Robert A. Speed

(b. 1831)

Biographical Data

Important Dates

Robert A. Speed was born in 1831, in Smithfield, VA, USA.

Places of Residence

• Smithfield, VA, USA, from 1831.
• Laurel, Franklin County, NC.

Occupations

• Farmer. In 1857, Robert A. Speed purchased Sunnyside, also known as Laurel Mill Farm.

Relatives

• Parents: John Joseph Speed (1803-1870) [1] and Ann Strachan Jones (1808-1850) [1].
• Spouse: Mary Davis. Robert A. Speed married Mary Davis, and raised ten children. Their son Henry Speed and grandson James D. Speed represented Franklin County in NC General Assembly.
• Paternal grandparent: John Henry Speed.
• Maternal grandparent: John Wesley Jones.
• Siblings:
  • three brothers, Henry Goodridge Speed (1845-1864), John Speed and John S. Speed (b. 1835).
  • five sisters, Isabella Speed (b. 1841), Jane Speed (1838-1878) , Nannie Speed (b. 1848), Rosalie Speed and Sallie Speed (b. 1833).
• Others: James G. Speed (half-brother, b. 1868), S. Ida Speed (half-sister, b. 1860), Thomas G. Speed (half-brother, b. 1862), William Henry Speed (half-brother, b. 1865), Alfred Boyd (nephew, b. 1869), Bertie Boyd (nephew, b. 1873), Jennie Boyd (niece, b. 1868), Lizzie Boyd (niece, b. 1862), Mary Boyd (niece, b. 1870), Nannie Boyd (niece, b. 1865), Rosa Boyd (niece, b. 1871) and Willie Boyd (nephew, b. 1872).

References

1. Mary Claire Engstrom. The Book of Burwell Students: Lives of Educated Women in the Antebellum South. (Hillsborough: Hillsborough Historic Commission, 2007).