Andrew Robeson Jr. (October 14, 1817 – July 23, 1874) was an American merchant.

Early life

Robeson was born on October 14, 1817, in

New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. At the 2020 census, New Bedford had a population of 101,079, making it the state's ninth-l ...

. He was a son of Andrew Robeson (1787–1862) and Anna ( Rodman) Robeson (1787–1848). His father, who was a native of

Roxborough, Philadelphia Roxborough is a neighborhood in Northwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is bordered to the southwest, along the Schuylkill River, by the neighborhood of Manayunk, along the northeast by the Wissahickon Creek section of Fairmount ...

, was a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

and

Abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

, who became a prominent merchant and successful manufacturer in New Bedford under the name Messrs. Robeson & Sons. His paternal grandparents were Martha and Peter Robeson. His maternal grandparents were Elizabeth ( Rotch) Rodman (daughter of William Rotch) and Samuel Rodman, one of the wealthiest ship owners of New Bedford.

Career

In 1839, he graduated with a degree in medicine from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

in Philadelphia but chose a career in business instead. In 1840, he joined his father's firm "Andrew Robeson & Sons". From 1848 until his death, he was in charge of the Print Works at

Fall River, Massachusetts Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States census, making it the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, tenth-largest city in the state, and the second- ...

and he was also involved in various interests in Boston.

Personal life

On March 2, 1843, Robeson was married to Mary Arnold Allen (1819–1903), a daughter of Eliza Harriet (

Arnold Arnold may refer to: People * Arnold (given name), a masculine given name * Arnold (surname), a German and English surname Places Australia * Arnold, Victoria, a small town in the Australian state of Victoria Canada * Arnold, Nova Scotia U ...

) Allen and Zachariah Allen, a prominent textile manufacturer. A year after their marriage, they built a large granite mansion in Fall River situated "on the boundary line between Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with three quarters of the residence situated in the former, and one quarter in the latter." From 1862, he wintered in Boston and later retired to Tiverton, Massachusetts. In 1853, he built a summer home in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

which is known today as Elm Court. Together, they were the parents of four children, three of whom survived to adulthood: * Andrew Robeson III (1843–1906), who married Abby Frances Knight, a daughter of Leonard Knight and Elizabeth Curtis Johnson, in 1880. * Harriet Allen Robeson (1845–1852), who died young. * Alice Robeson (1849–1919), who married Stephen Van Rensselaer Thayer, the eldest son of financier Nathaniel Thayer Jr. and grandson of

Stephen Van Rensselaer IV Stephen Van Rensselaer (March 29, 1789 – May 28, 1868), known as the "Young Patroon" and sometimes the "last of the patroons" was the last patroon of Rensselaerswyck. Early life Van Rensselaer was born on March 29, 1789, in Albany, New York. ...

, in 1870. * Mary Allen Robeson (1853–1919), who married

Charles Sprague Sargent Charles Sprague Sargent (April 24, 1841March 22, 1927) was an American botanist. He was appointed in 1872 as the first director of Harvard University's Arnold Arboretum in Boston, Massachusetts, and held the post until his death. He published se ...

, a son of Boston merchant and banker Ignatius Sargent, in 1873. Robeson died in Tiverton on July 23, 1874. He was buried at

Mount Auburn Cemetery Mount Auburn Cemetery, located in Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, is the first rural or garden cemetery in the United States. It is the burial site of many prominent Boston Brahmins, and is a National Historic Landmark. Dedicated in ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

. His widow died at

Islesboro, Maine Islesboro is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States, comprising Islesboro Island and several smaller islands. The population was 583 at the 2020 census. It has a summer colony accessible by state ferry service from Lincolnville Beach ...

on July 25, 1903.

Legacy and descendants

Through his son Andrew, he was a grandfather of auctioneer Andrew Robeson IV. Through his daughter Mary, he was a grandfather of Henrietta Sargent (1874–1953), who married architect

Guy Lowell Guy Lowell (August 6, 1870 – February 4, 1927), was an American architect and landscape architect. Biography Born in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, Lowell was the son of Mary Walcott (Goodrich) and Edward Jackson Lowell, and a member of B ...

. Through his daughter Alice, he was a grandfather of Stephen Van Rensselaer Thayer Jr. (1871–1907), who died in

Vichy, France Vichy (, ; ) is a city in the central French department of Allier. Located on the Allier river, it is a major spa and resort town and during World War II was the capital of Vichy France. As of 2021, Vichy has a population of 25,789. Known fo ...

. In honor of Robeson and his wife, his daughter Alice commissioned Harry Eldridge Goodhue to create stained glass windows for Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Boston depicting

Simeon Simeon () is a given name, from the Hebrew (Biblical Hebrew, Biblical ''Šimʿon'', Tiberian vocalization, Tiberian ''Šimʿôn''), usually transliterated in English as Shimon. In Greek, it is written Συμεών, hence the Latinized spelling Sy ...

and

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna of East Anglia, King (died c.654) * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th c ...

References

External links

Andrew Robeson
portrait by

Richard Morrell Staigg Richard Morrell Staigg (7 September 1817 Leeds, England - 11 October 1881 Newport, Rhode Island) or R.M. Staigg was a portrait painter in Boston, Massachusetts, in the 19th century. Biography When he was about thirteen years of age he was placed ...

, 1874. {{DEFAULTSORT:Robeson, Andrew 1817 births 1874 deaths 19th-century American merchants People from New Bedford, Massachusetts People from Fall River, Massachusetts