Aged 79 years. Buried in unmarked grave in Potters Field.
Cemetery records has last name as Roberts. Man who added picture says it is Robert.
-----
For a scholarly account of his life, see "Joseph Thomas Robert and the Wages of Conscience," by R. Frank Saunders, Jr., and George A. Rogers, in "The Georgia Historical Quarterly," Vol. 88, No. 1, Spring 2004. The following is mostly distilled from this work:
Joseph Thomas Robert--Southern Planter and Physician, Anti-slavery Baptist Preacher, Professor, first President of what became Morehouse and Spelman Colleges.
Joseph Thomas Robert was born near Robertville, Beaufort District (Old St. Peter's Parish), South Carolina, on Nov. 28, 1807. He was the second son of Charlotte Ann Lawton Robert and James Jehu Robert, longtime pastor and deacon of Black Swamp Baptist Church. His paternal lineage traces back to Swiss Huguenot preacher Pierre Robert, who settled along the Santee River in 1685. He married his first cousin, Adeline Lawton, daughter of Alexander J. and Martha Mosse Lawton of Robertville.
Joseph attended Columbian College in Washington, D.C., Brown University, the Medical College at Yale University, Charleston Medical College, and Furman Theological Institute. He was ordained in 1835 and was pastor of the Black Swamp Baptist Church in Robertville, which in 1821 consisted of 30 white and 100 black members.
He became a pastor in Covington, KY in 1839, where he was also a trustee of Western Baptist Theological Institute. In 1841 he moved to a pastorate in Lebanon, Ohio, then to First Baptist of Savannah, GA in 1846, then back to Robertville in 1849. In 1851 he acted decisively in favor of the anti-slavery sentiments that had grown within him, and he freed his slaves and went back north to Temple Baptist Church in Portsmouth, Ohio.
While in Portsmouth his son, Henry Martyn Robert, went off to West Point, and Henry would ultimately rise to the rank of Brigadier General in the Army Corp of Engineers. He would become an officer for the Union in the Civil War, much to the chagrin of his southern relatives. Joseph preached in Market Street Baptist in Zanesville, Ohio for a time. Then he moved to Burlington, Iowa, becoming a professor at Burlington University and later at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
The Civil War took a great toll on the Robert and Lawton families. Adeline often pined for her southern family and heritage while moving from place to place. Many of their relatives suffered great loss when Sherman's army destroyed Robertville on its march to Atlanta.
Meanwhile their son, Henry, served the Union in defending Washington and Philadelphia. Henry had married Helen Thresher from First Baptist Church of Dayton, Ohio. Joseph's son, James, moved to Dayton as well. Adeline died of cancer in 1866 and was buried in Woodland Cemetery in the First Baptist Church of Dayton section, along with an infant child of Henry and Helen. Joseph returned to Burlington and became the university's president in 1869.
In 1871, under the administration of the American Baptist Home Mission Society, Joseph Robert was appointed the first president of the Augusta Institute in Georgia. It was a school for the training of Black men for the ministry. It struggled for several years with poor funding and facilities, with Dr. Robert doing much of the instruction himself. In 1879 the school was relocated to Atlanta, where it was better able to prosper. Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary was opened in 1881 under Robert's leadership as well, and the two schools shared an administration and board for some time. The women's seminary would become Spelman College, and the men's school would eventually be renamed Morehouse College.
Joseph Robert died in his Atlanta residence on March 5, 1884, and was buried in Oakland Cemetery. His daughter, Martha, or "Mattie," who never married, had long been at his side. She handled the business affairs of his estate, donating his books to the seminary library. She then returned to Dayton, and died in 1887 and was buried next to her mother.
Joseph's son Henry would later gain notoriety as the author of "Robert's Rules of Order," born from his frustration in the disorder he experienced in church and public meetings. James would become a professor and civic leader in Dayton, and together the brothers helped build levees and fill land near the Great Miami River. This was known as "Robert's Fill," and one may find still in that place a Robert Drive commemorating their effort.
Joseph Robert's legacy is one of great sacrifice as well as great reward. He sacrificed his own wealth, family esteem and reputation as a southern landowner for the sake of conscience and calling. He wandered from place to place in service to God, the church, and education. But he was also rewarded with an accomplished family legacy of his own. And the southern institutions of Morehouse and Spelman Colleges have multiplied his ministries exponentially among the very people his own ancestors oppressed. The story of his decision to live with a free conscience that believed all should be free deserves to be told again.
Contributor:
KDB - [email protected]
Cemetery records has last name as Roberts. Man who added picture says it is Robert.
-----
For a scholarly account of his life, see "Joseph Thomas Robert and the Wages of Conscience," by R. Frank Saunders, Jr., and George A. Rogers, in "The Georgia Historical Quarterly," Vol. 88, No. 1, Spring 2004. The following is mostly distilled from this work:
Joseph Thomas Robert--Southern Planter and Physician, Anti-slavery Baptist Preacher, Professor, first President of what became Morehouse and Spelman Colleges.
Joseph Thomas Robert was born near Robertville, Beaufort District (Old St. Peter's Parish), South Carolina, on Nov. 28, 1807. He was the second son of Charlotte Ann Lawton Robert and James Jehu Robert, longtime pastor and deacon of Black Swamp Baptist Church. His paternal lineage traces back to Swiss Huguenot preacher Pierre Robert, who settled along the Santee River in 1685. He married his first cousin, Adeline Lawton, daughter of Alexander J. and Martha Mosse Lawton of Robertville.
Joseph attended Columbian College in Washington, D.C., Brown University, the Medical College at Yale University, Charleston Medical College, and Furman Theological Institute. He was ordained in 1835 and was pastor of the Black Swamp Baptist Church in Robertville, which in 1821 consisted of 30 white and 100 black members.
He became a pastor in Covington, KY in 1839, where he was also a trustee of Western Baptist Theological Institute. In 1841 he moved to a pastorate in Lebanon, Ohio, then to First Baptist of Savannah, GA in 1846, then back to Robertville in 1849. In 1851 he acted decisively in favor of the anti-slavery sentiments that had grown within him, and he freed his slaves and went back north to Temple Baptist Church in Portsmouth, Ohio.
While in Portsmouth his son, Henry Martyn Robert, went off to West Point, and Henry would ultimately rise to the rank of Brigadier General in the Army Corp of Engineers. He would become an officer for the Union in the Civil War, much to the chagrin of his southern relatives. Joseph preached in Market Street Baptist in Zanesville, Ohio for a time. Then he moved to Burlington, Iowa, becoming a professor at Burlington University and later at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
The Civil War took a great toll on the Robert and Lawton families. Adeline often pined for her southern family and heritage while moving from place to place. Many of their relatives suffered great loss when Sherman's army destroyed Robertville on its march to Atlanta.
Meanwhile their son, Henry, served the Union in defending Washington and Philadelphia. Henry had married Helen Thresher from First Baptist Church of Dayton, Ohio. Joseph's son, James, moved to Dayton as well. Adeline died of cancer in 1866 and was buried in Woodland Cemetery in the First Baptist Church of Dayton section, along with an infant child of Henry and Helen. Joseph returned to Burlington and became the university's president in 1869.
In 1871, under the administration of the American Baptist Home Mission Society, Joseph Robert was appointed the first president of the Augusta Institute in Georgia. It was a school for the training of Black men for the ministry. It struggled for several years with poor funding and facilities, with Dr. Robert doing much of the instruction himself. In 1879 the school was relocated to Atlanta, where it was better able to prosper. Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary was opened in 1881 under Robert's leadership as well, and the two schools shared an administration and board for some time. The women's seminary would become Spelman College, and the men's school would eventually be renamed Morehouse College.
Joseph Robert died in his Atlanta residence on March 5, 1884, and was buried in Oakland Cemetery. His daughter, Martha, or "Mattie," who never married, had long been at his side. She handled the business affairs of his estate, donating his books to the seminary library. She then returned to Dayton, and died in 1887 and was buried next to her mother.
Joseph's son Henry would later gain notoriety as the author of "Robert's Rules of Order," born from his frustration in the disorder he experienced in church and public meetings. James would become a professor and civic leader in Dayton, and together the brothers helped build levees and fill land near the Great Miami River. This was known as "Robert's Fill," and one may find still in that place a Robert Drive commemorating their effort.
Joseph Robert's legacy is one of great sacrifice as well as great reward. He sacrificed his own wealth, family esteem and reputation as a southern landowner for the sake of conscience and calling. He wandered from place to place in service to God, the church, and education. But he was also rewarded with an accomplished family legacy of his own. And the southern institutions of Morehouse and Spelman Colleges have multiplied his ministries exponentially among the very people his own ancestors oppressed. The story of his decision to live with a free conscience that believed all should be free deserves to be told again.
Contributor:
KDB - [email protected]
Aged 79 years. Buried in unmarked grave in Potters Field.
Cemetery records has last name as Roberts. Man who added picture says it is Robert.
-----
For a scholarly account of his life, see "Joseph Thomas Robert and the Wages of Conscience," by R. Frank Saunders, Jr., and George A. Rogers, in "The Georgia Historical Quarterly," Vol. 88, No. 1, Spring 2004. The following is mostly distilled from this work:
Joseph Thomas Robert--Southern Planter and Physician, Anti-slavery Baptist Preacher, Professor, first President of what became Morehouse and Spelman Colleges.
Joseph Thomas Robert was born near Robertville, Beaufort District (Old St. Peter's Parish), South Carolina, on Nov. 28, 1807. He was the second son of Charlotte Ann Lawton Robert and James Jehu Robert, longtime pastor and deacon of Black Swamp Baptist Church. His paternal lineage traces back to Swiss Huguenot preacher Pierre Robert, who settled along the Santee River in 1685. He married his first cousin, Adeline Lawton, daughter of Alexander J. and Martha Mosse Lawton of Robertville.
Joseph attended Columbian College in Washington, D.C., Brown University, the Medical College at Yale University, Charleston Medical College, and Furman Theological Institute. He was ordained in 1835 and was pastor of the Black Swamp Baptist Church in Robertville, which in 1821 consisted of 30 white and 100 black members.
He became a pastor in Covington, KY in 1839, where he was also a trustee of Western Baptist Theological Institute. In 1841 he moved to a pastorate in Lebanon, Ohio, then to First Baptist of Savannah, GA in 1846, then back to Robertville in 1849. In 1851 he acted decisively in favor of the anti-slavery sentiments that had grown within him, and he freed his slaves and went back north to Temple Baptist Church in Portsmouth, Ohio.
While in Portsmouth his son, Henry Martyn Robert, went off to West Point, and Henry would ultimately rise to the rank of Brigadier General in the Army Corp of Engineers. He would become an officer for the Union in the Civil War, much to the chagrin of his southern relatives. Joseph preached in Market Street Baptist in Zanesville, Ohio for a time. Then he moved to Burlington, Iowa, becoming a professor at Burlington University and later at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
The Civil War took a great toll on the Robert and Lawton families. Adeline often pined for her southern family and heritage while moving from place to place. Many of their relatives suffered great loss when Sherman's army destroyed Robertville on its march to Atlanta.
Meanwhile their son, Henry, served the Union in defending Washington and Philadelphia. Henry had married Helen Thresher from First Baptist Church of Dayton, Ohio. Joseph's son, James, moved to Dayton as well. Adeline died of cancer in 1866 and was buried in Woodland Cemetery in the First Baptist Church of Dayton section, along with an infant child of Henry and Helen. Joseph returned to Burlington and became the university's president in 1869.
In 1871, under the administration of the American Baptist Home Mission Society, Joseph Robert was appointed the first president of the Augusta Institute in Georgia. It was a school for the training of Black men for the ministry. It struggled for several years with poor funding and facilities, with Dr. Robert doing much of the instruction himself. In 1879 the school was relocated to Atlanta, where it was better able to prosper. Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary was opened in 1881 under Robert's leadership as well, and the two schools shared an administration and board for some time. The women's seminary would become Spelman College, and the men's school would eventually be renamed Morehouse College.
Joseph Robert died in his Atlanta residence on March 5, 1884, and was buried in Oakland Cemetery. His daughter, Martha, or "Mattie," who never married, had long been at his side. She handled the business affairs of his estate, donating his books to the seminary library. She then returned to Dayton, and died in 1887 and was buried next to her mother.
Joseph's son Henry would later gain notoriety as the author of "Robert's Rules of Order," born from his frustration in the disorder he experienced in church and public meetings. James would become a professor and civic leader in Dayton, and together the brothers helped build levees and fill land near the Great Miami River. This was known as "Robert's Fill," and one may find still in that place a Robert Drive commemorating their effort.
Joseph Robert's legacy is one of great sacrifice as well as great reward. He sacrificed his own wealth, family esteem and reputation as a southern landowner for the sake of conscience and calling. He wandered from place to place in service to God, the church, and education. But he was also rewarded with an accomplished family legacy of his own. And the southern institutions of Morehouse and Spelman Colleges have multiplied his ministries exponentially among the very people his own ancestors oppressed. The story of his decision to live with a free conscience that believed all should be free deserves to be told again.
Contributor:
KDB - [email protected]
Cemetery records has last name as Roberts. Man who added picture says it is Robert.
-----
For a scholarly account of his life, see "Joseph Thomas Robert and the Wages of Conscience," by R. Frank Saunders, Jr., and George A. Rogers, in "The Georgia Historical Quarterly," Vol. 88, No. 1, Spring 2004. The following is mostly distilled from this work:
Joseph Thomas Robert--Southern Planter and Physician, Anti-slavery Baptist Preacher, Professor, first President of what became Morehouse and Spelman Colleges.
Joseph Thomas Robert was born near Robertville, Beaufort District (Old St. Peter's Parish), South Carolina, on Nov. 28, 1807. He was the second son of Charlotte Ann Lawton Robert and James Jehu Robert, longtime pastor and deacon of Black Swamp Baptist Church. His paternal lineage traces back to Swiss Huguenot preacher Pierre Robert, who settled along the Santee River in 1685. He married his first cousin, Adeline Lawton, daughter of Alexander J. and Martha Mosse Lawton of Robertville.
Joseph attended Columbian College in Washington, D.C., Brown University, the Medical College at Yale University, Charleston Medical College, and Furman Theological Institute. He was ordained in 1835 and was pastor of the Black Swamp Baptist Church in Robertville, which in 1821 consisted of 30 white and 100 black members.
He became a pastor in Covington, KY in 1839, where he was also a trustee of Western Baptist Theological Institute. In 1841 he moved to a pastorate in Lebanon, Ohio, then to First Baptist of Savannah, GA in 1846, then back to Robertville in 1849. In 1851 he acted decisively in favor of the anti-slavery sentiments that had grown within him, and he freed his slaves and went back north to Temple Baptist Church in Portsmouth, Ohio.
While in Portsmouth his son, Henry Martyn Robert, went off to West Point, and Henry would ultimately rise to the rank of Brigadier General in the Army Corp of Engineers. He would become an officer for the Union in the Civil War, much to the chagrin of his southern relatives. Joseph preached in Market Street Baptist in Zanesville, Ohio for a time. Then he moved to Burlington, Iowa, becoming a professor at Burlington University and later at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
The Civil War took a great toll on the Robert and Lawton families. Adeline often pined for her southern family and heritage while moving from place to place. Many of their relatives suffered great loss when Sherman's army destroyed Robertville on its march to Atlanta.
Meanwhile their son, Henry, served the Union in defending Washington and Philadelphia. Henry had married Helen Thresher from First Baptist Church of Dayton, Ohio. Joseph's son, James, moved to Dayton as well. Adeline died of cancer in 1866 and was buried in Woodland Cemetery in the First Baptist Church of Dayton section, along with an infant child of Henry and Helen. Joseph returned to Burlington and became the university's president in 1869.
In 1871, under the administration of the American Baptist Home Mission Society, Joseph Robert was appointed the first president of the Augusta Institute in Georgia. It was a school for the training of Black men for the ministry. It struggled for several years with poor funding and facilities, with Dr. Robert doing much of the instruction himself. In 1879 the school was relocated to Atlanta, where it was better able to prosper. Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary was opened in 1881 under Robert's leadership as well, and the two schools shared an administration and board for some time. The women's seminary would become Spelman College, and the men's school would eventually be renamed Morehouse College.
Joseph Robert died in his Atlanta residence on March 5, 1884, and was buried in Oakland Cemetery. His daughter, Martha, or "Mattie," who never married, had long been at his side. She handled the business affairs of his estate, donating his books to the seminary library. She then returned to Dayton, and died in 1887 and was buried next to her mother.
Joseph's son Henry would later gain notoriety as the author of "Robert's Rules of Order," born from his frustration in the disorder he experienced in church and public meetings. James would become a professor and civic leader in Dayton, and together the brothers helped build levees and fill land near the Great Miami River. This was known as "Robert's Fill," and one may find still in that place a Robert Drive commemorating their effort.
Joseph Robert's legacy is one of great sacrifice as well as great reward. He sacrificed his own wealth, family esteem and reputation as a southern landowner for the sake of conscience and calling. He wandered from place to place in service to God, the church, and education. But he was also rewarded with an accomplished family legacy of his own. And the southern institutions of Morehouse and Spelman Colleges have multiplied his ministries exponentially among the very people his own ancestors oppressed. The story of his decision to live with a free conscience that believed all should be free deserves to be told again.
Contributor:
KDB - [email protected]
Family Members
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
