Elijah Sterling Clack Robertson | |
---|---|
Born |
Giles County, Tennessee |
August 23, 1820
Died | October 8, 1879 Salado, Texas |
(aged 59)
Nationality | American |
Spouse(s) | Eliza Hamer Robertson (1846–1852) her death Mary Elizabeth Dickey (1852) |
Parent(s) |
Sterling C. Robertson Frances King |
Elijah Sterling Clack Robertson (1820–1879) was an early white settler in Robertson's Colony in Texas. His father was the colony's founder Sterling C. Robertson. Brought to Texas to learn the Spanish language, he translated for both Robertson's Colony and later the Texas General Land Office. He practiced law in Milam County. Robertson was a postmaster for the Republic of Texas, and the leader of a volunteer group who aided Alexander Somervell in border disputes. By 1844, he had been promoted to the rank of colonel in the Republic of Texas militia. Robertson was one of the delegates who signed the Texas Order of Secession in 1861, and served as aide-de-camp to General Henry McCulloch. The Col. Elijah Sterling Clack Robertson Plantation in Salado is listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Bell County, Texas.
Elijah Sterling Clack Robertson was born in Giles County, Tennessee, on August 23, 1820. Robertson was from a family of accomplished individuals. He was the son of Frances King and empresario Sterling Clack Robertson, the founder of Robertson's Colony in Texas. Empresario Robertson never married, but he acknowledged his son with King. Young Elijah's grandfather was Captain Elijah Robertson, who left Brunswick County, Virginia in the 18th Century to join family members and other early white settlers in Tennessee. His great-uncle, Captain Elijah's brother James Robertson, was known as the Father of Tennessee. Robertson's great-granddaughter was author Liz Carpenter, who was a press spokesperson for both President Lyndon B. Johnson and later for Ladybird Johnson.