Obituary: Rock County, Wisconsin: Elijah ROBINSON ************************************************************************ Submitted by Ruth Ann Montgomery, June 2005 © All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************************************ Rev. Elijah Robinson--Obituary We do not know when we have had a more painful record to make than that of the death of Rev. Elijah Robinson, which took place at his old family residence at the head of Main Street, a few minutes before 12 o'clock on Thursday night, March 10, 1887. Mr. Robinson's health had never been of the most rugged character since being a citizen of Evansville. For nearly thirty years, he had suffered from anasthmatic difficulty, and he was often obliged to keep to his house for days and even weeks without arousing any degree of alarm in his family. A week ago Friday he was attacked with a complication of difficulties arising from his lungs and liver, which augmented his usual asthmatic difficulty, and caused considerable alarm in his family, especially so when Dr. Stairs shook his head on being questioned as to the probabilities of his recovery. He continued to grow worse day by day, visitors being excluded, and the utmost care was taken to avoid anything that would disturb the brief intervals of respose. All hopes of his recovery were abandoned Thursday, and Thursday night, it became known on the street that he was dying, but the fact was not fully realized until a few minutes before twelve when he breathed his last. Mr. Robinson had been a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church since 20 years of age--twelve years in Vermont his native state, then he came to Wisconsin and engaged in his life work, first at Milwaukee, then Whitewater and Evansville, and from ill health settled here, but did little or not pulpit work. He early became a favorite with young people, and officiated at more weddings than any other minister in the country, and equally as remarkable, few divorces ever took place where he consumated the nuptial alliance. Mr. Robinson enjoyed the universal confidence of the people, and none knew him but to love him, for his amiable, Christian character, and noble and upright life. His funeral was held at the M. E. church, Saturday, March 12th; the services were impressively conducted by Rev. F. L. Wharton, before a crowded house of old friends and neighbors, and his remains were borne to their silent resting place amid sorrows and a profusion of sad, silent tears. Mr. Robinson's immediate family and connections present were few. Three sons, the eldest, Hamlin E., the telegraph editor of the St. Louis Globe- Democrat at Maryville, Mo.; Theodore, an artist in France, and John, a farmer, living near here and the only one present of his own family. His second wife, whose untiring vigils never relaxed in affording comfort or soothing an aching pain, with three daughters and a son-in-law Mr. T. Wallis, of Janesville, were the only family mourners. His good deeds and kind wishes will rear a monument that will outlast the marble centoaph. March 18, 1887, Evansville Review, Evansville, Wisconsin