I took Mom to Buzzy’s Memorial Mass yesterday at St. Michael’s Church. We sat where we usually sit in the middle of the Church in the row with the stained glass window marked as follows:
It took me back to all those hours I have spent in St. Michael’s Church staring at that same window. Seems that our unofficial, assigned church seat in St. Michel’s was always adjacent to that particular window. Accordingly, I have come to regard John and Emily as my friends.
After Mass, on my way down to Buzzy’s Country Store, I got to wondering about the Robsons, who they were and how they ended up on that stained glass window. I sent my buddy Pat Woodburn a note asking if he knew anything about these folks. In no time Pat responded as follows:
I’ve looked into some of the names on the windows and was surprised to discover that many of the names were associated with contractors or their extended family who helped supply material or labor to the contractor building the church. In that era, St. Michaels and many other parishes in St. Mary’s County were in the archdiocese of Baltimore. So, most of the larger contractors were from Baltimore, I. e., the window manufacturer and the painting contractor, the pressed tin provider, etc., were Baltimore based company names. I can’t remember but I think this Robson name was one of those Baltimore contractors.
Thank you Pat.
Looking in the County’s newspaper archives, I did not find any mention of John nor Emily Robson. However, I did find this 1932 obit for their daughter who was identified only as Mrs. Wm. Wallace Dunbar. I guess back then women’s names were the husband’s names even in their obits.
The obit is a little tough to decipher but I have hi-lited the reference to John and Emily Robson. Also, read the last paragraph that talks about her “courageous championship of the true and the good.”
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| http://stmalib.archivalweb.com |
I may keep digging to see if I can find out more about my church friends John and Emily Robson. However, I probably won’t think of them again until I’m back in St. Michael’s Church seated next to them.
Song-wise, here is my all time favorite hymnal.