Series III: Robins Family Papers

Subseries A consists of the papers, mainly correspondence, of Jane Hussey Robins (JHR). JHR was Robin's paternal grandmother, and appears to have been the dominant female influence on the young Elizabeth Robins; in Robins's words, her "touchstone." Robins would later dedicate an edition of The Open Question to her.

Subseries B consists of the papers of Charles Ephraim Robins (1832-1893), and makes up the bulk of Series III. CER was an entrepreneur, a scientist, and politico-religionist. He also wrote and lectured on social issues such as prohibition. CER's papers include extensive business correspondence, which documents his ventures in real estate, insurance, banking, manufacturing, and assaying. In 1875, CER went to the territory of Colorado as an assayer for the Little Annie Gold Mining Company. His office was located at Summit in Rio Grande County, from which he also observed and reported on weather conditions for the United States Army. In 1880 Robins visited him at Summit, just as she would later visit her brothers on the gold fields of Alaska in 1900. CER wrote to his family about the West, religion, God, women's rights, landscapes, the family, and events of the day.

Subseries B also contains consistent runs of indexed letterpress books (outgoing) and letterbooks (incoming), in addition to 25 volumes of CER's personal diary.

Subseries C consists of the papers of Sarah E. Robins (1836-1869), an aunt of Elizabeth Robins. ER felt great kinship with her aunt, Sarah Elizabeth Robins, a poet, and noted on Sarah Robins's correspondence many similarities between their personalities. Sarah Robins appears to have been a role-model for Robins, particularly because of her interests in literature and education. [See the letters of Gorham D. Abbot.] This subseries also contains a letter from Charles Dickens and two letters from Edgar Allan Poe which Sarah Helen Whitman sent to Sarah Robins.

Subseries D consists of the papers of Elizabeth Robins's mother, Hannah Crow Robins (1836-1901). Hannah spent much of her married life with her Crow relations in Louisville, Kentucky, particularly with the Bodines. After the family moved back to Ohio from Staten Island, New York, some of her children were raised in Louisville; Elizabeth Robins usually stayed in Zanesville, Ohio, with her grandmother, Jane Hussey Robins. In 1885, Hannah Robins was committed to an asylum. In addition to correspondence, Subseries D contains Hannah Robins's diary for the year in which Elizabeth Robins was born.

Subseries E contains the correspondence of Elizabeth's only sister, Eunice Robins, who died before Robins moved to England.

Subseries F consists of the papers of Robins' brother Vernon. Robins brought her brother Vernon to England to study medicine, and he went on to open a practice in Louisville, Kentucky

Subseries G consists of the papers of on Elizabeth Robin's younger brother, Saxton. Saxton worked for the Alaska Commercial Company in Anvik from about 1897 until his death in 1901. Subseries G contains his Clerk's Record Book, which includes the minutes of several miners meetings.

Subseries H contains materials, including letters and notebooks, which belonged to Robins's Hussey, Crow and Robins relations. Notable are the various family genealogies compiled by family members, including Elizabeth Robins, and the family newspaper edited by Rebecca Robins. It also contains two letters, dated 1824 and 1826, to Ephraim Robins from John C. Calhoun.

Subseries I is made up of books which belonged to family members. Of particular interest is the volume of poetry by Sarah Elizabeth Robins, which was written under the pseudonym "Sidney Russet."

This material was removed from Subseries A-D and F. The letter after the folder number indicates which subseries it came from.