John Cook Robinson
I have a great great great grandfather who ran an Indian School in Oklahoma in the 1800's. Some people believe the Indian Schools stole the Native Americans' cultural identity... in fact, we have some Native American friends who told us about this years ago... and there's info on this on the internet, etc.... but regardless... here's an interesting ancestor of mine, which I have some info on.... and which I want to post about... John Cook Robinson.
Here's some info from Findagrave website:
THE PARIS NEWS,
Backward Glances by A. W. Neville (some excerpts of two articles)
Before he came to Paris (Texas) to make his home the Rev. John C. Robinson was a missionary-teacher for the Methodist church in Indian Territory, head of a school known as the Chickasaw Manual Labor Academy which to the best of my knowledge was in the neighborhood of where is now the city of Tishomingo, then the capital of the Chickasaw Nation.
In addition to religious and literary education the Indian children, male and female, were given instruction in what today we call manual training and home economics, though in a much cruder way for lack of equipment which is now available.
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English Boy Became Indian Missionary
Mr. Robinson was born in the north of England, February 26, 1801.
When 12 years old he left home and went to sea. In 1815, while the ship on which he was employed was crossing the Atlantic, he met Mrs. Cook, who lived in Germantown, Pennsylvania. She became interested in the boy and persuaded him to go with her to her home, where he worked during the summer and attended school in the winter. His name was Robeson, and Mrs. Cook asked him to change the spelling to Robinson, and she added her name, so that thereafter he was known as John Cook Robinson.
The youth joined the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1825. A few years later he was licensed to preach, was pastor of churches in Ohio and Kentucky. In 1850 he became a member of the Mission Conference which sent him to the Chickasaw Manual Labor Academy, where he remained until the war between the sections. The school was closed during the war, and some of the buildings were used by soldiers who left them in bad condition. Then Mr. Robinson came to Paris and retired from the active ministry.
When he was a pastor in Ohio Mr. Robinson married Cornelia Baldwin, an Englishwoman. They were the parents of five children--Baldwin, Joseph Madison, Thomas, Cornelia and Anne. When a young man Baldwin Robinson left home and went to Australia, Thomas died when a youth, Cornelia married J. K. Daughters and Anne married John Oldham. Joseph Madison enlisted in the Confederate Army when a student in Emory and Henry College, in Virginia, served four years, and in 1866 married Miss Flora Coody [sic: Coodey], member of a prominent Cherokee family, and they lived at the Academy until Mr. Robinson came to Paris.
Mr. Robinson's first wife died and he married Miss Mary C. Madison, whose father was a relative of President James Madison. She came with him to Paris and died here soon after their arrival.
(Some further information on this pioneer citizen will be given in another story.)
(End of this article)
Here's some info from Findagrave website:
THE PARIS NEWS,
Backward Glances by A. W. Neville (some excerpts of two articles)
Before he came to Paris (Texas) to make his home the Rev. John C. Robinson was a missionary-teacher for the Methodist church in Indian Territory, head of a school known as the Chickasaw Manual Labor Academy which to the best of my knowledge was in the neighborhood of where is now the city of Tishomingo, then the capital of the Chickasaw Nation.
In addition to religious and literary education the Indian children, male and female, were given instruction in what today we call manual training and home economics, though in a much cruder way for lack of equipment which is now available.
------------------------------------
English Boy Became Indian Missionary
Mr. Robinson was born in the north of England, February 26, 1801.
When 12 years old he left home and went to sea. In 1815, while the ship on which he was employed was crossing the Atlantic, he met Mrs. Cook, who lived in Germantown, Pennsylvania. She became interested in the boy and persuaded him to go with her to her home, where he worked during the summer and attended school in the winter. His name was Robeson, and Mrs. Cook asked him to change the spelling to Robinson, and she added her name, so that thereafter he was known as John Cook Robinson.
The youth joined the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1825. A few years later he was licensed to preach, was pastor of churches in Ohio and Kentucky. In 1850 he became a member of the Mission Conference which sent him to the Chickasaw Manual Labor Academy, where he remained until the war between the sections. The school was closed during the war, and some of the buildings were used by soldiers who left them in bad condition. Then Mr. Robinson came to Paris and retired from the active ministry.
When he was a pastor in Ohio Mr. Robinson married Cornelia Baldwin, an Englishwoman. They were the parents of five children--Baldwin, Joseph Madison, Thomas, Cornelia and Anne. When a young man Baldwin Robinson left home and went to Australia, Thomas died when a youth, Cornelia married J. K. Daughters and Anne married John Oldham. Joseph Madison enlisted in the Confederate Army when a student in Emory and Henry College, in Virginia, served four years, and in 1866 married Miss Flora Coody [sic: Coodey], member of a prominent Cherokee family, and they lived at the Academy until Mr. Robinson came to Paris.
Mr. Robinson's first wife died and he married Miss Mary C. Madison, whose father was a relative of President James Madison. She came with him to Paris and died here soon after their arrival.
(Some further information on this pioneer citizen will be given in another story.)
(End of this article)