Lowndes County AlArchives Biographies.....Robinson, Eli Terry December 11, 1851 - December 2, 1922 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/al/alfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Carolyn Golowka http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00012.html#0002972 January 29, 2005, 10:38 pm The following biography from "Memorial Records of Alabama," by Brant and Fuller, 1893, has several errors. See the notes at the end of the quote for a discussion of these errors. "Eli T. Robinson, retired planter of Benton, Ala. was born in Lowndes county, in 1851. He is a son of Hon. Cornelius and Martha W. (De Jarnett) Robinson, both of whom were born in Anson county, N. C., the former in 1805, and the latter in 1812. They were liberally educated and came with their respective parents to Alabama, he in 1817, his parents settling in Autauga county, and afterward removing to what is now Lowndes county, where they probably died. Mr. Robinson was a wealthy planter and reared a large family of children. Hon. Cornelius Robinson lived in Autauga and Montgomery counties before moving to Lowndes county, where he was a very extensive planter, and for some years prior to the war was in the commission business in Mobile. He served in the Creek war as captain, and afterward was general of militia in Lowndes county. During the late war he was on Gen. Bragg's staff until his health failed, when he returned to his home and was appointed to the Confederate congress by Gov. Eli Shorter to fill an unexpired term, but after a few months' service retired on account of ill health. He then lived on his plantation in Lowndes county until his death, which occurred in 1867. He was one of the most prominent men in the county, and a leader in all public matters, either of local or state interest. His widow is still living, and is a member of the Protestant Episcopal church. Her father, John P. De Jarnett, was a native of North Carolina, a wealthy planter, and spent all his life in his native state. His widow came to Alabama and died in Lowndes county. Eli T. Robinson is the youngest of a family of ten children, of whom only he and one sister are now living. Three of the brothers were in the late war, viz.: Cornelius B. was a second lieutenant in the Third Alabama infantry, and died in 1866; Mumford De Jarnett was in the militia by special call various times, was in delicate health, and was superintendent of education of Lowndes county at the time of his death in 1876; John W. was in the Third Alabama infantry all through the war, and afterward followed farming until his death in 1884. Eli T. Robinson was reared on a farm and began life for himself at the age of nineteen, as a planter, and continued this line of work for eight years. Since then he has been in the insurance business, etc. He was married in 1870 to Emma C., daughter of Dr. John N. of Connecticut, and S. R. Kendall, of South Carolina, whence they came to Alabama and died in Benton, where Dr. Kendall practiced medicine for many years. Mrs. Robinson was born and educated in Benton, and is now the mother of five children. Mr. Robinson has 1,500 acres of land, which he has acquired mostly by his own efforts, and he is one of the leading planters in the county. He was a member of Rising Star lodge of the order of K. P., until that lodge ceased to exist. He is now a member of Lowndes lodge, No. 2770, K. H., at Benton. Mumford De Jarnett, the great-grandfather of Eli T. Robinson, on his mother's side, was a French Huguenot exile, who settle in North Carolina and served under Gen. Marion in the Revolutionary war as a captain." NOTES: Eli Terry Robinson's mother was Martha Owen DeJarnette, daughter of Mumford & Frances Hannah Pickett DeJarnette. The man listed as her father was actually her brother, John Pemberton DeJarnette. They did indeed come to Autauga County, Alabama after their father died. Mumford left a will in Anson Co., NC dated August 5, 1823. Frances Hannah Pickett DeJarnette lived the rest of her life and died in Autauga County on November 27, 1840. She is buried in the DeJarnette Cemetery #2. John Pemberton DeJarnette died in Autauga County, Alabama on August 1853 and is buried in the DeJarnette Cemetery #1. His obituary appeared in the Autauga Citizen, Prattville, in August 1853. Martha wrote a letter to her granddaughter, Cornelius "Neil" Robinson Wallace (yes, she was named for her grandfather Cornelius), about the DeJarnette family. You can find this letter at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/lowndes/history/letters/dejarnette.txt Cornelius Robinson, father of Eli T. Robinson, was the son of Tod & Martha Terry Robinson. Tod and Martha came to Autauga County where they died and are buried in the DeJarnette Cemetery #2. Martha died in 1833 and Tod in 1838. Though Tod and Martha never lived in Lowndes, Tod did own property there as evidenced by his last will and testament found in Autauga County. He also owned land in Texas, which he left to his sons living there at the time. See Cornelius Robinson's photo at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/al/lowndes/pictures/c-robinson.jpg The DeJarnette Prayer Book records can be seen at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/lowndes/bibles/dejarnette.txt The Tod Robinson Prayer book can be seen at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/lowndes/bibles/tod-robinson.txt Tod Robinson's will can be seen at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/autauga/wills/trobinson.txt Eli Terry Robinson was born December 11, 1851 most likely in Lowndes Co., AL and died December 2, 1922 in Perry Co., AL. He is buried next to his wife in the Marion Cemetery, Perry County. Emma Cornelia Kendall was born August 15, 1858 and died June 6, 1917. Their children were: Cornelius Byron Robinson, born July 4, 1871; John Kendall Robinson, born October 26, 1873; James Shelby Robinson, born December 6, 1875, Maude Robinson, born September 11, 1880; and Edward Roderick Robinson, born January 10, 1883. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/lowndes/bios/robinson-e-t.txt