Yorkshire Robinsons - pre 1830's

[Mary G.]

My husband's 2G grandfather was a tailor from Yorkshire, who emigrated to Toronto (then in Upper Canada) in 1831 with his father John Robinson, who appears to have been a widower.

The Robinson headstone says Isaac was born in Yorkshire October 16 1809. A directory published in 1885 notes that that Isaac was the eldest of the children in the family, and that he had a brother and three sisters, but gives no names for these siblings. It notes he learned his tailoring trade in Yorkshire, but we don't know if his father was a tailor. Father John Robinson is buried with the family in Toronto, and the headstone says he was born October 10 1788. There is no mention of a wife for John and we don't know her name, so we presume she died in Yorkshire prior to Isaac and John setting out for Toronto.

Isaac married in Toronto in 1832 to a Ruth Walker from Brampton, England, and their children include Mary Ann, Margaret, Mary Jane, Elizabeth Ruth, Sarah Ann, Egerton, Clara, Hannah Louise and Ellen Amelia.

So...we're looking for help finding out the name of Isaac's mother and siblings and where in specific in Yorkshire they might have been from. Despite having specific birthdates for Isaac and father John, we're stuck!

Mary Gordon
Toronto

[Ticker]

Hi Mary

Sorry we haven't been able to help you so far on this one. 

Have you made any progress,  or do you have any further details that could help someone to find what you are looking for?

Look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes 

Ticker

[Mary G.]

Our current best theory is that "our" John was from Skelton by Guisborough. There is a John Robinson who was a weaver and married a Margaret Garbutt there in Dec 21 1807.

The IGI gives them as the parents of an Isaac (christened in 1809), a Mary (christened 1815), Benjamen (christened 1817), Elizabeth (christened 1818) and a Margaret (christened 1824). The time frame is good, the names are good (father and son, the names of the sisters and his mother dovetail well with what Isaac named his own children), the location is good, the number and sexes of the children are good....but the dates are not perfect (i.e. this Isaac was christened in July 1809 and according to his headstone, "our" Isaac was born in  October 1809 - and I do realize that headstones often fib!

I know our Isaac came to Canada in 1831, and his father John was in Toronto around the same time frame since he died here in 1834 (and was later lovingly moved 50 or 60 years later, when the main cemetery for Toronto found itself on prime real estate and was closed and the graves and headstones moved....that is, one hopes they were all moved!!)Since the headstone carefully records the details of John's birth and death but makes no mention of Margaret Garbutt, one has to assume she (if she was indeed the wife of our John) must have died prior to 1831 and not ended up in Toronto.  If this happened, we wonder if the surviving family came away together - or if more of them died before Isaac and John left.

Anyone have some good sources for Skelton by Guisborough? I wonder if we can figure out if the John and the Margaret who are the principal suspects vanish from the scenery at the right time, or if they and their Isaac  lived out their lives in Skelton by Guisborough and never gave a thought to going to frosty Toronto!

Mary