mother's maiden name was Mary Ann Harmon. At his mother's
death, which occurred when he was fourteen years old, he was
adopted into the family of James T. Robinson of
Philadelphia. Becoming dissatisfied at some fancied slight,
he left without authority, determined to provide for
himself, and be his own man. He soon found that the job was
not so easily done, as thought about, nevertheless he was
determined to win out, so he kept at it, and being of a
jovial disposition he soon made friends, and had the happy
faculty of keeping them. He started in the business of
selling home-made pies and cakes along the wharves. After a
short time he gave up this business for that of cabin boy on
a passenger boat plying between Philadelphia and Bristol,
Pa., making Bristol his home. At the breaking out of the
Civil War he was very anxious to enlist as a soldier, but
they informed him at Trenton, that it was a white man's war
and they were not taking colored men, as their ankles set so
near the middle of their feet, that when they said forward
march, they would be as likely to go backward as forward, so
he hired as a cook in an officers' mess and went to the
front with Company C First Regiment N. J. V. six months'
men. He was not down there long before he lost all his
desire to become a soldier, when the opportunity came for
him to enlist. While in Alexandria, Va., he started in to
learn the barber trade, and on his return home worked as a
journeyman at his trade until he set up in business for
himself.

In 1876 he organized a mission at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and
being young and enthusiastic, he requested at the next
conference to be sent to the mission to build it up. Bishop
Payne demurred, but after his persistence in the matter, he
consented, saying, "Well I will let you make your own
appointment this time, but will be expecting to hear from
you before the year is out, asking for a change." So after
ordaining him an Elder in Sullivan Street Church, May 12,
1878, he was stationed at Poughkeepsie. There he had some
misunderstanding with the people, which caused them to
promise to "cut his bread and butter short," which promise
he says was the only one that they made, that they
faithfully carried out. One day they fed his family on wind