Roberts Family tree: Benjamin M Roberts

Benjamin Roberts born 05 Feb 1775 in Maryland. He died 25 Aug 1871 Wells Jefferson Co. Ohio. Who is the father Robert Rutter Roberts who is the father of Mazeffa Benjamin Roberts.
I believe that Benjamin Roberts is one of the earlier settlers of Wells in Jefferson Co. Ohio. He was a farmer. I have found in him on 1810-1820 federal census records Warren Township Jefferson Co Ohio. I also have have him on 1830-1870 federal census record for Wells Jefferson Co. In the 1820s Wells was created separate from Warren. In the 1850 census record showed he was a farmer. The value of his estate was 3000, that was worth a lot. He was 74 years old. The wife name on the census is Holorinda. There was an error in the transcript of that census ( misspellings happen a lot on census records) Her name is Clarinda Anne Mckain (McCain) She died in 1860. In the 1860 census record showed he lived with James Roberts ( his son) under the name of Mitchell Roberts he was 85 years. We believe that Mitchell maybe his middle name. In the 1870s census records he became blind by then and still living with James. I believe that his farm may have been turned over to James to care for it due to he had a lot of estate value on the
census.

Benjamin and Clarinda had 6 Children
Anna Roberts 1799-1857
James Roberts 1805-1877
Rachel Roberts 1808-1877
Moses Roberts 1810-1840 He married Rebecca Ball on 25 Aug 1831
Hester Ann Roberts 1814-1853
Robert Rutter Roberts 1817-1879
(I highlighted Robert Rutter as he is part of my family line in with the Roberts.)

Update 2/3/17
This past week Sally Roberts found this gem from a book called: Families of Ruebsamen, Spear, Dawson and Burley by Neil Ruebsamen. My 1st cousin 2X removed Verdie Dawson Lee wrote this summary in the book. Verdie was researching our family back in the 1930s. We have been following her research of our family. We have been able to find records to back up her research to validate her work. She has done a wonderful job. This family line hasn't been easy to research due to the family moving west from Ohio and Maryland. Also Benjamin Roberts is still very difficult to get pass him. We are having a heck of a time trying to find his family through DNA. We have his descendants come as matches, but not his ancestors as we were hoping. We hope in time we can find the rest of his family line.

The House of Benjamin Roberts

The story that has been handed down through the generations is this: A Roberts, whose name is thought to be Benjamin, lived in Scotland near the border of England. He went into England, across the border, to work for a man whose name we think was Rutter; he fell in love with this man's daughter, they were married and came to America. It is not known who accompanied them, but it is likely members from both families came. It has always been said that it was a "Benjamin' Roberts who came, but this may not be true. (Or it might have been his grandfather who came over. These "stories" are so often confused and mixed up.) However, the "Bride and Groom" settled in Maryland, and it was there that my great grandfather, Benjamin Roberts was born, on 15 February 1775, and he married Clarinda McKain on 11 February 1796. I do not know where this marrage took place, (probably S.W. Virginia, or Pan Handle, W. Virginia, as the McKain family were in S.W. Pennsylvania by 1793 or before), but I do know that Benjamin and Clarinda McKain Roberts settled in what was then Warren Township (now, that portion is Wells Township taken from Warren Township in 1823) Jefferson County, Ohio.

Benjamin Roberts' wife Clarinda McKain was born in Maryland, on 27 June 1779. My belief is that this marriage took place in Maryland, although I may be greatly mistaken. The fact that Benjamin Roberts' death record, found in Steubenville, Ohio, states he was born in West Virginia, indicates that he must have lived there at one time, and the person giving the information for the death record, just supposed that he was born there. Therefore, his parents may have moved on into W. Virginia (Virginia) and he may have been married there before going into Jefferson County, Ohio. Another story I have heard repeatedly, is this: My great grandfather, Benjamin Roberts' father, died when Benjamin was yet a small boy. His mother apprenticed him to a German Cooper to learn the trade, but Benjamin disliked this work so much he ran away and went home. He was very musical and learned to play the violin; he played for dances and different entertainments and one day became converted and from then on led a strictly upright Christian life, and finally became a preacher, preaching at Hopewell Chapel in Warren Township, Jefferson County, Ohio, and in M.E. Church, Smithfield, Ohio.

As I research this gem, I wasn't able to find anything of a Benjamin Roberts coming to America on a ship yet. I did see some marriages in England between Roberts and Rutters, but none mentioning a Benjamin Roberts and a Rutter. The only marriage I saw of a Roberts and Rutter was in Maryland between a William Rutter and a Ann Rickets Roberts in 5 Jun 1766 in St. Stephens Parish Cecil County Maryland.

I need to put in consideration of Verdie statement " These "stories" are so often confused and mixed up. Family stores due to get mixed up and bits and pieces are left out etc. As with this story of Benjamin parents coming over to America, I will place on the back burner until I can find more evidence to support this family tale.

With census records and his tombstone we can back up the age of Benjamin Roberts. We can also back up when and where Benjamin was married by the record of "The Maryland Historical & Genealogical Bulletin Vol 12 No. 8 July 1941. Apparently Verdie had the Roberts Bible where it states when they were born and location.

Now as far as Benjamin father dying when we was a young boy, we haven't found anything of that yet. But we did find a record of Benjamin being at a Methodist Episcopal class in Smithfield Village from a book: Ohio History Vol 8 pg 151