Person:George Robertson (20)

According to the 1871 Census for Shotts, Co. Lanark 655/bk8/p25 for Moss Bank Cottages, Harthill on 3rd April 1871 the family of George (shown to be age 48) and Margaret (shown to be age 45) were living in a property that had two windowed rooms. An adopted son, unmarried age 23 named James Robertson Weir was shown living with them. Lanarkshire is another coal mining area.

marriage records for son Walter in 1875 show George was a coal miner

According to info supplied to Gary Jensen by Lois Phipps in January 1995: Goerge and Margaret emmigrated to the US in about 1870, bringing with them their two youngest children, Helen and Henry. This is from an obituary for Helen Robertson Cavanaugh. It is possible that an older son was either already in the US or else came with them. Martha Lange remembers a cousin of her mother's named Robert Robertson from Illinois who signed papers for Grandmother Margaret Robertson Lane to get her birth certificate in 1944. He then lived in Sherrard, illinois. Helen's obituary says that they lived for a time in Pittsburg, Kansas, and then moved to Mulberry, Arkansas. Martha Lange says she is sure that George was an Orangeman as her mother Margaret has his scarf that she used to wear. This would explain why they moved leaving so many of their children behind. Walter and Richard Robertson remained in Scotland and did not come to the US until the early 1880's. Walter married Martha Johnston and they had three sons by the time they settled in Rock Island, Illinois, where 3 more children were born. Both Walter and Richard Robertson worked int he coal mines there. When land waws opened for homesteading in Nebraska in the 1890's, Walter moved west. From the 1910 Census of the US, John's place of birth is listed as Illinois. It also records that they immigrated into the US in 1880. A copy of the southern squre Township of Delight, Nebraska, shows that Walter filed his homestead there on 11-Sept 1886 . Margaret tells that they hid the three boys in the railway care with their possessions so that they did not have to pay for them. Martha raised sheep and stayed in Callaway, but Walter still had something to do with coal mines (possibly prospecting for coal companies) so was often away fro long periods of time. Another son was born in Callaway but died when he was about 5. Richard Robertson also moved to Callaway and homesteaded there. Later he moved on the the Crowsnest pass area of British columbia and worked in the coal mines there. When land opened for homesteading in Alberta he filed on land there along with two of his sons, Donald and George. Goerge and his wife Ena were often visitors at Rita Philbricks in later years. When Louis and Margaret Lange decided to move to Alberta, in 1910, they went first to her Uncle Richard in Fort MacLeod and later filed on land at Burdett. Walter Robertson also filed on land in the Grassy Lake area, and moved there with his daughter Martha and her daughter Jessie. Later Jesse Williams arrived and they moved to Oyen. Walter had a coal mine on his property and sold some coal to neighbors. When his wife Martha died he left and did not come back to his place there again.