Benjamin F. Robinson Papers, 1841-1863, undated

Collection

Identifier: MSS 954

Staff Only
Not requestable

Scope and Contents

The Benjamin Franklin Robinson Papers contain the personal and business papers of Benjamin Franklin Robinson, and the military papers of William A. Brooks. It is unclear how or if Robinson and Brooks are related. This collection has been divided into three series.

Series I. Personal Papers contains account books, a tax record, and correspondence belonging to Robinson.

Series II. Shipping Papers contains materials related to Robinson's shipping activities. Some of the papers discuss the wreck of Robinson's ship Defender, which was wrecked off Middleton Reef, in New South Wales. The ship was on its way to Sydney with timber from Pugent Sound when it hit the reef; all of the crew was able to make it safely to Australia (Wrecksite). Also included are seamen's protection certificates from the Defender's crew, which included sailors of color.

Series III. William A. Brooks Papers contains documentation of his time in Company A, in the 7th Regiment of the Light Infantry in the 4th Brigade of the 2nd Division of the Volunteer Militia of Massachusetts. It also includes documentation of being drafted back into service in 1863.

Dates

Creation: 1841-1863, undated

Language of Materials

These materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research use.

Biographical / Historical

Captain Benjamin Franklin Robinson was born about 1821, to Samuel and Mary (Tripp) Robinson, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He was a master mariner. Robinson died on June 7, 1899, in Salem, Massachusetts (Ancestry).

William A. Brooks was a member of Company A, in the 7th Regiment of the Light Infantry in the 4th Brigade of the 2nd Division of the Volunteer Militia of Massachusetts until 1859, when he was honorably discharged. He was drafted back in 1863, but it was declared exempt after "having funished a substitute."

Extent

1.88 Linear Feet (2 boxes)

Additional Description

Abstract

Series List

SERIES I. Personal Papers

SERIES II. Shipping Papers

SERIES III. William A. Brooks Papers

Physical Location

Phillips Library Stacks

Provenance

This material was donated by Tom Sleeper, on behalf of Natalie Pitman, on January 6, 1989 (Acc 24,942). Pitman was the great grandaughter of Bejamin F. Robinson.

Bibliography and Related Collections

Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Wrecksite. "Defender (+1859)." Accessed 13 September 2021. https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?50329.