Mark Robertson is The Ancestor Detector’s 6th great-granduncle!

Blog no. 40

Mark Robertson was born around 1759, in Wake County, North Carolina, to John Randolph Robertson and Mary Gower. When he was only a teenager, both his parents had died and left him with no legal guardian. In the winter of 1775, Mark’s brother, James Randolph Robertson, who would later be the founder of Nashville, TN, returned to North Carolina to receive guardianship of his younger brother from Col. Michael Rogers. James would then return with Mark to the then newly found, Fort Watauga/Caswell. A few years later, Mark would become one of the first adventurers from Fort Watauga/Caswell to Fort Nashborough, which was located almost directly across the Cumberland River from where today stands Nissan Stadium in Nashville, TN.

Mark, while only in his early 20’s, on May 13, 1780, was one of the 248 people of Fort Nashborough to sign the Cumberland Compact, the first governing document of Nashville, TN. Everything had seemed calm after the signing of the compact, but the Indians, who had attacked numerous times before, didn’t give up attacking the fort and the people who lived in it. Though, Mark, James, and their other comrades of the fort weren’t going to give up fighting back either. Today, Mark is known as one of the defenders of Nashville, TN alongside his well-known siblings.Around 1785, when Mark was about 30, he married Mary Bell, who was a widow of John Hunter and would later marry the famous Judge John McNairy. It is believed that Mark never had any children, but according to the Davidson County, TN Court Minutes of July 1784, Mark had a child out of wedlock.

Mark and Mary were very close to his sister, Ann (Robertson) Johnston Cockrill, and her family, especially Ann’s first three daughters, Mary “Polly”, Elizabeth “Betsy”, and Charity Johnston. When Mark died, he left a couple thousand acres of land to the three daughters, and today, the land makes up large parts of Williamson, Maury, and Davidson Counties.

Sadly, tragedy struck in May 1786. While returning to him and Mary’s home on Spencer’s Creek from a visit to his brother James, Mark was killed by Indians. He was buried at James’ home, Traveler’s Rest, in the family cemetery. It is unknown exactly where the family cemetery is located, but it is known that Mark was a crucial part in the founding of Nashville, TN.