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William Robb and his wife, Ellen Bell, emigrated about 1839 from Scotland to New South Wales, Australia. Here, their family grew to eight living children by 1857, when they emigrated to the United States. Having joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1851, their sights were set on settling in Utah, eventually making homes in Paragonah (Ellen) and Harrisburg (Susannah). William’s two wives died in 1873 and 1874; he lived until 1897. Their sons, William, John, Adam and George, were called to settle the San Juan country in the “four-corners” region late in 1878. By October 1879 a group of 250 had been organized for the “San Juan Mission” among whom were the four Robb sons. A fifth, Thomas, may have also participated.
A summary of the Robbs’ life events follows:
William
Birth: 11 Dec 1840, Sydney, Australia; Death: 22 Jan 1920, Paragonah, Iron, Utah
married Ellen Stones in 1877
After a son, William, iii, was born in 1879, William joined the Hole-in-the-Rock expedition and was enumerated in the 1880 census, residing in Bluff, while Ellen and son remained in Paragonah (or had returned to home). He, in turn, returned to his former home in Iron county.
George
Birth: 23 Sep 1857, Sydney, Australia; Death:10 Oct 1942, Price, Carbon, Utah
married Caroline Jones in 1878.
They became parents of nine children, the third was born 1883 in then eastern San Juan Mission community of
Mancos, Colorado. The family then moved northward to Price in Carbon county where George lived until 1942.
John (Jack)
Birth: 14 Oct 1851, Sydney, Australia; Death: 27 Sep 1914, Sugar City, Idaho
married (1) Mary Comfort Dunton in 1872; she died in 1873, then (2) Sarah Ellen Edwards in 1875.
Settled at Montezuma (Aneth), San Juan county with former father-in-law, James Harvey Dunton; flooded out in 1881, resettled in Mancos, Colorado, about 1882; resettled St. Anthony, Fremont, Idaho about 1886; died 1914, Sugar City, Idaho.
Adam
Birth: 12 October 1855, Sydney, Australia; Death: 9 July 1919, Mancos, Montezuma County, Colorado
married Sarah Permelia Holyoak in 1875. Homesteaded in Weber Canyon, near Mancos, Colorado, 1880. Parents of four children before Sarah returned to Utah and married Solomon Wardell in 1890. Adam died at Mancos in 1919.
Role in Hole in the Rock Expedition
About 250 individuals participated in the San Juan (Hole-in-the-Rock) Expedition. Of these, nearly 75% came from Iron county (see chart 1).
Parowan and neighboring Paragonah, Utah, were small places in 1878, with tight religious and family connections. When calls to go to the San Juan Mission were announced in 1878, it must have seemed that the towns would soon be emptied. Forty percent of those from Iron county came out of Parowan and 19 percent from Paragonah (see chart 2).
A disproportionate number were called from Paragonah, however. The 1880 population of Paragonah was 256; 26 or 10% were called, while Parowan was home to 952, of which 55 or 5.6% made the journey. Similarly, 48 of 691 (6.9%) came from Cedar City.
The statistics are drawn from the 1880 Federal Census of Bluff, taken on June 19, 1880, just weeks after the settlement was begun. Of those in Bluff from Paragonah, were thirteen Dunton family members, plus son-in-law John Robb (and uncounted family of three), seven Holyoaks and their in-law Adam Robb family of four in Mancos. Also continuing to Mancos before the census was conducted, were George Robb and his family of three. In all, adding the eleven non-enumerated Robbs, a total of 37 (14%) of the small town, Paragonah, moved away to the San Juan.
Accounts of Robb family in Hole-in-the-Rock Expedition:
Three first-hand accounts have been found which mention members of the Robb family:
David Alma Stevens (1853-1947) recollections written in 1942
“In 1877 78, I attended the Brigham Young Academy. In the fall of 1879, I and my brother, Joshua and David Savage were called to go to San Juan, Utah, to help settle that country. We left Holden for that mission 29th of October, 1879. I helped make the road down the "Hole in the Rock" to the Colorado River and up the opposite side of the river until the wagons were on top of the Summit. Then, as we had two good yoke of oxen to pull our wagon, I took five head of horses and my pack outfit in company with two Robb brothers from Cedar City, and started out to find the San Juan River. On arriving there, I was very much disappointed in the country and moved on up the river 100 miles into New Mexico where I bought squatter's rights to 160 acres of land. I worked the water assessment in the ditch and cleared some land for planting, and then returned to meet the wagons which I found on April 12th, at the mouth of the
Rencone Canyon where it empties into the San Juan River, about twelve miles west of the location later chosen for Bluff City. I helped work the road on up to the San Juan River to Bluff, where the main body settled, arriving there about noon April 19th, 1880.
My brother and his wife then proceeded on up the river into New Mexico. Joshua was very much pleased with my purchase and the location of the valley…”
[The dates in this account are understandably a couple of weeks off, as this was written 62 years later.]
George B. Hobbs (1856-1921) copied from the San Juan Stake History, L.D.S. Church Historian’s Library
"After working some time on the road, which the company at the Hole-in-the-Rock were making by blasting, etc., down to the Colorado River, I returned to my camp at Fifty Mile Spring to get supplies and my mules in order to join Dan Harris on a return trip with supplies for our people who were starving at Fort Montezuma … Dan Harris returned from Escalante with supplies, and as it had been prearranged that I should return with him to bring supplies to those at Montezuma, we traveled together to the Hole-in-the-Rock near the Colorado River and then crossed the river, I fording the river with my horses, his horse being already on the other side. Taking our supplies in a boat, we camped about three miles on the east side of the river the first night. A heavy snow storm overtook us, and as the indications were that it would continue I refused to go further until the snow abated, starting it was better to have the snow under feet than over head. Bro. Harris became quite angry at my suggestion to stay a day or so and went back to the river where he persuaded two California miners (father and son) who were with the party to accompany him.”
These Harris family members had settled the fall before along the San Juan in anticipation of the expedition from the west.
“Some of the brethren had gone about four miles further ahead to work on the road in order to make it easier for us to get out with our pack animals. When Bro. Harris passed these men they asked where I was. He answered that I had refused to start in the snow storm, and he was glad of it, as I wanted to go by way of the Elk Mountain, and he knew he could go up the San Juan. He then said, Tell Hobbs that I will meet him on the road. It pleased the brethren to think that a shorter way might be found, as I had held to my opinion that my way was the only way to get through.
“I now stayed and worked on the road three weeks longer as I wished to get my wagons across the river. The storm continued most of the time. When I got ready to start I asked for a volunteer to go with me but none would go. Bro. Sevy said no man could live and go through those cedars with the snow which must be on the ground. I said that I would go, as I would never live to know that women and children were starving to death for the want of an effort on my part.
“The next morning I placed the packs on my mules, tying the head of one to the tail of the other and leading the first one. In this way I traveled the entire distance, going on foot myself. The second day, when I cam to the slick rocks, I looked back and saw a band of horses following me with men driving them. When they reached me at the bottom of the rocks I found it was Jack and Adam Robb, formerly of Paragonah. They told me they were going to leave their horses at the Lake and accompany me through, as they had been off their homesteads near Farmington, New Mexico, for six months and were afraid someone might jump their claims.
“We made good time, following the back bone or dividing ridge between the Colorado and San Juan Rivers toward the Elk Mountains, the snow getting deeper every mile we traveled. The weather was so cold that the snow was not crusted. Five days I spent in these cedars and gulches with the snow up to my chin. I had to cut trees out of my way in order to get through and my mules did not have a mouthful of food during this time. On Feb. 22nd, 1880 (my 24th birthday), I got out of this deep snow into a branch of the Comb Wash where the ground was bare. Here my mules would eat a little grass and then roll in the sand, which seemed to give them much pleasure, after being in the snow so long. The next day was good traveling down the Comb Wash.
“Passing the Harris camp [site of Bluff] the following day I reached Montezuma. Geo. Harris road out overtaking me, asking me how long I had been on the road. I answered that this was my ninth day. He said, You have made good time. I asked him when Dan Harris had got through. He said Yesterday, and explained that he and his companions had eaten up all his supplies. He had been wandering in the deep snow 29 days from our camp in the Hole-in-the-Rock. Geo. Harris desired to buy some of my supplies but I stated that no money on earth could buy them, as they were sent to relieve those who were starving at Montezuma
George and his brother Dan immediately got ready to return on my tracks to the main camp, which they did, reaching the camp at Cheese Ranch, about 10 miles east of the Colorado River. Inquiries were made as to whether they had seen me. They answered, Yes, he got through, and for God’s sake if there are any of the rest of you that want to get through, you had better follow his tracks!
“It was a joyous moment for those starving Montezuma people when they saw me coming over the hill with the white sacks of flour on the packs. They had been watching for nearly a week, as the 60 days of promise were just expiring (my companions having on our first trip stated we would return with food in 60 days, they believing they could hold out that long). They had but one pint of wheat left when I arrived and had not tasted flour for over four months. I stayed with these people 20 days while the Robb boys went up to Farmington and worked on their homesteads. Upon their return I joined them [in returning to the main company]
“…[the main body] had agreed to bring my wagon with them, but I learned it was where I had left it. This necessitated me going back after it. I met many different parties that were on their way to catch up with the main camp which was now at the Elk Mountain. The weaker ones were in the rear, some had an ox and a mule hitched together, some had cows and heifers in their teams, one I noticed was a pair of mules with an ox on the pike with a young girl riding the ox, to keep him in the road, all made inquiries of me how far it was to San Juan. The Robb boys accompanied me back as far as the Lakes staying there four days while I returned alone to Cheese Ranch for my wagon. In places where I could not get up the hills with my load wagon (having no help) I packed the supplies from my wagon onto pack mules, then came back for the wagon.
“On April 4th, 1880, we overtook the main company at a place now called Rhen Cone on the San Juan River. Next day we pulled up a steep dug way that had just been completed, and the following day (April 6th 1880) we arrived at the point on the San Juan where Bluff City now stands. Much disappointment was experienced by members of the company of about 225 souls on their arrival for they had expected to find a large open valley, instead they found a narrow canyon with small patches of land on each side of the river. Wm. Hutchings of Beaver was the man that named the place Bluff City on account of the bluffs near by.
“The next day (leaving camp here) I pulled up to Ft. Montezuma which was my destination. The company now began the general work of colonizing, taking out the water, building water wheels, putting in crops, etc. I had promised Silas S. Smith who was captain of our company who was home at Paragoonah that I would let him know when the company got through, I just had time to scribble a letter to him sending it to Mancos (125 miles away) by a cowboy who was just leaving, to that effect, this being the first news to get back to Utah of the company getting through.”
Robb Family History Blog: (https://robbwasdenfamily.blogspot.com/)
“Sarah [Sarah P. Holyoak Robb], her husband Adam Franklin Robb and two sons, Albertus (4) and William Heber (2) were among those daring pioneers of the San Juan Mission. Adam's brothers George Drummond Robb and family, William and his family, John and family were also among those called. John also known as Jack and Thomas were driving a head of cattle to the San Juan.
“They were not just pioneers, before they left, each had been called on a mission. The San Juan Mission. They were more than pioneers, they were missionaries with a call to colonize the four corners. Among this incredible band, were two professional road builders. They were paid $1.50 a day, very good wages for that time. When they joined the group, the pioneers had already taken the wagons down the first huge obstacle, The Hole. Other equally daunting challenges lay ahead. When they came to the next mammoth task, the paid road builders could not conceive of an answer to the challenges they had to overcome. Overwhelmed, they finally gave up and went back to Salt Lake City, saying it couldn't be done.
“Meanwhile, the Missionaries filled with faith in miracles and undying determination faced those same obstacles together. They solved their problems one after another until at long last, they reached their destination. Starvation, freezing cold, hostile Indians, impossible feats of engineering and road building. They faced them all with faith and courage, and proved their worth with every footstep. I suspect the members of the San Juan Mission would tell anyone who questioned the wisdom of taking on such a harrowing journey, that their faith grew and miracles were experienced by all. Today, anyone who looks at the extreme grade and narrow passage of the Hole in the Rock must do so with awe and wonder.”
The blog also states that John [Jack] And Sarah Robb and family settled at Peak City [Aneth] in Montezuma Creek and lived next to the Henry Holyoak Family. After they were flooded in 1881 they left the area. [Peak city was also the residence of James Harvey Dunton, Adam Robb’s father-in-law, until the 1881 flood.]
Compiled and adapted for the Hole-in-the-Rock Foundation by:
David L. Walton.
Sources:
2. Memories on FamilySearch for William Robb family members
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