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Collection Number: 05130

Collection Title: Robeson Family Papers, 1756-2002

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.


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Size 4.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 1600 items)
Abstract The Robeson family of Tar Heel, Robeson County (formerly Bladen County), N.C., included James Salter Robeson and his aunt, Emily Salter Robeson Love. Robeson was an engineer with the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company in Wilmington, N.C., and with the merchant marine during and after World War II. In 1972, he retired to Florence, S.C., where he died in 1989. Robeson family papers relate to James Salter Robeson, Emily Salter Robeson Love, and other family members. James Salter Robeson materials include correspondence with friends and family; information about his merchant marine engineering career, including items from his travels during and after World War II; and financial, medical, educational, and other records. Travel materials include picture post cards, maps, flyers for events and shows, advertisements, and other items. Some materials touch on Robeson's problems with alcoholism. Robeson family materials are chiefly genealogical, some relating to the family's land in Robeson County, N.C. (formerly Bladen County, N.C.). Some materials relate to financial and other activities of Emily Salter Robeson Love. Photographs include images taken by or featuring James Salter Robeson and his friends and family and images Robeson purchased during his merchant marine travels, among them some of post-war Japan. There are also several late-19th-century images relating to Emily Love.
Creator Robeson family.
Curatorial Unit Southern Historical Collection
Language English.
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Information For Users

Restrictions to Access
No restrictions. Open for research.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the Robeson Family Papers #5130, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Provenance
Received from Emily Robeson Hubbard, Sallie Robeson Ormsby, James Robeson, and Eliza Robeson Webb in August 2003 (Acc. 99607).
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subject Headings

The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Biographical Information

The Robeson family first came to North America from Scotland in about 1676. Thomas Robeson was the first Robeson in North Carolina. He was granted land on the Cape Fear River by King George II in 1735. The land was located in Tar Heel, N.C., part of Robeson County since its separation from Bladen County in 1787. Robeson County was named for Colonel Thomas Robeson, Jr., and his brother Captain Peter Robeson in honor of their service in the Revolutionary War. Walnut Grove, the original homestead, and the 1855 homestead were still in family hands in 2003.

James Salter Robeson was born on 14 July 1910 to James Robeson, Jr., and Minnie A. Willis Robeson. He was raised primarily by his father's sister, Emily Salter Robeson Love (1849-ca. 1929), and his mother's sister, Annie S. Willis, after the deaths of his parents. Known as Jim, Salter (or "Salty") Robeson attended the Oak Ridge Military Academy, ca. 1926-1928. Robeson and his wife, Jemima Charles Robeson (known as Jackie or Charlie), had five children during the 1930s and 1940s: Emily Love Robeson (1934- ), Sallie Salter Robeson (1936- ), James Robeson III (1938- ), Charles Jefferson Robeson (1942-1986), and Martha Eliza Robeson (1946- ). The couple separated in the 1960s.

James Salter Robeson worked for the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company in Wilmington, N.C., during the 1940s. In 1945, he was with the merchant marine in voyages to France, Italy, the Philippines, and Japan. He spent the bulk of his career as a marine engineer, sailing to numerous foreign ports. He also spent several years as an engineer with the Department of the Army in Virginia. This traveling complemented Robeson's life-long interest in performing and listening to music. However, Robeson's career and domestic life were often disrupted by his struggles with alcoholism.

In 1972, Robeson retired and moved to Florence, S.C. He died in 1989 at age 78 and is buried at the Beth Car Church's cemetery in Tar Heel, N.C.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

Robeson family papers relate to James Salter Robeson, Emily Salter Robeson Love, and other family members. James Salter Robeson materials include correspondence with friends and family; information about his merchant marine engineering career, including items from his travels during and after World War II; and financial, medical, educational, and other records. Travel materials include picture post cards, maps, flyers for events and shows, advertisements, and other items. Some materials touch on Robeson's problems with alcoholism. Robeson family materials are chiefly genealogical, some relating to the family's land in Robeson County, N.C. (formerly Bladen County, N.C.). Some materials relate to financial and other activities of Emily Salter Robeson Love. Photographs include images taken by or featuring James Salter Robeson and his friends and family and images Robeson purchased during his merchant marine travels, among them some of post-war Japan. There are also several late-19th-century images relating to Emily Love.

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Contents list

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series Quick Links

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1. James Salter Robeson, 1910-2001.

About 1000 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Materials relating to James Salter Robeson, including letters to him from friends and family; information about his merchant marine engineering career; and financial, medical, educational, and other records. Medical materials are chiefly reports of minor health examinations and treatments during and after his military career. Travel materials include picture post cards, maps, flyers for events and shows, advertisements, and other items from trips during World War II and later. Music materials include a few song lyrics and items relating to Lawrence Welk. Some items touch on Robeson's problems with alcoholism.

Folder 1

Correspondence, 1917-1927

Folder 2

Correspondence, 1928-1929

Folder 3

Correspondence, 1931-1943

Folder 4

Correspondence, 1944-1945

Folder 5

Correspondence, 1947-1953

Folder 6

Correspondence, 1954-1955

Folder 7

Correspondence, 1956-1957

Folder 8

Correspondence, 1958-1959

Folder 9

Correspondence, 1960-1961

Folder 10

Correspondence, 1962-1963

Folder 11

Correspondence, 1964-1967

Folder 12

Correspondence, 1968-1973

Folder 13

Correspondence, 1979-1984

Folder 14

Correspondence, 1984-1985

Folder 15

Correspondence, 1986-1989

Folder 16

Correspondence, 1996

Folder 17-18

Folder 17

Folder 18

Correspondence, undated

Folder 19

Financial and legal, 1910-1920s

Folder 20

Financial and legal, 1934-1944

Folder 21

Financial and legal, 1945-1946

Folder 22

Financial and legal, 1947-1951

Folder 23

Financial and legal, 1952

Folder 24

Financial and legal, 1953-1954

Folder 25

Financial and legal, 1955-1956

Folder 26

Financial and legal, 1957-1964

Folder 27

Financial and legal, 1965-2001

Folder 28

Financial and legal, undated

Folder 29

Identification, 1944-1989 and undated

Folder 30

Medical, 1946-1977

Folder 31

Military and career, 1938-1945

Folder 32-33

Folder 32

Folder 33

Military and career, 1945-1949

Folder 34

Military and career, 1950-1957

Folder 35

Military and career, 1958-1961

Folder 36

Military and career, 1963

Folder 37

Military and career, 1964-1966

Folder 38

Military and career, 1967-1972

Folder 39

Military and career, undated

Folder 40-41

Folder 40

Folder 41

Music, 1940-1974 and undated

Folder 42-43

Folder 42

Folder 43

Names and addresses, undated

Folder 44

Oak Ridge Military Institute, ca. 1927-1967

Folder 45

Oak Ridge Military Institute scrapbook, 1926-1928

Folder 46

Religion, 1975 and undated

Folder 47

Travel: General: Air travel, ca. 1947-1967

Folder 48

Travel: General: Railroad, ca. 1944-1946

Folder 49

Travel: General: Ship, 1948 and undated

Folder 50

Travel: General: Currency inventory, undated

Folder 51

Travel: Foreign: Maps, 1930s-1965, and undated

Folder 52

Travel: Foreign: Brazil, undated

Folder 53

Travel: Foreign: Canada, undated

Folder 54

Travel: Foreign: Columbia, undated

Folder 55

Travel: Foreign: Egypt, undated

Folder 56-58

Folder 56

Folder 57

Folder 58

Travel: Foreign: France, ca. 1947

Folder 59

Travel: Foreign: Greece, ca. 1945, 1965

Folder 60

Travel: Foreign: India, ca. 1960s

Folder 61

Travel: Foreign: Italy, undated

Folder 62

Travel: Foreign: Japan, ca. 1946

Folder 63

Travel: Foreign: Kenya, undated

Folder 64

Travel: Foreign: Lebanon, ca. 1966

Folder 65

Travel: Foreign: Mozambique, undated

Folder 66

Travel: Foreign: Netherlands, undated

Folder 67

Travel: Foreign: Panama, undated

Folder 68

Travel: Foreign: Philippines, undated

Folder 69

Travel: Foreign: South Africa, ca. 1963

Folder 70

Travel: Foreign: Spain, undated

Folder 71

Travel: Foreign: Sudan, undated

Folder 72

Travel: Foreign: Taiwan, undated

Folder 73

Travel: Foreign: Turkey, undated

Folder 74

Travel: Foreign: Virgin Islands, undated

Folder 75

Travel: Foreign: Vietnam, ca. 1969

Folder 76

Travel: Foreign: West Germany, ca. 1963 and undated

Folder 77

Travel: United States: Maps, ca. 1946-1967 and undated

Folder 78

Travel: United States: Alabama, 1973

Folder 79

Travel: United States: California, ca. 1964-1968 and undated

Folder 80

Travel: United States: Connecticut, 1947

Folder 81

Travel: United States: Florida, 1949

Folder 82

Travel: United States: Georgia, ca. 1972

Folder 83

Travel: United States: Hawaii, 1965

Folder 84

Travel: United States: Illinois, undated

Folder 85

Travel: United States: Maryland, ca. 1947-1964 and undated

Folder 86

Travel: United States: Nevada, undated

Folder 87

Travel: United States: New Jersey, undated

Folder 88-89

Folder 88

Folder 89

Travel: United States: New York, ca. 1930-1952

Folder 90

Travel: United States: North Carolina, ca. 1940-1948 and undated

Folder 91

Travel: United States: Ohio, undated

Folder 92

Travel: United States: Oregon, 1965

Folder 93

Travel: United States: Pennsylvania, undated

Folder 94

Travel: United States: South Carolina, 1973 and undated

Folder 95

Travel: United States: Texas, ca. 1930-1952

Folder 96

Travel: United States: Virginia, undated

Folder 97

Travel: United States: Washington, ca. 1945

Folder 98

Travel: United States: Washington, D.C., undated

Folder 99

Travel: United States: Wisconsin, undated

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 2. Robeson Family, 1756-2002.

About 100 items.

Arrangement: alphabetical.

Chiefly Robeson family history materials. The oldest financial and legal documents detail ownership of the family's land in Robeson County, N.C. (formerly Bladen County, N.C.). Correspondence and financial materials from the late 19th and early 20th century relate to Emily Salter Robeson Love and include some materials about the St. Paul's Cotton Mills Co., in which she held stock. Also included is an extensive study of Robeson family genealogy, with research notes, clippings, family charts, and narratives from the late 19th century.

Folder 100

Correspondence, 1871-1922

Folder 101

Correspondence, 1923-1928 and undated

Folder 102

Education, ca. 1882-1928

Folder 103

Ephemera: Photograph enclosures, 1940s-1960s

Folder 104

Financial and legal: Indentures, 1756-1888

Folder 105

Financial and legal: Real estate, 1915-1935

Folder 106

Financial and legal: St. Paul's Cotton Mills Co., 1913-1939 and undated

Folder 107

Financial and legal: Account book, 1871-1899

Folder 108

Financial and legal: Receipts, 1888-1927 and undated

Folder 109

Financial and legal: Taxes, 1927-1931

Folder 110

Financial and legal: Will, 1907-1932

Folder 111

Genealogy: Letters and miscellaneous, 1947, 1972-2002

Folder 112

Genealogy: Lists and narratives, 1889-1909, 1983-1993

Folder 113

Genealogy: Lists and narratives, 1995-1998

Folder 114

Genealogy: Clippings, ca. 1900s

Folder 115

Genealogy: Clippings, ca. 1934-1957

Folder 116

Genealogy: Clippings, ca. 1970s-2002 and undated

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 3. Photographs, late 1800s-1980s.

About 500 items.

Arrangement: alphabetical.

Images taken by or featuring James Salter Robeson and his friends and family. Robeson also took or purchased images during his merchant marine travels, including many images of Japan, ca. 1945-1947. There are also several late-19th-century images relating to Emily Love.

Image Folder PF-5130/1

Emily Love Robeson, late 1800s

Image Folder PF-5130/2

Friends and family, ca. 1920s-1940s

Image Folder PF-5130/3-5

PF-5130/3

PF-5130/4

PF-5130/5

Friends and family, ca. 1950s-1960s

Image Folder PF-5130/6

Friends and family, ca. 1970s-1980s

Image Folder PF-5130/7

Travel: Foreign: Egypt, 1963 and undated

Image Folder PF-5130/8

Travel: Foreign: France, 1948 and undated

Image Folder PF-5130/9

Travel: Foreign: Greece, 1964

Image Folder PF-5130/10-11

PF-5130/10

PF-5130/11

Travel: Foreign: India and Pakistan, 1963 and undated

Image Folder PF-5130/12-15

PF-5130/12

PF-5130/13

PF-5130/14

PF-5130/15

Travel: Foreign: Japan, ca. 1940s

Image Folder PF-5130/16

Travel: Foreign: Netherlands, undated

Image Folder PF-5130/17

Travel: Foreign: Philippines, ca. 1940s-1950s

Image Folder PF-5130/18

Travel: Foreign: South Africa, undated

Image Folder PF-5130/19

Travel: Foreign: Turkey, 1964-1965

Image Folder PF-5130/20

Travel: Foreign: Vietnam, undated

Image Folder PF-5130/21

Travel: Foreign: Unidentified, ca. 1940s

Image Folder PF-5130/22

Travel: General: Ship, 1963

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 4. Oversize Papers.

Oversize Paper Folder OPF-5130/1-5

OPF-5130/1

OPF-5130/2

OPF-5130/3

OPF-5130/4

OPF-5130/5

Oversize papers

Extra Oversize Paper Folder XOPF-5130/1-2

XOPF-5130/1

XOPF-5130/2

Extra oversize papers

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Items Separated

Oversize papers (OPF-5130/1-5, XOPF-5130/1-2)

Photographs (PF-5130/1-23)

Museum items (MU-5130/1-5)

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