Sentimental Sunday - Robbins Genealogy

Once again I've been doing lots of things related to genealogy, but not adding to my blogs.  This afternoon I decided I was ready to jump back into it.  As I opened the editor to begin, my heart sank as I was faced with my brother's picture and obituary.  How can it be almost four months since he left this life and how can it seem so recent and so long ago at the same time?  With that said, what I plan to write about first is my continued search for my Robbins ancestors.  Let me also preface this by saying others before me have been searching as well, but with the wealth of information so readily available and easily shareable via the Internet, the search for evidence will go on.

As I was going to renew my efforts, a few weeks ago I began by going back over what had been done before.  Much to my delight I rediscovered a folder labeled "Lelah's Robbins Notebook" containing information given to me by Daddy's first cousin, Lelah Robbins Horton.  Another folder is labeled "1968 Letters from Lelah".  The first letter is dated Aug. 22, 1968.  In it she says, "I'm glad you were pleased with our Robbins history."  Now I can confirm I began working on our family genealogy at that time. 

It made me smile remembering the thrill of getting an envelope of information from her in the mail.  I was touched by her kindness and offered to type things for her in exchange for her passing along her information for me to copy.  It seems we corresponded weekly until some time in October, but by then my senior year in high school and my part time job took priority.  After that came college, my first teaching job, marriage, and our daughter which is why the next folders are dated 1984.  Hopefully I repaid dear Lelah a little by typing some of her notes and her papers for membership in Daughters of the Republic of Texas and United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Unfortunately I only met her in person once and I don't have a picture of her.  Perhaps I can locate some of her family and get a photo.  (I'll put that on my To Do List in my Legacy Family Tree program.)  Since I commented earlier that the Internet made sharing much easier, I did a search, but did not find a photo of her.  I have a subscription to Ancestry.com and have found many pictures, but none of her.  I also checked to see if someone had uploaded a photo to the memorial page I created for her on findagrave.com.

What I did find was a list of the Members of the Fort Worth Genealogical Society with her named listed (number 84) as a member in 1958.  I do not know when she started her research, but I know she visited many court houses and cemeteries over the years.  I also know she shared what she found with others because I still come across references to her and her research.