My Genealogy Hound

ALBERT C. ROBBINS, a prominent citizen of Sappa township, Harlan county, Nebr., was born in July, 1818, in Jefferson county, N. Y., and was reared on the home farm. In 1839 he went to Alton, Ill., where he taught school one year, and also clerked in a store; he then went to Woodville, Wilkerson county, Miss., where he again engaged in teaching for a while, and then returned home, where he passed two years. His health being somewhat impaired, he sought Wisconsin for a change of air, and in 1845 or 1846 located at Ripon, where for twenty years he was engaged in the lumber and wheat business. He then went to Chickasaw county, Iowa, where for five years he was in the milling and furniture business. In 1871 he came to Nebraska and preempted a claim on section 22, township 2, range 20, which he still owns. His nearest trading point was Grand Island, one hundred miles away, but later on Melrose was started and soon had a population of over two hundred, and better facilities were had.

In politics Mr. Robbins is an Alliance democrat and has been intrusted with several important public trusts. For seven years he served as county judge; for two years as justice of the peace, and for sometime was postmaster at Orleans. He is also president of the local organization of the Farmers’ Alliance, and is a Master Mason.

The marriage of Mr. Robbins took place in 1847 to Miss Cynthia O. Wilson, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, born in 1830. To this union have been born eight children, in the following order — Frank, in the State of Washington; Carrie, now Mrs. Wilson, in Wilsonville, Nebr., which town was named after her husband, a merchant; Elizabeth, deceased wife of Mr. Gibson, hardware dealer of Wilsonville; Ruth, now Mrs. Mayer, in Washington; Olive, now Mrs. Wheeler, in Furnas county, Nebr.; Eunice M., assistant postmaster at Orleans; Walter, at home, and Millie, attentling school at Orleans. The mother of these children is a conscientious member of the Presbyterian church.

The family from which our subject springs is one of the oldest in America. John Robbins, the first to reach our shores, immigrated from England and settled at Weathersfield, Conn., in 1638. Of the fifth generation from John was Austin Robbins, who was born in Weathersfield, Conn., in 1786, and who was the father of our subject. He married Eunice Morton, who was of the fifth generation born in this country of Richard Morton, a Scotch blacksmith, who landed at Plymouth from the “Little Jane,” July, 1623, and settled in Hatfield, Mass. Austin Robbins moved from New Marlboro, Mass., to Jefferson county, N. Y., in 1800, living there until his death, which occurred in 1865.