ROBINSON Family 1805 -1930

TN > MS > AL > Scott Co, MO

Looking for any info / leads / connections to this ROBINSON / ROBERTSON group. I've made some progress from census findings but a number of old questions remain; and the census listings raise many questions about the kids.

We have always heard the name ROBINSON; and the earliest Robinsons personally known to my family were my great-grandmother Clara and her brother Taylor. Clara told her great-niece that she was born in Lauderdale Co AL, and that the family lived there during the war. At the end of the Civil War, she said that the family was relocated to East St. Louis, IL, by Union soldiers. I have never understood that; some historians have suggested that the family might have been Northern sympathizers who followed Union troops north for security. It's a stab in the dark. I have read histories of Lauderdale Co trying to find out what this Union soldiers story is, and trying to find mention of my family, but so far have gleaned nothing other than a picture of how murderous the county was during the war. Clara said that in East St. Louis, they had horrible work in a chicken processing plant. I don't know exactly how long they stayed there, but by 1870 the kids and their mother are in Scott Co MO, where the families stayed. The father is not with the family at that point, and I have no leads as to where or when he died.

It seems to me that some census takers made all the families Robertsons and some made them all Robinsons, and it certainly doesn't seem that one can give any significance to the spelling before 1900 .

It now seems that I need to look in TN for Job's parents; I suspect NC and PA may be the origins of earlier generations.

1 - Job J. ROBERTSON, b c1805 NC? (possibly TN or SC), d bef 1870
sp1- unknown first wife b c1805, d 1835-1844?
2 - Silus ROBINSON, b 1835 Lauderdale, AL
sp2- Margaret KIDDY, b 1825/1830 AL, m 12 Mar 1845, d aft 1880 MO
2 - Rebeca F. ROBERTSON, b 1845 Lauderdale, AL; nothing more known of her
2 - Elizabeth ROBINSON, b 1846 Lauderdale, AL; nothing more known of her
2 - (Zachariah) Taylor ROBINSON, b 25 Jan 1848 AL, d 18 Jun 1925 Commerce, Scott, MO
sp1- Josephine LEGRAND, b abt 1862 MO, m 23 Jun 1878
sp2- Alice J. COLLINS, m 29 Feb 1884 Scott, MO. But said to be the same woman; see notes below.
2 - Clarinda Frances ROBINSON, b 1 Sep 1853 Lauderdale, AL, d 10 Jun 1928 Benton, Scott, MO
sp- Thomas E. HAWKINS II, b 6 Feb 1843 Commerce, m 12 Oct 1873 Benton, Scott, MO, d 2 Mar 1915 Commerce
son of Thomas E. (Asa) HAWKINS & Rhoda ELLIS
Children of Taylor Robinson:
3 - Alberta / Bertha /Bertie ROBINSON, b 1886 Scott, MO
sp- Thomas W. TIDWELL, b ca 1877 KYor MO, m 9 Aug 1899, d aft 1920
3 - Mary Emma ROBINSON, b 15 Jun 1888 Commerce, Scott, MO, d 26 Feb 1940
sp- William D. EDMONDS, m bef 1920
3 - Laura E. ROBINSON, b abt 1892 Commerce, Scott, MO
3 - Ricka M. ROBINSON, b 1894 Commerce, Scott, MO
3 - Pearle R. ROBINSON, b abt 1899 Commerce, Scott, MO
Children born to Bertie Robinson:
4 - Albert TIDWELL, b 1902
4 - Clara TIDWELL, b 1905 Commerce, Scott, MO
4 - Emma TIDWELL, b 1907 Commerce, Scott, MO
4 - Viola? TIDWELL, b 1909 Commerce, Scott, MO
4 - Mary? TIDWELL, b 1911 Commerce, Scott, MO
4 - Elmer TIDWELL, b 1912 Commerce, Scott, MO
4 - Virginia TIDWELL, b 1915 Commerce, Scott, MO
4 - Herschel TIDWELL, b 1916-1919 Commerce, Scott, MO
4 - Hugh C. TIDWELL, b 1916-1919 Commerce, Scott, MO
Child born to Mary Emma Robinson:
4 - Isabel EDMONDS, living in Commerce, MO
sp- Roy Lee KNIGHT

Notes

Margaret Kitty / Keedy / Kiddy? Robinson

AL marriage record, Jobi Robinson and Margaret Keedy.
BLM records show Kiddy land deeds in Lauderdale. I'm interested in finding Lewis Kiddy's age and family as he acquired land there before Margaret's marriage to Jobi.
Son Taylor's death certificate gives his mother's name as Margaret Kitty.
9 Jun 1870 Scott Co MO census, Commerce township.
Margaret Robinson age 47 b AL keeping house, no RE, PE $200, illiterate. Zacariah 22 b AL, farm laborer, and "Clendia" age 15 b AL, at home.
7 Jun 1880 census Commerce, Scott, MO; Age 50, in Taylor's household; keeps house.
I have found another searcher with Kiddy families in Scott Co (with that spelling). Greg Morrow is searching for his great-grandmother Lutie Liona Kiddy, b Scott Co MO 25 Mar 1877, d Baylor Co TX 20 Nov 1965. She married William Ephraim Gambrell on 7 Jun 1857 in Johnson Co, TX. Her death certificate lists her parents as William J. Kiddy and Nancy A. Kirby.

Alice Josephine Legrand

1910 Scott Co MO census, Commerce township
Reports that her parents were born in Indiana. Also reports that she cannot read or write. At that time, she had had 7 children of whom 5 were still living.
Family members reported that Josephine died in 1951.

Bertie Robinson

Married at 13 years of age.
Something doesn't match.
In the 1910 census, Josephine Robinson says she's had 7 kids of whom 5 are living. There are 4 in the household at the census. We know there's also Bertie and Emma. We know they both lived to marriage age, anyway. Had Emma married and died by this time? OR - as Taylor was 14 years older than Josephine, was Bertie the dau of an earlier wife; and was her mother's death part of the reason for her marrying so young?

Clara / Clarinda Frances Robinson

Known to living descendants, as Clara.
Not with her parents in 1860 when she was only six. Why?
Scott Co MO marriage records
Last name is indexed as Roberson, but the certificate itself can be read as Robinson.
Clara and her brother Taylor were Baptist.
Blue-eyed with very fair skin, light hair, somewhat round face. A niece says she was "definitely Irish!" but both her parents were born in the States so I do not know where an Irish connection might have been.
Gravestone, late records and husband's will give her name as Clara; early records say Clarinda.
1900 and 1910 Scott Co MO census records
In 1900, Clara reports that she was b Alabama, doesn't know where her father was born, and that her mother was born in TN. She may barely have known her father; she wasn't in her parents' house in 1860 when she was 6, and her father is not with the family in 1870. In both 1900 and the 28 Apr 1910 census, Clarinda reports that she was the mother of 13 kids, of whom 9 were living; so she lost 4 babies, more than we'd known of. Here her father is reported as born in IL! Perhaps her father DIED in Illinois, when the family was in E St Louis after the Civil War?
Buried Oakdale Cemetery, Commerce, as is her husband.
Headstone gives her birth as 1854 and name as Clara F.

Job J. or Jobi Robertson / Robinson

27 Feb 1841 From Columbus land office, Job obtained just short of 40 acres in Lowndes county MS, plotted off the Huntsville Meridian.
Job I. Robinson's name has been corrected so is quite specifically that. He was then resident in Lowndes MS.
Aliquot N½E½SW Sec 20 Twnshp 16-S Range 17-W
It's interesting that there was a Robinson Road, the US mail route in 1824, from the sw part running ne to Columbus, mid-county.
source: transcribed AL marriage record, Jobi Robinson and Margaret Keedy
22 Oct 1850 census Lauderdale, AL. 2nd division east of the military road, Household #13.
Jobi Robertson millwright age 45 b NC, Margaret 25 b TN, Silus 15 laborer, Elizabeth 4, Zachariah 2. Also James House 32 millwright b TN. Children b AL.
1 Mar 1858 Land Office, Huntsville, AL; bought public lands: 279.63 acres
NE qtr of the SW qtr and the SW qtr of the SW of Section 34 and the SE qtr of Section 29 and the NW qtr of the NE qtr of Section 32 in Township 1 of Range 9W in the district of lands subject to sale at Huntsville AL.
There was an entry the same date for a Thompson Robinson. Surely a close relative and they journeyed to the land office together?
9 Aug 1860 census Lauderdale, AL; Green Hill PO, district 1, Household #686.
Jobi 55 mechanic $800 $500 this time says b SC but wonder if that's census taker error as there's a long series of b SC this page - ?
Margaret M 30 b AL as are all the rest. Lewis O age illegible 13? 15? Rebeca F 15, Nancy F 31, Susan J? 11, Robarte M 9 (male).
Who are Lewis and Rebecca? And where are Z Taylor and Clara? I hope to find the kids with grandparents - somewhere.
10 Aug 1860 census Lauderdale, AL; Green Hill PO, district 1.
Son Z.T. Robinson's death certificate seems to give his father's name as "Jos Robertson" -
but it must be remembered that the informant for the death certificate would never have known her grandfather.

Laura Robinson

28 Apr 1910 Scott Co MO census. Age 18, at home with her parents.

Mary E. Robinson

28 Apr 1910 Scott Co MO census. Age 21, at home with her parents.

Pearle Robinson

28 Apr 1910 Scott Co MO census. Age 11.
14 Jan 1920 Scott Co MO census. Age 20 or 21, still at home with her parents.

Rebecca F. Robinson / Robertson

Not with the family in 1850, but present in 1860 age 15.

Ricka Robinson

28 Apr 1910 Scott Co MO census. Age 15, at home with her parents.
14 Jan 1920 Scott Co MO census. Age 25, still at home with her parents and sister Pearl.

Zachariah Taylor Robinson

Known to living descendants, as Taylor
Not with his parents in 1860 when he was only 12. Why?
9 Jun 1870 Scott Co MO census, Commerce township
Name first reconstructed from this census.
Margaret Robinson has 2 children in the house: Zacariah, 22 and Clendia, 15. As Clarinda's name is wrong, so may the first: guessing that the son was named for Zachary Taylor, as the birthyears match and no other sibling was known. Perhaps only his mother used this first name for him; but later records do show "Z.T." Robinson, so the sources tie together.
In 1870, this son was a farm laborer.
7 Jun 1880 census Commerce, Scott, MO; Taylor here reported age 30, farmer, b AL, parents SC and AL.
With mother Margaret age 50, who keeps house, plus Zachariah Belk age 7 'nephew' (?) b MO, parents both b AL; plus 2 boarders, Chas Fox age 23 from Canada and Wm Harris age 39 from Hanover. That surname might be Hearns or another name - writing is poor.
The Belk connection is not understood; Taylor isn't married; but the Belk boy is called a nephew. We didn't know of any other siblings than Clara, but the earlier Alabama censuses show a larger family. There's definitely more to the family group than we know.
1910 census Scott Co MO, Commerce township.
Married and living in Commerce, MO, Taylor and his sister Clarinda must have been neighbors, as they are consecutive entries on the 1910 census; but Clara's husband didn't like Taylor and cut off contact between the families. We don't know the source of that animosity.
I find Taylor married twice, but descendants say this is one woman, Alice Josephine. In 1910 they report that they had been married for 26 years, so their marriage record should be abt 1884, or 6 years later than here reported. Esther Bowman (first cousin to this writer's mother), who did the first research on these lines, had the date. I find no such entry in Scott Co marriage records. I do find him marrying Josephine on 23 Jun 1878 and marrying Alice 29 Feb 1884. But Josephine is his wife in 1910 census while Alice is his wife in the 1920 census and Josephine is named as wife on his 1925 death certificate. Why two marriage records if the same woman?
14 Jan 1920 census Commerce, Scott, MO; Household #167/173.
His age is rewritten - from 75? Alice, wife, is 54. Dau Rickia 25, dau Pearl 20 or 21. Looks like Z or J F rather than T. He was b AL, says his father b TN, mother AL. Retired farmer. Wife & her parents b MO. Kids b MO.
18 Jun 1925 MO death certificate #19829
This is the source for the surname ROBERTSON whereas Geneva knew her grandmother as Clara Robinson Hawkins. I have known children who got their parents' facts wrong, so I don't place full faith in this certificate, when the relatives I knew all said Robinson. The death certificate does also give her mother's maiden name.
Informant: Mae Robertson, Commerce ( a daughter). Undertaker: Walker/Walsher/Walther Bros, Cape Girardeau.
Cause of death: apoplexy. HT Blackledge, MD, Commerce, attended Taylor from June 10 - June 18, when he died at 8:00 pm
Wife: Josephine Robertson. "ZT" was a farmer.
Scott Co MO probate records, 1925 entry for Zachary Taylor ROBISON.
Buried in Oakdale Cemetery, Commerce.

Other Robinsons, 1870 census Scott Co MO, Sandywoods / Commerce

  • George Robinson, b 1823 AL; seems he had a brother who died bef 1870, leaving a widow Martha b MO + 2 kids?
  • John Robinson, b 1827 AL; a widower by 1890; relative Nancy b AL 1844
See Hawkins Families