Who knows why a man does what he does? How can we judge the actions of another by looking only at records on paper? We can not. We can not know someone's mind, or all of the details of a situation, unless we were there and it happened to us.
Solomon F. Robbins was described as being 5 ft 11 inches tall, with dark hair, dark eyes and dark in complexion in his Civil War papers. I've not delved back too far into the Robbins family history, but I can imagine he was an imposing figure, as the average height for soldiers at that time was 5 foot 6 and he was nearly 6 feet tall.
What I can say for certain about the family Solomon F. Robbins came from is that he was the son of Isham Robbins, who died in Stanly County, NC in 1843, and Frances Caroline Whitley Robbins, aka 'Fanny', who was born around 1780 and died between 1860 and 1870, probably closer to 1860. Books and histories written on her Whitley family give her a date of death of 1858, but she's still very much alive and counted in the 1860 census. Solomon, born around 1825 or 1826, had an older sister named Elizabeth, born around 1823. I recenly posted on her story, which can be found at this link:
Elizabeth's little brother, Solomon, had his own demons. While researching his children and beyond, I discovered that Solomon had done something similar to a member of an entirely different branch of my family tree in an entirely different state had done, reinvented himself and started his life, and family, over in another state. This almost seems to me as not uncommon, as I, just one person, keeps coming across it. In my recent post on nearly the same subject, a distant relative had enlisted in the Civil War in Alabama, and had deserted, more than once, spent most of his enlisted time in and out of hosptitals, and after having been captured by Union Troops and imprisoned, signed an oath and enlisted in the Union Army, only to desert again from them. This man, Sam, had not wanted to fight. His story was extraordinary because he left a wife and child in Alabama, and this woman lived to be over 100 years old waiting on his return. He married twice more, and had many children, and lived to be in his late 90's. I don't believe he wanted to have married the woman, who was much older than he, but had been forced into it. The War of the Wills of these two were phenominal, and she eventually discovered where he was, because she filed for a pension on his Civil War Service, in the place where he had settled. His last widow applied after his death, and discovered he had a wife, living still, in the place he was from, with nearly a century in time separating them. You can read the whole story here:
To complicate matters even more, he wasn't the only member of his family that had done practically the same thing, as a brother-in-law of his, who was thought dead, applied for a pension on false information and the Army found him out. He was also living in another state, with another family and his 'widow', thinking him dead, had remarried and started her own family.
Solomon Robbins story is a little different. His problems started before the Civil War began, he had just used it as a vehicle to make his escape.
The story of Solomon Robbins begins in 1845, when he appears in an early tax record in Stanly County, owning 125 acres on Stony Run Creek.
His first deed in Stanly County was from 1849. On December 13 of that year, Solomon F. Robbins sold to Singleton C. Little, a parcel of land on StillWater Creek, bordering the lands of John B. Carver, of about 100 acres. The document was witnessed by W. F. Hinson, Solomon's father-in-law, and Tillman Little. There is no record of how Solomon obtained the land, either by inheritance or purchase, that he had sold. Book 16, Page 123.
His other appearances in records before 1850, we in the court records of the Minutes of Pleas and Quarters in Stanly County.
In November of 1846, Solomon F. Robbins proved a conveyance between George Whitley and B. L (Benjamin Lindsey) Whitley. These were his mother's people. He was 20.
In February of 1849, in the case of J. C. Burris and Dempsey Springer vs. William F. Hinson (Solomon's father-in-law and Fred Hinson, Solomon F.Robbins stood security along with John Honeycutt, B. L. Green, and Needham Whitley, Jr.
Later, he also stood bond in the case of State vs. Adam Whitley, along with Benjamin Whitley and John F. Miller.
He was empaneled on a jury a number of times in August of 1849. That was the session of court where he stood security for the maintanence of his nephew, Lindsey, in the bastardy case involving his sister, Betsy, and Samuel Coley, along with G. M. Sides, B. L. Whitley, Hardy Hatley and J. C. Kennedy.
In November of 1849, Solomon was back in court, this time in his own case, wherein he was sued by merchant, Daniel Freeman, for debts owed and a levy was placed on his land. He then served as a juror a few times in 1850.
| Name | Solomon Robins |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Race | White |
| Age | 25 |
| Birth Year | 1825 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Home in 1850 | Smiths, Stanly, North Carolina, USA |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Industry | Agriculture |
| Real Estate | 93 |
| Line Number | 32 |
| Dwelling Number | 638 |
| Family Number | 641 |
| Inferred Spouse | Sarah Robins |
| Inferred Child | William R Robins |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Solomon Robins | 25 |
| Sarah Robins | 21 |
| William R Robins | 2 |
In 1850, Solomon is 25 and his wife, Sarah Hinson Robbins is 21. They have had their firstborn son, William R. Robbins, and He's farming with Real Esate vauled at $76, he was born in North Carolina, as was everyone else on the page, and was sandwiched in between my direct ancestors, Samuel and Rebecca Ramsey and Andrew Boone, who would marry my GGGreat Uncle's widow after his wife, Jane, dies the next year. One of Andrews grandsons will also grow up to marry my Great Grandfather's oldest sister. I know these people.
The 1850's are kind of slow on information, as opposed to the 1860's, which blew my mind. In 1855, he's one of the men appointed to settle the estate of Edmund Smith, with John F. Harwood.
In 1857, he was appointed to a committee to lay off a year's allowance for Catherine Eudy out of her husband's estate.
On Halloween of 1857, something was up. That day, an Indenture between Solomon F. Robbins on the first part and Green D. Whitley and I. H. Efird on the second part, and B. L. Whitley on the third part. Solomon had gotten himself into debt. He owed C. C. Love a $133 note, I . H Efird a $65 note, Frederick Staton of Anson County, a $34 note, two $60 notes owed to 'A. Muny' (maybe Mauney?), and $20 to Green D. Whitley. For these debts, he mortgaged his livestock, ie, one mare, two cows, five hogs, and crops of 150 bushels of corn, 15 bushels of wheat, 600 sheaves of fodder, two loads of hay, four loads of straw, a lot of shucks and two saddles, one washpot and all the 'cooking vessles', and lastly, 'interest' in a horse, other than the mare. The rest is the legal terms. Signed by Solomon and witnessed by GeorgeWhitley. Book 5, Page 426
1860 is when things begin to get a little crazy for the Robbins family. In another deed dated February 11, 1860, Solomon Robbins paid $250 to Needham Whitley for a tract of land on Big Bear Creek, crossing the Big Branch and Fayetteville Road. It was witnessed by Green D. Whitley and Merritt Whitley. Book 8, Page 426.
That may sound like a normal land transaction, but something happens between February 11 of 1860 and the 27th of July, the same year. Solomon disappeared.
| Name | Sarah Robbins |
|---|---|
| Age | 32 |
| Birth Year | 1828 |
| Gender | Female |
| Race | White |
| Home in 1860 | Stanly, North Carolina |
| Post Office | Albemarle |
| Dwelling Number | 1084 |
| Family Number | 1099 |
| Personal Estate Value | 60 |
| Cannot Read, Write | Y |
| I |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Sarah Robbins | 32 |
| William Robbins | 11 |
| Caroline Robbins | 9 |
| Martha Robbins | 7 |
| Franklin Robbins | 4 |
| Sarah Robbins | 2 |
| George Robbins | 5/12 |
Solomon and Sarah added to their family in the 1860's. William R. was now 11, Frances Caroline (yes another), was 9, Martha Isabelle was 7, Solomon Franklin Robbins, Jr., was 4, Sarah Jr. was 2 and George Washington Robbins was 5 months old. Sarah was raising them alone.
Then, on the 8th day of October, 1862, Solomon F. Robbins marries Mary E. Laton, in McNairy County, Tennessee. What took place between these dates?
Solomon might have first traveled to South Carolina, but I can't be sure that was the same S. F. Robbins. Then, obviously, he ends up in Tennesse, but he didn't go there first. Was it the same Solomon Robbins? Yes it was, as you will see. And why McNairy County? This may have something to do with who his father, Isham was to begin with.
As for Sarah, on the 25th of April, 1861, she paid $50 to her father, William F. Hinson, for a tract of land on Stony Run Creek. The 100 acre tract bordered the properties of Edmund Smith, William Hatley and the Widow Smith's Dower, ran along a 'crop road', and was partially wooded. This may have been Bill Hinson's way of taking care of his abandoned daughter, but where did she get the $50 'paid in hand' to her father, and what about Solomons land on Big Bear Creek that he had just purchased from his Uncle, Needham Whitley, less than a year earlier? Sarah's Deed is found in Book 8, Page 104, and was witnessed by H. Helms and her brother, J. D. Hinson.
This was William's Grant in the 1830's on Long Creek Stanly was in Montgomery at the time.
Solomon's War
From here, I've interspersed documents of Solomons varied and volitious military career, however, they are not in chronological order.
The most prevalent word in Solomon F. Robbins military career was 'Deserted'. He was a rule breaker, came and went as he pleased, re-enlisted somewhere else under someone else without telling his former superiors and must have had friends in high places because he was never imprisoned or shot.
So, in February of 1860, he paid $250 for a farm in Stanly County from Needham Whitley. He was nowhere to be found in July of 1860 during the census count.
On August 20, 1861 he enlisted, as a Sgt in Iuka, Mississippi in Company D, 26th Infantry in the Mississippi Volunteers.
In these papers, he gave his residence as Burnsville, Mississippi, that he was born in South Carolina, was a carpenter, and was married. He was.
In February of 1862, he left with baggage at Clarksville and was absent at the muster.
On October 8 of that year, he married Mary E. Laton back in McNairy, Tennesse. Why McNairy, Tenn? I believe he had family there. An Uncle.
On October 1, just days before his wedding, he was "Dropped from the Rolls in consequence of continued absence without having remained absent." as seen below.
In the November-December Muster it was noted that he had not rejoined since 'exchanged'.
For about 2 years, Solomon was missing. We're soon to see where he was and what he was doing.
In January of 1864, Solomon re-enlisted as a Private in Company A, First Cattion.
Then in June, he was promoted to a Commissary Sgt and transferred to Col. Ham's Division in Tupelo.
Here, the same description was given of him, Five feet 11 inches tall, Dark hair, Dark eyes, Dark Complexion, except this time he stated that he was born in North Carolina and was a farmer by trade.
He would also desert from this Battalion as well.
Where was Iuka? Claiming to have been built on the site of a Chickasaw Indian Village (I bet this place is haunted), Iuka was founded in 1857, just a few years before the War. It was the site of a devastating batttle in September of 1862, seven months before Solomon had "left with baggage in Clarksville". Between 1200 and 1500 men were killed or wounded. Had Solomon stayed, he may not have survived.
Iuka is in Tishomingo County, in the most northeastern corner of Mississippi.
 |
| Iuka in 1865 via Wikipedia |
Solomon had given his residence as Burnsville, which is also in Tishomingo, just west of Iuka, on the west side of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.
On the above map, you can see the distance between Burnsville and Clarksville, northwest of Burnsville, where he deserted.
I still have a few remaining questions. Why did Solomon pay $250 for a plot of land from his Uncle Needham Whitley in February of 1860, if he was planning to disappear by July of 1860? He was deeply in debt just three years earlier and that could have given him a reason to want to start fresh, but at the sake of abandoning his wife and children? Then he bought the farm from Needham in 1860. Another mystery is why, in the above deed, he signed his name Solomon F. Hinson, when the deed is titled Solomon F. Robbins and he's called Robbins throughout the deed. The only logical reason I can think of, is that the deed was signed for him, or, that this is a transcription by someone else, a clerk in the registrars office maybe, who had "Hinson" on the brain after speaking to William F. Hinson.
So, what was Solomon up to during those years and battles he missed from deserting during the Civil War? The 1870 census explains it all.
On the 9th day of August, 1870, Solomon, and his second family are living in Stantonville, McNairy County, Tennessee. He's a farmer with $100 worth of real estate and $400 worth of personal estate. This census can give us quite a bit of information just on logistics. Solomon is now 37. His wife, or illicit wife as he is a bigamist, Mary E. Laton, is 22. Just 22. He was born in North Carolina, of course. She was born in Tennessee. Their oldest son, John Franklin Robbins is 7 here, and was born in 1863 in Mississipi. This is the year after he took that last train to Clarksville and disappeared until 1864, when he reenlisted with Col. Ham. Mary, then, was also in Mississipi at the time. She was 15 when John Franklin was born in 1863. She would have been 13 when he married her in 1861. In today's times, this would have been an entirely different situation.
By 1866, they were obviously back in Tennessee, where their daughters, Mary Anna, 4 here , and Sarah Elizabeth, age 1, were born.
Living with them was Amanda E. Laton, 28, who was born in Tennesee and her two children, Sarah C. 10, and John W., 8, who were born in Mississippi. Amanda was a big clue. She was the widow of Mary's brother, John. With her daughter, Sarah, being 10, they should have been in Mississipi in the 1860 census.
And there they are, in 1860 Burnsville, Tishomingo County, Mississippi, where John is a railroad laborer, and there is little Sarah, their daughter, just 7 months old. Down the page a few households is 56 year old James Layton, who was born in North Carolina, by the way. With him is his son, Jerry, short for Jeremiah, daughter Lucinda, son James, Jr, then his family slides off the page onto the next page. James is also a Railroad laborer.
| Name | James Layton |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Race | White |
| Age | 50 |
| Birth Year | 1800 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Home in 1850 | District 10, McNairy, Tennessee, USA |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Industry | Agriculture |
| Cannot Read, Write | Yes |
| Line Number | 34 |
| Dwelling Number | 1756 |
| Family Number | 1760 |
| Inferred Spouse | Jennetta Layton |
| Inferred Child | Jane Layton; John Layton; Jeremiah Layton; Lucinda Layton; Mary Layton |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| James Layton | 50 |
| Jennetta Layton | 42 |
| Jane Layton | 16 |
| John Layton | 14 |
| Jeremiah Layton | 12 |
| Lucinda Layton | 7 |
| Mary Layton | 5 |
Here's the family in McNairy County, Tennesse, their homeplace, in 1850. James's wife and Mary and John's mother, Jennetta Jane Barnes Layton, is still living here. She passes away before 1860.
So, Solomon met Mary in Tishomingo County, Mississippi in 1860, returned to her home county of McNairy, Tennesee in 1861 to get married, returned to Burnsville, Mississippi by August of 1861, where he enlisted in the Army in Iuka. Mary lived in Mississippi for a number of years, because their firstborn, Frank, was born there in 1863, after which they returned to McNairy County by 1866 where daughters Mary and Sarah are born. Odd that he named both of his oldest daughters after his two living wives.
And there we find the North Carolina born carpenter in the August 22, 1860 census, living in Tishomingo County, Mississippi after buying a piece of land from Needham Whitley in February of that year. Did Solomon move to Mississippi to make a home for his family, or? Just a note, but living in Mississippi near Solomon in 1860 was a 50 year old Barbara Honeycutt, head of household, with her family, from North Carolina. Might have to investigate her.
But what about Sarah Hinson Robbins back in Big Lick, North Carolina?
| Name | Sarah P Robbins |
|---|---|
| Age in 1870 | 41 |
| Birth Date | 1829 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Dwelling Number | 128 |
| Home in 1870 | Big Lick, Stanly, North Carolina |
| Race | White |
| Gender | Female |
| Post Office | Albemarle |
| Occupation | At Home |
| Cannot Read | Yes |
| Cannot Write | Yes |
| Inferred Children | Martha Robbins; Salomon Robbins; George W Robbins; Elizabeth Robbins; Israel D Robbins |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Sarah P Robbins | 41 |
| Martha Robbins | 17 |
| Salomon Robbins | 14 |
| George W Robbins | 10 |
| Elizabeth Robbins | 7 |
| Israel D Robbins |
Sarah, Solomon's first wife, is alive and well and living in Big Luck, Stanly County, NC. Still at home are children Martha Isabel, 17, Solomon Franklin Jr., 24 and George Washington Robbins, 10, born the year Solomon Sr. disappeared, which makes the whole scenario all the more despicable. He left her while she was pregnant.
Oldest son, William R Robbins, 20, had found work as a farm hand for the Williams family. Second born, Frances Caroline, had married the year before, to Robert Cagle, in 1869, and was a newlywed in her own home.
If you notice , Grandparents William F. and Martha Hinson, come first, then Sarah and the younger children, then Robert Cagle and bride, Fanny, then Sarah's brother, John D. Hinson and his family.
But wait? Where did Elizabeth and Israel D. come from? Had Solomon been taking a train back to North Carolina in 1863 and 1869? I don't think so.
Elizabeth was Elizabeth Clementine Robbins and while William, Fanny, Martha, Jr. and George all listed both Sarah and Solomon on their documents as parents, Lizzie, as she was known, did not.
When she married Ephraim Eli Honeycutt on January 30, she named her mother, Sarah, deceased, but no father.
Israel D. Robbins is not seen again. He could have been a son, like Lizzie, father unknown, or he could have been a grandson by either Fannie or Martha.
So I hit the Bastardy bonds, to see if anything came up.
There was nothing found in 1863, when Lizzie was born, of course, there are gaps and many records missing. However, in October of 1870, I found this document, involving a Sarah A. Hinson and John A. Coley.
Sarah A. Hinson had given birth to a "bastard child" and had refused to name the father. She and John A.Coley had co-signed a bond to support the child. Could this have been Sarah Hinson Robbins?
I'm not sure at this point, as there were multiple Sarah Hinsons in the area in those days.
Sarah tried her best to support her family without a husband. In February of 1877, we find the following document in Book 11 Page 575, at the Register of Deeds.
"I Robert Cagle and Sarah Robbins of the County of Stanly and State of North Carolina am (sic) justly Indebted (to) Benjamin Gurley in the sum of sixty five dollars for which he holds our note to be due November 15, 1877........articles of personal property to wit one buggy one red horned heifer one bay filly which I got of him..... Signed February 5, 1877"
Sarah had co-signed a loan with her son-in-law, Robert.
Back in Tennesee, in 1880, something interesting has happened.
Solomon F. Robbins, 52, of Hardeman County, Tennesse, born in North Carolina, Farmer was the head of the Household with wife Mary, 30, and children, Frank, 17, Mary, 14, Sarah, 12, Ross, 10, Willie 8, James 3, Sallie, 6 months and Son Sol, 23, and 6 year old nephew, Alex Laton. Frank was born in Mississippi, Sol in North Carolina, and the remaining children in Tennessee. The North Carolina family he left behind knew about his new family in Tennessee and Solomon Franklin Robbins, Jr. had moved to Hardeman County to live with his father!
Solomon oddly kept naming some of his children the same names. In both places, he had a son named for himself, although a slight variance. He had two Williams, and he really liked the name Sarah, he had one in NC, and he had both a Sarah and a Sallie in Tennessee.
Hardeman County, Tennesee borders Mississippi on the south, and south went most of Solomon's children.
Neither Solomon Robbins, nor his legal wife, Sarah, seem to have survived into the 20th Century. There's no record of their deaths, or where they are buried. Sarah is last seen in 1880, living in Big Lick with her namesake daughter, Sarah, her son George W. Robbins and her youngest daughter, Elizabeth.
| Name | Sarah Robins | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 50 | |||||||||||||||
| Birth Date | Abt 1830 | |||||||||||||||
| Birthplace | North Carolina | |||||||||||||||
| Home in 1880 | Big Lick, Stanly, North Carolina, USA | |||||||||||||||
| Dwelling Number | 226 | |||||||||||||||
| Race | White | |||||||||||||||
| Gender | Female | |||||||||||||||
| Relation to Head of House | Self (Head) | |||||||||||||||
| Marital Status | Widowed | |||||||||||||||
| Father's Birthplace | North Carolina | |||||||||||||||
| Mother's Birthplace | North Carolina | |||||||||||||||
| Cannot Read | Yes | |||||||||||||||
| Cannot Write | Yes | |||||||||||||||
| Neighbors | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
She most likely died and was buried in Big Lick.
Solomon, on the other hand, may have died in Hardeman County, Tennessee, where he was last seen, or in Mississippi, or in Arkansas, where several of his children were found in 1900. I just don't know. There's no record.
The children of Solmon Franklin Robbins and his two wives were:
1) William Ridley Robbins b Jan 21, 1849 Stanly County, NC d Feb 9, 1885 Liberty, Red River Texas.
Ridley is shown in Stanly County in the 1870 census and has left for Texas by December 26, 1872, when he married Lenora Louise Russell there. She was the daughter of Agrippia Clark Russell and wife Martha Jane Dorsett Russell. Ridley likely traveled with his in-laws to Texas as Agrippa is found in the 1870 census of nearby Science Hill in Randolph County, North Carolina and died in Red River Texas on August 31, 1874.
Clark and Martha Jane Russell took their sizeable family with them and settled in the community of Liberty along the Trinity River sometime between the 14th of September, 1870, when they were enumerated in Randolph County, NC and the Christmastime wedding of Ridley and Lenora.
Tombstone of Agrippa Clarkson "Clark" Russell, Red River, Texas.
Ridley and Lenora had the following children:
1873 William Franklyn Robbins
1876 John Clark Robbins
1877 Mary Frances Robbins
1879 Edward Montgomery Robbins
1881 Earnest D. Robbins
1884 Solomon S. Robbins
1887 Willie Etta Robbins
 |
| The Red River |
After the death of Ridley in 1885, Lenora married Robert Lee Hinson, son of Noah Lawson Hinson and stepson of Ridley's sister, Martha Isabell Robbins, and had three more children. A closer look into the family of Lenora Russell revealed that despite being far from home, these families, instead of getting to know folks from all over that were coming to Texas, they were breaking their necks to just marry families they already knew, or were related to, even cousins. They might have even been part of the same wagon train of people from Randolph, Stanly, Anson and Montgomery Counties.
2) Frances Caroline or Clarinda Robbins, born November 24, 1850 and died December 6, 1902 in Big Lick, Stanly County, NC. She married Robert Lindsey "Bob" Cagle, son of Charles Robert Cagle, Jr. and wife Sarah Yow Cagle. the Cagles were close neighbors of the Robbins and connected Huneycutts in Big Lick Township. She married at the age of 19 on October 24, 1869, and had her first child ten months later. Bob and Fanny raised their family in the Big Lick community of Stanly County. Their 8 children were:
1870 William Archie Cagle
1872 George Franklin Cagle
1875 Sarah Louellen Cagle Burgess
1878 Mary Jane Cagle Honeycutt
1882 Rebecca Ann Cagle Morton
1885 John Wilson Cagle
1891 Charlie Lester Cagle
 |
| Charlie L. Cagle |
After Fanny's death in 1902, Bob remarried in 1903 to Mary Magdalene Blackwelder, then he passes away 5 years later in 1908.
3) Martha Isabelle Robbins born Sept. 20, 1873 in Stanly County, NC and died on March 10, 1898 in Locust, Stanly County, North Carolina, buried at Meadow Creek Church. She married at age 26 to Noah Lawson Hinson, a much older widower, and relative, on February 20, 1880. She inherited 6 stepchildren, one of whom married the widow of her brother, William Ridley Robbins in Red River County, Texas. Despite being 16 years her senior, Noah outlived her by 25 years, when she passed away at 44. Martha Isabelle Robbins was the mother of four children with her husband, Noah L. Hinson. As Martha's daughters never married, her only descendants stem from her son, Tom.
1880 Martha Jane Hinson
1884 Thomas Franklin Hinson
1887 Jenette H. "Jenny" Hinson
1889 Sarah Angeline Hinson
4) Solomon Franklin Robbins, Jr. born about 1856 in Stanly County and died sometime after 1940, when he is shown in Pike County, Arkansas at age 84. Solomon Jr., had a relationship while in his teens with 23 year old Nettie Brasilla Honeycutt, daughter of George Washington Honeycutt and Jane Burris Honeycutt. The relationship resulted in a son, Adam, born in 1878. Frank was charged with bastardy. His response was to take off to Tennessee, where his father, Solomon F. Robbins, Sr. was living, having remarried to Mary E. Laton without any record of a divorce. He was there by 1880. He did not marry Nettie Brasilla Honeycutt. When in Hardeman County, Tennessee, he married Rebecca Laton, a possible relative of his step-mother, in 1883. They moved first to DeRoane, in Hempstead County, Arkansas, then to Wolf Creek, in Pike County, Arkansas, where he is last seen. His exact year and place of death is not known. He is in the 1940 census at 84 in Wolf Creek and should have had a death certificate. Children of Solomon Franklin Robbins Jr. were:
By Nettie Brasilla Honeycutt
1878 Adam Pettigrew Honeycutt
 |
| Adam Pettigrew Honeycutt |
By Rebecca Jane Layton (Laton) Robbins
1894 William Franklin Robbins was born in Antoine, Pike County
5) Sarah Malina Robbins born March 9, 1858 in Big Lick, Stanly County and died on April 9, 1946 in Pineville, Mecklenburg County, NC at age 88. Married Wilson C. Furr on March 8,., 1883 at age 24 in Cabarrus County.
 |
| Sarah Malina Robbins Furr |
Sarah's life was pretty straight forward. She lived with her mother up unitl marriage and she and Wilson C. Furr raised their family of 4 children in Pineville, NC, where she remained. Wilson C. Furr was born in 1862, and 6 years her junior. He was he son of Isreal and Margaret Coble Furr.
The Furrs are a little entangled due to the repetiton of names. There were two Israel Furrs and both had a son named Wilson. The other Isreal married Ursula Reed and their son was Wilson M Furr. It was like trying to pull apart wet spaghetti, people have had them so confused. The other Israel Furr was the son of Wilson Mathias Furr, who his son was named for. The father of Wilson C. Furr was Israel, the son of Paul Furr and Sarah Harwood Furr.
 |
| Wilson C. Furr |
Sarah Malina Robbins Furr and her husband, Wilson , were the parents of four children:
1886 Solomon Israel Furr
1888 Allie Furr
1893 Sallie Mae Furr
1895 Alonzo L Furr
6) George Washington Robbins George was 5 months old in the 1860 census, which was taken on July 25 of that year. That would time his birth around February of that year, when his father made a land purchase of Noah Whitley. Solomon would be in Tishomingo, Mississippi by October of that year. He died on November 15, 1890, at the age of 30, in Albemarle, NC.
Married Caroline Elizabeth Honeycutt, daughter of R.G. B. and Margaret Melton Honeycutt on Feb. 22, 1883 at the age of 22. Their first child was born that same year on December 17. A few years later, George would be caught in an affair with Caroline's sister, Beadie Rozillie Honeycutt and the result of that affair was a son born in 1886. That son took the Robbins surname as an adult. George and Caroline did not split up and had their own son two years later. Caroline never remarried in spite of being a young widow and lived with her daughter in Cabarrus County, NC, during her later years. Her sister, Beadie would marry a Tucker and move to Union County, NC. The children of George Washington Robbins and the Honeycutt sisters were:
By wife Caroline:
1883 Arabella Robbins McClure
1888 Titus Franklin Robbins
By Beadie Rozillie Honeycutt
1886 James Houston Robbins
The marriage certificates of both Sarah Malina and George Washington Robbins name Solomon and Sarah, their parents, as both being alive in 1883.
 |
| Big Lick, Stanly County Museum circa 1890 |
Elizabeth Clementine "Lizzie" Robbins born December 1, 1864 in Big Lick, died November 17, 1949 in Cabarrus County, NC. Lizzie was the daughter of Sarah Hinson Robbins, born when she was 26. I do not believe she was the daughter of Solomon Franklin Robbins, as he was in Mississippi during this time and married to Mary Laton. Whether he and Sarah got a divorce or he committed bigamy, I can not say, as I have found no record of it. Sarah did not change her name back to Hinson, however as divorced women ususally did at that time. On Lizzie's marriage certificate, she named only her mother and no father, and lisited Sarah as deceased, dating her death between 1883 and 1887. Solomon did desert around 1863, so it is possible he returned to NC briefly, so I am not ruling it out. All of Lizzie's descendants name Solomon as her father and she did go by the Robbins name, however I believe the marriage certificate says it all.
Lizzie married Ephraim E. Honeycutt, son of E.J.M. and Clarinda Little Honeycutt. They settled around Midland in Cabarrus County, near the Stanly County line. She's buried at Meadow Creek Primitive Baptist Church in Locust. The children of Lizzie and E. E. Honeycutt were:
1889 Adam Lorenzo Honeycutt
1892 Clarinda Dahlia "Dallie" Honeycutt
1893 Jesse Brown Honeycutt
1894: William Ellis Honeycutt
1897 Eli Ingram Honeycutt
1903 Corrina Mae Honeycutt
1906 Zula Bell Honeycutt
They adopted an infant Jay C Little, born in 1919. He took on the Honeycutt name.
Israel D Robbins born in 1869, is living with Sarah in 1870. He could have been a son or a grandson. There's no more information on him so he probably died young, before 1880.
By Mary E. Laton Robbins
9) John Franklin Robbins was born in 1863 in McNairy County, Tennessee, the year before Lizzie Robbins was born in North Carolina. His family would move to Hardeman County, Tennessee when he was in his teens. He married a widow, Elizabeth Ann 'Bettie" Medearis Brown, about 1884, at 21. She was 15 years his senior and had two little girls, Alice and Isabelle. They moved to Campbell County, Tennessee.They had one child together, Thomas Jefferson Robbins, born January 4, 1886. Frank died in 1894 in Campbell County, Tennessee.
Bettie remarried to Aaron Bullock, her third husband after Frank's death, who raised Tom. Tom married Lucy George and had 5 children. Child of Frank Robbins and Bettie Medearis:
1886 Thomas Jefferson Robbins
10) Mary A Robbins was born in 1866 in McNairy County, Tennesee. She married a James George, who was born in 1862 in North Carolina.They wed on March 11, 1883 in Jackson County, Arkansas. He passed away sometime before 1887, when his estate was settled in Jackson County, Arkansas. Mary may have been the M. A. Floyd who married a J. H. Floyd on July 29, 1887. She was the right age. I've not found her in 1900, or any children born to her. No further info.
11) Sarah E Robbins was born in 1868 in McNairy County, Tennessee. At the age of 18, she married Andrew Jackson Ramsey, who was from Hardeman County, Tennessee, on June 6, 1886 in Bird, Jackson County, Arkansas. He was the son of Thomas Jefferson Ramsey and Virginia Jane Matthis, and the only child of this marriage. He was raised by his stepfather, Wiseman Monroe Tims. Sarah and Jack had two children and both died tragically in 1893. Their daughter, Nellie, lived with some of her father's half-siblings before being on her own at an early age. Jack, the son, went to live with the family of his uncle, Ross Robbins. The children of Sarah E. Robbins and Andrew Jackson Ramsey were:
1890 Nellie Beatrice Ramsey Masters
1893 Andrew Jackson Ramsey Jr.
Just a side note that I share DNA with descendants of these two children of Sarah Robbins Ramsey.
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| Andy Ramsey II |
12) Hiram Ross Robbins was born on in Hardeman County, Tennesee. He, like the rest of the family of Solomon F. Robbins, seems to have relocated to the town of Bird, in Jackson County, Arkansas. There's the possibility that even Solomon himself, or his widow, Mary, may have relocated there as well.
Ross married Rosetta Ettie Klais in 1894 in Arkansas. She was of German extract, her father being born there.
Ross and Ettie had 4 children together, but are shown in 1900, with only the oldest being born, and they have Ross's 8 year old nephew, Andy Ramsey and Ettie's two teenaged brothers, Daniello and Delvana, living with them. Also next to them is Ross's aunt by marriage, Nancy Layton and her granddaughter, Mary. Their story deserves a peak at some point and may help decipher the lives of Solomon and Mary afer 1880.
Life was hard in those days, and they didn't always find a better situation when they moved on to 'greener' pastures. Ross also died a young man, as did most of his siblings. At age 38, he was laid to rest at Gracelawn Cemetery, in Tuckerman, Jackson County.
| Name | H. R. Robins |
|---|---|
| Birth Date | 15 Jan 1871 |
| Death Date | 3 Feb 1909 |
| Cemetery | Gracelawn Cemetery |
| Burial or Cremation Place | Tuckerman, Jackson County, Arkansas, United States of America |
| Has Bio? | N |
Ross Robbins's widow, Etta, remarried briefly to a Mr. Ross and joined her brothers, Nathan and Dell in Oklahoma, with her children. She passed away in Pinellas, Florida in 1972. The children of Ross and Etta were:
1897 Jacob Franklin Robbins
1901 Cecile M Robbins
1902 Alta Mae Robbins
1907 Earl Robbins
13) William Jefferson Robbins was born May 17, 1873 in Hardeman County, Tennesee. He was the most prolific and longest living of the second family of Solomon Robbins. About 1890, he married a "Mary E.", possibly Lemons. They had two sons, Willie Otis "Wiley" and John Williams. She passed away around 1902.
On November 30, 1903, he married Arizona "Zona" Simpson. Jeff served as a Postmaster and also worked for a railroad company. The family was in Jackson County, Arkansas through 1910 and later moved to Oklahoma.
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| Robbins family circa 1927 per pinnacle13 |
W. J. Robbins died on July 31, 1950, in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the age of 77 years old. By the times of his death, he had married a third time to a lady named Edna, later in life.
Obituary of W. J. Robbins above. The children of William Jefferson Robbins and his first two wives were:
By Mary E. (Lemons?) Robbins:
1892-1968 Willie Otis Robbins
1895-1918 John W. "Johnnie" Robbins
By Arizona Simpson Robbins, daughter of Doctor C. and Tennessee Simpson:
1902-1977 John Erwin Robbins (like his father, W. J. seems to have liked repeating names.
1905-1991 Clarence William Robbins
1907-2004 Allie Mae Robbins Fraley
1909-1888 Kenneth Luther Robbins
1912-1985 Jess Ross Robbins (named, obviously for two of his deceased brothers)
1915-2010 Myrtle Pauline Robbins Jobe
1918-2012 Ruby Irene Robbins Cooper
1921-2003 Jimmie Robbins
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| Arizona's obituary shared by Pauline's daughter Shirley. |
Arizona divorced W. J. and remarried a Wayland. She passed away in 1977.
14) Jessie James Robbins was born January 15, 1876 in Hardeman County, Tennessee. On February 10, 1901, at the age of 25, he married Louvenia Terry, daughter of Marian and Susan Terry, in Tuckerman, Jackson County, Arkanasas. They had two sons and Jess, like many of his siblings, died young, at age 34, on March 7, 1910.
The two children of J. J. Robbins and Louvenia Terry were:
1907- Marion Alfred Robbins
1907- Jodie John James Robbins
They were not twins, born at far ends of the same year.
15) Sallie Alice Robbins was born December 3, 1879 in Hardeman County, Arkansas and died on October 4, 1886, at the age of 6 years old. She was buried at Gracelawn Cemetery in Tuckerman, Jackson County, Arkansas, along with several of her brothers.
| Alice Robins | |
| Birth Date | 3 Dec 1879 |
|---|---|
| Death Date | 4 Oct 1886 |
| Cemetery | Gracelawn Cemetery |
| Burial or Cremation Place | Tuckerman, Jackson County, Arkansas, United States of America |
| Has Bio? | Y |
"Daughter if S.F. and M.E. Robins."
16 Unknown Son Robbins was born around 1873 (year might be wrong) in Hardeman County, Tennesee and died on February 12, 1885, at the age of 11 or 12. I found the memorial in the same cemetery as Ross, Jess, and Alice and with the same inscription as little Alice:
Son of S. F. & M.E. Robins.
It appears one of two things happened, either Solomon and his second wife, Mary Laton died in Hardeman County and the older siblings brought these little ones along on their migration to Jackson County, Arkansas, or Solomon and Mary actually migrated to Tuckerman themselves, before 1885, when this boy, their son, died there. If the later was the case, why are the graves of little Alice (Sallie in the 1870 census), and her unnammed brother, preserved and those of Solomon and Mary not to be found?
This needs to be looked in further.
Solomon Franklin Robbins, to whom I am related, in a way I believe I have solved, remains a bit of a mystery. Were his sins really his sins? Did he abandon his first wife and family and commit bigamy or did he legally disolve the union before he married Mary Laton? Did Sarah Hinson Robbins have sins of her own? Did Solomon actually leave Mary in Tennessee and make trips back to North Carolina in the late 1860's to impregnate his ex-wife again as Lizzie's descendants seem to suggest as her death certificate, informed by her oldest son, gives Solomon as her father? Or was her father unknown, as Lizzie, herself, did not name him on her marriage license? And lastly, where did Solomon take his last breath?
