William Manson Robbins

Ninth Generation

William Manson Robbins was the second son of I.T. and Callie Robbins.  He was born in Winnabow, Brunswick County, NC on 28-Mar-1886 and died in Wilmington, NC on 26-Sep-1967.   Not much is known of his early childhood, and I did not spend enough time with him to learn much.

I did learn several stories from him, and I suspect that some of them were either exaggerations or embellished for my consumption.    My Grandmother, Edna Irene Stephenson,  passed down some stories about him that I am inclined to think more credible.  She obviously loved him very much and was hurt immeasurably when he left his home and his family in 1929.

One of the tales he told me was about his brother D.S. Robbins (I.T. and Callie's oldest son.)  He told me that Edna had moved from her family home in Pendleton, NC to teach school in Brunswick County.  It seems that she was only four years older than D.S. and he quickly fell in love with her.  She was educated, talented, and attractive, and brought a sophistication to the area that the Robbins family had not known.  In a short time, D.S. asked Edna to marry him and she accepted.

Having been the eleventh of eleven children, Edna had been sheltered and ruled by her older brothers and sisters, and was flattered to have been asked.  However, the wedding was not to be.  A few months after their engagement, in June, 1903, D.S. was stricken by pneumonia and died.  Edna was devastated, and the Robbins family tried hard to comfort her.

Manson, being the oldest son at this point, said that he felt responsible for Edna and began to spend time with her.  As Callie must have reminded him of the old Mosaic Law found in the Book of Matthew, Chapter 22, Verses 23 through 33 which requires a man to marry the widow of his older brother should his brother die. Sure enough, he too asked Edna to be his wife, and they were married in February, 1904; eight months after D.S. died.  Manson always blamed his divorce from Edna on the fact that he never loved her, but felt sorry for her.

Manson and Edna traveled to Pendleton for their wedding which took place at her mother's home.  Her father, Augustus Stephenson, had passed away in August of 1894, only a few years before Edna decided to take the teaching job in Brunswick County.

After their marriage, and a short stay with Edna's mother, Virginia Ann Britt Stephenson, they moved to Norfolk, VA.  Manson took a job as a trolly-car driver and Edna taught piano.  This, however, didn't last long.  Manson found work in Wilmington, NC and they quickly moved back to be near Manson's parents and  homeplace in Winnabow, NC.

Manson was a handsome man, about five feet, ten inches.  He was hefty and bore a striking resemblance to his father, Isaac Tolman.  Manson loved his Mother Callie very much. She was a devoted Christian woman all of her life and made Manson promise, as she lay on her death bed, to never fish on Sundays.  He said that he had always kept that promise.

The Robbins Family - I.T., Edna, Callie, and Manson on the right.

Manson at retirement age - 65

Manson and Edna lived at 208 Castle Street in Wilmington and attended the First Baptist Church there.  Ironically, my Mothers Uncle, Wilbur G. Hall was the Pastor of the Church at that time.

A few years after having arrived in Wilmington, Edna gave birth to her first son, Linwood Earl Robbins on 22-Jan-1907.  As he grew up, he became tall and overweight, and was called Tubby due to his size.  A second son, William Carlton Robbins, was born 23-Oct-1908.  Carlton was my father.  Eight years later, on 3-Nov-1916, Edna had her only daughter.  They named her Virginia Louise Robbins and due to Edna's age of 39, the baby was born almost three months premature.  Carlton related that she only weighed two pounds at birth and they carried her home in a shoebox. He said that she looked like a child's doll and that he could cover her entire face with a silver dollar.

In 1913, Edna's mother Virginia Ann Stephenson became ill and was unable to care for herself in Pendelton.  Manson and Edna brought her to live with them and she died in Wilmington 17-Feb-1915.  Virginia  was taken back to Pendelton to be buried beside her husband Gus who had passed away twenty-one years before.

Manson was transferred to the Raleigh Office of the Company in 1918, and the family lived at 209 Park Avenue.  There was a terrible flu epidemic there soon after the family arrived.  Edna and Virginia were both stricken with the flu and Virginia died on 25-Oct-1918.  Edna was seriously ill and was expected to die, so the mortuary did not bury Virginia  immediately, thinking that they could bury Mother and baby together.  However, Edna did recover and Virginia, not quite two years old, was buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Raleigh, NC.

Linwood was a very talented musician.  There were few instruments that he couldn’t play.  Of course, Edna, also a talented piano teacher, taught Tubby most of his musical knowledge as a small child.  Manson was also musically talented and loved to sing.  He had a fine bass voice as I witnessed during one of my visits to Wilmington as a teenager.

Manson traveled extensively for the Insurance Company and was known to be quite a  Lady's Man.  After Tubby passed away at age 21 in 1928, Manson was very depressed and became a stranger in his own home.  Finally, in 1929, Manson and Edna were divorced.  Edna had lost her mother, her daughter, her son, and now her husband.  She was devastated and at age 59 was alone with only Carlton to support her.  Manson immediately moved back to Wilmington, still working for Life of Virginia.

Manson later met and married Isabelle Boone.  Bell, as she was known to friends and family, was a kind and caring person. As a registered nurse, she worked to help Manson all of their lives together.

Manson kept working with The Life Insurance Company of Virginia in Wilmington and stayed with that company until he retired in 1951 at the age of 65.  He had worked his way up in the Company and was the Manager of the Wilmington Office when he retired.

Manson died in a nursing home in Wilmington on 26-Sep-1967.  He had lived long enough to meet Carol on a visit to Wrightsville Beach  just after we were married on 13-May-1967.