08/31/2025
We are emerging from our summer hiatus, but we have been busy this summer with several requests from out-of-state residents seeking genealogical information about some of our early colonial inhabitants. These requests often lead us to our Town Hall vault, where we check for any folders that may have information about specific early families, or we visit either the Palmertown Cemetery or the Old North Cemetery.
This summer, we had success with two of these requests. The first involved helping an individual verify their relative was a Revolutionary War patriot for inclusion in the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution registry. Although we in Scotland were unable to confirm this personally, our collective research led us to discover the necessary documents proving that our native son, Joshua Farnam, was indeed a veteran of the War for Independence. As a result, a US flag will now be placed at his gravestone each Memorial Day.
Our second request came just last week from a visitor from New York who was researching her ties to the Robinson family, which settled in Scotland in the 1700s. This family can trace its ancestry back to Reverend John Robinson, a descendant of the Mayflower. In recent years, we have received several requests related to the Robinson family, which led to donations of a bed warmer and other items to the historical society.
The challenge in researching the Robinsons in early Scotland is that there were two prominent, unrelated Robinson families. The historical records are clearer for one family than for the other, and this particular request did not align with our existing history.
We are fortunate to have had a member, Fred Fredette, whose extensive research on our town before his passing has created a lasting legacy for those who want to learn more about their connections to our small community. By examining the transcribed land deeds from the 1700s that Fred obtained for the town, we are now compiling a history of the second Robinson family. This research will help us identify where some of them settled, particularly on Pudding Hill, and will make it easier to fulfill requests related to this family history.
