Rev. Robert Henry Robinson (1824–1909), was an American minister, educator, and an activist for the rights of African Americans during the Antebellum period in Arlington, Virginia. He was born into slavery, but through the negotiation by his grandmother, Caroline Branham, he was freed at age 21 after an eleven-year apprenticeship. He was a minister at Roberts Chapel, an Methodist Episcopal Church. He established a night school and debate team for black freedman. The

Robert H. Robinson Library Robert H. Robinson Library was one of the earliest libraries for Colored People in the United States, during the Jim Crow laws era. Robert Robinson Library was located at 902 Wythe St., Alexandria, Virginia, and was operated since 1940 by the City ...

was named in his honor.

Early life

Robinson was born into slavery. He was the son of Lucy Branham, and grandson of Caroline Branham. His slaveholder was

George Washington Parke Custis George Washington Parke Custis (April 30, 1781 – October 10, 1857) was an American plantation owner, antiquarian, author, and playwright. His father John Parke Custis was the stepson of George Washington. He and his sister Eleanor grew u ...

, Martha Washington's grandson. In the 1820s, Caroline agreed to participate in lengthy interviews with historian Jared Sparks under the condition that Robinson was freed. He was sold to a Quaker named Miller in 1834. He was apprenticed to a banker and businessman from Arlington named Robert Jamieson. During this time, he learned to read and do arithmetic. He was freed in January 1846, at 21 years of age.

Career

Robinson was ordained to the ministry by Bishop

Matthew Simpson Matthew Simpson (21 June 1811 – 18 June 1884) was an American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1852 and based mostly in Philadelphia. During the Reconstruction Era after the Civil War, most evangelical denominations in ...

, who was Abraham Lincoln's spiritual adviser. He was a pastor of Roberts Chapel, a Methodist Episcopal Church established by African Americans, on South Washington Street in the city of Alexandria. He helped establish the Western Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church; it was the first conference for African Americans. From 1872 to 1876, he was the first African member of the Board of Church Extension Society of the M.E. Church. In 1883, he moved to

Charleston, West Virginia Charleston is the capital and List of cities in West Virginia, most populous city of West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Elk River (West Virginia), Elk and Kanawha River, Kanawha rivers, the city had a population of 48,864 at the 20 ...

. By 1894, he was the minister of the McKendree M.E. Church in Cumberland, Maryland. Throughout his career, he was the minister to churches in the District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. He helped to create opportunities for black freedmen by opening a night school and a debate club. He was the treasurer of the William McKinley Normal and Industrial School in Alexandria. In 1864, he and two of his sons organized the earliest Emancipation Day observances in the city for African Americans. The celebration attracted

Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...

, Frederick Douglass, and John M. Langston.

Personal life

Robinson was married on September 23, 1847. In 1888, Robinson's two sons established the African American political newspaper, ''The Washington National Leader'', also called ''The Weekly Leader''. R.B. (or Robert B.) was the business manager, and Magnus was the managing editor.

Frederick Douglass Jr. Frederick Douglass Jr. (March 3, 1842 – July 26, 1892) was the second son of Frederick Douglass and his wife Anna Murray Douglass. Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, he was an Abolitionism, abolitionist, essayist, newspaper editor, and an offi ...

was the associate editor. He became the fourth Grand Master of the

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

for the District of Columbia in 1854. He became a Grand Master in West Virginia in the 1880s. In 1883, he was declared the "oldest living Past Grand Master of Masons of the District of Columbia, Universal Lodge".

Death and legacy

He died on November 22, 1909. In 1911, a ten-foot high monument was erected for him at the Bethel Cemetery on South Payne Street in Alexandria, Virginia, by his two sons, Rev. R.B. Robinson and Magnus L. Robinson. His wife and sons were buried near him at the same cemetery. The

of the Alexandria Black History Museum is named in his honor. He is named on the ''Truths that Rise from the Roots'' monument in Alexandria, Virginia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Robert H. 1824 births 1909 deaths 19th-century African-American people 19th-century American slaves 19th-century Methodist ministers 20th-century African-American people 20th-century Methodist ministers African Methodist Episcopal Church clergy American freedmen People from Alexandria, Virginia People from Arlington County, Virginia Religious leaders from Charleston, West Virginia Religious leaders from Cumberland, Maryland