Perhaps the most troubling question in all my years of research is "Who was Old Nancy and which male Robbins did she marry?" Many Robbins researchers have struggled with this question. No satisfactory answer has been reached. But all agree with me; she was one hell of a woman. This is what I have been able to compile about "Old Nancy" Robbins and her family. It is neither complete nor authoritative. What is most surprising is the amount of information that we do not know for a certainty. |
| Given Name: Unknown. Called "Old Nancy" to distinguish her from her daughter Nancy. | Could be Nancy or Anne or some similar derivative. |
| Maiden Name: Unknown | Could be: Renshaw, Ball or Owens. |
| Spouse: Unknown. Said to have been a bugle boy in the Revolutionary War. | Could be: Aaron, John, or Jonathan. |
| Born: 1760, North Carolina but 1850 Washington Co., AR census puts her age at 84 making her birth 1766! | Married: between 1775 and 1793. |
| Died: 18 January 1855, Williamson Co., TX [Does anyone have a photo or rubbing or transcription of her tombstone?] | (A John Robbins and Anne Owens were married in 1789 in Randolph Co., NC. My favorite choice for her spouse!) |
| Observation and comments: The Robbins - Owens marriage is my favorite choice at this point for Old Nancy. But I am bothered by a few points. First, John was born about 1768, making him 8 years younger than Nancy if her 1760 birthdate is right. Not unique but still unusual for the period. Second, if John was born in 1768, he would have been 8 in 1776 and 12 when the War came to North Carolina in 1780. While this does make him the proper age to be a bugle boy, if he was born in 1760, as many researchers assume, he would have been 20 and more likely a front line soldier than a bugle boy. Third, why did the couple defer marriage until 1789 if John had been born in 1760? John was 21 and Nancy 29, if the given birthdates are correct. Did they have to wait until John was of legal age to marry without consent? But, if Nancy was born in 1766, it all fits nicely. Of course, all this about John and Anne is speculation if she is not Old Nancy. But it does fit the facts. |
Children: Known and suspected: John Robbins, b. 1780 in NC (a possible first born, but only if father was born in 1760. John Robbins, b. 1768, would have only been 12 at the time.) Sarah Robbins, b. NC (unknown but possible. One researcher lists her and James) James Robbins, b. NC Nancy Robbins, b. ca 1790, NC. (The daughter for whom Old Nancy assumed the sobriquet of "Old?" Later information on this Nancy is as sparse as information on Old Nancy!) George M. Robbins born 1793, Kentucky Richard Robbins born 1796, Kentucky Aaron R. Robbins born 1804, TN Enos Robbins (?) Never Married |