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They were still able to raise eight children together, but they did suffer some setbacks. For instance, he was able to purchase his wife and some of their children (and thus grant them their freedom) prior to the onset of the Civil War, but there were two sons that were sold "down the river." James,
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Starting a family was fraught with difficulties during these times, especially in the case of black people. As a freedman there were some things that "Gentleman Jim" could not avoid. When he "married" Susan "Sukey" Gaskins (c. 1823'), due to her slave status they could not obtain a marriage license,
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All of the above would have been enough to make him noteworthy; however "Gentleman Jim," was to become the 3rd richest
African freedman through much of his own initiative. Using the privileges that came with being a freedman, which were quite limited in 18th century Virginia, James Robinson used the
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Gentleman Jim was unusual in a number of ways, including his ownership of land from birth. Researchers have surmised that in order for Jim to own land from birth, by law, he would have to be free from birth. Furthermore, in order for him to be free from birth, his mother would have to be free, as
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must have freed this enslaved
African woman, in order for their son to be free and enjoy whatever benefits would accrue from that freedom in the still limited world of the African freedmen. They continue on to say that this was not as unusual as one would think, because at this period in history
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to a freewoman by the name of Susan aka "Annah". He first rose to prominence as one of the wealthiest
African Americans in the Manassas area, but is also known because his homestead was located between the lines of the Confederate and Union armies during two major battles of the Civil War.
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education he received from his teacher James
Robinson, whose name it is believed he later took for himself, and combined that with hard work and an entrepreneurial spirit to acquire 1500 acres of land by the time of his death in 1875.
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Below is a list of children with birth and death dates that have been verified by a team of researchers who compared Prince
William County records; oral history from the Robinson family and records found in the vandalized house.
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137:. The homestead he built in Bull Run couldn't have been more prominent at the outset of the Civil War, during which two major battles were fought in his front yard.
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Battles of Bull Run occurred. The family was forced to evacuate to another house in the area, while Jim took cover under the bridge over Young's Branch of the
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James
Robinson's children were Bladen, James Jr., Tasco, Jermima, Alfred and Henrietta. Pendleton and Dianah were Jermima's children; father unknown
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James
Robinson aka "Gentleman Jim," was born free and landed. He also received an education from the same private tutor that taught his half sister
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Archeological
Investigation of the Robinson House Site 44PW288: A Free African-American Domestic Site Occupied From the 1840s to 1936
148:(1738 – 1801) was his father, which seems quite likely due to the special status that both he and his mother held on the plantation.
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Jr. and Alfred were both sold to a new owner in New
Orleans. Alfred returned some time later, but James, Jr. never returned.
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U.S. Congressional Record: Proceedings and
Debates of the 100th Congress, First Session, Vol. 133, No. 139
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numerous Africans were being freed, due to a low work load, somewhat akin to today's layoffs.
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Alfred (born: 3/15/1828 on the John Lee Plantation @ Willow Green; died: 1904 at the
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Civil War Memory: Reflections of a Civil War Historian & History Teacher
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Brodie, James Michael (1990-08-16). "Battlefield House Revives Memories".
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which prevented them from having their relationship legally recognized.
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Jemimi, Alfred, Tasco, Sr., Henrietta, Bladen, Diana, Pascal, James, Jr.
365:. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior. pp. 1–136.
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African-American Households from Manassas National Battlefield Park
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The Battle of Bull Run: Known in the South as First Manassas
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Friedman, Carol Drake (1988-02-22). "A Family Celebration".
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was located in the middle of the battlefield where the
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http://www.pwcvirginia.com/documents/JohnLeeswill.pdf
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well. They come to the extraordinary conclusion that
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462:. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office.
318:"Virginia Waymarker G-16, James Robinson House"
112:(October 6, 1799 – October 15, 1875), known as
411:"'Gentleman Jim' has a Unique Spot in History"
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73:Entrepreneur, businessman, farmer, landowner
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513:The Robinson-Naylor-Harris News Quarterly
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432:"Manassas: The Missing Robinson House"
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590:African-American history of Virginia
59:Robinson House (Manassas, Virginia)
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293:. Pittsylvania County History.com
102:Pittsylvania Plantation, Virginia
202:Jemima (born: 1817 - died: 1914)
507:Crosby, Edward (January 1998).
430:Arenson, Adam (July 21, 2011).
420:InsideNova.com. July 21, 2011.
31:James "Gentleman Jim" Robinson
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205:James, Jr. (born: circa 1822)
218:Henrietta (born: June 1840)
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377:"'Gentleman Jim' Robinson"
43:Pittsylvania Plantation,
291:"The Other Pittsylvania"
221:Bladen (born: May 1843)
215:Tasco, Sr. (born: 1829)
118:Pittsylvania Plantation
456:Stokes, Louis (1987).
401:Parsons, 2001, p. 208
359:Parsons, Mia (2001).
185:Marriage and children
600:People from Virginia
383:. The Visitor Center
509:"Family Homegoings"
227:Pascal (born: 1855)
543:2015-09-06 at the
416:2011-07-21 at the
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595:1875 deaths
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494:Centre View
243:Carl Stokes
232:Descendants
579:Categories
277:References
253:Rick James
481:(2): 5–6.
129:Biography
541:Archived
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86:Children
519:(1): 3
175:second
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