Family

Pat Robertson's Bloodline

ROBERTSON, Senator A. Willis, born 27 May 1887 (son of Franklin P. ROBERTSON, and his wife, Josephine Ragland WILLIS); B.A., University of Richmond, 1907, LL.B., 1908, LL.D., 1945; LL.D., Washington and Lee University, 1949, and College of William and Mary, 1956; member, Virginia State Senate, 2 terms, 1916-22 (resigned); commonwealth's attorney, Rockbridge County, 1922-28; chairman, Virginia Commonwealth Game and Inland Fisheries, 1926-32; member, 73rd Congress, 1933-35, Virginia at large; 74th to 79th Congresses 1935-47, 7th Virginia District; elected to U.S. Senate, 5 Nov. 1946, for unexpired term of Carter Glass, dec.; re-elected to U.S. Senate, 1948, 1954, 1960; served as 1st Lieutenant, later Captain and Major, Infantry, U.S. Army, 1917-19; member, Society of the Cincinnati, Sons of the American Revolution, the Jamestowne Society; and numerous other cultural and legal organizations; married 19 Oct. 1920, Gladys Churchill WILLIS (also of royal descent from the same ancestors), and has issue:

1 - A. Willis ROBERTSON, Jr., born 7 Nov. 1923; married 10 Feb. 1962, Gloria Ann CHAMPION.

2 - The Reverend Marion Gordon ROBERTSON, born 22 March 1930; married June 1954, Adelia ELMER, and has issue:

i - Timothy Brian ROBERTSON, born 6 Nov. 1955;
ii - Elizabeth Faith ROBERTSON, born 14 Aug. 1956;
iii - Gordon Perry ROBERTSON, born 3 June 1958;
iv - Ann Willis ROBERTSON, born 24 April 1963

LINEAGE:

Descendants of the eminent presidential family of HARRISON of historic memory; of LIEUTENANT CHURCHILL GORDON, of Orange Co., and of COLONEL JAMES GORDON, of Lancaster Co., Virginia, and JOHN GORDON, who married 15 Dec. 1756, LUCY CHURCHILL, born Jan. 1737/9, seventh child of COLONEL ARMISTEAD CHURCHILL, J.P., 1704-63, of Bushy Park, Middlesex Co., collector for Rappahannock River (William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 8, p. 94), who married at Wakefield, Surry Co., Va., 1725, HANNAH HARRISON, 1706-76, of Bushy Park, daughter of NATHANIEL HARRISON, 1677-1727 (justice in Surry Co., 1699, burgess, 1699-1706, appointed to the council, 1713, Lieutenant for Surry and Prince George counties, 1715, and auditor-general of the Colony, 1724, until his death), whose son NATHANIEL HARRISON, married MARY DIGGES, 1717-44, daughter of COLONEL COLE DIGGES, 1692-1744, son of COLONEL DUDLEY DIGGES, 1665-1710, whose grandfather, SIR DUDLEY DIGGES, 1583-1639, of Chilham Castle, was ambassador to Russia, M.P., Master of the Rolls, a member of the London Co. for colonizing Virginia, and the 17th generation in line of descent from KING WILLIAM I, the Conqueror.

BENJAMIN HARRISON (son of Nathaniel Harrison, ante, and brother of Nathaniel), married SUSANNAH DIGGES (sister of Mary Digges, ante), and daughter of COLONEL COLE DIGGES, of royal descent. They were cousins of BENJAMIN HARRISON, of "Berkeley", Charles city Co., Virginia, sheriff and burgess, who married ANNE CARTER, daughter of COLONEL ROBERT CARTER, "King Carter", of "Corotoman", speaker of the Virginia House of Burgesses, who was the 14th generation in line of descent from KING EDWARD I, of England. (Their son, BENJAMIN HARRISON, of "Berkeley", d. 24 April 1791, Governor of Virginia and Signer of the Declaration of Independence, was the father of GENERAL WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, 1773-1841, President of the U.S.A., whose grandson, GENERAL BENJAMIN HARRISON, 1833-1901, was also President of the U.S.A.). ANNE HARRISON (also daughter of Nathaniel, ante), married COLONEL EDWARD DIGGES (son of Colonel Cole Digges, ante), and the 12th generation in descent from KING EDWARD III, of England. Her father, NATHANIEL HARRISON, ante, married MARY CARY, 1678-1732, of Surry Co., of the prominent Virginian family of that name, a collateral of EDWARD CARY, 1704-50, whose son, JOHN CARY, of Abingdon parish, Gloucester Co., married MARY READE, daughter of SAMUEL READE, son of ROBERT READE (will probated York Co., 16 March 1712), who was the 12th generation in line of descent from KING EDWARD III, of England (see Volume II, pp. 642-643).

COLONEL ARMISTEAD CHURCHILL, ante, of Bushy Park (8th generation in direct female line from Senator A. Willis Robertson), was brother of PRISCILLA CHURCHILL, born 21 Dec. 1705, who married (1) ROBERT CARTER, son of COLONEL ROBERT CARTER, "King Carter", ante, of royal descent, son of COLONEL JOHN CARTER, of "Corotoman", and his wife SARAH LUDLOW, who was the 14th generation in descent from KING FERDINAND III (the Saint), of Castile and Leon. Her sister, ELIZABETH CHURCHILL, born 1710, married (1) COLONEL WILLIAM BASSETT, whose daughter ELIZABETH BASSETT, married BENJAMIN HARRISON, ante, son of BENJAMIN HARRISON, and his wife ANNE CARTER, of royal descent and the parents of GENERAL WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, President of the U.S.A. The parents of COLONEL ARMISTEAD CHURCHILL, of Bushy Park, were WILLIAM CHURCHILL (clerk and sheriff of Middlesex Co. and member of the council), and his wife, ELIZABETH ARMISTEAD (widow of Ralph Wormeley), daughter of COLONEL JOHN ARMISTEAD, "The Councillor", sheriff of Gloucester Co., 1675, whose daughter JUDITH ARMISTEAD, married COLONEL ROBERT CARTER, "King Carter", of royal descent, previously cited, father of ANNE CARTER, who married BENJAMIN HARRISON.

(The above is a most unusual example of the frequent intermarriages of the distinguished Virginian families of Gordon, Churchill, Harrison and Carter, thus producing a number of collateral lines of royal descent.)