Rowland Robinson

Rowland Evans Robinson was born on May 14, 1833, at his family's farm, Rokeby in Ferrisburgh, Vermont.{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Vermont}} He was the youngest of four children born to Rowland Thomas Robinson and Rachael (Gilpin) Robinson, prominent Quakers and abolitionists who continued to improve Rokeby, which had been started by Rowland T. Robinson's father in the late 1700s.{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Vermont}} The younger Robinson attended the public schools of Ferrisburgh and Ferrisburgh Academy, but later said that he had been at best an indifferent student.{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Vermont}}

Rachael Robinson was a talented painter and drawer, and when Robinson showed an interest, his mother encouraged it.{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Vermont}} By the time he was a teenager, the butter tubs sent from Rokeby to markets in New York and other cities were often decorated with Robinson's work.{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Vermont}} At age 18, he moved to New York City intending to improve his skills by working for a draftsman, but he was disappointed in the experience and soon returned to Rokeby.{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Vermont}} In 1866, he returned to New York City, where he found work as an artist on works published by Orange Judd and Frank Leslie.{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Vermont}}

In 1870, Robinson married Ann Stevens (called Anna) of East Montpelier, Vermont.{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Vermont}} They were the parents of two daughters and a son -- Rachael Robinson Elmer (1878-1919), Rowland Thomas Robinson (1882-1951), and Mary Robinson Perkins (1884-1931).{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Vermont}} In 1873, Robinson began to experience difficulty with his vision and returned to Rokeby.{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Vermont}} In 1877, his wife suggested that Robinson turn to writing and illustrating his literary work.{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Vermont}} His article on foxhunting was published in Scribner's Monthly in early 1878 and was favorably received.{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Vermont}} Once inquiries about the anonymous author had identified Robinson, he was hired at Forest and Stream magazine, and he remained on the staff for several years.{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Vermont}} In addition, Robinson was a contributor to other periodicals, including The Atlantic.{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Vermont}}

Robinson was recognized as an early conservationist and advocate for the preservation of nature.{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Vermont}} He continued to paint and draw, and many of his works depicted agricultural life on the Ferrisburgh farm, hunting and fishing scenes, and natural settings including forests and lake sides.{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Vermont}}

In 1883, Robinson turned exclusively to writing fiction, and produced a number of short stories and novels.{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Vermont}} His writing became known for his efforts to capture the natural speech patterns and dialects of New Englanders, French-Canadians, southerners, and others with whom he came into contact.{{sfn|"Then Again: The life and legacy of Rowland Robinson"}} In addition, he made an effort to incorporate into his stories the beliefs, values and cultures his characters represented, including racism, regionalism, and attitudes towards foreigners, which enabled him to depict contemporary 19th Century life in a realistic way.{{sfn|"Then Again: The life and legacy of Rowland Robinson"}}

Robinson's vision began to fail in 1887, possibly from glaucoma, but he continued to write with the aid of a grooved board which enabled him to avoid writing over sentences and paragraphs he had already committed to paper.{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Vermont}} His wife would then read his work back to him, make revisions, and reproduce them on a typewriter.{{sfn|"Then Again: The life and legacy of Rowland Robinson"}} By using this method, Robinson was able to continue writing almost until his death.{{sfn|"Then Again: The life and legacy of Rowland Robinson"}} Anna Robinson also served as Ferrisburg's town clerk, and when Rowland Robinson was hired by Houghton Mifflin Company to author a history of Vermont, Anna Robinson was his chief researcher.{{sfn|"Then Again: The life and legacy of Rowland Robinson"}}

In 1899, Robinson was diagnosed with cancer; it was inoperable and confined him to bed for the last 18 months of his life.{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Vermont}} He died at Rokeby on October 15, 1900, and was buried at Union Cemetery in Ferrisburgh.{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Vermont}} Though raised as a Quaker, he became a Unitarian, and his funeral service was officiated by Effie McCollum Jones.{{sfn|"City News"}}

File:Out of bondage, and other stories (IA outofbondageando00robirich).pdf

Works Robinson authored include: Forest and Stream Fables (1886); Uncle Lisha's Shop (1887); Sam Lovel's Camps (1889); Vermont: Study of Independence (1892); Danvis Folks (1894); In New England Fields and Woods (1896); Uncle Lisha's Outing (1897); A Hero of Ticonderoga (1898); In the Green Woods (1899); A Danvis Pioneer (1900); Sam Lovel's Boy (1901); Hunting Without a Gun, and Other Papers (1905); Out of Bondage, and Other Stories (1905); and Silver Fields, and other Sketches of a Farmer-Sportsman (1921).{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Vermont}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book |last=Capace |first=Nancy |date=2000 |title=Encyclopedia of Vermont |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gmVf7jGPpE0C&pg=PA218 |location=Santa Barbara, CA |publisher=Somerset Publishers |pages=218–220 |isbn=978-0-403-09602-2 |ref={{sfnRef|Encyclopedia of Vermont}}}}

• {{cite news |date=October 17, 1900 |title=City News: The Rev. Effie K. M. Jones |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120763273/jones/ |work=Barre Evening Telegram |location=Barre, VT |page=3 |via=Newspapers.com |ref={{sfnRef|"City News"}}}}

• {{cite news |last=Bushnell |first=Mark |date=May 5, 2019 |title=Then Again: The life and legacy of Rowland Robinson |url=https://vtdigger.org/2019/05/05/life-legacy-rowland-robinson/ |work=VT Digger |location=Montpelier, VT |ref={{sfnRef|"Then Again: The life and legacy of Rowland Robinson"}}}}

• {{Findagrave|28334272}}
• [http://rokeby.org/ Rokeby Museum]
• {{cite news |last=Kelley |first=Kevin J. |date=July 1, 2015 |title=Rowland Robinson Drawings Show Life on the 19th-Century Farm |url=https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/rowland-robinson-drawings-show-life-on-the-19th-century-farm/Content?oid=2699354 |work=Seven Days |location=Burlington, VT}}

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Category:1833 births

Category:1900 deaths

Category:People from Ferrisburgh, Vermont

Category:19th-century American male writers

Category:19th-century American artists

Category:American Quakers

Category:American Unitarians

Category:American naturalists

Category:American conservationists