West Nashville Founders' Museum Guest Book

I was sorry to read of the death of Sarah Foster Kelley. I purchased a couple of her books over the years and received a nice letter from her. My mother is Ellen Robertson Porter, the daughter of Edward White Robertson. My mother's e-mail address is tipper234@aol.com .

I very much enjoyed reading the history of Founding Families of Nashville. I am an 8th-generation direct descendant of Thomas and Josiah Ramsey. Thanks, and happy trails!

(Re: The late Sarah Kelley's parenthetical question, quoted from page 84, Scotch-Irish Origins of General James Robertson, and included in this website's James Robertson's Life & Times, asked if the deed witnessed by William Sisson was "the same William Sisson who married Frances Gower on August 31, 1727, in Richmond, Virginia?") I am a descendant of William Sisson II and Frances Gower. I do not think William Sisson II witnessed the deed [mentioned in the text]. William Sisson II removed to Charles County, Maryland, around 1730 and resided there until his death in 1767. There were Gower family members who removed south, but this is a large family in the Commonwealth. I do think William Sisson of Brunswick County, the son of William Sisson and brother to Stephen, is a more probable witness to the deed. I think William Sisson married a Frances Shearson. . .[he] is the emigrant of this lineage. Happy Holidays!

Good morning! We discovered your website, and much to our delight we have the same name. There are "sister cities," but have you ever heard of "sister museums"? Our Founders' Museum and Pioneer Village includes a school, church, community hall, general store, blacksmith, carpenter, and shoemaker shops, replica of a CPR 1908 train station, and antique farm equipment and cars. We are located on Ontario Highway 61, just a short 26 miles from the USA / Canada Pigeon River Border Crossing. Our website will be up and running in the early part of December.

Fran Loney, President, Founders' Museum & Pioneer Village founders@norlink.net

(How neat! Having a hands-across-the-border "sister museum" is exciting, and we'll look forward to visiting the forthcoming website. IJC)

I am a historian living in Johnston County, N.C., only about 15 miles from Smithville and 5 miles from the Wake County line. I want to portray J. Robertson, while at the same time teaching history to home school groups. . .I have read that he went with D. Boone on one of his exploring trips into Kentucky. How did Robertson know Boone if Boone lived in the Yadkin Valley (Rowan County, N.C.) and Robertson was in Wake?. . .I have also read that another group of settlers left Johnston before Robertson in the winter of 1768-1769 and headed to Watauga. Where can I find an accessible list of names of the settlers that went from Johnston to Wake in 1771?

(Max Dixon's The Wataugans [1976, reprinted 1989 by Overmountain Press in Johnson City, TN] and Harriette Simpson Arnow's Seedtime on the Cumberland [1960, third printing in 1968 by New York's Macmillan Company] include many references to the friendship between Daniel Boone and James Robertson, as do the Lyman C. Draper Papers at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. As to the names of those in the four frontier settlements in the Watauga Valley, many of them are included in the Dixon and Arnow books. An excellent website on the history of the Wataugans, which contains a transcribed copy of the July 5, 1776, petition signed by the Wataugans to the North Carolina government, is the "East Tennessee Pre-1796" site at www.tngenweb.org/pre1796/17760822.html . IJC)

Enjoyed! I live in Spokane, WA, and am a descendant of James Robertson. Enjoyed the article and picture of the cabin. My father, Edward White Robertson, was from Louisiana.

I enjoyed going over your entire site. I am a descendant of Anne Robertson Johnston Cockrill, sister to Gen. James Robertson. She was my 6-great-grandmother. Her daughter Mary ( "Polly" ) Johnston was my line. She married Isaac Roberts. Keep up the good work! I hope to visit the James Robertson double-log house and other landmarks in your great state as soon as possible.

(NOTE: See text of historical marker to Nashville's first school teacher, included in Founding Families , and watch for upcoming profile of Anne Robertson Johnston Cockrill in RobertsonRoots. IJC )

Excerpts from letters concerning the ongoing search for documentation of the James Robertson miniature portrait are posted on James Robertson's Life & Times. Also see following letter concerning October 2, 2002, revelation of this family heirloom. IJC

About the James Robertson miniature watercolor portrait: After Dr. Henry Llewellyn's sister, Patricia Louise Pringle (#2251 in Sarah Kelley's Children of Nashville: Lineages of James Robertson, 1980), recently passed away, he began to worry about the various family heirlooms in his possession. He gave the family Bible to his niece Wendy, but he held onto the little portrait. [In hopes of establishing a dialogue for research and documention of the portrait], he contacted Mike Slate through his website, Nashville Historical Newsletter (NHN). Mike was thrilled at the possibilities of this find and encouraged Dr. Llewellyn, who lives in Brookline, Massachusetts, to let NHN photograph the portrait and do a feature story on it. This was apparently exactly what Dr. L. had in mind, and he agreed. Mike then contacted me [in central Maine] about the story, and I arranged to meet and interview Dr. Llewellyn. He drove up to Maine. . .to meet me. We had a lovely lunch together in York Harbor, where I interviewed him and photographed this incredibly lovely little painting. Then I wrote the story, and Mike edited it, frequently checking our information with Dr. L., who seems very pleased with the result. Mike also edited the portrait's photo--he was working with the portrait held in the doctor's hands--and even managed to reproduce the portrait's original colors. None of this would ever have happened if Dr. Llewellyn had not taken the initative to contact NHN, and if Mike Slate had not been so friendly and approachable! I also have photos of Dr. Llewellyn, as well as his family line from James Robertson, which I'll be sending for the WNFM website. All e-mail responses should be directed to Mike Slate at the Nashville Historical Newsletter : NHN.slate@prodigy.net. Thank you for your supportive interest!

(Note: Kathy Lauder and Mike Slate's copy of the James Robertson youthful portrait and a synopsis of the four known Robertson portraits are published on our new link, James Robertson's Life & Times. IJC )

Marvelous site! I, too, am a Robertson descendant through my mother's line, but her family never "went over the mountains" to Tennessee. I'm attaching a short file on the ROBERTSON FAMILY CEMETERY, which was located above Shallow Ford Bridge in Oconee Co., S. C. Would you post this on your "feedback" link? Thank you, and keep up the good work!

(Note: Ms. Hunter's submitted record of graves in the Robertson Family Cemetery, Oconee Co., SC, is posted on our Robertson Roots & News. IJC)

Please keep me posted on your group's activities. I have done extensive research on the Battle of Nashville cavalry operations that took place around the Charlotte Pike area. The current site of the James Robertson house is ground zero for some heavy fighting on December 15, 1864.

Bob Henderson, President, Battle of Nashville Preservation Society and Civil War Roundtable ( http://www.bonps.org/index.htm )

I have visited the James Robertson Log House replica and have been much impressed with the wonderful work of the WNFM. . .I have a couple of of her books, but never had the pleasure of knowing Sarah Foster Kelley. She will be greatly missed.

Someone on the Davidson County RootsWeb genealogy mailing list posted the message about Ms. Kelley's Memorial, and I wanted to see it. Sarah Kelley did so much to preserve the history of Nashville and vicinity. Your museum and web page are a fitting tribute. Many thanks for your efforts to make this valuable information available online.

The replica of James Robertson's 1779 double-log house was constructed in 1996 during Tennessee's bicentennial year. To see a listing of the generous donors who helped make the reconstruction possible, click here for Log_Donors ~_Honorees . The museum is located in H. G. Hill Park, 6730 Charlotte Pike, Nashville, Tennessee 37209. Tours and scheduled events are by appointment: Call WNFM President Ralph M. Cohen at 615-297-1551.

James Robertson House

RobertsonRoots & NEWS

Sarah Kelley Memorial

James Robertson Life & Times

Founding Families

WNFM Publications

Publications Order Form

WNFM History & Membership

Website graphics and content copyright � 2002-2003 by West Nashville Founders' Museum, Inc., 4908 Charlotte Pike, Nashville, Tennessee 37209. World Rights Reserved. Updated: April 1, 2003

WNFM 's Guest Book consists of simply sending an e-mail with comments on this site -- no "cookies" or tracking devices! -- and any suggestions for additions to this WNFM website will be appreciated. Send e-mail to executive director and webmaster Ilene J. Cornwell: