John Roberts III

John Roberts the Third (1721-1778) was hanged in 1778 for selling a horse to British troops during the Revolutionary War. He was a member of Merion Meeting and wealthy miller whose house still stands on Old Gulph Road near Mill Creek Road.

From the AP May 28, 2015 — In 1778, wealthy Pennsylvania businessman John Roberts III and fellow Quaker Abraham Carlisle were convicted of treason against the American cause and hanged from a gallows in Philadelphia. Three signers of the Declaration of Independence were among his allies who called for a pardon.
Roberts owned a mill and hundreds of acres of farmland in Lower Merion. In September 1777, the British marched into the city. Roberts moved there weeks later and stayed into 1778, when the redcoats left that June.
He and Abraham Carlisle were arrested in August 1778 and charged with treason against the Americans. His accusers testified that he fled the countryside because he was a British loyalist. Both men were executed on Nov. 4, 1778.

As a pacificist Quaker, Roberts strived for neutrality during the war. But his mill and farm provided prime foraging of food and livestock for both the American and British armies and Roberts was likely caught between both forces. "It was a tough place to be scrambling around in order to protect yourself," said David Maxey, who wrote a 2011 book on Roberts. "A lot of people got victimized by both armies."

Starting in June 1777, Roberts kept a ledger of the property that was "taken" from him by the Continental Army, often listing the officers and units that received the goods. None of his entries note money being exchanged. "Did he do it under duress? Was it like a raid? They're taking valuable stuff and he's very, very detailed about what they're taking," said Devon Eastland, of Skinner Auctions.