Lewis Robards

Lewis Robards (December 5, 1758 – April 15, 1814) was an American Revolutionary War veteran and early settler in Kentucky. He was born in Goochland County, Virginia, as the seventh of thirteen children of a family with notable Virginia ancestry. His father served as a militia lieutenant during the French and Indian War and was a member of Goochland County's Committee of Safety in 1775. Robards enlisted in the Continental Army in May 1778 during the American Revolution and was promoted through ranks, eventually achieving the rank of captain by 1791. He participated in military actions at Richmond and the James River and was present at the Siege of Yorktown.

Following his father's death in Virginia in 1783, Robards, his mother, and several siblings relocated to Cane Run, in what is now Mercer County, Kentucky. The family owned several hundred acres of land that had been partly cleared. According to historical accounts, the Robards family was considered distinguished, with ties to prominent families. Lewis Robards, along with his brother George, initially settled near Harrodsburg, Kentucky, where they cleared land, resisted Indian attacks, and became landowners. They returned to Virginia for a few years to settle their father's estate before re-establishing themselves in Kentucky with their mother, on lands that included slaves.

Lewis Robards married Rachel Donelson on March 1, 1785, in Harrodsburg. Rachel was the daughter of John Donelson and the granddaughter of a Huguenot family. The marriage linked two prominent frontier families and allowed Rachel to remain in Kentucky while her family moved back to Tennessee. The Robards–Donelson marriage was considered advantageous but is also noted in historical records for tumultuous aspects, including allegations of infidelity and domestic conflicts. Robards was described as a man with a penchant for horses and hunting, and he was reportedly suspicious-minded and jealous, often quarreling with his wife and others, including Andrew Jackson.

In 1789, Lewis Robards and Rachel Donelson eloped with Andrew Jackson to the Natchez District, where Robards later filed for divorce on grounds of adultery. The marriage and subsequent scandals involving Robards, Rachel Donelson, and Andrew Jackson became well-known and politically influential, particularly during Jackson's 1828 presidential campaign.

Robards later married Hannah Winn with whom he had ten children. He died in 1814 in Mercer County, Kentucky. His sister, Sarah "Sally" Robards, was married to Jack Jouett, known for his midnight ride warning about a plot to kidnap legislators. Their son, Matthew Harris Jouett, became a recognized portrait painter.

One of Robards’ descendants, William J. Robards, claimed that Andrew Jackson had unlawfully taken Robards' wife and household before he obtained a divorce. The relationship between Lewis Robards, Rachel Donelson, and Andrew Jackson remains a notable subject in early Kentucky history and American presidential history.