The Smart Robinson, Sr. Family Journal

On April 24, 1982, at the Washington, DC home of Ann Robinson Jones a committee formed with Selerya Moore at the helm. Its purpose: to compile pertinent data concerning Smart Robinson, Jr. and his entire clan in a written history. These proud descendants of the former slave and Georgia landowner set out on a two-year journey to build a lasting monument to the man and preserve his legacy for future generations.

Relying heavily on a very rich oral history, committee members gathered data from county, state and federal records. Family Bibles, scrapbooks and photo albums would also yield vital information and treasured mementos to be included in the finished project. Each assumed the role of census field workers, performing family head counts, in a lofty attempt to document the descendants of Smart, Sr.

Ms. Moore and her dedicated staff made every effort to create a thorough, authentic and complete record. As with most projects of its magnitude there were some errors and omissions. My grandmother and her sisters always maintained that their grandfather sired twenty-one children, but census records list only 18. They also told a hushed story about a daughter of Smart, Sr. and Sarah Robinson, who bore children for their master, then-Georgia governor, George Michael Troup. According to the legend, Troup’s jealous wife allegedly poisoned one of the children. With no confirming data, this story was not included. However, another story provided similar drama and intrigue. A passage taken from the book, Georgia’s Landmarks, Memorials and Legends, pp. 888-890, mentions a particular incident involving Smart Robinson, Sr. (note that spelling of the last name, changed by Smart, Sr. after emancipation)

Shortly before the Governor’s death a message from the overseer on the Mitchell Place, William Bridges, announced an unruly disposition on the part of a certain Negro slave. With his faithful coachman, the aged governor was soon at the lower plantation, thirty-five miles from Valdosta. On reaching the Mitchell place, fatigued by the hurried trip, the governor became ill and five days later brought the end. He was removed from his residence, nearby, long since decayed, and tenderly cared for at the home of Overseer Bridges, where he died on April 26, 1856. Smart Roberson, a colored slave, was mounted on a spirited young horse and dispatched to Glynn County to bear the sad tidings. Before reaching his destination, the steed was overtaxed by his rider’s haste and fell by the wayside. Faithful Smart, undaunted, pressed on by foot and delivered his message.

The Smart Robinson, Sr. Family Journal was published in time for our 1984 annual meeting and distributed at a cost of $10 per copy to cover printing costs. Over nearly three decades it has been a constant source of pride and inspiration. Despite errors and omissions, it remains a great reference tool for genealogical research, but it is long overdue for a second printing. Since this data was compiled, the Robinson clan has changed dramatically with marriages, births and deaths, also the unexpected discovery of a brother, separated during Slavery from Smart, Sr.

At our annual meeting in Valdosta on August 13-15, 2009 I plan to call for the formation of a committee to coordinate the second printing of the Smart Robinson, Sr. Family Journal. In the interim, I will act as editor until an official body is in place. With the advent of the Internet we have increased and improved access to information and statistical data. In the coming days I will post pages from the existing journal and ask that everyone with access contribute and share their knowledge as I begin the editorial process.

Members of the original Smart Robinson, Jr. Family Journal Committee:

Fred Douglas Baker	Bessie Robinson
Ann Boatwright Thomas	Charles Robinson
A. Louise Bratton	Dalton Robinson
Rhodeva Calhoun	Emmett Marty Robinson
Jeannette James	Eva Mae Robinson
Willie Pearl King	John Robinson
Ada Mae Mackey	Letha Robinson
Vergilene McDonald	Lovette Robinson
Lavader Moore	Rachel Robinson
Selerya O. Moore	Verdell Robinson
Sellers Moore	Wallace Robinson
James E. Powers	Frances Stephens
Sharon Redfern	Onie B. Strong-Hill
Nellie Rice	Athalee Troup-Jordan
Ann Robinson Jones	Mabel Williams
Bernice Robinson	Joyce Wise