My Genealogy Hound

JOHN SCOTT ROBB, attorney, Pittsburgh was born April 30, 1839, in North Fayette township, this county, son of Mark and Jane (Donaldson) Robb, who were born in this and Washington counties, in 1807 and 1817 respectively; they celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of their marriage May 31, 1888; they are members of the U. P. Church. Mr. Robb’s great-grandfather, John Robb, came from Lancaster county, in 1777, to Fayette township, where he lived. Mark Robb’s father came here in 1775, and served in the revolutionary war in 1776. John S. Robb graduated at Jefferson College in 1864; studied law under James I. Kuhn, and was admitted to the bar of Pittsburgh in 1866. He served in the legislature in the session of 1869-70, and was district attorney from 1878 until 1884. In 1879 he prosecuted Samuel McClain for the murder of little Samuel Hunter. In 1882 he prosecuted John Gordon, James Geary and Albert Crusan for robbery of people near Turtle Creek; the first named was sentenced to twenty-five years, and the other two to twenty years each. Two other prominent cases were the prosecution of Ward McConkey for murder (convicted and hanged) and that of Thomas Whittaker for libel (sentenced to eight years, the longest sentence given for libel). Mr. Robb was married, April 7, 1859, to Mary A. A. Hemingray, of this county, daughter of William and Jane (O’Hara) Hemingray (both deceased). Nine children have blessed this union, viz.: John S., Jr. (who was admitted to the bar in March, 1888), Jane Donaldson, Elizabeth B., Maggie A. Y., Mary Evans, Mark Andrew, Camilla Styne, Joseph Allen and Grace Belle. The family attend Emsworth U. P. Church. Mr. Robb is a Freemason, and member of the I O. O. F., K. of P., Jr. O. U. A. M. and A O. U.W., also college society Kappa Phi Lambda. He has resided at Emsworth for seventeen years, and owns one of the prettiest and best places in that village, which is known as “The Turkey-foot Rock’’ property.