"Important": Elizabeth Kennard Robson's Tribute

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Cook Newton Elizabethw

      The dealer at the Allentown Paper Show held up this little scrap of paper, asking dubiously if I had any interest. Bah. The truth of the matter is, the dealer is a family friend and she dangled the bait under my nose all the while gleefully chuckling because she knew she had a sale. In my defense, the scrap of paper is important. How do I know this? Because the sheet is labeled "important." 

      In all seriousness, this one short scribbled piece provides a bounty of information. The author of the note, Elizabeth Kennard Robson, was obviously bestowed with a sense of family. She begins by introducing her mother, Armina D. (Cook) Kennard (of Kent County, Delaware). Robson follows the brief identification of her mother by providing her grandmother's name, Elizabeth (Newton) Cook. 

    Although Robson takes subtle pride in being related to Sir Isaac Newton, the "astronomer" of "English Quaker stock," this information is somewhat buried in the first part of the record. In actuality, the person who received most attention from Robson was "mothers [sic] sister" or "Mrs. Leonard Spencer" or "Aunt Mary." As Robson tells it, it was Mary who "practically raised me from a small child after mother died."  

     Aunt Mary was Mary A. Cook Spencer. Robson credits her aunt for providing the information about Newton but it is clear that Mary was highly regarded by Robson.  I may be wrong, but I suspect Robson recorded this, not due to pride at being related to Newton, but in tribute to her aunt. After all, Mary instilled a sense of worthiness and belonging which were especially important after the death of Robson's mother. So, the little scrap of paper is important. It is a tribute to mothers--birth mothers and those that serve in their stead. Happy Mother's Day!  Pat (and Elizabeth Kennard Robson). *

* I want to acknowledge, that people who are not members of a particular family, might not be as interested in the in-depth genealogy of a family. I also have to acknowledge my own nature, in that I like knowing who people ARE. For that reason, I've decided to break the genealogy out of the blogs (when possible). Family members or people who are intrinsically curious can read further, but others can enjoy a blog without tripping over genealogy links. For those who are curious about the Newton Cook Spencer Kennard Robson family who lived in Philadelphia and Kent County,  Delaware, Click Here. 

Cook Newton Elizabeth important

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