Lt. Brintnel Robbins and Mary Boardman
Husband Lt. Brintnel Robbins 1 2 3 4 5
AKA: Brintnal Robbins 6 Born: 22 Mar 1756 - Connecticut 2 3 Christened: Died: 25 Jul 1836 - near Greensburg, Westmoreland Co, PA 1 Buried: - Harold Cemetery, near Greensburg, Westmoreland Co, PA
Father: John Robbins ( - ) 3 Mother:
Father: Moses Robbins (1719- ) 2 4 Mother: Keziah Minor ( - ) 4
Marriage: 1777 2
Other Spouse: Mary Goodlin ( - ) 4 - 1820 4
Wife Mary Boardman 1 2 4
Born: Christened: Died: Bef 1820 Buried:
Children
1 M Archibald Robbins 1
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
2 M Hezekiah Robbins 1 7
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
3 M Moses Robbins 1 8
Born: Feb 1790 1 Christened: Died: 10 Mar 1870 1 Buried:Spouse: Rebecca Woods ( - ) 8
4 M Joseph Robbins 1
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
5 M David Robbins 1
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
6 M William N. Robbins 1 9
Born: Jun 1795 - Robbins Station, Westmoreland Co, PA 9 10 Christened: Died: Oct 1834 or 1843 1 Buried:Spouse: Agnes Sloan ( - ) 1 9 Marr: 1822 9
7 F Mary "Polly" Robbins 1
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
8 F Keziah Robbins 11
AKA: [Unk] Robins 5 Born: Christened: Died: Buried:Spouse: William Newlon (1772- ) 12
9 F Rachel Robbins 1
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
10 F Elizabeth Robbins 1
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
General Notes: Husband - Lt. Brintnel Robbins
He was a native of Connecticut, and a soldier of the Revolution, his captain being Samuel Robbins. His last year in the service saw him an ensign.
Among several of the Robbins who were officers in the Revolutionary war was Lieut. Brintnel Robbins, who was a brave and distinguished officer and fought under Washington's immediate command. After peace was declared he engaged in running a trading vessel between Connecticut and the West Indies, but suffered a severe loss and migrated west in 1789 to retrieve his broken fortunes. He stopped for a time at Connellsville, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, worked at old Alliance Furnace on Jacob's creek and on its owners' failure received his pay in castings which he traded on a farm at Port Royal, Westmoreland County. After owning two or more farms and running a grist mill, he purchased in 1793 the "Crawford sleeping place" of two hundred and ninety acres and four hundred and ten acres of additional land. On this farm he erected a house, saw and grist mill and a distillery. In 1803 or 1804 he moved to Pittsburgh, soon bought a farm of 700 acres at the mouth of Plum creek and built two vessels in 1812 for the lower trade, one of which was lost and the other he sold. By request of the government he built the boats which conveyed Scott's troops across the Niagara river into Canada. He moved to Greensburg about 1824, kept hotel and afterwards removed to the Wegley farm near the county home. Lieut. Brintnel Robbins was widely known and highly respected as one of the prominent business men of his day. [BHCWC, ]
He enlisted in the War of the Revolution at New London, Connecticut, and served in 1775-6, 1778-80 in the company comanded by Captain Samuel Robbins. He participated in numerous battles and was commissioned ensign at the end of the war. He also bore an active part in the support of the government during the War of 1812, and built vessels on Lake Erie for Commodore Perry, but only received compensation for the work after a prolonged litigation. Before 1790, with his wife and two children, he removed to western Pennsylvania, spending the first winter in Connellsville, where he worked iron ore in the Turnbull furnace. He subsequently purchased a farm at Port Royal and thence went to Long Run, where he built a flouring mill. He bought, in 1780, a large tract of land lying on the Youghiogheny river from the Pennsylvania government, and which was yet in the possession of his descendants in 1906. He removed in 1812 to Pittsburgh, where he became an extensive ship builder and coal operator, as well as farmer. He established the first retail milk business in Pittsburgh, serving his customers from a large can conveyed about the town on a wheel barrow pushed by a colored servant. He built in 1813 two schooners which he loaded with a cargo of flour and cheese, for the West Indies. At New Orleans the vessels were manned with crews of Spanish sailors. They were never heard of after leaving the port. He removed to Greensburg in 1830, where he lived the remaining part of his life. He was a pensioner of the Revolutionary war.
He served as lieutenant and commander of a company throughout the Revolution, and afterward engaged in commerce between New London, Connecticut, and the West Indies and Cuba. After being engaged in that business several years he lost his vessel and cargo off Cape Hatteras, and to retrieve his fortunes emigrated with an ox-team and cart over the mountains to Connellsville, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, in 1790, where for a time he worked for the first furnace west of the mountains, on Jacob's creek, as a digger of ore, and later as a teamster. The furnace company failed, owing him considerable money, and he took his pay in pots and kettles, which he afterward exchanged as part payment for a farm near Port Royal. From there he removed to Long run, Allegheny County, where he operated a mill on the property later known as Sampson's mills, where he remained one year. In 1793 he purchased a farm of 290 acres in Westmoreland County, and moved to it; with the assistance of his neighbors, cut the timber, erected a house, and danced in it the same night. He increased his farm to 700 acres by purchasing adjoining lands. He moved to Pittsburgh in 1803 or 1804, and purchased a large tract of land on Plum creek, where he built two ships, one of which he loaded with flour and whisky and sent to New Orleans. She sailed for Cuba under the Spanish flag, and was never heard of afterward; the other was stranded on Wheeling island, and was sold. He built the boats for carrying Gen. Scott's troops across the Niagara into Canada during the War of 1812, and failed to recover payment for his services. He was an active businessman, pushing and enterprising, and a slave-owner. In later life he returned to his farm in Westmoreland County, which he afterward disposed of to his sons, and died near Greensburg.
General Notes: Wife - Mary Boardman
She was of Danish descent.
1 Samuel T. Wiley, Biographical and Historical Cyclopedia of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: John M. Gresham & Co., 1890.), Pg 409.
2 John W. Jordan, History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Genealogical Memoirs, Vol. II (Chicago, IL: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1906), Pg 43.
3 Fenwick Y. Hedley, Old and New Westmoreland, Vols. III & IV (New York, NY: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1918), Pg 9.
4 John W. Jordan, LL.D., Colonial and Revolutionary Families of Pennsylvania (New York, Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1911), Pg 1041.
5 John W. Jordan, LL.D., Genealogical and Personal History of Western Pennsylvania (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1915), Pg 271.
6 John W. Jordan, History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Genealogical Memoirs, Vol. II (Chicago, IL: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1906), Pg 46.
7 John W. Jordan, History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Genealogical Memoirs, Vol. II (Chicago, IL: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1906), Pg 47.
8 —, The History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Part II (Chicago, IL: A. W. Warner & Co., 1889), Pg 350.
9 John W. Jordan, LL.D., Colonial and Revolutionary Families of Pennsylvania (New York, Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1911), Pg 1042.
10 John W. Jordan, History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Genealogical Memoirs, Vol. II (Chicago, IL: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1906), Pg 44.
11 Samuel T. Wiley, Biographical and Historical Cyclopedia of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: John M. Gresham & Co., 1890.), Pg 409, 682.
12
Samuel T. Wiley, Biographical and Historical Cyclopedia of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: John M. Gresham & Co., 1890.), Pg 382.
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