OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Mary ROBINSON Story
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by
Mary Myers 
BigJ@primenet.com
February 2, 1999
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Hi Maggie,
  I promised that I would send this story to you about Mary ROBINSON my
great grandmother who immigrated from England in 1869.  This is compiled
by Tedford Schoonover and written by Tedford and Katherine Schoonover in
1979.  I have since researched and acquired additional information.
Katherine is also the Great Granddaughter of John and Mary ROBINSON.
Ted and Katherine primarily wrote about Thomas ROBINSON.  Thomas' sister
Eliza was my Grandmother.

As quoted:
  "The history of the Robinson Family in America centers around Tom
Robinson who emigrated to Ohio from his native England in 1858, at the
age of 19.  he landed in New Orleans after a voyage of seven weeks,
where he remained for a few months testing out his newly chosen
country.  he felt depressed over the treatment of negro slaves and their
sale at public auctions.  Saddened by this he still loved America and
journeyed up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers to Norton, Ohio where he
settled down to live.  His attraction to that particular location was
apparently his older brother, Will, who had come over from England at an
earlier date.

  We have only sketch information about Will who remained in Ohio until
his death in November 1910 at the age of 80.  he married Harriet Ann and
they had a daughter, Mary, born in Ashley, Ohio, Jan 11, 1871.  They
also had a son, Albert, born in Ashley and a daughter Sadie (Durkee)
born in Columbus.  These items bear more checking.  Census records might
help.

  The ROBINSON family in England was headed by John who was born near
East Rigton, Yorkshire in 1807.  He married Mary CROSSWAIT, born 1816.
They spent their lives in the area around East Rigton.  The nearby town
of Bardsey is also mentioned in records of the family.
  The father and mother, John and Mary Robinson, remained in England
until his death on October 22, 1865.  He was a blacksmith and taught the
trade to all of his sons.

  The eldest child, Will, was born in 1830.  He evidently emigrated to
America at an early age, perhaps as early as 1850, and settled in
Norton, Ohio.

  Tom, their second son, was born in East Rigton on July 31, 1839.

  Then Josh born in 1848, and records of the next son George are
sketchy.  Our information is that he married, had a family, and came to
America in 1869 in company with his mother and sisters.

  The other three children were all girls Sarah, born 1847 and died Nov.
8, 1890 probably in the town of Waldo; Eliza, born on May 6, 1854 and
married Sylvester BURRIS June 6, 1878 in Iowa; and Elizabeth, married in
Ohio to a man named Ephraim Coonfare. and raised a family and lived in
Delaware, Ohio. Year of birth unknown and she died August 7, 1924."

  Their is an excellent record of Toms duty with Company C of the 26th
Ohio Infantry Volunteers where he volunteered for duty on June 15, 1861.

  The rest of the story goes on :
  "Following the death of Tom's father in October 1865, his mother,
Mary, kept the family together in East Rigton until 1869 when she
brought them all to the United States.  They landed in New York and came
on to Ohio where they made their home in the village of Waldo, located
about two miles north of Norton.

  From all accounts, Norton was a thriving community back in those
years.  But when we visited the area in April 1977 it was just a cross
roads settlement with a few homes and one store; a sports establishment
to serve fishermen trying their luck in the nearby Olentangy River and
Delaware Lake.  On the other hand we found Waldo located two miles to
the north to be a fine little town.

  It must have been a difficult experience for the widowed mother to
leave her native country and venture so far away to America with what
remained of her family.  She brought with her three daughters, Eliza,
Elizabeth, and an invalid daughter, Sarah; also son Josh.  Her other
son, George, who was already married also came to America with his
family.  Josh never married.  He lived with his mother until her death
and afterwards with his sister, Elizabeth.  She married Ephriam Coonfare
and they made their home in Delaware, Ohio, some nine miles south of
Norton.

  After becoming established in Waldo, Mary obtained the position of
toll road attendant on the road leading from Waldo northward.  This was
on the main road running north and south between Columbus, Delaware,
Marion and on to the northern part of Ohio.  On our research trip during
April 1977 we found the exact spot where the toll booth was located
through the help of an old map in the County Engineer's office in
Marion.  The old toll road is not State Road 423 and the toll booth was
located at a farm road intersection about one mile north of Waldo.
Katherine got a great thrill having her picture taken on the spot.

  Mary ran the toll gate with the help of her daughters.  There is a
story told of one patron who regularly made use of the road to court a
girl who lived north of Waldo but he was not very good at paying the
toll fee.  She would let him get by on the northbound trip but would
insist on him paying up before she would let him through the gate on his
return trip home later that night.

  The 1880 Census for Waldo Twp shows:
      Robinson, Mary 62 - Housekeeper - born England
                      Sarah 27 - Daughter - at home

  Thus, it was for a time - Tom and Nancy with their growing family and
his mother, Mary, living with her daughters and bachelor son, Josh.  Tom
as a blacksmith in Ashley and his mother in Waldo about six miles away
as a toll road gate keeper."

  Tom married Nancy Mayfield  August 27,  1864.  Nancy was the daughter
of William and Elinor Mayfield.

    Another story related concerns James Mayfield brother of William.
It reads that Uncle Jim was in the Civil War and was assigned in the
White House as a special guard to President Lincoln's son, Tod.  A part
of the story is that Jim taught Tod to ride horseback.  We have tried to
verify this story through official records but thus far our efforts have
not born fruit.

  I thought with all of the "roads" you have been telling about you
would enjoy this story.
Sincerely,
Mary M. in Arizona, USA
researching Burris, Trout, Robinson, Crosswait (Crosthwaite), Goodall,
Waddington
at bigj@primenet.com


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