Finding Your Folks: Susan Byram and Robert Rush Robinson

Once again we can thank Jackie Lambert of Palmetto for bringing us out of the darkness and shedding some light on this Robinson situation. This family happens to be her line.

She also pointed out a mistake I made last week in calling Susan Byram’s husband “John” R. Robinson. It was “Robert” R. Robinson, not John, and I knew that as plain as I know the nose on my face. It just came out wrong between my brain and my fingers. I do apologize.

Jackie’s information helped us prove beyond a doubt that Susan was definitely a child of James and Hannah Byram, although she was only implied in James’ will through her children. These children were James N. Robinson, Hannah P. Hogan and Frances E. Williamson. Looking at the way the will itemizes each group of people, there is little doubt that these are Robinson siblings.

Jackie also read me an amazing letter from Henry Robinson written when he was trying to get someone to go back to Ireland and claim a piece of property he had inherited. He gave specific locations and landmarks, and even mentioned the name of a contact. What a treasure this is!

The name “Henry Robinson” I found on an obscure little piece of paper last week at the Coweta genealogy library turns out not only to be the name of the father of Robert R. Robinson, Susan Byram’s husband, but also the name of the father of Hallena Matilda Robinson (Hayes), mother of William Henry Harrison Hayes who married Mary Eunice Tidwell (Byram). Henry Robinson, born about 1779 in County Antrim, Ireland, is found in the 1850 Coweta County census with his wife, Elizabeth (Cunningham), born about 1787. Henry was in Mecklenburg County, N.C. before moving to Coweta about the same time as the Byrams (1831), who also came from Mecklenburg. Perhaps the families were acquainted even back then.

Or perhaps they traveled together in the same wagon train from North Carolina to Georgia.

Another thing Jackie told me was that James N. Robinson, the son of Susan Byram and Robert Robinson named in the will of James Byram, was the subject of a story in “Memoirs of Georgia,” a book compiled in 1895 containing sketches of residents living in various counties in Georgia. Since I had only been able to find information on James’ sister, Hannah Permelia, I was most grateful to be able to find another child. (Still can’t find anything with details on Frances, James and Hannah P.’s sister, but I at least have a lead.)

You can find this “memoirs” book at the Coweta genealogy library in Grantville. If you happen to be a member of Ancestry.com, you can access the book through their Family and Local Histories database. From Ancestry’s site, I had printed out several stories about Meriwether County residents but had not done James’ because I had no reason to single him out (until now). This was like finding a gold mine.

Many have said these “memoirs” books were “vanity” publications, with the subjects having paid to have their stories included. That may very well be and the accomplishments may have been fluffed up a little. However, most of the lineages are correct as far as I have found. Most only go back as far as grandparents and most everybody knew who their own grandparents were.

James’ story clearly states the names of his grandfather (Henry Robinson), his parents (but spells Susan’s name as “Byrame”), and his siblings who are named as grandchildren in James Byram’s will. It also states that his parents were married in 1834 (jives with the Coweta marriage record) and that his mother died in 1838. James’ father, Robert R. Robinson, then married “Miss Elizabeth Attawary” (sic). This would be Attaway, of course. Robert and Elizabeth Attaway Robinson had one son, Taylor Wilson Robinson (also seen as W.T.), born in 1849.

I found Robert and Elizabeth Attaway Robinson in Campbell County in 1850 with James (age 15) from the first marriage and W.T. (Taylor Wilson) from the second marriage, but the girls were nowhere to be found.

Of the three children from the first marriage, James, Hannah P. and Frances E. Robinson, James and Hannah both remained in Georgia while Frances moved to Texas. Frances married first John W. Williamson (1854 in Coweta County) and second Jesse Carroll. According to the memoirs, Frances was living in Battle, McLennan County, Texas, in 1895 when James’ story was written. I was unable to find her there in 1900 but I will keep looking.

The childrens’ half brother, Taylor Wilson Robinson, also remained in Georgia and lived in Campbell County with his father in 1880.

James N. Robinson married Martha C. Murray of Lincoln County, Ga. and had four children: Robert A. who lived in Jacksonville, Fla. in 1895, John P. who lived in Campbell County with his parents, Nannie J. who married James A. Reeves, and William H. who died in infancy.

Hannah P. Robinson married James Hogan and had five children: Susan E., James W., Frances E., John B. and Lucy J. Hogan. She died in 1927 and is buried in the Cook/Attaway/Cedar Creek cemetery near Palmetto, as are many members of this family. Hannah’s daughter, Lucy J. Hogan married Thomas Lee Cook and they are both buried there. Heard of Tommy Lee Cook Road? That’s the guy.

More on the Byrams next week.

Stories about your ancestors who lived in the south metro Atlanta area are most welcome. Send them to The Citizen, P.O. Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214, or e-mail jkilgore@thecitizen.com or JodieK444@aol.com.

Until next week, happy hunting!