Home > United States of America > North Carolina > Vance County > Henderson > Robards-Royster Family Cemetery > COL William S. Robards

COL William S. Robards

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Birth	:	21 Nov 1779 Williamsboro, Vance County, North Carolina, USA
Death	:	17 Jun 1842 Granville County, North Carolina, USA
Burial	:	Robards-Royster Family Cemetery, Henderson, Vance County, USA
Coordinate	:	36.4073950, -78.4090780
Inscription	:	In the memory of COL WILLIAM ROBARDS Age 62 Y's 6 M's 27 D's
Description	:	PARENTS: James Robards & Mary Massie. The Robards-Royster House, also known as LaGrange was built circa 1830 by William Robards, a Granville County planter and politician (and Treasurer of North Carolina). Through the marriage of Robard's daughter Jane, the house passed into the Royster family and has been owned by a succession of locally prominent planters and physicians. William Robards was born in Granville County in 1780. He was the fifth child of James Robards and Mary Massie. In 1825 he purchased LaGrange from the estate of the late Dr. John Hare. He retired from public office... Read More	PARENTS: James Robards & Mary Massie. The Robards-Royster House, also known as LaGrange was built circa 1830 by William Robards, a Granville County planter and politician (and Treasurer of North Carolina). Through the marriage of Robard's daughter Jane, the house passed into the Royster family and has been owned by a succession of locally prominent planters and physicians. William Robards was born in Granville County in 1780. He was the fifth child of James Robards and Mary Massie. In 1825 he purchased LaGrange from the estate of the late Dr. John Hare. He retired from public office in 1830 and built his plantation house about that time. He was a respected planter, who owned 21 slaves in 1830. Robards married [Nancy] Ann Satterwhite 8 Dec 1802 in Granville County, NC; they had six children. In 1840 Robards's daughter Jane married Stephen Sampson Royster, native of Virginia, who was born in 1810. Family tradition maintains that Royster came to Williamsboro to take part in a wedding and fell in love with Miss Robards, who was his partner in the wedding procession. They were married in the latter part of the year. William Robards died in 1842. In 1849 Stephen Sampson Royster purchased LaGrange from the Robards estate for $5,000. It is possible that he and his wife had lived there for some time prior to his formal acquisition of the property. Shortly after this acquisition Royster made significant additions to the house. Royster was a large and successful planter. He was one of the area's largest tobacco growers. Tobacco had not reached the level of importance in North Carolina agriculture that it would reach after the Civil War, but it was a crop of some stature and Granville County was an area where much of it was grown. The 1850 census shows that Royster was farming 600 acres, with 1,000 acres unimproved. His real estate was valued at $13,000. He grew 30,000 pounds of tobacco, by far his largest crop. He also had a substantial amount of livestock, $1,320 worth, including 125 swine. Royster grew 1,200 bushels of wheat, 3,000 bushels of corn, and 2 tons of hay. He owned 43 slaves. In 1860 he had 900 acres under cultivation, valued at $19,500. The value of his livestock had increased to $4,050. Royster's tobacco production increased to 35,000 pounds, while he also grew 1,400 bushels of wheat, 2,5OO of corn, 1,500 of oats, and 10 tons of hay. Royster's plantation suffered a typical post Civil War decline. He had 800 acres under cultivation, with a value of $11,000. His tobacco production declined dramaticaIly, down to 5,000 pounds. He still had a large amount of livestock and grew 1,750 bushels of corn, 1,000 of wheat, and 1,000 of oats. S. Royster and his wife Jane had at least nine children. Royster died in 1878 and left LaGrange to his wife. The 1880 census shows that she continued to farm the property with help from her sons William, John, Richard, and Edward. The production of the farm was less than that of 1870, although the Roysters did grow over 21,000 pounds of cotton. Jane Royster died in the 1880 and the property was divided among her children. Thomas Satterwhite Royster kept LaGrange. Thomas Satterwhite Royster was a talented and versatile man who taught school, put himself through medical school and became a physician of note. He willed the property to his wife Sallie Alston Royster. At her death the property was willed to her son Thomas Sampson Royster, a prominent Henderson surgeon who died in 1939. His son Thomas Sampson Royster, Jr, also a physician, is the present owner of the property. For much of this century LaGrange has been occupied by tenants. Eventually it returned to Royster ownership by Dr. Thomas Sampson Royster, Jr. who died in 2008. Current ownership is unknown. ******* To the northwest of the house is an old family cemetery some of the stones dating to the first half of the nineteenth century. Members of both the Robards and Royster families are buried there. Located behind the house and beyond the cemetery are pack houses which were once used in the farm's tobacco industry. The last Royster owner of La Grange was Dr. Thomas Sampson Royster, Jr. who died in 2008 & is buried in the family cemetery. [Source: Excerpted from the National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination form dated Sept. 1981.] ********** Note re William's birth/death locations. Vance Co. didn't come into existence until 1881. He was actually born in Granville Co. & died in same county. William Robards m. [Nancy] Ann Keeling Satterwhite 8 Dec 1802, Granville Co., NC. Colonel William Robards was a resident of Granville, a man distinguished for his integrity, business habits and talents. He represented Granville in 1806 and 1808, and in 1827 was Treasurer of the State, a period of unexampled difficulty arising from the disorder of defalcation by John Haywood. He conducted the financial affairs of State with great ability and fidelity. He died on the 17th of June 1842. [Source: Historical Sketches; History of North Carolina, pp 163-164.] William S. Robards served as North Carolina State Treasurer from 1827 to 1830. Robards was a member of the North Carolina House of Commons in 1806 and 1808, representing Granville County, where he also served as County Attorney. In 1827, Robards was elected to succeed the late John Haywood as Treasurer and faced the unhappy duty of presiding over an office clouded with much controversy while the shortages in the accounts of his predecessor were uncovered. Following a single term as Treasurer, at the end of which he declined to run for re-election, Robards served for many years as clerk of the North Carolina Supreme Court. He was a close personal friend of U.S. Senator Willie P. Mangum. Excerpt from "The Farmers' Register of Gold Mines of Virginia," p. 501: On Friday 29th of November 1833, Col. William Robards of Granville Co., NC, the head of the Gold Mining Co. now operating at Tinders in Louisa Co. (known as the mine at Rattlesnake Den in our neighborhood) arrived, and the rich surface deposit which had been discovered about two to three weeks previous, was upon consultation, reopened, and on Monday last the 2nd inst. with the labor of twenty-three hands, large and small, the results being: [not posting this data].

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is COL William S. Robards's memorial?
COL William S. Robards's memorial is located at: Robards-Royster Family Cemetery, Henderson, Vance County, USA.
When did COL William S. Robards death?
COL William S. Robards death on 17 Jun 1842 in Granville County, North Carolina, USA
Where are the coordinates of the COL William S. Robards's memorial?
Latitude: 36.4073950
Longitude: -78.4090780

Family Members:

Spouse

Nancy Ann Keeling Satterwhite Robards

(1783 - 1836)

Children

James Robards

(1804 - 1818)

Thomas S. Robards

(1805 - 1862)

Jane Elizabeth Robards Royster

(1819 - 1883)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Robards-Royster Family Cemetery
Henderson, Vance County, USA
Coordinate: 36.4073950, -78.4090780

2. Montpelier Plantation Cemetery
Henderson, Vance County, USA
Coordinate: 36.4165860, -78.4358600

3. Ashley Grove Baptist Church Cemetery
Henderson, Vance County, USA
Coordinate: 36.4090339, -78.3791635

4. Saint John's Episcopal Churchyard
Williamsboro, Vance County, USA
Coordinate: 36.4294860, -78.4339710

5. Morning Star United Church Cemetery
Henderson, Vance County, USA
Coordinate: 36.4151500, -78.3689300

6. Island Creek Baptist Church Cemetery
Williamsboro, Vance County, USA
Coordinate: 36.4229700, -78.4469500

7. Flat Rock Missionary Baptist Cemetery
Williamsboro, Vance County, USA
Coordinate: 36.4208000, -78.4491500

8. Flat Rock United Methodist Church Cemetery
Henderson, Vance County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3905610, -78.3678140

9. Tillotson Family Cemetery #2
Buffalo Junction, Mecklenburg County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3835000, -78.3713000

10. Nutbush Baptist Church Cemetery
Henderson, Vance County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3657200, -78.4189600

11. Tillotson Family Cemetery
Buffalo Junction, Mecklenburg County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3816000, -78.3656000

12. Livingstone Christian Church Cemetery
Henderson, Vance County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3627870, -78.4202480

13. Reavis Cemetery
Henderson, Vance County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3724540, -78.3724470

14. Wiggins-Baskett Cemetery
Henderson, Vance County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3640850, -78.3886540

15. Our Sleeping Garden
Henderson, Vance County, USA
Coordinate: 36.4187640, -78.4657590

16. Harris Family Cemetery
Vance County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3854680, -78.3565740

17. Baskett Family Cemetery
Henderson, Vance County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3592600, -78.3925610

18. Rice Family Cemetery
Williamsboro, Vance County, USA
Coordinate: 36.4514700, -78.4392900

19. Britt Family Cemetery
Henderson, Vance County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3650100, -78.3746200

20. Fleming Family Cemetery
Vance County, USA
Coordinate: 36.4278085, -78.3496764

21. Mount Zion United Church of Christ Cemetery
Vance County, USA
Coordinate: 36.4549713, -78.4376450

22. Hawkins-Carroll Family Cemetery
Middleburg, Vance County, USA
Coordinate: 36.4025000, -78.3409900

23. Unidentified Cemetery (Possibly Smith Family)
Dabney Township, Vance County, USA
Coordinate: 36.3679110, -78.4671150

24. Knott Family Cemetery
Vance County, USA
Coordinate: 36.4272520, -78.4828611