Biographical Sketch of Thomas S. Robbins, Johnson County, Missouri, Hazel Hill Township >From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell, Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918. ********************************************************************** Thomas S. Robbins, proprietor of "Maplewood Stock Farm" in Hazel Hill township, is a member of a well known and influential pioneer family of Missouri. He was born in 1847 in Russell county, Virginia, the son of William and Susan (McGraw) Robbins, both of whom were natives of Vir- ginia, the former, of English and the latter, of Irish lineage. In 1857 the Robbins family moved from Russell county, Virginia, to Missouri and located in Macon county, where the father's death occurred within a short time after coming West. The mother brought her six children to live on a farm in Hazel Hill township, a place owned by Judge Harrison and in 1859 her death occurred. She left six young children orphans, four boys and two girls, one child having died in Virginia, and of the family, Thomas S. Robbins is now the sole survivor. The children of William and Susan Robbins were as follow: Mrs. Sallie Vinson, deceased; Mrs. Eliza Short, deceased; Isaiah, who died in Virginia; John, decea- sed, his death occurring in Cedar county, Missouri; Henry Claybourne, deceased; Joseph, who died in Oklahoma; and Thomas S., the subject of this review. T. S. Robbins attended the common schools of Virginia and of Missouri. Before he was fifteen years of age, he enlisted in the Second Missouri Cavalry, serving first under "Fighting Joe" Shelby and later, under Colonel Frank Gordon. Young Robbins was captured in Henry county, Missouri in 1863. He, with two comrades, was sentenced to be executed, but on account of his youth was not, and was sent to prison. (Thaddeus Dunn, a brother of Mrs. Robbins, was shot at this time.) He was tried at Sedalia and at Jefferson City, but no crime could be proven; also tried at St. Louis and was sentenced to prison at Alton, Illinois. He escaped with others at Alton, charged the guards, had his thumb shot off, and was recaptured and sent to prison at Sedalia, afterward transferred to Jefferson City and then later to St. Louis, Missouri, where he was a captive for fifteen months. He escaped once, but was recaptured and held prisoner then until nerly the close of the war. In the spring of 1866, T. S. Robbins returned to Johnson county. August 17, 1867, T. S. Robbins and Anne Dunn were united in marriage. Mrs. Robbins is the daughter of Edmund and Zilpha A. (Oats) Dunn. Ed- mund Dunn was born in 1802 in Virginia and when a child of two years of age, his parents moved to Kentucky, where he was reared and married. He was born in 1802 and Zilpha A. (Oats) Dunn was born in Kentucky in 1811. They were united in marriage February 18, 1834 and to them were born seven children: Josephine Vitula, born March 28, 1837; Thaddeus Theo- dore, born August 24, 1839, was captured and shot by Union soldiers in August, 1863; Isaphene Rowena, born November 30, 1842; Tobias L., born September 10, 1844; Columbus K., born January 5, 1847; Anne V., the wife of T. S. Robbins, of this review, born February 7, 1851; and Don Carlos, born August 4, 1853. Columbus K. Dunn, of Warrensburg, and Mrs. Robbins are the only survivors of the Dunn family. The other five children are now deceased and the father died in 1880, the mother in 1887. In the early forties, the Dunns came to Missouri and located first in Newton county, then in Lafayette county, and thence to Johnson county, where they settled on the farm in Hazel Hill township in 1853, on the place now owned by Mr. Robbins. Mrs. Robbins recalls how her father used to "go to mill," on Blackwater at Valley City, taking her with him oftentimes, and the trip was considered a great treat. The old Kirkpatrick Mill at Valley City was the rendezvous for all the early settlers of this vicinity. It was the only building there when Mrs. Robbins was a girl and it stood on the banks of Blackwater near the present bridge. Mrs. Robbins has in her possession the old family bible, which originally belonged to Lewis Dunn's father, the great- grandfather of Mrs. Robbins. Mr. and Mrs. T. S. Robbins are the parents of five children, two of whom are now living: Edmund D., who was born in 1869, and now resides on a ranch near Drummond, Montana, and he married Laura Hibbs, of Leeton, Missouri, and has four children (Noravel aged eighteen years; Geln Delos; Florence and Ross Edmund) John E., who was born November 15, 1871 was married to Flora E. Neighbors, of Fay- etteville, Missouri and now resides at Belloit, Iowa and has seven children (Clell I., farming grandfather's place; Auburn Drummond, Mon- tana; Howard D.; Kenneth L.; Luther; Flemon; Don) Mrs. Lola M. Coates, who was born in 1874 and is now deceased, left one child, Willard; Mrs. Anna P. Artz, who was born in 1876 and is now deceased; and Mrs. Eula D. Brown, who was born in 1881, and is now deceased, leaving four children (Paul M., Evan F., Nina Irene and Thomas W., reared by Mr. and Mrs. Robbins). In 1888 Mr. Robbins purchased his present home, a farm which formerly belonged to Alex Marr, a son-in-law of Joel Walker, from whom it was obtained by Edmund Dunn, father of Mrs. Robbins, who sold it to Mr. Robbins. This place embraces 182 1/2 acres of the original Dunn farm and is widely known as "Maplewood Stock Farm," Eighty-two and a half acres lie in Simpson township and the remaining one hundred in Hazel Hill township. This is an excellent stock farm, conveniently located eight miles north of Warrensburg and well watered. Until re- cently, Mr. Robbins raised much stock and he still feeds many head of cattle and mules. The improvements are all in splendid repair and the residence a house of two stories built in 1895, is a neatly kept and comfortalbe home. Mr. and Mrs. Robbins are numbered among the best families and most valued citizens of Johnson county. They have count- less friends in this section of Missouri as was well shown when they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary, August 17, 1917, at their beautiful country place. ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: <> Penny Harrell ====================================================================