The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-06-10

lin Streets untouched by merccnary hands
stands the capacious mansion built and
owned by Edward Cunningham, an Irish
gentleman, formerly engaged In the mills
ding business. l remember IT. after 1t had
passed into the occupancy of DR.. Wat
son, q Well-knowns gentleman OF tho first
half the last century. remember tho
sycamore which still shades the house OH
Its western side as tree smaller in the
waist than 1t now appears to be. 1t
should be very old. Westward of Wat
sons, near the Southeast angle Of the
square bounded by Sixth, franklin.
Seventh and Main Streets was Lead
colored brick dwelling In which formerly
lived theSol chancery clerk, John Robin
son. There was no other building on
this square but his, ce.hinly no other
dwelling. The small boys OF ReynoId' S
School, in pairs and by turns went to
the well-house for supplies of water. At
this distance Of time behold in fancy
"The old oaken bucket, the ron-bound
bucket,
The moss-covered bucket With hung
In the6well-- SSs
Tho dairy house nigh 1t. and every loved
spot which my infancy knew!'
Mordccul tells us that John Graham,
a Scotchman, and among tho first to en-
gage In coal mining In Virginia., HAD
transplunted his vineyard from Main anu
| Twclfth--doubtless the square On the
south side of Main, between Twelfth
and Eleventh Streets-to the ground UNI
der consideration. Graham must have
preceded Robinson, who we are told by
u near relative, came to Richmond when
1t became the Capital of the State. Such
was the inequalities, We are further told,
of the ground In this part OF the city
that Mr. William G.. Allen, who suDse-
quently became tho owner Of the Graham
Square, chad TO build two stories above
the foundations to reach the surface OF
the street, while the next square presum-
ably that next nboyc--was as high a.
the SECOND stories of the buildings bun.
by Allen. ono who comes later than
myself as u reminiscent-a near relative
of Uncle John-has the goodness to give
me at length his recollectIons of the
house. its owner, ETC.: when the Capipsl
of Virginia was moved from Williams
burg to Richmond, John Robinson was
clerk OF the General Court. and moved
with tho government He had two broth
.ers-Starlie and Anthony, Starke, the
elder, remained on the family seat III
l'oquosin, York county; Anthony follow
ed his brother John to Richmond anu
lived and died ut the residence on tho
northeast corner Of Second and Franklin
Streets. sEhhs house was one of the old
est In the upper part Of the city forty
or fifty years ago..
Historic Wall Paper.
The old mansion of John Robinson ut
the corner Of Sixth ana Franklin Streets
had large parlor OIL the leftfns you en-
tered by the front door. and Is partlcu-
larly remembered by me because Of tho
pictured paper which adorned It's walls.
IT represented the surrender of Lord
CORVALLIS. The figures were about two
+ feet 5high-Britsll In the brightest OF Grim
son, and the Americans In buff and
blue
John Robinson was my fathers uncle,
and have often been in the house. His
wife was Miss Moncure--an aunt of
II. L. G. AIoncure. formerly Chief JUS
tice of our Court of Appeals. He had
many SONS and daughters, Among the
former We're Moncure, Conway, Eustace
sand SO forth. He WAS the author OF
book of forms for the use OF clerkstand
lawyers. called .Robinson's Forms"
Which for long time was.much valued
by the legal profession. This book is
not to be COMPOUNDED With the much
larger work in SIX volumes of the same
title. of which his sea, Conway Robinson.
was the author. a.
AT time when there waza no public
schools, tho clerks office was Il fine
cd Inca tional institution for .he young men