widow lady Elizabeth Leak and her daughters living in Polk County. To make a long story short he married one of the daughters Sarah Jane, March 21, 1871. To this union two daughters were born Louisa Bell and Susie Dell, the latter dying at the age of three months.
At the time of this writing June 1936, there are five daughters living, also one son: Mrs. Mary Lucinda Wilson of Granger, Ia. Mrs. Martha Armilda Stoner of Granger, Ia., Mrs. Ida C. Rowe of Dallas Center, Mrs. Elva A. Brown of Los Angeles, Califl, Mrs. Louisa B. Aldrich of Waukee, Ia and Benjamin F. Robertson of Grimes, Ia.
George L. Robertson died Sept. 1, 1908 at age 91 years five months and 23 days. He was a member of the Methodist church for 60 years, active in religious work, a strong believer in the necessity and worth of living the Christian life. His wife Sarah followed him in death three years later on Sept. 3rd, 1911. His daughter Jane Stoner died in 1893. His daughter Elizabeth Smith in 1907. His son Harvey in 1908. At this time June 1936 as near as can be estimated there are about 250 in this Robertson family.
Written by Aunt Lou Aldrich and read at the Robertson Reunion.
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1817 - 1908 (91 years)
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