My Genealogy Hound

Samuel S. Robinson, who has a fine farm of 200 acres in section 35, Pontiac township, Oakland County, was identified with the mining interests of the country for a period of more than 40 years, in which time he developed and managed a number of the most famous mines in the United States. He was without a peer in this work and many of his subordinates have emulated his example and to-day are in the front rank of mine owners and developers.

Mr. Robinson was born on a farm near Cornishtown, Sullivan County, New Hampshire, January 25, 1824, and lived there until he reached the age of 21 years. He attended district schools during winters until he was 18, spending his summers in work about the farm. He then taught in the district schools for three seasons, after which he learned the trade of granite cutting at Cambridge and Lowell, Massachusetts. He entered the employ of S. F. Belknap, then a Napoleon of railroad construction who had contracts for 300 miles of railroad to be built. Mr. Robinson was superintendent of bridge building on the Vermont Central for a period of three years, then went to Lowell, Massachusetts, and conducted the granite business of his brother, who in 1850 went to California to seek his fortune in the gold fields. Two years later, upon the brother’s return, our subject began farming in New Hampshire and continued two years. In 1853 he became identified with the American Mining Company, of which Gen. Francis E. Phelps was president, and was sent into the forests of Ontonagon County, Michigan, to open some copper mines, the first opened in that district. After, two years of discouraging work, the mines were abandoned as worthless and Mr. Robinson took the management of a large lumbering establishment in the Southern Peninsula of Michigan, at what is now Port Austin, and there constructed the first docks. Two years later he moved to Winona County, Minnesota, and farmed until the summer of 1860, in which year he went to Hancock, Michigan, and took charge of the Quincy mine for some New York parties. This mine, in which the development had been started some five years previously, was in debt to the extent of $100,000; when he left six years later, it had earned over a million dollars. It proved a very rich mine and has been worked ever since, producing many millions of dollars worth of ore. After six years of arduous labor, Mr. Robinson felt the need of rest and a change, which resulted in his going to Nevada, where he spent a year in managing a small silver mine. Then, after a brief period spent in California, he went east to Waterbury, Connecticut, where he became connected with the Scoville Manufacturing Company, as assistant in rebuilding, enlarging and improving that company’s manufacturing plant. In 1871, he became associated with the Detroit Bridge & Iron Works in building a bridge across the Missouri River at St. Joseph, and superintended that work. They put in seven piers at 60 feet below the low water mark and in two years completed the work at a cost of $800,000. In 1878, when the uncovering of the lead-carbonate bonanzas at Leadville was exciting the country, Mr. Robinson, like many other engineers, went thither. He became connected with the Iron-Silver mine and the Duncan Mining Company, which were controlled by William H. Stephens of Detroit and Levi Z. Leiter of Chicago. It proved a very valuable property, the profits for six months equaling $500,000. When the control of the mine passed to California parties, our subject went to Georgetown, New Mexico, with the Mimbres Consolidated Mining Company, with which he was connected four years. During one year he shipped to New York silver and lead bullion to the value of $226,000. During this time the Apaches went on the war path and many of his men were killed by the Indians. In 1884, he resigned from the Mimbres Consolidated Mining Company and took a much needed vacation, spending that and the succeeding year in traveling in the East and West, doing some mining and other work of a desultory nature. In 1886, he again became manager of the Iron-Silver mine at Leadville and operated it with the same success as before for three years. He found that his health was becoming impaired by residence at Leadville, which is 10,000 feet above sea level, and in 1889 upon the advice of a physician he left that locality. He shortly after became identified with the Isle Royale Land Corporation, Limited, an English company, which acquired about 85,000 acres of land, covering most of the outcrop of the copper bearing formation of Isle Royale, in Lake Superior, and went thither to undertake the improvement and development of the company’s property. In 1890, the Wendigo Copper Company, Limited, an offshot from the land company, was organized, and he became its manager. He continued in this work until 1894, when he purchased his farm in Oakland County, Michigan, and has since lived there. The mines with which he has been connected have made many millions of dollars under his management, and their success has largely been due to his individual efforts, although in his modesty he is wont to give much of the credit to those who held subordinate positions under him. He has led a very active life and has traveled this country over thoroughly, still spending considerable of his time in study and observation.

The Robinson family traces its ancestry back to as early a date as 1634 when the family became established in the United States. David Robinson, grandfather of our subject, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and afterward received a pension. His maternal grandfather also served in the Revolution, being a privateer under the first Decatur. He was imprisoned in England for a time, and after the war was placed upon the pension list. Everett Robinson, father of our subject, was born in New Hampshire, where he farmed all his life. He and his wife were parents of seven children, Samuel S. being the youngest and sole survivor. The others were: William D., Horace; Jesse L., who served under Gen. Benjamin F. Butler in the Civil War Leonard; Julia N. and Emeline.

Samuel S. Robinson was married February 27, 1850, to Eliza Norton, of Weathersfield, Vermont, who died in February, 1890. They were the parents of the following offspring: Ida E. (Bronson), of Nashville, Tennessee; Frank, one of the editors of the Detroit Evening Journal; Belle (Harper), of Oakland County; Mary (Lovell), of Oakland County; and Sam S., who has charge of the electric light works at Lake Linden, Houghton County, Michigan. On November 2, 1893, Mr. Robinson was united to Caroline F. Krantz, a native of West Prussia; she came to America in 1866, landing at Detroit July 11th. Our subject cast his first vote for John C. Fremont, and has voted the Republican ticket ever since. He was at one time a candidate for mayor of Waterbury, Connecticut, and was defeated by the narrow margin of 17 votes. Fraternally he is a member of Commandery, No. 1, Knights Templar, of Detroit. His portrait* accompanies this sketch.

*Editor's note: Portrait was included in the original printed book.