James Robison
From MouserAncestry
| Date | Location | Notes | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | 1790-1800 | [1][2] | ||
| Marriage | possibly to Elizabeth Means | [6] | ||
| Death | > Jan 1844 | will signed 4 Jan 1844 in Slippery Rock Twp., Butler Co., PA |
Ancestry chart segment
Generation 5 Generation 6 Generation 7
+-- [unknown]
|
+-- James Robison -------+
| (<1800->1844) |
James Robison, Jr. --+ +-- [unknown]
(~1832-1907) |
+-- Elizabeth Means [?]
(>1800-~1844)
Sources:
Children
| Name | Gender | Date of Birth | Birthplace | Spouse | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Robison | M | |||||
| Margaret Robison | F | See source notes | ||||
| William David Robison | M | 4 Dec 1836 | Butler Co., PA | Catherine Harriet Trembly | ||
| Robert Robison | M | |||||
| James Robison, Jr. | M | ~1832 | Eleanor Jane Hines | Direct line | ||
| Joseph Robison | M |
Places of Residence
| Location | Dates | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slippery Rock Township, Butler County, PA | ? - 1844+ | [2][3] |
Sources
| Ref. Num. | Description | Image of original
|
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1830 United States Federal Census, Slippery Rock Twp, Butler Co, PA, page 11. Census is not dated. Family headed by James Robinson: 2 males <5,1 male 5-10, 1 male 30-40, 1 female <5, 1 female 20-30. The ages and location are appropriate for James Robison and Elizabeth Means and their children. The family next door is headed by James Clark (age 40-50) who is cited as a "long time friend" in the will of James Robison |  |
| 2 | 1840 United States Federal Census, Slipperyrock Twp, Butler Co, PA, page 11. Census is not dated. Family headed by James Robinson: 2 males <5, 2 males 5-10, 2 males 10-15, 1 male 15-20, 1 male 40-50, 1 female 10-15, 1 female 30-40. The ages and location are appropriate for James Robison and Elizabeth Means and their children. This would include James Robison, Jr.. The will from 1844 list five children but implies that there are more. |  |
| 3 | 1850 United States Federal Census Parker Twp., Butler Co. PA. Date of census 18 Sept 1850.
|
 |
| 4 | Will of James Robison, Estate file # R-42, Register of Wills office, Butler County Court House, PA; microfilm at Butler Public Library, Wills Vol. B p. 295. Signed 4 Jan. 1844. Lists son John, "5 youngest children" Margaret, William, Robert, James, Joseph. Guardian Alis Mc(Bride?); friend James Clark, executor. Witnesses ___ W. McBride & Thomas Clark |
  (Complete transcription) |
| 5 | Personal correspondence from Elizabeth Wilson Williams. | N/A
|
| 6 | Personal correspondence from Doris Jean Cochran, great-granddaughter of William David Robison | N/A
|
Source notes
- The 1850 census for Parker Twp. shows a James Robison of correct age to be James, Jr., living with an apparently widowed mother, and a younger brother Joseph. All these items fit with our known data. The sister Lucinda was not formerly known. The mother's name of Jane conflicts with the name Elizabeth Means, formerly indicated to us by correspondence to be the wife of James Robison; supporting sources were not offered. Perhaps her name was Elizabeth Jane Means.
- The will of James Robison does not mention his wife and does appoint a guardian for his five youngest children. This would seem to imply that Elizabeth Means died prior to 1844. She appears to still be present in the 1840 census.
- If Margaret Robison, daughter of James Robison is the Margaret Robison who married William Boston Hines], then she was born in 1825, per the 1860 census of the William Boston Hines household.
Research
- 1790 United States Federal Census, Depriciation Tract, Allegheny Co, page1. Family of Jas. A. Robinson: 1 male >16, 3 males <16, 3 females.
This family is possibly in the area where our Robison's are found 40 years later. For a description of the depreciation lands and the formation of Butler County, see the History of Butler County-1883, page 24-25, Depreciation Lands. Butler County was created in 1800 from part of Allegheny County.
- 1810 United States Federal Census, Center Twp., Butler Co. PA. J. Robison household contains one male 26-44 and one female 26-44.
Our James Robison who was born 1790-1800 would be age 10-20 in 1810. This could be James' father, but the lack of male children argues against it. Close inspection of the numbers in the census list reveals that the figure interpreted as zero for males under 10 might be a different value; if our direct line James were born in 1790, he might be be recorded as under age 10 in 1810, depending on birth month. The zeros in the 10-15 and 16-25 categories are pretty clear.
The probability of this census being a match for our James Robison seems low. Since no evidence for James has been found in the 1820 census, perhaps he moved into the area in the 1820's.
- In the 1820 census for Butler Co. only two families headed by Robinsons have been found. Both Samuel Robinson in Muddy Creek Twp., age 26-45, and John Robinson, in Center Twp., age >45, could possibly be our James' father. Our James Robison would be age 20-30 in 1820. Neither family lists a male in the age range for James.
There are three Means families in Muddy Creek Twp. but only one, headed by Thomas Means, has a female of the right age for Elizabeth. Thomas Means is age >44; our Elizabeth means would be age 10-20 in 1820. Thomas Means has a daughter age 10-15. We have no primary data beyond census location to support these persons as relatives of our Robinson and Means families.
Conjecture
- From the 1895 History of Butler Co., p. 611, re. churches in Worth Twp.: Notes on the United Presby. Church organized in 1809 as the "Mouth of Wolf Creek Church", lists founding member David Robinson. We would expect this person to have been born by 1790 or earlier. James Robison was apparently born 1790-1800, so was a bit younger than this David, but possibly of the same generation.
- The 1883 History of Butler County, by Waterman, p. 64 has the biography of a Thomas Robinson, son of Thomas Robinson, Sr., was born in Armagh Co. Ireland 4 July 1825. He came to the US with his parents in the spring of 1832 and located in Middlesex (now Penn) Twp., Butler Co. in spring of 1836. He married (20 June 1854) Ann E. DeWolf. He was elected to the Legislature in 1860; for many years was editor of the Butler Eagle.
Thomas is a generation younger than our James Robison, so is probably not related, or a cousin perhaps.
