Robert Lt. Rankin

Robert Rankin (1753-1837) was a Lieutenant in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He was also a citizen of the Republic of Texas and a friend of Sam Houston.

Early life:

Born in King George, Virginia in 1753

Served in the Third Regiment of the Virginia line

Participated in the battles of Germantown, Brandywine, and Stony Point

Captured during the siege of Charleston and held prisoner of war until exchanged

from: July 2022 - PUBLISHER

Robin Rankin Willis

2911 Keagan Falls Drive,

Manvel, TX 77578, USA

Entered the service of the Continental Army in 1776 with Third Regiment of the Virginia Line

Married Margaret (Peggy) Berry in 1781

Robert and Margaret had three daughters and seven sons, one of who was Frederick Harrison Rankin

Life in Texas:

Moved to Texas in 1832

Received a land grant in Vehlein's colony in 1835

The town of Coldspring, San Jacinto County is located on his original grant

Known for his influence with the Indians in the region

Death:

Became ill in late 1836 and moved to St. Landry Parish, Louisiana

Died on November 13, 1837

Buried in the old Butler Cemetery near Coldspring, Texas

Reinterred at the State Cemetery in Austin in 1936

Robert Rankin [6] - Texas State Cemetery

RANKIN, ROBERT (1753-1837). Revolutionary War veteran Robert Rankin was born in the colony of Virginia in 1753. He entered the ser...

Texas State Cemetery

Robert Rankin (abt.1753-1837) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree

NSSAR Ancestor #: P275585. Rank: Lieutenant. Robert Rankin is an Approved Ancestor of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Orig...

WikiTree

Rankin, Robert - Texas State Historical Association

May 1, 1995 - In 1832 the Rankins moved to Joseph Vehlein's colony in Texas, along with the William Butler and Peter Cartwright famil...

Texas State Historical Association

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Toward the end of 1836, when he was 83, Rankin became ill. He and his wife moved to St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, where he died on November 13, 1837. His body was brought back to Texas, some 250 miles, a 20-day trip by wagon.

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Rankin, Robert (1753-1837)

By: Ann Patton Malone

Type: Biography

Published: 1976

Updated: May 1, 1995

Rankin, Robert (1753-1837).Revolutionary War veteran Robert Rankin was born in the colony of Virginia in 1753. He entered the service of the Continental Army in 1776 with the Third Regiment of the Virginia line and participated in the battles of Germantown, Brandywine, and Stony Point, as well as the siege of Charleston, where he was captured; he remained a prisoner of war until exchanged, at which time he received a promotion to lieutenant. On October 1, 1781, during a furlough, he married Margaret (Peggy) Berry in Frederick County, Virginia. He returned to active duty on October 15 and served until the war's end. Robert and Margaret Rankin had three daughters and seven sons, one of whom was Frederick Harrison Rankin. The family moved to Kentucky in 1784. In 1786 Rankin was named by the Virginia legislature as one of nine trustees for the newly established town of Washington, in Bourbon County (later Mason County), Kentucky. In 1792 he served as a delegate from Mason County to the Danville Convention, which drafted the first constitution of Kentucky. He also became an elector of the Kentucky Senate of 1792. The last mention of Rankin in Mason County, Kentucky, is in the 1800 census. The Rankins moved to Logan County, Kentucky, in 1802 and to the Tombigbee River in Mississippi Territory in 1811; the area of their home eventually became Washington County, Alabama. Four of the Rankin sons fought in the War of 1812. The family suffered a severe financial reversal around 1819-20, probably in conjunction with land speculation and the panic of 1819. In July 1828 Rankin first made an application for a pension for his Revolutionary War service.

In 1832 the Rankins moved to Joseph Vehlein's colony in Texas, along with the William Butler and Peter Cartwright families. Rankin was issued a certificate of character by Jesse Grimes on November 3, 1834, as required by the Mexican government. He applied for a land grant in Vehlein's colony on November 13 of the same year and received a league and labor in October 1835. The town of Coldspring, San Jacinto County, is located on Rankin's original grant. Rankin had the reputation of being a just and diplomatic man. He was a friend of Sam Houston, and his influence with the Indians in the region was well known. Houston reputedly called upon him in the spring of 1836 to encourage neutrality among the Indians during the crucial Texan retreat toward San Jacinto. Toward the end of 1836 Rankin became ill, and he and his wife moved to St. Landry parish, Louisiana, where he died on November 13, 1837. His body was brought back to the family home near Coldspring, in the new Republic of Texas, and buried in the old Butler Cemetery. In 1936 he was reinterred at the State Cemetery in Austin. His widow lived in Texas with her sons, William and Frederick, in Polk, Montgomery, and Liberty counties until her death sometime after December 1852.