DR. GEORGE ROBERTSON
Descendant: Mrs. Jessie Clark (nee Robertson)
Dr. George Robertson was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. He was married to Miss Eliza de Gorgas, at her native home in Kent, Scotland. Hearing of his birthplace as well as that of his beautiful wife, you would conclude at once that they were of the Presbyterian religious doctrine, and you would be right. Both lived and died devoutly following their faith.
Dr. Robertson was a rare scholar, and thoroughly informed on the most scientific profession of his time, that of a doctor of medicine. In Scotland the profession of medicine and surgery was only obtained after a thorough knowledge of the science of chemistry and the science of anatomy and technical skill demonstrated in their use from a university in Scotland. After his marriage to the daughter of the distinguished de Gorgas family, Dr. Robertson established his office in Kent. There his practice grew rapidly, and no young doctor’s prospects seemed brighter.
All Europe knew of the Mexican war. All the thinking people abroad sympathized with the courageous little Texas Republic as it struggled to survive as an independent nation. When it was firmly rooted as a part of the romantic republic of the United States, hardly more than a half century in age itself, many minds turned to this new land as holding out great hope for the human race. They felt that any territory that had been prized by five great nations in 1846 and had been fought for from the time of Chevalier de Salle, was worth going to see. So when that wonder of his time, that explorer, trader, civic promoter, and philanthropist, Col. H. L. Kinney, added the startling project of settling his lands in Corpus Christi and Nueces County with emigrants from the British Isles, he chose a man of superior accomplishments and commercial acumen, Hon. Reuben Holbein (afterwards mayor of Corpus Christi), to advertise the wonders of the faraway Utopia of Texas to the sturdy people of the British Isles. Holbein’s magnetic appeal aroused an interest in the new land by such men in Scotland as Dr. Robertson, who like the others of English, Irish and Welsh nationality, received the great news with delight, and answered the call to the land of promise.
Dr. and Mrs. Robertson, with their two little children, made ready for the great adventure. To such emigrants as these notable citizens do we owe the sturdy type of settlers, who carved out of a wilderness the structure of progressive civilization with which their descendants are adding the advancement of human knowledge and skill in this Centennial year.
Looking back to that last day, when in the cultural environment of a "Bonny Scotland" home, Dr. and Mrs. Robertson made ready for their departure over a dangerous ocean to a land of Indians and a waste of wilderness, did they go forth with fear and trembling, or were they sustained by an unfaltering trust in Divine guidance on this perilous journey?
When sail ships were in some cases just beginning the use of steam as motive power, and then for only part of a long journey, these leaders in the colonization and settlement of Texas faced the dangers of pirates as well as the treacherous sea in times of storm.
The rush to the new world was so great that the captain of the ship on which the Robertsons sailed, a schoolmate of Dr. Robertson, built quarters on the hurricane deck of his family, there being no other part of the ship available.
For three long months this little vessel was a plaything of the sea. Two violent storms beset them. They needed all their faith to believe that "God was on the ocean just the same as on the land." On the occasion of the second storm even the faith of Mrs. Robertson began to waver, and at last she prayed to a merciful Father to let her children sink beneath the waves in their sleep. How much it has meant to Corpus Christi and Texas that a happier destiny awaited Dr. and Mrs. Robertson and their two little ones, and that the horrors of the sea trip were forgotten as they landed safely at the port of Corpus Christi, Texas.
Cholera broke out on that almost fatal voyage. Its victims were buried at sea. Dr. Robertson had brought a large stock of medicine with him and was thus able to save many in that overcrowded ship. The saved were loud in their praise and gratitude.
Dr. and Mrs. Robertson were soon welcome as a valuable addition to the little town of Corpus Christi – he, as an able, skillful physician, and Mrs. Robertson as a leader of rare attainments, gracious and friendly demeanor. Her family name writes large on the pages of United States history. Her father was a French officer. Mrs. Robertson’s presence lent charm to every circle. In addition to his profession, Dr. Robertson was so valuable as a citizen that he served six years as postmaster, and as an outstanding mayor of Corpus Christi. In 1867, the yellow fever scourge broke out. Although Dr. Robertson had successfully defended himself and family from the dreadful cholera on the high seas, he was one of those fatally stricken. He gave of his skill and time to the uttermost, which made him an easy victim to a disease that took its death toll of many of Corpus Christi’s valuable citizens. Mrs. Robertson never fully recovered from the loss of such a noble husband, father, and unfailing friend!
Mrs. Robertson set sail for her native land to quiet her aching heart. But it was only a little over a year until she returned to Corpus Christi and to the home where she had spent such useful and happy years. She felt that her dear husband wanted her to return, and the sacred spot where he had been laid to rest was always a comfort to visit.
She now spent her time rearing her children, making her home a social center for her children and her numerous friends, who always felt it a privilege to be an invited guest in this refined home.
When, at last, she was laid to rest in Bay View Military Cemetery beside her husband, a great wave of sorrow engulfed, as it were, the whole community.
Her oldest daughter, Mrs. Jessie Clark, is the only surviving child. Mrs. Eli T. Merriman, one of the noblest women in Corpus Christi, another daughter of Dr. Robertson, passed on but a few years ago, leaving a void in the community, in the hearts of her loved ones, and in her beloved church.
Mrs. Robertson is honored in her grandchildren and all bear witness to their noble inheritance by living worthy and highly respected citizens. A great-grandchild, George Clark III, is also an heir to those distinguished ancestors who came from the "Banks and Braes of Scotland." — Ref. Times, Jan. 13, 1936.
Source:
DeGarmo, Mrs. Frank. Pathfinders of Texas, 1836-1846. Austin: Press of Von Boeckmann-Jones, Co, 1951.
Transcription by: Rosa G. Gonzales