George Robinson

GEORGE ROBINSON, a much respected retired citizen of Ross township, where he owns 80 acres of rich mineral land in section 36, township 32, range 23, was born in Westmoreland County, England, and is a son of John and Ann Robinson.

The parents of Mr. Robinson spent their lives in England and the subject of this sketch is the only member of his family who came to America. In the locality in which he was reared, the leading industry was iron ore mining, and before emigrating he worked in the ore mines there. In 1869 he came to the United States, and went to the mines in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and subsequently to those in Columbia County, where he remained four years; thence he went to Stark County, Ohio, where he mined for six years. He then removed to Litchfield, Kansas, where he continued to work at mining until 1878, when he came to Cherokee County. Mr. Robinson's experiences as a miner convinced him that much of the land in Ross township was rich in mineral wealth or coal deposits, and here he bought 80 acres of prairie land, in section 36, township 32, range 23. This he made into a good home, but has devoted his energies mainly to the developing of the coal which underlies it. In 1882 he put down the Robinson shaft, which has proved a source of large profit. This mine he has leased, and has erected a large number or miners' cottages on his place.

Mr. Robinson was married on July 18, 1861, to Mary Green who was born in Cumberland County, England, and they have had a family of six children, namely: John, a miller on the home place; James, a miner at Stippville, Cherokee County; George, Jr., a miner; William, a coal dealer; and Mary and Elizabeth, both deceased.

Politically Mr. Robinson is identified with the Republican party, but has never accepted any office. He is a member of the Church of England, and Mrs. Robinson belongs to the Catholic Church. He has led a very active life, one of arduous labor, but he is now able to reap the rewards of his earlier industry. He is widely known, and is held in high regard by his fellow citizens.

History of Cherokee County Kansas and its representative citizens, ed. & comp. by Nathaniel Thompson Allison, 1904, transcribed by Carolyn Ward, instructor from USD 508, Baxter Springs Middle School, Baxter Springs, Kansas, 3/11/97.