> Does anyone know if Robertsville Post Office was a town?? I am >wondering how Robertsville got its name. Thank you for any information! > Carolyn Whaley I think it's more accurate to say that Robertsville was a community, and that there was a post office in the community. In a way, there still is a Robertsville community and it's inside the Oak Ridge city limits. The site of the old Robertsville High School is now Robertsville Middle School and the school is on Robertsville Road. The area is just north of the Oak Ridge Turnpike. Robertsville Road sort of loops around, but it is basically parallel to and north of Oak Ridge Turnpike. My mother grew up going to the Scarbrough Grammar School and the Robertsville High School. She talks about people who lived "in Robertsville" and who lived "in Scarbrough". So I have asked her, *exactly* where was Robertsville and *exactly* where was Scarbrough? I get pretty vague answers. I think the answers are vague not because my mother doesn't know or doesn't remember, but rather because the answer really is vague. You have to remember that you could be served by the Robertsville post office without living "in Robertsville" or you could be served by the Scarbrough post office without living "in Scarbrough". I normally describe my grandfather's farm as being "in Scarbrough". Well, it was up on Chestnut Ridge, and when people talked about being "in Scarbrough" they probably meant being closer to the grammar school than my grandfather's farm was. Namely, they probably meant being close to the corner of Scarbrough Road and Bethel Valley Road. But anyway, I have found some records where my grandfather had a Scarbrough address and some records where he had an Edgemoor address, all on the same farm. Also, my g grandfather's farm was in Bear Creek Valley (current site of Y-12), and he had a Robertsville address. However, it seems to me that Bear Creek Valley is probably closer to "beautiful downtown Scarbrough" (meaning the corner of Scarbrough Road and Bethel Valley Road) than it is to "beautiful downtown Robertsville" (meaning the site of the old Robertsville High School). Jerry Bryan

Jerry: Who was your mother? My father grew up (til 'they' moved them out) in Elza Gate and/or Scarbrough. His grandmother's home place was where Tara Hills apartments now stand in the East end of Oak Ridge. My father talked a lot about Scarbrough and I believe that is where he went to school. There is a very old cemetery near Linden school--on the road that links Robertsville with Illinois Ave going north. The cemetery is beside a small church. My Foster ancestors are buried there. I don't recall others, but the Fosters and Wallaces were in the area as early as 1804. Not sure if they were in Robertsville at that time, however. ----- Original Message ----- From: Jerry Bryan To: TNANDERS-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Monday, January 17, 2005 3:36 PM Subject: RE: [TNANDERS-L] Robertsville > Does anyone know if Robertsville Post Office was a town?? I am >wondering how Robertsville got its name. Thank you for any information! > Carolyn Whaley I think it's more accurate to say that Robertsville was a community, and that there was a post office in the community. In a way, there still is a Robertsville community and it's inside the Oak Ridge city limits. The site of the old Robertsville High School is now Robertsville Middle School and the school is on Robertsville Road. The area is just north of the Oak Ridge Turnpike. Robertsville Road sort of loops around, but it is basically parallel to and north of Oak Ridge Turnpike. My mother grew up going to the Scarbrough Grammar School and the Robertsville High School. She talks about people who lived "in Robertsville" and who lived "in Scarbrough". So I have asked her, *exactly* where was Robertsville and *exactly* where was Scarbrough? I get pretty vague answers. I think the answers are vague not because my mother doesn't know or doesn't remember, but rather because the answer really is vague. You have to remember that you could be served by the Robertsville post office without living "in Robertsville" or you could be served by the Scarbrough post office without living "in Scarbrough". I normally describe my grandfather's farm as being "in Scarbrough". Well, it was up on Chestnut Ridge, and when people talked about being "in Scarbrough" they probably meant being closer to the grammar school than my grandfather's farm was. Namely, they probably meant being close to the corner of Scarbrough Road and Bethel Valley Road. But anyway, I have found some records where my grandfather had a Scarbrough address and some records where he had an Edgemoor address, all on the same farm. Also, my g grandfather's farm was in Bear Creek Valley (current site of Y-12), and he had a Robertsville address. However, it seems to me that Bear Creek Valley is probably closer to "beautiful downtown Scarbrough" (meaning the corner of Scarbrough Road and Bethel Valley Road) than it is to "beautiful downtown Robertsville" (meaning the site of the old Robertsville High School). Jerry Bryan ==== TNANDERS Mailing List ==== Post your questions and inquiry about your Ancestor regularly...Someone may find a relative. http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/TNANDERS