ROBINS, Mary 1838-1933

ROBINS, ENO

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 9/14/2015 at 22:17:36

Oldest Woman In County Died At Grundy Thursday

Mrs. Thomas Robins, who was the oldest woman in Grundy county, died at her home in Grundy Center last Thursday from infirmities of old age. She was 95 years old. She was confined to her bed much of the time during the past year though she retained her mental faculties to the end of her long life.

She and her husband operated one of the pioneer hotels in Grundy Center. They entered the hotel business in Grundy Center 54 years ago. Their hotel was known as the "Eagle House" and it was located on the site where the east Standard Oil station now stands. She made her home in Grundy Center continually since she first came here in 1879. Since the death of her husband in 1909 her son Warren always lived with her.

Funeral services were held at the Methodist church Sunday afternoon with the local pastor, Rev. J. B. Bird, officiating. Burial was beside the husband in the Grundy Center cemetery. Six of her grandsons were pallbearers. They were George Canfield, Bert Goodell, Arthur, Raymond, Lee and Fred Robins.

Obituary
Mrs. Thomas Robins, whose maiden name was Mary Ann Eno, was born March 28th, 1838, near Boston, Lincolnshire, England. She died at her home in Grundy Center, Iowa, on October 5th, 1933, at 7 o'clock p.m. at the age of 95 years, 6 months and 8 days.

She emigrated to Canada with her parents as a girl, crossing the Atlantic in a sailing vessel. They were six weeks and three days on the water.

She was married to Thomas Robins at Mambis, Canada. In 1861 with their three children they located in Niagara county, New York, and in the fall of 1878 they moved to Waterloo, Iowa, to reside until the spring of 1879 when they moved to a farm in Grundy county.

In the fall of 1879 they came to Grundy Center and operated a hotel for a time.

Mr. Robins died in 1909.

She was the mother of seven children, six of whom survive. One daughter, Mrs. C. C. Goodell, passed away on June 24th, 1933. The surviving children are Mrs. M. G. Canfield, Thomas B., George, Joseph, Lewis and Warren Robins, all of Grundy Center. There are also 19 grandchildren, 32 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great-grandchildren.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 12 October 1933, pg 1