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Any photos not otherwise credited are from the personal collection of Frank Passic, Albion Historian.
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Morning Star, June 2, 2002, pg. 4 There is a special sesquicentennial celebration being held in a few weeks involving a particular area family which is worth mentioning in this column. Some families still hold annual reunions which bring in relatives from across the country. One special reunion will be taking place at the home of Dave and Pam Miller, 28501 N Drive North of rural Homer on Sunday, June 23 at 1 p.m. as the Robertson family clan celebrates its 150th anniversary reunion. The Robertson family along with the McCutcheon and Snyder (they were intermarried) families were early pioneers of Albion Township. They came here from Dryden, New York in the 1830s and 1840s and purchased hundreds of acres of prime farmland between Albion and Homer. The Robertsons are of Scottish nobility origin, “being the sole remaining branch of that royal house which occupied the throne and kingdom during the 11-13th centuries,” states a family history book. Three brothers emigrated from Scotland in 1765 and settled in Dryden, N.Y. where they helped establish that town, raised their families, and whose descendants later settled in the Albion area. References to family reunions date back to 1852, when Delina Robertson (Mrs. Azro Howell)(1839-1914) first mentioned one in her diary. Delina’s diaries were transcribed by the late Ada R. (Hayes) Tasker (1922-1997) of Homer. Ada was a Robertson descendant who compiled notebooks about family history for many years. In Riverside Cemetery at the top of the main entrance drive just east of the office is the large Robertson family plot where many ancestors are interred. The Robertson brothers surveyed the new 13.27 acre acquisition to the Cemetery in 1854, and were given this prime plot of land in exchange for their services. George Robertson later surveyed another 12-acre addition in 1885. George gave a plot of ground to the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) where many Civil War veterans are buried just south of the Monroe Mausoleum. The Robertsons have been active in area social and political life over the past 160 years. They have served on various boards, committees, and belonged to many clubs and organizations. For example, Orris Robertson (1828-1898) served on Albion’s first city council (1885), while Eugene P. Robertson (1841-1916) served as an Albion village president, and as Mayor of Albion in 1890. He served on the Albion Public School board for many years, and was founder (1895) and president of the Albion State Bank. Cyrus Robertson planted the first apple trees south of Albion which later became the Farley nursery. Community service is apparently a family trait, as a contemporary Robertson descendant, David Farley, has served on the Albion School board for 27 years. There are just too many descendants to mention individually here in this column, but the upcoming 150th anniversary reunion should be a memorable one. We congratulate the Robertson family for their contribution to Albion history and wish them the best on their upcoming 150th anniversary reunion. For more information, contact: Doretta Wilson, 25031 D Drive South, Homer, MI 49245. (517) 629-6002. If you’re a Robertson descendant, don’t miss this reunion. From our Historical Notebook this week we present an advertisement from the Ezra Cornell (1850-1921) Robertson meat market at 102 E. Erie St., which operated from 1887 to 1905. Ezra also served as Albion city engineer for several terms. He was born on the family farm of his parents Hiram and Mary (Cornell) Robertson on Division Drive west of Albion. It is presently the home of Dr. Miriam Daly. 
Robertson meat market advertisement All text copyright, 2024 © all rights reserved Frank Passic
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