Papers : 1803-1905.

Call Number:
HIL-MICL FC LFR .R6J6P3
Category:
Family
Creator:
Robinson, John Beverley, Sir, 1791-1863.
Material Description:
9 microfilm textual records 35 mm
Background:
John Beverley Robinson was born at Berthier, Lower Canada, the second son of Christopher Robinson, an officer of the Queen's Rangers. He was educated in Kingston and Cornwall under John Strachan (1778-1867) and lived in Strachan's home. He held many public offices and became a leading member of the Family Compact, including Acting Attorney General of Upper Canada, 1813; Solicitor General, 1815; Attorney General in 1818; member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada for the town of York, 1821; and Chief Justice in 1829 until he was appointed First President of the Court of Error and Appeal. He married Emma Walker while in England and had four sons and four daughters.

Christopher Robinson (1828-1905), third son of John Beverley Robinson, became a prominent lawyer. The youngest son, Charles Walker Robinson (1836-1924), joined the British army in the Prince Consort's Rifle Brigade. He retired with the rank of major-general after having seen action in the Crimean War, the Ashanti War, and the Zulu War. In addition to his active service, he held many staff appointments throughout a long and distinguished military career. Charles Robinson was responsible for collecting, sorting and preserving the mass of material that had been accumulated by various members of the Robinson family.

Frederick P. Robinson (1763-1852), born in New York, was the son of Colonel Beverley Robinson. He served in his father's regiment, the Loyal Americans, during the American Revolution before he transferred to a British regiment. In 1814 he returned to America as commander of the forces in Upper Canada and also was appointed in 1815 provisional Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada. He saw action around the world, especially the West Indies, and retired a general in 1841. He died in England.

William H. Robinson (1766-1836), youngest son of Colonel Beverley Robinson, was sent to England during the American Revolution. He made a career in the British army and retired in England.

John Stuart (1740-1811), was born at Paxton, Pennsylvania, and ordained a priest of the Church of England in 1770. During the American Revolution he came to Canada and taught school in Montreal from 1781-1785. In 1785 he became the first Church of England missionary in the Western Settlements, and from that date until his death, he was rector of St. George's Church, Kingston, Ontario.

John Strachan (1778-1867) was born at Aberdeen, Scotland, and educated at the University of Aberdeen and the University of St. Andrews. He came to Canada in 1799 and taught school at Kingston and Cornwall. In 1803 he took holy orders in the Church of England and rose in prominence, becoming rector of Cornwall, then rector of York in 1812, archdeacon of York in1825, and bishop of the Diocese of Toronto in 1839. He was appointed to the Executive Council in 1818, to the Legislative Council in 1820, and became a leading member of the Family Compact. He advocated the right of the Church of England to sole enjoyment of the clergy reserves.

Contents:
The reels contain Robinson family papers as outlined below. Because the material represents so many prominent members of the family and those closely associated with them, brief biographical sketches have been provided in the background field of this Inventory entry.

Reel 1: Correspondence: to J.B. Robinson from the Rev. John Stuart, 1803-1811; Sir William Robinson and Sir Frederick Robinson, 1813-1818; Bishop John Strachan, 1807-1822; and from J.B. Robinson to Emma Walker, 1811-1817; as well as English correspondence, 1816-1862.
Reel 2: John Beverley Robinson Diaries, 1815-1817.
Reels 3-6: Calendared J.B. Robinson Papers, 1806-1905, covering correspondence and records in relation to Robinson's public positions and referring to matters such as: removing the seat of government from Kingston to York; an account of all the judicial proceedings in Upper Canada affecting the Earl of Selkirk, or the North West Company; the Rebellion of 1837; Lord Durham's Report; public works; appointments; a list of coloured persons in Toronto, 1840; and many other important documents. The material also pertains to Peter Robinson in his public roles dealing with Irish emigration to Upper Canada, the timber trade and cutting on crown lands, and crown reserves. Separate pages of the calendar are microfilmed throughout the J.B. Robinson Papers, and in each instance they relate to the material which follows.
Reel 6: Includes both public office and personal household accounts, 1813-1856.
Reel 7: Household accounts, 1853-1877, and private correspondence, 1813-1855 (includes an index).
Reel 8: J.B. Robinson, correspondence, 1814-1855.
Reel 9: J.B. Robinson, correspondence, 1857-1863; Robinson memoranda, 1812-1854; Robinson diary, 1855; John Strachan, correspondence, 1813-1853; George Ryerson-W.L. MacKenzie, correspondence, 1829 and 1831; Frederick P. Robinson, diaries, 1812-1813 in Spain; Christopher Robinson, journals, 1850-1852; Charles W. Robinson, journal, 1879; Treason Commission, 1838; and The Queen vs. E.A. Theller, 1838, Summary of Evidence by J.B. Robinson (typescript copy).

Originals:
The original records are held by the Archives of Ontario.
Archival Ref. No.:
OA MS 4
Finding Aids:
A table of contents is found at the beginning of reel 1.

The corrected table of contents is available in print.

Reels 3-6 contain a calendar of the material contained on these reels. However, the calendar was not microfilmed in one location, rather, small sections were dispersed throughout the reels to provide information about the material that follows.

The scattered sections of the calendar have been printed from the microfilm to create a finding aid in print for reels 3-6 of the Papers.

There is an index to the private correspondence on reel 7.

Robinson, John Beverley, Sir Document List.pdf
Notes:
A number of incorrect dates appear in the table of contents on the reel. Researchers are advised to use the corrected table of contents in print.