Howard B. and Gladys Wrenn Robinson Papers, 1911-1975
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Administrative/Biographical History
Howard Robinson (1885-1977), historian, teacher, author, and academic administrator, was born in Redwood Falls, Minnesota, on July 17, 1885 to James and Adele M. Chapman Bostwick. On September 25, 1906, he married Elizabeth Peavey and had three children, Madeline Winifred (dec.), Hester Adele, and Arthur Howard (b. 1915). A 1908 A.B. degree graduate from Hamline University, in 1911 he received an A.M. in History from Columbia University and a B.D. from Union Theological Seminary. Intended for the ministry, Robinson lost his faith in divinity school and so decided to become a historian.
After completing his Ph.D. in History at Columbia University in 1916, Robinson taught church history at Wesleyan Theological Seminary (Montreal, Canada) before returning to Minnesota to teach history at Carleton College (1916-1924). In 1924, he accepted a position at Miami University at Oxford, Ohio, as Professor of History and Acting Dean, then later Dean of the College of Liberal Arts (1930-35). He joined the faculty of Ohio State University in 1935, and two years later, Robinson came to Oberlin College as a professor of British History; in his final year of service Robinson served as Acting Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (1948-49).
While on sabbatical leave in Oxford, Howard Robinson met and married Gladys "Jenny" Wrenn (1891-1976), a social secretary of the English Speaking Union, on July 22, 1931. She was born in London, England, on August 7, 1891, and retained her British citizenship all her life. During World War II, she was active in British War Relief and the Clothes for Europe Campaign. After the war, she worked with war brides in a district extending from Sandusky to Mansfield, Ohio, to help these women adjust to living in the U.S. Residing in Oberlin since 1937, Jenny was an active member of Christ Episcopal Church.
In terms of historical research interests, Howard Robinson specialized in nineteenth century social development and the British Empire as well as in seventeenth century rationalism. In all, he published nine books, including his dissertation titled: The Great Comet of 1680-A Study in the History of Rationalism (Northfield, Minnesota, 1916). Robinson's first major monograph was Bayle the Sceptic (New York, 1931), which still remains the only book-length study in English of the seventeenth century French rationalist, Pierre Bayle (1647-1706). Drawn naturally into English history, he authored two standard textbooks, The Development of the British Empire (New York, 1922, revised ed. 1936) and a History of Great Britain (New York, 1927). In 1948, he wrote The British Post Office: A History (Boston; New York, 1948), an early milestone in the burgeoning field of administrative history. The latter title was the first book to win the Robert Livingston Schuyler Prize of the American Historical Association. Additionally, in 1949, the Ohio Academy of History gave Robinson's post office book its annual certificate of award for outstanding historical achievement.
In retirement, Robinson not only continued his scholarly pursuits but also became more productive. The high acclaim of his prize-winning book led to the publication of The British Post Office: A History of Development from the Beginnings to the Present Day (New York; London, 1953), and Carrying British Mails Overseas (New York, 1964), and an invitation from the University of Queensland led to his writing The Postal Service of Australia (Brisbane, 1957). As a result of the success of these titles, Robinson was given an appointment to New Zealand's Post Office Staff in 1960-61 and commissioned (by the government) to write A History of the Post Office in New Zealand (Wellington, N.Z., Government Printer, 1964).
During the Watergate probe in the early 1970s, Emeritus Professor Robinson wrote an article on President Richard Nixon and the impeachment process entitled "Impeachment and the Presidency Before and During the Nixon Years," which appeared in the Oberlin Alumni Magazine, (Vol. 71, No. 6, Nov./Dec. 1975). In addition, because of his study and interest in genealogy and etymology, he was frequently asked to speak on those topics by Oberlin College and community groups.
Howard Robinson died on January 26, 1977, at the age of 91. His second wife, Jenny, had pre-deceased him by three months when she was struck by a car on September 28, 1976, while crossing South Professor St. and Elm St. in Oberlin. At the time, the Robinson's were survived by two children, Arthur of Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin, and Hester of Honolulu, Hawaii, as well as two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Jenny was also survived by a sister in London.
Author: Lisa Hicks Forms of Material (links to similar genres) Administrative Information
The papers of Howard and Gladys "Jenny" Robinson, divided into two subgroups, consist of letters sent and received, invoices, writings, reviews, pamphlets, travel journals, photographs, and research materials. Included in the research materials are illustrations, maps, notes, and historical documents used in Robinson's publications on the postal service. The bulk of the papers, however, are mainly manuscripts and research materials. Some of the manuscripts are incomplete and not in finished form. There is some correspondence relating to Robinson's publications, his work on the Citizens' Committee on Postal Reform, and his teaching activities at Oberlin College. An unusual part of the collection is a folder containing scribbled lists of names. In carrying out his various publication projects, Robinson compiled these lists for his research on name origins-a subject on which he frequently spoke. In addition, a collection of World War II materials--ranging from posters to news clippings--exists in these papers. These items document the interest of Gladys Robinson who was greatly involved with the war effort for her native country, England.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Subgroup I. Howard B. Robinson
This subgroup consists of talks, writings, correspondence, printed files, and photographs of Howard B. Robinson. Additionally, files relating to his hobbies, the postal service, and etymology, are included.
Series 1. Talks and Writings, 1911, 1920, 1955-1963, n.d. (1.2 l.f.)
This series, which contains Robinson's talks and writings, is divided into two subseries: 1. Talks and 2. Writings. The talks files are meager, but his writings are well documented. Papers and articles span from the time he attended college to his professorial days. Included in this series are his manuscripts (some incomplete) for "A History of the Post Office in New Zealand" and "Carrying British Mails Overseas."
Series 2. Research Materials, n.d. (0.2 l.f.)
Included in this series are photostats, maps, and hand written notes that Robinson used to write his many postal histories.
Series 3. Committees, 1969-70 (0.05 l.f.)
This series consists of notes from the Citizens' Committee on Postal Reform in Oberlin, which Robinson was heavy involved in for a short time.
Series 4. Correspondence, 1943-47, 1969 (0.1 l.f.)
This series contains correspondence between Robinson and several of his friends as well as well wishers who had read his postal publications.
Series 5. General Files, 1945-46, n.d. (0.1 l.f.)
Contains invoices and a copy of part of a finding aid from the archives.
Series 6. Etymology Files, n.d. (0.05 l.f.)
Included are lists of names and language notebooks Robinson studied concerning name origins.
Series 7. Printed Materials, 1965, 1968 (0.1 l.f.)
Pamphlets and small books comprise this series.
Series 8. Travel Notes, 1938-39, 1949, 1953 (0.2 l.f.)
Contains journals of Robinson's many trips. Several of the photographs from series 9 relate to these travel accounts.
Series 9. Photograph Files, 1913, 1921, 1928, 1935-42, n.d. (0.4 l.f.)
Howard Robinson was an avid photographer. His photographs capture many aspects of Oberlin College life as well as Oberlin city scenes. In addition, this file unit includes the photographic prints and negatives from several of his trips to England. The class reunion photographs are the only pictures in this series which may not have been taken by Robinson himself.
Subgroup II. Gladys "Jenny" Wrenn Robinson
This subgroup consists of the writings, correspondence, and photographs of Gladys Robinson. Also included are files documenting topics such as World War I, World War II concentration camps, prisoners of war, and the relief effort, but mostly as they relate to England.
Series 1. Writings, 1939 (0.05 l.f.)
A 1939 article, "An English Housewife in America," deals with the American way of life. It was written to show how British women differed from their American counterparts.
Series 2. Correspondence, 1925, 1931-47 (0.1 l.f.)
Consists of correspondence between Gladys Robinson and Stella Perley as well as correspondence written by Robinson while she was the secretary for the English Speaking Union in the early 1930s.
Series 3. General Files, 1918, 1929, 1933, n.d. (0.1 l.f.)
Includes guest lists, pedigree papers, sheet music, and a 1909 Cambridge University certificate belonging to Mrs. Robinson.
Series 4. Miscellaneous Files Relating to World War II, 1945, n.d. (0.05 l.f.)
This series documents Mrs. Robinson's interest and involvement in World War II. A large portion of the materials consist of newspaper clippings relating to prisoner of war and concentration camps. Posters (black and white) distributed by the Clothes for Europe Campaign are also part of this series.
Series 5. Printed Materials, 1910, 1928-1930, 1936-48, n.d. (0.1 l.f.)
Materials in this series range from newspapers to books on the history of Britain during World War I and II.
Series 6. Photograph Files, 1910-19, 1930-42, n.d. (1.2 l.f.)
Most of the photographs in this series are family pictures, some dating back to World War I, and they document Gladys' relatives and friends back in England.