Robbins Family Arrives in Illinois

Edwin Dwight Robbins and Louisa (Bishop) Robbins arrived in the Town of Onarga, Iroquois County, Illinois, sometime prior to June of 1870. The family appears in the 1850 and 1860 Federal Census in Salem, Kenosha County, Wisconsin, and in the Census of 1870 at Onarga, Iroquois County, Illinois.  They have five children total: 

Cynthia Jane Robbins m. Henry Yaw

Edwin Gustave Sheltusky Robbins m. Alice Ann VanDuzer

Anna Louise Robbins m. Augustus Theobold Drom

Emma E. Robbins never married

Helen Patience Robbins m. Walter B. Hanson

1850 Census Salem, Kenosha County, Wisconsin (Below)

Edwin, Louisa, Cynthia J., Edwin G., and Ann L.  Their two youngest children are not born yet.  Emma and Helen.

1860 Census, Salem, Kenosha County, Wisconsin (Below)

Edwin, Louisa, Edwin G., Anna L., Emma and Ellen. Edwin G. S. is 21, living at home and farming with his father. Cynthia Jane does not appear in the 1860 Census with the family.  She has married Henry Yaw, and they are residing in Michigan. Emma and Helen/Ellen now appear in the 1860 count. 

1860 Census, Township of Galien, Berrien County, Michigan (Below)

Henry Yaw, Cynthia Jane Robbins, Edwin Dwight Yaw, Emma Jane Yaw.

1870 Census, Town of Onarga, Iroquois County, Illinois (Below)

Edwin, Louisa, Emma and Helen. Edwin G. S., and Anna Louise have also moved from the family home.

1870 Census, Township of Artesia, Iroquois County, Illinois (Below)

Edwin G. S., Alice Ann, Lillian, Fred, Edith. 

Artesia Township 1884

Louise D. Bishop Robbins

Cousin, Steve Mitchell, shared this photo of my great, great, great grandmother, Louise Bishop, on Ancestry in 2017.  I had never seen this photo prior.  Grandma Arnold would have loved seeing this.  She did a lot of research on the Bishop line with many handwritten letters among cousins discussing their family histories. 

Louise/Louisa was born 26 December 1814, in Madison County, New York.  She married Edwin Dwight Robbins in New York.  Louise died 2 August 1886, and is buried in the Onarga Cemetery, Onarga, Iroquois County, Illinois.  

In the 1860 Federal Census, Louisa and Edwin are listed in Salem, Wisconsin.  But by the 1870 census they are living in Artesia Township in Illinois with their two youngest children, Emma and Helen.  Edwin and Louise had five children:

1. Cynthia Jane "Jane"

2. Edwin Gustave Sheltusky **Our line**

3. Anna Louise 

4. Emma E

5. Helen Patience "Nellie"

For some unknown reason Edwin Robbins is buried in Florida and not with his wife in Onarga. I have not found his grave site.  Louise is buried with her daughter, Emma Robbins.  I have visited their graves many times.  Note on the headstone their middle initials are given.  I don't know their middle names.   

Their graves are located in Block 3. Lot 45.  

 

Artesia Township, Iroquois County, Illinois. 1865

 

The 1865 State Census of Artesia Township in Iroquois County lists five families from our lineage. I cannot find any of these families in the 1860 Federal Census.   

Caleb Isbester father of William Isbester m Mary Burrill (1st marriage)

Henry Yaw  m Cynthia Robbins dau of Edwin and Louisa (Bishop) Robbins

August T. Drom  m Anna Louis dau of Edwin and Louisa (Bishop) Robbins

Edwin G. S. Robbins son of Edwin and Louisa (Bishop) Robbins

Ebenezer Day father of Julius Day m Mary Burrill (2nd marriage)

And possibly Charles Van Deuser.  More research needed.

Finding Love in Artesia Township

My sister, Jackie, told me "Neighbors married neighbors."  That was your little world in rural America . . . your dating pool.  Hopefully your neighbors were good looking or at least somewhat interesting.  

I am going to attempt to explain Artesia Township, Iroquois County, Illinois, and the Robbins, Day, Burrill, Isbister, Yaw, Perkinson, Mitchell, Sprague, Pacey family connections. 

I located an Iroquois County atlas on Family Search.  This book on Family Search was a reprint of plats from 1884, 1904 and 1921.  Unfortunately, there were some errors in the reprinting process.  But I knew exactly where my family was located in Artesia Township (sections 7,8,9) and found the correct maps.  

The cover:

Artesia Township 1884 and detailed 1884.  Thawville is located in the upper left corner of Artesia Township and Buckley to the lower right. (Below):

From L to R:  John Mitchell (married a Robbins girl), C. W. Sprague (married a Burrill girl), Henry Yaw (married a Robbins girl), Edwin G. Robbins, and Julius E. Day. Almost all of these families remained in this area and are buried at Ridgeland Cemetery near Thawville, Illinois, or the Onarga Cemetery in Onarga, Illinois.  John Mitchell  and Mary Alice Robbins moved out of the area. (Cousin Stephen Mitchell is on Ancestry and has contributed some great family photos.)

  

The Veatch School is circled in red.  I imagine most of our family received at least their elementary education at this school.  I think I have a photo of it somewhere. I'll try to find that.  

Artesia Township 1904 (Below):

In the 1884 map, there is a new land owner, R. S. Perkinson (married a Robbins girl.)

Artesia Township 1921 (Below):

The 1921 plat shows some changes with Alice Robbins now owning 40 acres and F. A. Pacey (married a Robbins girl) next to her 40. Olin Robbins and Halsey Robbins are now owners of property in Artesia Township also.  And R. S. Perkinson owns more land.  The tiny squares that I have circled in red in the sections are homes.  I know the home my Grandma Arnold was born and raised still stands on the H. D. Robbins land on this plat (section 8.) I'll need to do more research on the other homes.  

All very interesting and will require a road trip soon.  More to come on these family connections. 

Artesia Township

 Artesia Township, Iroquois County, Illinois.  1904.