| Background: |
Colonel Beverley Robinson (1722-1792) was born in Virginia, the son of John Robinson (1683-1749), the president of the Council and younger brother of John Robinson (1704-1766), the speaker of the House of Burgesses. He moved to New York from Virginia while in the militia, and after deciding to remain there, established a partnership with Oliver Delancey in the mercantile business. Shortly thereafter, in 1748, he married Susannah Philipse who inherited an enormous estate along the Hudson River. He raised and commanded the Loyal American Regiment during the American Revolution, but went to England at the end of the conflict where he died. Colonel Robinson had five sons, four of whom served with the Loyal American Regiment: Beverley, Morris, John, and Frederick Philipse. William Henry was too young to serve and was sent to England at the beginning of the Revolution.
Lt. Col. Beverley Robinson (1754-1816) married Anna Dorothea (Nancy), daughter of the Rev. Henry Barclay, rector of Trinity Church in New York and sister of Col. Thomas Barclay, a well known Loyalist. He settled at Nashwaaksis (Fredericton), New Brunswick, and held the appointments of clerk of the peace, clerk of the Court of Common Pleas, and puisne judge, York County, in 1785.
Morris (1759-1815) stayed in the army after the war and rose in rank to lieutenant colonel and assistant barrack-master-general of the garrison at Gibraltar, where he died. He married Margaret, daughter of a Dr. Waring, and had 15 children. His sons entered the British army.
John (1761-1828) was a lieutenant in the Loyal American Regiment and settled in Saint John, New Brunswick. He married Elizabeth, daughter of the Hon. George D. Ludlow, the chief justice of New Brunswick, and they had five sons and one daughter. Two sons married into the Millidge family of Saint John. He engaged in business and held many civic positions including: deputy paymaster-general of His Majesty's Forces in the Colony, speaker of the House of Assembly and a member of Council, treasurer of New Brunswick, and mayor of Saint John. In 1821 he established the first bank chartered in Saint John.
Frederick Philipse (1763-1852) fought with the Loyal Americans during the American Revolution and joined the 17th Foot of the British army in 1778. He served for 75 years in many parts of the world, attaining the rank of general in 1841. He married Grace Boles, who predeceased him in 1806.
William Henry (1766-1836) was sent to England at the outbreak of the American Revolution to be raised by a Mr. Wier. He remained there and joined the British army, spending much of his career in the West Indies. He married a daughter of Cortlandt Skinner, who was attorney general of New Jersey before the American Revolution, and later raised the New Jersey Volunteers. |
| Contents: |
The reel contains family correspondence of Colonel Beverley Robinson and his sons, Lt. Colonel Beverley, Morris, John, Sir Frederick Philipse, and Sir William Henry, as well as the Lt. Colonel's children: Beverley of New York, Frederick Philipse, John, William Henry, and Susan. Lt. Colonel Beverley married Anna (Nancy) Barclay, and there is correspondence which includes Anthony, Maria, and Colonel Thomas Barclay, covering the period 1777-1847. Also contained in the papers is military correspondence from Colonel Beverley Robinson to Major Murray, Captain Peter Clinch, and Lieutenant Allen, 1794-1795; business correspondence and records, 1781-1842; the diary of Lieutenant William Henry Robinson, Jr., 1809; the Anthony Allaire Papers, which include his commission as a lieutenant in the Loyal American Regiment, 1777; an order book and diary, 1780-1795, containing an account of the Battle of King's Mountain; Anthony Allaire's marriage certificate, 1794; and numerous other documents and letters written by members of the extended Robinson family. The Allaire family was related to the Robinsons through marriage; Eliza Maria Allaire married Colonel John Robinson. |
