|
Bradford County PA
|
Chemung County NY
|
Tioga County PA
|
|
Tri-Counties Genealogy & History by Joyce M. Tice
History of Tompkins, Schuyler,
Chemung, Tioga 1879
|
 |
|
|
Page 275 - John M. Robinson
Biography
|
| JOHN M. ROBINSON was born at Windham, Greene Co., N.Y.,
Feb. 23, 1814. He was next to the youngest in a family of four sons and
one daughter of Captain Eli P. Robinson and Mary (Saxton) Robinson, the
former native of Windham, Conn., and a lineal descendant of John Robinson,
one of the emigrants on the "Mayflower", in 1620. Captain Robinson was
a man highly esteemed by his fellow-citizens, liberally educated, was for
many years a justice of the peace and general conveyancer. As a teacher,
gave special attention to the early education of his children. He was a
captain in the war of 1812-1814, and took part in the defense of Sacket’s
Harbor and Brooklyn Heights.
His wife was a woman of rare virtues and womanly qualities,
and during the war in which her husband was a soldier traveled on horseback
through the neighborhoods in her vicinity to gather material for the comfort
of needy soldiers. |
 |
Of their children, Hon. Lucius Robinson is the present
Governor of New York State; elected 1876. Mr. John M. Robinson attended
school more or less until he was thirteen years of age, at which time he
was apprenticed until he should become of age to Humphrey Potter, to learn
the cabinet business, and during these years he received one more year’s
schooling.
At the close of his apprenticeship, in the year 1835,
he came to Horseheads and took charge of a cabinet manufacturing business
where he remained for one year, and in 1836 settled in the then village
of Elmira and established a chair-manufactory on a small scale. From this
beginning, he about the year 1839 added the cabinet-making and subsequently
a general furniture business he has continued until the time of writing
this sketch. By economy and industry, with a will to do, and a business
sagacity not uncommon among self-made business men, Mr. Robinson has gradually
extended his business from sales only reaching a few hundred dollars annually
to those now amounting to seventy-five thousand, and passed through the
days when each manufacturer cut his own timber in the wood, and by a long
and tedious process prepared it for the various departments of work,- a
wide contrast with 1878, when machinery for the manufacture of almost every
article has made rapid strides, and taken the place pf the rude tools of
a half-century ago.
In his early days Mr. Robinson was a member of the Whig
party, and was identified with the Republican party upon its formation.
He has never been solicitous of political preferment, but closely allied
to a business life.
In the year 1836, May 4, he married Nancy, daughter of
Jacob Satterly, of Jamesville, Onondaga Co., N.Y. She was born September,
1814.
Their children are Julia, wife of E. P. Nement, of Elmira,
William, Sarah (deceased), Mary, George, and Lucius D. Of these sons, William
and George are associated with their father in business.
Joyce Tip Box -- December 2007 -
 |
If you are not navigating this Tri-Counties
Site via the left and right sidebars of the Current
What's New page you are doing yourself a disservice. You can get
to any place on the site easily by making yourself familiar with these
subject and place topics. Try them all to be as familiar with the site's
16,000 plus pages as you can. Stop groping in the dark and take the lighted
path. That's also the only way you'll find the search engines for the site
or have access to the necessary messages I may leave for you. Make
it easy on yourself. |
|
