My Great-Great Grandfather was William Robert Boblett. I would love to be able to contact Kim Millner regarding William's sibbling who was Kim's Great Grandfather. Mine was William B. Boblett, who married Mary Alice Whorley Wade in December, 1888. William B. Boblett and Mary Alice bought seven acres of land on the top of a mountain in Bedford County, VA and built a small two room house in 1900. They had seven children at the time. They added on to the house and later had three more children. He also built another building which had a kitchen and dining room. He farmed and raised tobacco. He also cut chestnut and oak trees and removed the bark for a chemical called tannin which was used in the tanning and dyeing of leather. Molly took in boarders. The home was located exactly where the Blue Ridge Parkway runs and the location is known as Boblett's Gap. There is a cemetary there although the headstones have been stolen along in time. Among those buried there was Iva Lillian, infant daugher of Willaim B. and Molly. Louis Arthur Boblett, born on October 15, 1889, died at age 37. Three babies of Willis Boblett Coleman (my Grandmother's sister) are also buried there. One of their daughters was Elsie Boblett who was my Grandmother. My Great Grandfather is also buried in the same cemetary as his father. My Grandparents, William Cadd (or Coad) and Elsie Boblett had built a home going up the mountain from Pico. I have many great memories of their home when I was a small child. William B. and Molly Boblett built a cabin at the bottom of the mountain in Botetourt County, adjacent to the land my Grandparents owned so they would not have to travel back to the top of the mountain each night. William B. cut timber for making barrel staves and hand hewn railroad ties to sell. They kept the house at the top of the mountain as well and in around 1924 or 25 they moved to the cabin at the foot of the mountain. After my Great-Grandfather died, Molley sold the land on top of the mountain to the Federal Government when the Blue Ridge Parkway was being built.

According to what I have been able to find out, William Robert Boblett is the son of Rachel Boblett. She was not married and there was a paternity suit against a John Henry Taylor who was suppose to be the father. The only thing I have found on a John Henry Taylor was from census records and it looks as though that person was a slave somewhere below Charlottesville, VA. I understand that in that day, slaves may have taken the name of the owner. After William's birth, sometime later Rachel left him with her brother, also a William Boblett, and left the area, either to Stafford County, VA or to Ohio. I am not sure of his age at the time but I don't think he was very old. It was thought that she may have married a John Seymour. I found census records of several Rachel Bobletts in Ohio but I can't confirm that any would be my Great-Great-Great Grandmother and I haven't found John Seymour. Supposedly she was raised in Stafford County, VA. I know nothing about Rachel's parents as of yet.

William Robert Boblett was a private in the Confederate Army. He was with the 42nd Inf. VA., Company I. He was captured by the North at the battle at Spotsylvania in May, 1865. I found a list of battles that Company I of the 42nd fought and they were in some serious battles including Gettysburg.
I was at the reenactment at Ceder Creek, VA this past weekend and there were reenactors from the 42nd there but I didn't find them when I walked through the camps. The amazing thing to me is that if he hadn't been captured or hurt/killed, he would have fought in that battle. I lived in Manassas, VA and he fought at the Second Manassas battle as well as in Winchester, VA which is only around 20 miles from where I live in Front Royal, VA.

I hope you can share with me any information you or anyone may have on my family and I will be more than happy to pass along anything I find out to you or anyone else.