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Here's a brief biography written by his great-granddaughter. His diary begins below.
Oliver Lee Robinson was born July 8, 1833, in Booneville, Oneida County, New York, the eldest son of Joseph Lee Robinson and Maria Wood. He married Lucy Miller, November 26, 1854, in Salt Lake City. Lucy was born January 10, 1837, in Adams County, Illinois, to Henry W. Miller and Almira Pond. He also took two other wives—Annie Stratford and Esther Alice Jeffs. Oliver and Lucy were the parents of eleven children: Joseph Oliver, Lucy Maria, Loren Jay, Oliver LeGrand, Eugene Delacy, Alice Almira, James Henry, Sarah Jane, Anna Amelia, Helen Mozeile, and Lillian Estella.
With Annie Stratford, an English emigrant, Oliver was blessed with eleven children, five of whom died as infants and one at the age of twelve. He later married Esther Jeffs, who bore him four children.
As a baby, Oliver had dark hair and inquiring eyes. When he was three years old, his father, Joseph Lee Robinson, joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having learned of the new church through his brother Ebenezer, who later became editor of the Church paper, Times and Seasons, in Nauvoo.
Joseph was a very devout man who readily adopted the teachings of the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants, having always been a student of the Bible. He was a powerful man and had the gift of healing in a remarkable degree.
Oliver's mother, Maria Wood, took much longer to accept the gospel. Though her friends and relatives tried hard to persuade her from the "evils" of Mormonism, she was finally converted. She was baptized in 1838 by her husband and became a very devout and consistent Latter-day Saint. She was a woman of very great integrity and honor and, coupled with the strong faithfulness of her husband, Oliver had the foundation of a strong and superior character.
Oliver was seven years old when the family arrived in Nauvoo in August 1841, where his father served as bishop of the Fourth Ward. Oliver was baptized in Nauvoo, Illinois, at the age of eight, by the Prophet Joseph Smith. He was there through the mobbings and persecutions of the Saints in Nauvoo, the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum, and the evacuation of their lovely city. Oliver left a fine home to go out into the wilderness with his family. The Robinsons left their beloved Nauvoo, June 10, 1846.
En route to Mt. Pisgah, Susan, Joseph's second wife, made the following comment to Maria, "I do think your son Oliver is one of the dearest boys I have known. He treats everyone with such respect and is so unselfish."
The United States government asked Brigham Young for 500 volunteers for the war with Mexico, and Oliver's father was sent back to Nauvoo on an errand. This left Oliver, the oldest and only thirteen, to care for the family in his absence.
On July 24, 1846, Oliver went rabbit hunting with a Brother Johnson and returned with plenty of meat for a good rabbit stew for the entire Robinson family. They decided to have a picnic, and Oliver helped care for the horses as well as instructing the younger children to get washed. On this occasion the family rejoiced over the return of Joseph from his Nauvoo errand.
Near the Grande River Oliver and his parents were among many who were stricken with severe illness; some died. Contaminated water was believed to be the cause.
Oliver was helpful to Sister Roylance, a battalion woman assigned to the group for which his father was responsible. Sister Roylance was weary, and felt helpless and alone with her children. They were now at Winter Quarters where Joseph continued serving as a bishop.
As they settled in at Winter Quarters, Oliver took on heavy responsibilities, cutting and hauling logs to build cabins, beds, etc., for themselves and others.
A very special treat for Christmas that first year was the potatoes freighted in from St. Joseph, Missouri. They helped alleviate the sickness of many who had suffered from a lack of vegetables.
During the summer of 1847, forty-six battalion members arrived at Winter Quarters, David Roylance among them. There was a time of great rejoicing in the Robinson household upon his arrival. After singing "Though Deepening Trials," young Oliver offered an earnest prayer of thanks, after which the Roylance family, now reunited, departed for their own quarters.
The Amasa Lyman Company headed west during the summer of 1848, and Oliver (then age fifteen) helped drive the wagons and care for the animals on that long, wearisome trek across the broad plains.
At the Sweetwater the company met up with a group of gold seekers. Oliver noted the difference between the gold seekers and the Saints—the former swore, were loud, rough, red-eyed, twitching, and nervous; the latter were calm and quiet.
At the summit, when viewing the Salt Lake Valley for the first time, Joseph recorded in his journal, "There was a feeling of emotion in our bosoms which words could never describe."
They arrived October 19, 1848, and settled in Little North Canyon, about seven or eight miles north of Salt Lake, where they spent the first winter. Because it was late in the season, there was much to be done and all of it at once. By the time Christmas came, three cabins had been erected, in which all of the Robinson family were housed. Oliver, as usual, was among the willing workers.
July 24, 1849, the Robinsons joined others in commemorating the arrival of the first pioneer group two years previous. They had a program, a parade, a picnic, and marching bands, and all celebrated. The Robinson section of the parade carried a banner which read "Truth Before Gold." Food had been scarce during the previous winter, but a plentiful crop was in and growing nicely, and all had reason to celebrate. Then the crickets came, and the pioneers battled to save the crops; survival was at stake.
The family settled in Farmington, Davis County, Utah, where Oliver's father was again called to be a bishop.
Oliver was a vital and energetic support during all the building, planting, and harvesting that helped get the Robinsons established. In reading Joseph's journal, one can very easily see that the work of the farm at Farmington rested on the shoulders of Oliver and his younger brother, Ebenezer. His father has this to say of them on his return from one of his trips south, where he had been called by the Church brethren. "May 25, 1853, took some wheat to the mill and two of my wives to a wool picking. My sons, Oliver and Ebenezer, went to the mountains for poles. They have worked hard, have sheared my sheep, made fences, and put in considerable crops. They are very good boys."
Oliver was active in the Church at home and on missions. His first mission was to the Salmon River area in 1857. While there, a knuckle on his left hand was shot away by the Indians, and a brother-in-law was killed. He was sent on a mission to the "Muddy" in 1868. After he had been there two years, he returned, planning to take his family back with him, but Brigham Young advised him to leave his family in Farmington and return to the mission. Shortly thereafter, this mission was dissolved.
In 1876, Oliver was called on a mission to the Eastern States. His wife, Lucy, died while he was there. In those days, mail did not often reach the Elders except when they reported at headquarters. It happened that he was away for several weeks, so the daily letters telling of her sickness, death, and burial reached him all at once. It was a terrible blow, as they were very congenial, and he had always depended on her marvelous wisdom and help. He had felt that all was not well at home, but his concern was for their seven-month-old baby.
Oliver was a builder. He could build a whole house from the foundation, including making adobes, doing carpentry, and even doing the painting and papering.
Oliver was musically very talented. Without ever having had a lesson, he could sing any song from the notes. He led the Farmington choir for many years, and also had charge of the ward dances. His genial nature made him a favorite among the young people. He was appointed superintendent of the Farmington Sunday School in 1856 by Bishop Hess, was an assistant superintendent of the Sunday School in 1871, president of the 74th Quorum of Seventy, and an alternate member of the Davis Stake High Council.
In his home life he was a very kind and just man. His children loved and respected him, and his wives adored him.
Oliver Lee Robinson died at the early age of fifty-three, on August 18, 1886, of appendicitis—then called bowel trouble. He was buried at Farmington by the side of the wife he loved so well. His was a good and noble life, spent for others and the kingdom of God.
—Helen R. Grant, a great-granddaughter
Oliver Lee Robinson Diary Highlights
- Baptised by Joseph Smith Jun.
- Married to Lucy Miller by Orson Hyde
- First child is born, and dies
- Sealed to Lucy Miller by Heber C.
Kimball
- A daughter is born
- Asked to watch for Indians above Weber
Canyon
- Call to Salmon River Indian mission
in Idaho
- Shoshone Indian attack
Here are some scanned journal samples so you appreciate Joni's hard
work of transcription:
- His Genealogy
- Journal Begins - July, 1854 |
