The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-07-22
Written for The Tribune.

written Tor Inc lIlDuic'
Mrs. Elizabeth Collum Robson, to
whom the writer is indebted for many
items of interest contained herein, mas
been a resident of Newton Centre since
1889. She was born and reared in Sus-
sex county, near Salem, New Jersey;
was married to Johnson Robson in
1887 and with him removed to TINS
place in 1S39 walking the greater part
of the distance in order to tighten the
burden of the horses, as the roads
were very heavy. They arrived here
the last day of March, sixty years
ago, settled upon a farm purchased
from Clayfoss La Teer which they
cleared and where they resided until
the death of Mr. Robson, in 1872, since
when Mrs. Robson lived alone until
about five years ago, when she sold
her farm to Joseph La Coe.
Mrs. Robson comes of a long-lived
family, her father died at the age of
"a, her grandfather at SS, and her
grandmother at 81. She celebrated her
Sith birthday on Feb. 26, 1899, though
her appearance does not indicate it
within thirty years; her hair is more
black than grey, her step is light, her
eyes bright and. her mind as clear as
it was at twenty. She can read coarse
print without the aid of spectacles and
is complete encyclopedia of every
thing that has occurred within her
cOgnizance during the past seventy
five years. Births, deaths, marriages,
storms, and, in fact, most any event
of any importance she can furnish you
with the exact date, even day of the
week and time of day She was speak
ing of the remarkable weather of the
month of Aprl, 1898, and then said:
But it isn't a circumstance to the
weather we had SeVentyLfve years
ago. Then they had to go and shovel
the snow off the sheep, for they were
completely showed under, and the
cows lying in the barnyard, you could
not see anything of them except their
horns" In the wood beside the road
leading from the village past her old
home, stands a tree which forms an
arch over the road. In the latter part
or November, 1885. there fell a heavy
snow, which remained upon the ground
until April. In March sleighs We're
being driven over the tops of the
fences. and Mrs. Robson says that her
on top of the snow banks, then up
to the fence tops. This tree was at
this time slender saphng, and being
bowed by the snow in November, six
ty-five years ago, stands today a very
visible proof of the proverb Just as
the twig is bent, the tree is inclined"
THE BLAIR CABIN.
there stood upon their farm, near the
site of the log house now there. an old
log cabin, built by one John Blair, OF
whom the oldest residents seem to
have no definite knowledge Only a
few of the foundation logs now mark
the sight A part of the Robson es-
tate, known as the ROSS property
because since owned by the Ross fami-
ly-was also the property of ClayfOss
La Teer, and upon that stood the old
log house, now fallen into ruins. The
log house where Mrs. Robson resided
is older than this
Mr.. Robson was of the political party
called Democrats at the war time,
though not of the copper" hue as ap-
piled to some of its members. He re-
fused to become a member of their
"circle" and voiced his disapproval of
the thieving and general disloyalty.
Mrs. Robson, while speaking Of the
war time. recalled an incident Of July
4th, 1S40 The Democrats were bring
ing a pole for a raising" from Solo
mon Hopkins woods and while coming
through Cat swamp a slug fired from
cannon planted by the Tories upon
Bcemer HILL whistled over their heads.
Naturally they inferred that they were
the object of the shot and the party
poet Jonas Fuller. immortalized the
occurrence in the following lines, which
he recited at the pole raising.
The Federals upon Jacks* Hill
They made a shot but did not kill;
Next fall they must take better aim,
Or they will surely lose their game"
cJack was nickname bestowed
upon Henry Beemer(