Fenn Robinson (1772 - 1838)

Born 11 Dec 1772 in Hampden County Massachusetts

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 7 Dec 1838 at age 65 in Meigs County Ohio

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Biography

Fenn Robinson was married to Lydia Crane, daughter of Eli and Mehitable Chapman Crane, of Durham, Conn. She was born Oct. 8, 1779. He settled in Turin, Lewis county, N. Y. From there he moved to Reding, Stuben county, N.Y. From there he moved to Olean [New York], thence down the Ohio river to Marietta [Ohio] in 1818, and from Marietta to a farm near Chester [Ohio] in 1819, where he lived until his death, Dec. 7, 1838. His wife died April 11, 1847, leaving eight children. Six of the eight were born in New York. The two younger were born in Ohio.

Dr. Fenn Robinson was the most noted doctor within the boundaries included in Meigs county in the pioneer days. He had an extensive practice, and he was equal to any emergency. His saddle pockets were receptacles for all medicines needed, with compartments for surgical instruments. He could pull a tooth or cut off a man's leg, if necessity required, lance an abscess or an arm, spread a fly blister plaster or set a dislocated joint. He rode through the woods, following road or trail, through creeks, at high or low tide, in rain or snow, at night or in the day — he found the way. His patients believed in him and had faith in his skill. His travels were in a radius of more than thirty miles from his home at Chester, and he was the family doctor for two or more generations. No trained nurse with sick folks then, nor pharmacist to fill prescriptions. He reared a large and highly respectable family. Dr. Robin- son never ran for Congress nor sued a poor man for his bill. His honors rested on a noble life.

Sometime during the summer of 1818 Dr. Fenn ROBINSON moved his family, consisting of a wife and eight children, from the northeastern part of New York to Ohio. They came to Marietta in wagons at which place he purchased a flatboat and floated down the Ohio river to Letart Falls where they stopped to visit relatives who had preceded them to this state some few years before. He first settled at what is known as Plants, Ohio, but as some of his family were sick all the time he concluded to move back from the river.At this early period nearly all the land lying along the Ohio river abounded in dense forests. The climate was unhealthy, and the air was polluted with the germs of malaria. This is the reason, so I have heard, some of our old citizens say, that nearly all of our early settlers settled back from the river. The next place which he made his permanent home during the remainder of his life was about two miles from the pretty village of Chester which was then in Gallia county instead of Meigs. I have been unable to find out when the county of Meigs was formed and if the same boundaries existed at first as at the present time.

In 1828 and '29 Mr. ROBINSON built a two story frame farm house which now stands and is owned and occupied by his granddaughter, Mrs. S. E. DOYLE, which is in apparently in good condition to be built so many years. About a year ago Mrs. Elizabeth COOK, of Hemlock Grove, had a letter inThe Leader which was read with interest by many. In one of her letters she told where her mother used to collect in Gallia count for her father, Dr.ROBINSON. When I read this letter I wondered how many of the present generation knew that Chester township used to be in Gallia county. I presume that Mrs. RICE did collect in the present boundaries of Gallia county, as the Dr. was known far and wide for his skill in medicine and especially in surgery. An old lady who is now 80 years of age, says that she remembers of seeing Dr. ROBINSON when she was a child. An old lady by the name of SKEAN, of Mason County, West Virginia, fell and broke her hip, and they sent for the Dr. to set the fractured bone.While on his way to West Virginia he stopped and got her mother, who was known far and wide to be a noble nurse, to go with him. When they arrived they found their patient in a bad condition, but it was not long before theold lady was able to go around and as well as ever. When Dr. ROBINSON first came to Ohio they had to go to Marietta or Point Pleasant for their grist and to Marietta for groceries and dry goods. - A pioneer's great granddaughter, Maggie E. NEASE

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Fenn Robinson, son of Phineas Robinson and Susannah (Fenn) Robinson of Durham, CT, was born in Granville, MA. He Married Lydia Crane (daughter of Eli and Mahitable Chapman Crane of Durham CT), and they had eight children.

While very young Fenn badly injured one of his legs below the knee. Around age 15 he'd had surgery on his leg. He later studied with the doctor that operated on him. He was a good student and became a very noted physician and surgeon. He started his practice of medicine in MA, and later he practiced Turin, Reding, Bath, and Olean NY, and then later in Ohio.

In 1818 Dr. Fenn, moved (with his wife, six children and furniture) from Olean NY, by flatboat down the Allegeny and then Ohio Rivers to Meigs County, OH. Two more children were born after Moving to Ohio.

He bought a large farm on which he built a large frame 2-storie house. He gave his oldest son, Phineas, part of the farm. He also bought his 2nd son, Eli a farm on the west branch of Shade creek. He willed the home farm to his 3rd son Laurin who paid the remaining children for their shares.

Not long after his arrival to Meigs County Fenn acquired an extensive practice in medicine and surgery, and rode his horse all over at least 4 counties (Gallia, Meigs, Athens and Washington), and even swam his horse through the Ohio River to Hocking.

Children: Sybil Saffronia (Robinson) Rice, b: 2-FEB-1801 Phineas Chapman Robinson, b:4-MAR-1803 Eli Crane Robinson, b:29-Dec-1804 Louisa (Robinson) Murray, b: 13-OCT-1807 Laurin Norton Robinson, b: 3-JAN-1813 Don Carlos Robinson, b:22-MAY-1816 Jesse Crane Robinson, b: 12-FEB-1819 Fenn Robinson Jr., b: 22-DEC-1822

Dr. Fenn and at least 14 of his family are buried in Chester Cemetery, Meigs County, Ohio. researched and written by descendant Dorene Robinson (3 Sep 2013)

Sources

• http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=116515419

• Pioneer History of Meigs County, Ohio - STILLMAN CARTER LARKIN - 1908 - page 170 - 171

• Log Cabin Reminiscences - Syracuse, Ohio, Aug. 9, 1902 Ed. Leader

• The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 662

• "United States Census, 1820," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHG3-9J3 : accessed 28 October 2017), Fenn Robinson, Sutton, Meigs, Ohio, United States; citing p. , NARA microfilm publication M33, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 88; FHL microfilm 181,394.