Sabine County Louisiana Archives Biographies.....Robinson, Daniel June 14, 1861 - May 8, 1954
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Greg devalcourt devalcourtgreg July 5, 2008, 11:13 am

Author: Ginny Tobin

Daniel Andrew Robinson

   Daniel Andrew Robinson, second child of Bridget [Tobin] and Rolen Robinson, 
and Bridget's third child, was born June 14, 1861.  Bridget and Rolen were in 
Natchitoches Parish by that time and living, I believe, in the Cloutierville 
area.  Later the family moved to Kisatchie where young Dan grew up.  He was 
almost exactly ten years younger than his half-brother John William Tobin who 
was born June 25, 1851.  John was probably a father-figure to Dan because 
Rolen died when he was four years old.

    On November 13, 1884, Daniel married Melissa Caledonia Taylor, daughter of 
Kennon Taylor and Melissa Montgomery.  They were married by the Justice of the 
Peace, S. G. Dowden.  More than likely they were married before the Justice of 
the Peace because the nearest Catholic Church was in Cloutierville, which was 
quite a trip by wagon.  They were devout Catholics and I am sure had their 
marriage blessed when the priest came around.  Bridget would have seen to that 
no doubt.  She was very strong in her religion and even after the family moved 
to Many, and she was old and physically weak, she would stay with the 
Vandegaer family on Saturday nights in order to attend Mass on Sunday morning.

   It was difficult for the family to get to Mass at St. John the Baptist 
Catholic Church in Cloutierville, and the priest would come at least once a 
month and hold services in Dan's home.  After a time this was not a very 
comfortable arrangement so Dan built a small church down the road from his 
home and the priest would hold services there for the Catholic families of the 
area.  In 1908 Dan moved his family to Many, Louisiana, and eventually the 
little church was abondoned and sold.  Two residents of Kisatchie, Dewey 
Springer and Tuck Ford bought the building and used the lumber to make 
additions to their houses.  Mrs. Amon Downden (whose husband was a great-
grandson of Bridget's) said that after the church was abandoned the people who 
lived around it would often see lights in or around the building at night.  
The men would investigate but never found anyone around the building.  She 
said the heavy velvet curtains and altar and "all that pretty furniture" was 
left in the church but she didn't know what happened to all of it.

   John William Tobin sold his land near Kisatchie in 1905 and moved to 
Natchitoches.  Bridget was still living in her little house on the banks of 
Kisatchie Creek, but later she was not really able to stay alone and Dan 
wanted her to move in with his family.  She was evidently a very independent 
person and she wanted her own place.  It was then that Dan moved her into a 
little house just down the lane from his house, where she could have her own 
place but he saw to it that his daughter Pearlie stayed with her grandmother 
at night.  Bridget and Pearlie became very close and from the letters she 
wrote, she missed Pearlie very much after the family moved to Many, and 
Pearlie was married with a family of her own.  She was so tiny and frail when 
they moved they had to put a block of wood down for her to climb up into the 
wagon.

   Daniel lived to the ripe old age of ninety-three.  He was a respected 
member of the community