Family:Philip Roblin and Elizabeth Miller (2)

Known children

In addition to the eight known children who are somewhat documented, a ninth child, a daughter who "married a Gerolamy" (a surname found in the Bay of Quinte area) is reported in PLBQ.

Residences

1791: "Two miles west of Paul Huff's, where the meetings of the Hay Bay were held [i.e. a modern marker is the Hay Bay Church], lived a widow with her four sons and four daughters. Philip Roblin, her husband, died in 1788. The house was larger than ordinary, having two log houses joined together. With the best accommodation, and well inclined to the new preacher, the Roblins lodged him and took care of his clothes."^[1] Is this 3rd concession Adolphustown in the range of lots 25-28????

Legacy and descendants

"The Roblin Families" from Pioneer Life on the Bay of Quinte (1908)

John Roblin, who was the first of the Roblins to come into Canada, and at the time of the outbreak of the Revolutionary War was settled with his brother, Stephen, in New Jersey, was of English or Welsh descent. He tried to remain a non-participant in the war; but as he sat on his stoop one evening, a party of Continental scouts came by, and, without any provocation or previous warning of any kind, fired fourteen shots at the house. Having ransacked the premises, they demanded that they be told where the money was concealed; and in order to make them divulge the hiding place, John Roblin, although already wounded in the knee, was stripped nearly naked; and his brother, Stephen, was hung to a tree by his thumbs. The party, being baulked in their search, became grossly offensive; one man pointed his musket at John Roblin 's wife (putting the point of the bayonet to her breast) and dared her to call George the Third of England, her King. She did dare; but just as the fellow was about to fire, a comrade with a finer sense of decency and manliness, knocked the musket aside.

John Roblin seems to have been taken prisoner, as he was placed in a rebel hospital, where his treatment was so neglected that he became a lifelong cripple. In his absence, his wife complained to General Washington of the treatment they had received; and the family were not again disturbed.

The Roblins were among the families who came to Canada in the Major VanAlstine party; and landed at Adolphustown on the 16th June, 1784. In the records of the first town meetings held in Adolphustown, dated 1794, appear the names of John Roblin, Owen Roblin, Sr., and Owen Roblin, Jr. Dr. Canniff states that Stephen Roblin also came with his brother John.

In the annual return of the inhabitants of Adolphustown taken in 1812, John Roblin 's name appears; but as there is no recurrence of it afterwards, or of that of his wife, it is evident that his death must have occurred about that time. His wife was Elizabeth Moore [sic? it seems that Philip Roblin and Elizabeth Miller and getting conflated with their son and daughter in law John Roblin and Mary Elizabeth Moore], who is mentioned in Playter's History of Methodism as being the second largest contributor to the Adolphustown Methodist Church, which was built, in 1792, on Paul Huff's land, and was the first Methodist church in Upper Canada. Dr. Canniff states that after her husband's death she removed to Sophiasburgh, where she bought a hundred acres of land for twenty-five dollars (which she paid in weaving) and that she herself cut down the trees and built her own log cabin. She subsequently married John Canniff, the founder of Canniffton, and great uncle of the historian.

So far as can now be ascertained, the family of John [sic Philip] and Elizabeth Roblin comprised: (1) John, (2) David, (3) Owen P., (4) Philip, (5), a daughter, who married Colonel Ruttan and settled in Sophiasburgh, (6) Nancy, (7) Mary, (8) Elizabeth, who married Benjamin Clapp and settled on Hay Bay, and (9) another daughter, whom it is supposed, married a Gerolamy. [Ed note: this family group is definitely Philip and Elizabeth Miller as their daughter Fanny married Peter William Ruttan and daughter Elizabeth married Benjamin Clapp. However, the calculated birth dates for John, of 2 May 1774, and Owen Philip, of 1 Dec 1774, may speak to further confusion].

John Roblin, the eldest son of the Pioneer's family, was among the first converts under Darius Dunham's labors in the province, and became a zealous worker for the Methodist church and a popular local preacher. He was elected to Parliament for Midland; but being opposed to the Family Compact party, which was then in power, his seat was declared vacant, the reason given being that, as a local preacher, he could not sit in Parliament. His constituency re-electing him, his seat was again declared vacant by the same party and for the same reason. Returning home, he was elected for the third time; but he died before the next session commenced, and thus evaded that which threatened to become a serious cause of dissatisfaction, if not of disturbance.

David Roblin married Mary Rowe and settled in Sidney. One of his descendants is the present Postmaster of Belleville.

In the return of disbanded troops and loyalists mustered on the 5th October. 1784, appear the names of Owen P. and Philip Roblin; from which it is to be inferred that each of these pioneers served in the British cause, and, owing to the liberal policy of the Government in granting two hundred acres of land to each United Empire Loyalist, were each in possession of large tracts of land. Owen P. Roblin, who was born in 1774, married Mary Dulmage, who was born in 1780. They settled on the Bay Front in Ameliasburgh, about half a mile east of Rednerville. The property is now in the possession of Hamilton Welbanks, as George Roblin, to whom it was left, sold out and bought from the Government two hundred acres in the second concession of Ameliasburgh. The latter place, which is near the Centre Church, is now owned by George E. Roblin, a grandson of Owen P. Roblin.

Philip Roblin moved from Adolphustown into Sophiasburgh, where he located his land at Roblin 's Mills, or Green Point, on the High Shore. In addition to clearing the forest, he managed to build and work a grist mill, which proved not only a success to the enterprising miller, but a boon to the settlers for miles around, saving them their long and toilsome trips to Kingston, and later to Napanee. When Philip Roblin' died, his son, Philip, came into possession of the property, which he continued to extend and enlarge in various ways, until Roblins Mills in Sophiasburgh became one of the principal business centres of the county. In addition to grinding grain, lumber, shingle and shipbuilding enterprises were carried on for many years; and a general store and shipping warehouse were added. Several circumstances tended to bring about the decline of the place and its industries; and the stream which supplied the water-power has partly dried up, in consequence, doubtless, of the removal of the forest.

The founder of Roblins Mills, or Green Point, married Prudence Platt, by whom he had nine children; many of his descendants lived to be distinguished men and women of their county. A son, John P. Roblin, was for a number of years a prominent member of the old Reform party in the Upper Canada Legislature, sitting both before and after the Mackenzie Rebellion, sixteen years in all.

He was defeated only once, and that was in 1837, when the cry of Liberal disloyalty was raised; but at the next poll he was elected by a sweeping majority. Notwithstanding that the Premier, Mr. Draper, was a Conservative, he appointed John P. Roblin Registrar of Prince Edward County, a position he held up to the time of his death.

Another descendant of the family distinguished in Canadian politics, is a grandson of Levi Roblin, who was a son of the pioneer owner of Roblin 's Mills. The Hon. Rodmond Palen Roblin has been Premier and Minister of Agriculture and Railway Commissioner for the province of Manitoba since 1900. Born in Sophiasburgh in 1853, he was educated at the Albert College, Belleville. Marrying Adelaide DeMille in 1875, he migrated to Manitoba in 1880. Locating at Carman, he carried on farming on a large scale; and, with headquarters in Winnipeg, became an extensive grain dealer. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in 1888; and attended the Coronation festivities in England in 1902.

Another leading member of the family was Owen Roblin, a son of Philip. He was born in Sophiasburgh, and, after receiving his education under Jonathan Greely, removed to Ameliasburgh, where, in 1829, he took up four hundred acres in the third concession. This land is in part now held by W. J. McFaul and H. G. Stafford; and the latter lives on the old homestead. Owen Roblin conducted a general store and ashery, doing a large and profitable business in sending the lye to Montreal. In 1838, or 1839, he traded lot 76 with John B. Way for lot 81, where the Ameliasburgh Roblin 's Mills and homestead now stand. The village of Roblins Mills, or Ameliasburgh, as it is officially known, was first called Way's Mills, and was situated in the bend of the horseshoe below the hill on the present village stands.

On taking possession of the Way property, Owen Roblin commenced to improve the water-power; his first act was to excavate the present canal from the lake. The extent of this work may be estimated from the fact that the blasting powder alone cost the equivalent of one thousand dollars. Besides farming five hundred acres, and attending to his many trading schemes and flouring mills, this busy man ran saw and carding mills. From his flour mills he shipped immense quantities of wheat and rye flour to Montreal: and during the Crimean War he exported day and night.

Owen Roblin was a Justice of the Peace and Commissioner for taking affidavits; and for many years was a County Councillor and Reeve of his township. A postoffice was first opened in the village by a man called Meacham, who was Postmaster there for three years, when he was promoted to Belleville; and the Roblin's Mills' office was closed. It was reopened in 1845, with Owen Roblin as Postmaster, who held the post until his death, when he was said to be the oldest Postmaster in Canada. He was succeeded by his grandson, William H. C. Roblin, the present Postmaster This grandson also closely followed Owen's son, Edward, as clerk of the Fourth Division Court, the interim holder of the post being William C. DeLong.

One of the best known and most progressive men of the county, Owen Roblin, lived to the old age of ninety-seven years, only dying as recently as 1903. He married Huldah Selden Conger, a daughter of old Squire Stephen Conger; she died in 1896, aged eighty-five years.

The remaining children of the old pioneer, John Roblin, with their descendants, have married into many of the leading and oldest families in the county, and are widely scattered. One daughter married Colonel Peter Ruttan and settled in Sophiasburgh. Nancy Roblin married Colonel William Ketcheson and settled in Sidney. Mary Roblin married Marvel Garrison, the pioneer of the family of that name, and lived on Hay Bay.

As stated in the early part of this sketch, the old pioneer, John Roblin, had a brother, Stephen, who accompanied him to Adolphustown. Although his wife's name cannot now be ascertained, Stephen Roblin was married before coming to Canada, and had three children: Mary, Rebecca and Owen. Mary, the eldest of the family, married and settled in the States, but eventually moved into Canada and died at Goderich, where she left considerable property. Rebecca Roblin married John Wood, the pioneer of the Wood family. Owen Roblin married Margaret Ruttan, and had a large farm on the third concession of Adolphustown, where he lived for many years and died at an advanced age. To distinguish him from the many other prominent men of his own name, now a familiar one throughout the county, he was called the "one-eyed" Roblin, owing to the fact that at an early age he suffered the misfortune of losing the sight of one eye. His descendants are numerous and are recognized as many of the leading business men and farmers in the county.

Rev. Stephen Herbert Roblin, son of George E. Roblin and great-grandson of Owen Roblin, the pioneer, was born October 4th, 1858, in Hallowell, and after attending the common, schools, graduated from St. Lawrence University, Canton, N. Y., receiving his Bachelor's degree, and afterwards his Doctorate, in 1896. Having been called to the ministry, he labored in his profession at Genoa and Victor, New York, and Bay City, Michigan, and for the past fifteen years has been president of the Massachusetts Universalist Convention. He is chaplain of the Canadian Club at Boston, chaplain of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Boston, a Knight Templar and thirty-second degree Mason. He belongs to the Boston Art Club and the University Club of Boston.

Jacob J. Roblin, son of John W., and great-grandson of Owen P., was born in Prince Edward County in 1844; his father subsequently moved to Brighton, where he died in 1881. Mr. Roblin learned the blacksmithing trade at Picton, and has followed the same during his residence in Brighton, in which latter city he has taken a very active and prominent part in public affairs; having served in the Town Council and been chairman of the Board of Managers of the Presbyterian Church. His son, Fred J. M. Roblin, is now a member of the council and its youngest member. He represents the National Machine Company and Hydraulic Cold Tire setting, and is travelling the greater part of the year. He is a prominent member of the Loyal Orange Institution. His father had been active and prominent in Masonic circles.

George E. Roblin, son of John Roblin, and great-grandson of Owen P., resides on the second concession, where he farms some two hundred acres. He married Arvilla Stafford, daughter of William D. Stafford ; and is a man of wealth and prominence. Mr. Roblin is a studious, earnest-minded man, and takes an active interest in the affairs of the Methodist church, being trustee and steward for Ameliasburgh Centre Church. His wife also takes an active interest in church work, being president of the Woman's Missionary Society and of the Young People's League. They have both taught in the Sabbath school for years; and Mr. Roblin is secretary and treasurer of the School Trustee Board. Their only daughter Florence, married Leonard T. Parks, son of Albert C. Parks. He owns one of the largest and finest fruit farms in Ontario.

John C Roblin, son of David, and great-grandson of Owen, was born in 1865, and attended the public schools in Trenton. He spent two or three years in Kansas, and for many years represented on the road, the the Pennsylvania Soap Company, manufacturers of the Miller's soap of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He is still connected with this concern, but carries on business upon his own account at Niagara Falls, N.Y. He married Margaret Stewart and their home at present is in Toronto. Mrs. Roblin was born within seven miles of Edinburgh, Scotland. They had one child, Arthur Edward, who is deceased.

Collaterally related to the other pioneer of that name was John Roblin, many of whose descendants are found at Belleville, Napanee and Toronto. He came from Dutchess County, New York, and his niece, Nancy Millar, married Joseph Clapp. He had belonged to the Society of Friends, but shortly after coming to Canada he was converted to the Methodist church by Fathers William Losee and Darius Dunham.

1. ↑ Playter, George Frederick. The history of Methodism in Canada: with an account of the rise and progress of the work of God among the Canadian Indian tribes, and occasional notices of the civil affairs of the province. (Toronto, Ontario: A. Green, 1862)
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