David T Robertson

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Biography

David T Robertson was born 29 June 1951 in Longwood Hospital in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts^[1]He lived at that address for more than 20 years and attended school at the Edward Southworth Elementary School then after four years went to the Mather School both in Dorchester. He then attended the Grover Cleveland Middle School also in Dorchester.³ David's parents thought that he had aptitude to become a electrician and encouraged him to enter the Cooperative Industrial Course at Charlestown High School in the Charlestown section of Boston.³

After graduating from Charlestown High School David attended Coyne Electrical Technical School and took and passed the state Electricians Exam and was granted a journeyman's License E21704. He also completed four years apprenticeship in an electrical service company. When he received his license his boss retired and David took over the company and operated it for the next twenty years. In 1989, David's father, who had been working for David's Electrical Service Company retired and David became disenchanted with doing Electrical Service. He closed the firm and went to work at the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston.

David had been working on his own genealogy since he graduated from High School twenty years earlier. He had been enticed by his half-sister into researching his family. At first it was slow going. David's father, who knew little about his family, had come from Maine, the son of a lumberman and farmer from Bonaventure County Quebec and his mother was the daughter of immigrants from Portugal. So David soon came to a roadblock trying to access records from outside of the U.S. But he was enthralled with the study of his family and researched cousins and more in the U.S. for the first five years and then got a letter from Dr. David McDougle a professor at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec that led him to a cousin in Ontario who descended from the same Robertson Family as his paternal grandfather and the logjam was broken. His genealogical skills were soon noticed by others and he was asked to become the President of the Massachusetts Society of Genealogy.

David served in that position for the next four years while continuing the operation of Electrical Service Business. One of the highlights of his term as President was that he wrote the legislation and marshaled his bill through the Massachusetts State Legislature.

This bill opened access to vital record in Massachusetts and every five years another five years of records are released and turned over to the State Archives.

After his term as president was over David returned to genealogical research and was actively seen in Vital Records and Court Houses. He was approached by Dr. Neil Todd who asked him to join him at the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Dr. Todd was in charge of the societies Enquiries Service. They would answer members letters asking for genealogical research. At first it was part-time but soon the number of requests grew to an enormous number. The Enquiries Service was very successful and their success soon became noticed. David enjoyed this research and he closed his electrical business and went to work full time to the Society. He continued working for them for five years and enjoyed the work he was doing and the Enquiries Service grew as well. At the end of this five year period David began to feel that his services were not being recognized and the library never had a plan for advancement. David left the Society and began as a private researcher. He would continue this research for longer then twenty years. He joined a firm known as Legacy of America and was their New England researcher. It was during this period that David was asked to become the Historian of the Descendants of Robert Bartlett a job that he really enjoyed. He would continue being their Historian for the next ten years. David was awarded with a life membership by the Bartlett Society.

Today, David is ill and has retired from actively doing genealogical research for hire. He presently lives in Framingham, Massachusetts.

*First-hand information. Entered by David T Robertson at registration.

1. Birth Certificate

2. Boston City Directories.

3. Diplomas.

4. Electricians License E21704 issued by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

David T. Robertson has eleven lines back to the Mayflower: 2 to William Mullins; 2 to Alice Unknown his wife; 2 to Priscilla Mullins; 2 to John Alden; 1 from Richard Warren; 1 from Myles Standish; and 1 from Edward Doty. He is also a descendant of Robert Bartlett.