Fred Thomas Robinson

(From Freddie Sisk and others )

Fred was born April 7, 1896 in Rutherford County, and raised in a house near the place where the home place we know now stands. The Robison home place was built in 1920 by George Jolley ( grandma Polly’s brother). He also built Aunt Lizzie’s house and others nearby.

Fred always longed for higher education. After he completed school in Cliffside. he was sent to boarding school at Hot Springs, N. C. Even after his children came along he could be found at the kitchen table studying books on engineering and architecture. He held education in high esteem and encouraged his children to make good grades and prepare to go to college. Fred was drafted into the army in 1917 during WWI. He became critically ill (emphysema or pneumonia) while stationed at Camp McClellan. His unit was sent overseas while Fred was so ill. Due to an operation his heart was weakened. He was honorably discharged from the army in 1918. (The change in spelling of the last name Robison to Robinson was due to a clerical error by the military when Fred enlisted and was never corrected. He just started spelling it the new way. He probably thought it would be too much trouble to get the government to correct it.)

He was probably working in construction when he met Era Margaret Hollady on July 4, 1920. They met in St. Petersburg, Florida at a ball game. Fred and Era were married Dec. 16, 1921. The marriage took place in Clearwater, Florida at the courthouse at 3:00pm on a Friday afternoon. They then went to a cafe on the waterfront for supper and then home to Pinellas Park, Fla. Fred was a good carpenter. He worked for civil service at Langley Field, Virginia, until the depression hit. In the early 1930s he moved his family back to Rutherford County and eventually bought the house that belonged to his parents. At this time his father Luther was sick and living nearby with another son, Bronner. Polly, his mother, had already passed away in 1927. Fred farmed some and raised pigs and sheep. He had a sawmill on his land. Later he got a job as a building inspector in Morganton and North Wilkesboro.

At the time of his death Fred was employed by the J. N. Pease Company, an engineering and construction firm in Charlotte. He was resident engineer then and in the process of building a gymnasium for Appalachian State Teachers College in Boone, N. C.

Fred unexpectedly passed away on October 9, 1954 at the Royster Clinic in Boiling Springs. N. C.“It was a terrible shock but God makes no mistakes. I pray that all of our six children will live a life so dedicated that we may all meet again in heaven,” said Era.

Fred was laid to rest on Monday, October 11, 1954. The funeral was held at Cliffside Baptist Church. Burial was at High Shoals Church Cemetery next to his brother Avery. Notation written by Era: “It was a beautiful day, though dusty. We have had no rain in three months. The moon was full and shown sweetly through the flowers under the tent.”