Joseph Robison Jr.

Based on the history compiled by Mr. and Mrs. A. Paul Robison as published by Stella H. Day, editor, Builders of Early Millard, pp. 597-600: JOSEPH ROBISON, JR. AND LUCRETIA HANCOCK ROBISON Joseph Robison Jr., born May 21, 1804, in Charleston, Montgomery Co., New York was the son of Joseph Robison, Sr., and grandson of James Robison. Joseph's mother was Cornelia Guinal, daughter of Lt. James Albert Guinal, and Matilda Collier. Joseph married Lucretia Han­cock, daughter of Benjamin Hancock and Lucretia Proctor, February 6, 1829. Her parents were also New Englanders and her birthday was August 24, 1807. Joseph and Lucretia were direct opposites in temperament; he was a great reader and had a deliberate approach to life's problems; while his wife was quick, energetic and never idle. She was frail, of medium stature, and had naturally curly hair, but combed it back severely to avoid a show of vanity. The young couple went to live in his father's home as Joseph's mother suf­fered from ill health. Spring of 1830 marked the passing of Cornelia, Joseph's mother. Still at home were Joseph's brother, William Henry, Peter and Delilah - twins, and Margaret, who was only ten years of age. Lucretia became their second mother until her own family increased to where she and Joseph bought a farm of their own. Their first-born child was a son they named Alfred, born in 1829. A second son, Benjamin, was born in 1831. In December of that 1832 their third son, Joseph Vickory, was born. In 1834 Alvin Locke was born, and it was when he was a year old the little family moved to a heavily wooded area in the Township of Schroeple, New York. They had to practically cut their way through the dense woods to make a clearing for their farm. As soon as possible they built a house of logs with a board roof, and a large fireplace in one end. The second winter there the snow fell to a depth of four feet on the level. Hunters who came into the woods to hunt game, could kill deer with clubs. The couple's first baby girl was born in 1835, they named her Emily. She died when she was just past a year old. A boy, William Henry, was born in 1837 and another girl, Mary, was born in 1839, she also died when she was just a year old. Joseph Vickory contracted a disease that is similar to what is now identified as polio. He was crippled and unable to walk for a long time, he also was badly burned with lye, that was in the maple-sap trough, for cleansing purposes. His mouth was so badly burned he was never able to completely close it again. It was about this time the couple began to hear rumors of a young man by the name of Joseph Smith, who claimed he saw angels and had started a new religion, based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, but taken from a book he claimed to have translated from some metal plates. Joseph and Lucretia were staunch Methodists. He was the Minister's secretary, and when he first heard the teachings of the Mormon Missionaries he was impressed in spite of his desire not to be. The new sect was looked down upon by the established churches. Lucretia had heard others talk about the Missionaries, but she was not sufficiently interested to want to know anything about them. One evening when Joseph was late coming home, and she was concerned for his safety, he admitted to her that he had stopped to hear the message of the Mormons. He also admitted he had listened to them before. Lucretia asked why he hadn't told her of them before if he was interested. He answered, "I was afraid that if you ever heard them you would want to become a Mormon." She declared, "I wouldn't walk across the street to hear them! I know my Bible and nothing they could say would lead me astray." Dreading any unpleasantness, Joseph left some "distasteful" tracts on the table as he quietly left the house. The tracts. although apparently harmless bits of paper, exerted a strange influence over Lucretia -- when she could stand it no longer she began to read. "That was the first time I ever left my work to read", she said later. It was not in Lucretia's nature to readily admit that she was wrong so she said nothing to Joseph, and he, to avoid further unpleasantness said nothing more to her. One bitter cold day in February, 1841 Joseph quietly left the house and went to be baptized. The baptism was to be performed in the Oswego River where the ice had been cut to perform the ordinance. Lucretia was there ahead of him and they entered the waters of baptism. Eventually they began making preparation to join the other members of the Church in Nauvoo. Four years later, in 1845, they left New York and started on the 1000 mile journey. They now had seven children. Their journey proceeded across western New York to the eastern border of Illinois. At this time disturbing news reached them. The Prophet had been murdered, along with his brother Hyrum, at Carthage Jail. It was thought advisable for the Robison family to wait a while at the place where they had stopped, Crete, Illinois. After a few weeks they decided to buy a farm and make a home for the children until further word came as to what the Saints were going to do. Joseph and Lucretia stayed ten years in Crete. Four more children were born the them at this place: Almon, 1845; Albert, 1847; Adelia, 1848; and Franklin Alonzo, their last child, in 1851. Joseph, now in his forties, was content to stay on the farm in Crete, they were prospering and the trek across a wilderness into the west where the Mormons had settled seemed to him a needless journey. They could live the Gospel as well in one place as another. Again it was Lucretia that felt their Eternal life depended on their being with the Body-of-the-Church. She recognized that as a holder of the Priesthood her husband should make the decisions. However, the father who had been angry enough to disown her when she joined with the hated Mormons, changed his mind and made the thousand mile trip from New York to see her and bring her a share of his wealth, it seemed an answer to her prayers, that now the Robison Family could outfit their own wagons and make the trip to Utah. The Robisons received $2200.00 for their farm. Their wagons were already outfitted so Lucretia quilted the money into her petticoat for safekeeping. There were fifteen in their party and they had seven wagons, four with horse teams and three with ox-teams. Alfred, the oldest son declined to go west. He was 25, and was established in business at Crete. The family left the last of March after carefully planning their food, clothing, and other needs. Lucretia took a rocking-chair and to make it fit into the space of one of the wagons the rockers had to be cut shorter. (It is now a museum piece in the Territorial Statehouse at Fillmore.) She rocked her baby "Lonnie" in the rocker as they made the long trip across the plains. Alvin Locke, one of the sons, wrote in his journal: "We arrived in Salt Lake Valley in the early part of August, 1854. Just over four months from when we left Crete. One of the first things father did was to go to the Church authorities and give a tenth of all his belongings, as tithing, in compliance to Church regulations. We were instructed to go to Fillmore to settle. This place was about 150 miles south of Salt Lake. It had been settled in 1851 with about fifteen families. They lived in an adobe fort, to protect them from the Indians." The Robisons lived in the fort seven years, after which they built a fine two-story rock building south of the fort and on the east side of what is Fillmore's Main Street. They had brought apple seeds, and cuttings from other trees and plants and they gave generously to their friends and neigh­bors. While Joseph lived only 14 years after arriving in Fillmore, he and his family contributed much to the new settlement. He was Mayor of the City, and served in many Church and Civic positions. He died in June 1868. Lucretia, too was a stalwart in the community and their many sons and daughters not only contributed their talents, but married into the best families in Fillmore. The posterity of Joseph and Lucretia Hancock Robison now number in the hundreds. They have outstanding sons and daughters who have become Doctors, Lawyers, Professors in the field of education, Writers, Poets; and every field of business has some representative from this couple who gave their all to join the Pioneers of the West. Lucretia lived to be 92, and died in Fillmore in August of 1899.