Don and Joy Robison of Tecumseh will be receiving the Knights of AkSarBen Heritage Family Farm Award at the Johnson County Fair on Sunday night, August 17 for 40 acres of native prairie land near Elk Creek that has never been broken up in the 168 years it has been owned by the Robison family.
James Robison grew up in the Scottish Isle of Manx and came to the United States from Liverpool, England in 1849 to New York where he started working on the Erie Canal. Robison later headed west and met up with Peter Foale at St. Joseph, Missouri. Foale encouraged Robison to join him in purchasing some land in Nebraska. Robison agreed to purchase the land but told Foale he had to return to his home on the Isle of Manx to get money to purchase this land. Robison also worked in Chicago to collect money to pay for the land purchase. James Robison acquired U.S. citizenship in 1854. James and his wife Ellen Joughin Robison were married in Pawnee City.
An ironic twist to this story is that James Robison and Peter Foale purchased land within a section of each other and became friends for the remainder of their lives. Robison’s great grandson, Donald Robison, and Peter Foale’s great granddaughter, Joy Vrtiska, grew up on the same land, yet they never knew each other until they started dating and later married.
