Robinson Genealogy

Nadene Goldfoot
                                                                         

Lieutenant Timothy Lewis Durkee b: 1737 in Woodbury, Litchield, Connecticut was in Royalton, Vermont by 1790 along with his son, Col. Heman Durkee.  The town had been chartered in 1779.   He was married to Lucy Anna Smalley who was born in the same year but in Lebanon, New London, Connecticut.  They married in Pomfret, Windham, Connecticut in 1758.  He fought in the American Revolution at age 39.  Timothy was the only one in his family to strike out for Royalton, Vermont.  He became the main subject for the Durkee newsletter concerning the burning of Royalton, Vermont in the Indian raid.  His family had suffered a great deal from it and is an example of how the early New England families spread through the rest of the country.  Only his oldest son, Heman, remained in Royalton.  Harvey remained in Vermont while the others moved next door to New York.  The grandchildren moved all over the country:  Pennsylvania, New York, Wisconsin, Texas, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Canada, Iowa, and some even remaining in Vermont.  My mother's grandmother, Asenith Durkee b: 1814, was the great granddaughter of Timothy Lewis Durkee.  I'm Timothy's 5th great granddaughter.  I have a grandson.  He's Timothy's 7th great grandson.  
                                                                 
           
Col Heman Durkee, b: 1759  moved from Woodbury, Litchfield, Connecticut to Royalton, Vermont by 1781 since he married Susanna Rix of Preston, New London, Connecticut since he married her in Royalton September 19, 1781.  Their son, Lyman Durkee was born August 27, 1782.  His title may have been only honorary, but probably also fought in the Revolutionary War as well as he would have been 17 at the start.
                                                                               
It was Susanna Rix's father, Daniel Elisha Rix b: 1738,another Revolutionary War soldier and a Deacon in Preston, Connecticut, who had moved to Royalton, Vermont.  He married Rebecca Johnson b: 1739 of Plainfield, Windham, Connecticut.  They married in Preston, Connecticut.  The couple must have moved to Royalton by 1778.  Deacon Daniel Rix's  house was in line to be attacked in the Indian raid.  General "Elias" Stevens, who was in the area,  took Mrs. Rebecca Rix and 2 or 3 of her children with him on his horse.  Captain Parkhurst was also there on his horse who had taken a Mrs. Benton and her children and they all rode off with others on foot following them.  He got them all to where he had first heard of the alarm and left everyone safely there, turning back to return to his own home and family when he saw the Indians in the road.  He had left a Mr. Burroughs to guard the Rix family group.  So he rode back to Burroughs and the Rix group, getting them to head for the woods to hide.  The Indians stayed on the road, chasing General Stevens.  He rode down the road and came to his father in law's house, Mr. Tilly Parkhurst.  He saw his sister milking by the barn.  He yelled at her to get to safety away from the cow.  There is a Captain Ebenezer Parkhurst mentioned in the Wikipedia article about the Indian raid.  I found Ebenezer's parents on my tree.    

There was a Ruth Stevens born in Royalton in 1780.  She could very well be the daughter of General "Elias" Stevens, giving him reason to be in Royalton in the first place. ""The third party, who went up the river, first came to the house of General Stevens, whose family had been warned by Daniel Havens, he saying: 'The Indians are thick as the d-l at our house,' and directly went away. Just as Mrs. Stevens was for leaving the house the Indians came in the door, destroyed everything, not even allowing her any sufficient clothing, but ordering her to 'be gone, or they would burn.' She took her child and went to the woods for safety. Daniel Waller, a boy of fourteen, lived with General "Elias" Stevens, and he was taken prisoner and carried to Canada. " (I'm very proud of finding General Stevens' first name and his family tree on familysearch.  None of the histories named him other than Stevens.  I was able to connect him to my tree through his mother Sarah Shepard because I had a Squire Shepard already on the tree all alone, 3 years apart from Sarah.  Squire was the father of Polly Shepard, married to a Roswell Parkhurst b: 1773).  
                   
Captain Ebenezer Parkhurst is not related to us, but because he was so quick-acting, saved our family.  I honor him by doing his genealogy. We have this connection, though: 
Descendants of Joanna Sabin Parkhurst (Her maiden name was Sabin.)

1  [1] Joanna Sabin Parkhurst b: August 18, 1744 in Pomfret, Windham, Connecticut d: July 29, 1831 in Tunbridge, Orange, Vermont
.. +Darius Parkhurst b: Abt. 1744 in Prob. Connecticut
*2nd Husband of [1] Joanna Sabin Parkhurst:

.. +Benjamin Durkee, Captain b: October 18, 1744 in Hampton, /Windham, CT d: April 25, 1829 in Tunbridge, Orange, Vermont
         
I have a  Joseph Parkhurst b: 1726 on our tree married to Judith Haynes who both died in Royalton.  Their daughter, Hannah Parkhurst , married  John Hutchinson 1751.  They both lived in Royalton with Hannah being born there and John coming from Connecticut.   I have found a man possibly who was the General Parkhurst. "One man, Phineas Parkhurst, made a Paul Revere-like ride. He successfully warned some families, giving them time to escape. He also received a gunshot to his abdomen in the process! That wound didn’t stop him from continuing his ride. Can you believe that he even lived to tell the tale!?" I can find no record of a Phineas but did for Ebenezer.  He's our man.



Susanna's brother, Garner Rix b: 1769 and wife Elizabeth Lyman b: 1772 also made the trek with them.  Another brother, Joseph Johnson Rix b: 1770 and wife Cynthis Bingham b: 1767 were living in Royalton and on the 1810 census at age 40 but moved onto Michigan.

Abiathar Smith Robinson, the subject of this blog and my great grandfather, was married to Julia Ann Tuller, daughter of Alonzo Charles Tuller b: 1809 in St. Albans, Franklin, Vermont.  At 40, he and the family were on the October 28 1850 census of Royalton, Vermont.  Along with him was a John Robinson, also a farmer, b: 1799 so was 51.  Alonzo's wife was Asenith Durkee b: 1814 born in Royalton, Windsor, Vermont.  She was the daughter of Heman Durkee b: 1789, Col. Heman's son, and Rebecca Hatch.

Alonzo's 1st cousin twice removed was Martin Tuller, Reverend b: 1753 in Egremont, Massachusetts, moved to Royalton at least by 1780 as he had married a Mary Brown who died in Royalton possibly in childbirth in 1799.  By1800 he had married  Charlotte Clapp Whitney of Massachusetts there in 1802.  So some Tullers had moved to Vermont at about the same time.  Martin died in Royalton in 1813.  Martin had attended Yale in becoming a man of the cloth. His children by both ladies of course were born in Royalton.   Martin Tuller/ar  is my 1st cousin 6 times removed.  He died at age 60 years 4 months 1 day.   The book : Hall, Sage Adams.  The sermons of Martin Tullar of Royalton, Vermont: with an account of his life, his ancestry, and his progeny.  South Hadley, MA, S.A. Hall, 1992 was my resource.   He preached occasionally in Hartland (Windsor Co.).  On May 10, however, the town voted not to call him to the work of the ministry at present but agreed to hire him for ten Sabbaths more @ 20s. per Sunday--one half of the time in Dr. Paul Spooner's barn, and the other half in Col Lyman's barn.  In December 1780 they called another minister, without first paying for service already received, and still settling arrearages with Tullar as late as 14 Mar 1786.

The Tullers had many religious men in it.  Daniel Tuller was a Deacon b: 1745 in Simsbury, Connecticut but moved to Royalton.  He died there in 1833.  He was the son of John L. Tuller, also of Simsbury b: 1715 whose next son was David Tuller, Reverend who lived in Massachusetts.  

The Hatch family had come from Tolland, Connecticut and settled in Sharon, Windsor, Vermont.  In fact, Rebecca Hatch was born in Sharon in 1791 and then moved to Royalton and died there.
                                                                         
Robinsons abounded in Royalton in 1850. Amos Robinson III b: 1767 in Lebanon, Connecticut was in Royalton by 1800 and had married an Orange, Grafton, New Hampshire girl, Lavina Bullock b: 1773.  Lavina died in 1806 in Royalton. Amos Robinson III and Lavina Bullock  had a son he named Amos IV b: 1797 in Royalton.  This one married Lois Safford b: 1800 in Royalton.  They moved to Wisconsin instead of Illinois. Cyrus Safford b: 1803, Lois's brother,  in was living with Amos and his family at age 47on the 1850 census in Royalton, Vermont.  A number of other Saffords were there as well in 1850.

  Hiram was born in 1799 in Royalton.  He died by drowning in Lake Ontario at Sandy Creek, Oswego, New York.  He was married to Almira Morgan c1804 , the horse lady from Rhode Island  Finally, Joseph Allen Bullard Robinson was born in 1805 after 3 brothers died near birth in Royalton.  He died in this city.  He was married to Lucy Adams Sargent b 1813 from Pomfret, Connecticut.  They both were buried in Taftsville, Windsor, Vermont.
                                                                           
   
 Amos remarried to Elizabeth Hughes b:1762.  He wound up moving to Decatur, Macon, Illinois, as Abiathar did to Wenona, Illinois.  Amos III had children with Elizabeth Hughes so his oldest son, Cyrus B Robinson. b: 1808 was born in Royalton Vermont and later moved to Sharon, Windsor, Vermont.  He had married Thankful Preston b: 1811, lived in Strafford in 1850.  Hartwell Robinson was born in 1815 in Royalton, Windsor, Vermont.  He moved with his dad to Decatur, Illinois and died there.  He was married to Fairazina Morris b: 1825 in Decatur, Illinois.  Son of Amos III was also Daniel Evans Robinson was born in 1820 in Royalton, Vermont.  We know he served in the Civil War being 40 then.  He later became a grocer and died in Norwich, Windsor, Vermont.  It's near Dartmouth College.
                                                                     

Amos Robinson IV b: 1797 Royalton, Vermont was married to Lois Safford b: 1800 in Royalton.  They moved to Menasha, Winnabego, Wisconsin and died there.  They seem to have 13 children, so I'll look at a few.  Austin Moorehouse Robinson b: 1822 in Royalton was married to Mary Elizabeth White b: 1829, same as Abiathar.  She was from Weathersfield, Windsor, Vermont.  WEATHERSFIELD is below the word, WINDSOR and to the right along the border of New Hampshire.  Royalton is to the north and along the border of Orange County.  I notice that Royalton and Sharon, Vermont are next door to each other.  Dwight C. Robinson b: 1832 in Royalton died at age 21 there.  James Waterman was the town clerk presiding over his death.  We had a Waterman cousin who helped us with our genealogy. 

I've selected a John R. Robinson as the likely father of Abiathar.  He was born in 1784 in Westminster, Windham, Vermont and died in Stowe, Lamoille, Vermont. Notice this is on the map to the very south end in pink.   He was married to Sophronia Pember b: 1788 in Randolph, Orange, Vermont.  They married in Randolph, Orange, Vermont.  It was Thomas Pember, her grandfather b: 1753 who was at his friend's house, Daniel Havens, and at their door when the Indians had arrived to first attack Royalton.  The Indians saw them and chased Pember, threw a spear at him which pierced his body, killing him finally after running a little more and being pierced again, then scalped, a man who was 27 years 7 months and 14 days old.  This happened on October 16.  Poor Thomas had been at this home in the act of wooing Daniel Havens's sister in marriage.  This Havens home became the Indians' rallying point and meeting center.  From there they attacked other homes and people outside.
                                                                       
     16 October 1780 Indian Attack  on Royalton, Vt.                   
Royalton, Vermont was burned by Indians 16 Oct 1780 as part of Revolutionary War.  Just before dawn on October 16, 1780, the town line of Tunbridge and Royalton was witness to the last major raid of the Revolutionary War in New England. In the "Royalton Raid" three hundred Indians led by British soldiers invaded from Canada along the First Branch of the White River. Part of a series of raids designed to terrorize frontier settlements, the result was the destruction of dozens of homes, crops and livestock necessary to survive the coming winter. Although women and girls were not harmed, 28 men and boys were taken captive and marched to Canada to be imprisoned. In the years that followed, many of the captives made their way back to their families, but some never returned. One resident, Peter Button, was killed in Tunbridge near the Royalton town line along what is Rte. 110 today; an historic marker has been erected there.  Elias Button had been killed in Royalton.  It was a Button who married Abiathar Smith Robinson and Julia Ann Tuller.

It was the Caghnewaga tribe from Canada who led them with the goal to destroy the town of Newbury on the Connecticut River of eastern Vermont.  Their chief commander was  the British Lieutenant, Horton and his 2nd was the Frenchman, LeMott.  They had a pilot or leader, Hamilton, who had been an American prisoner in 1777 and was the cause of Royalton being attacked, a true villain. because he had been held prisoner there.  He had been a member of the enemy in the Taking of Burgoyne in 1777 and was a bitter man.    "In early 1777, American military leaders and members of Congress were aware that Major General John Burgoyne maintained a considerable force in Canada, but assumed that when those forces were readied for action it would be in an offensive against Philadelphia, the American capital city. Few colonists believed that the British would again try an assault southward down Lake Champlain, as they had done unsuccessfully in the early stages of the war.
                                                       

7/7/06  North Royalton Cemetery also had burials before the raid.  The greatest number of early burials are here, many with hand some slate stones.  Revolutionary veterans known to be buried here are Timothy Durkee and Heman Durkee.

Resource
http://genealogytrails.com/ver/windsor/1891royalton.html (Exellent)
https://wwwrobinsongenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/04/robinson-durkee-tuller-in-royalton-and.html
4/4/10 Revolutionary War Veteran; http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vtcroyal/Cemeteries.htm
The Durkee Family Newsletter Spring 1993, Volume XII, #1.
https://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1298.html
http://www.taraross.com/2016/10/this-day-in-history-the-royalton-raid-in-vermont/
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/108880170/ebenezer-parkhurst
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royalton_raid
http://www.josephsmithsr.com/josephsr/getperson.php?personID=I4115