The Truth Behind the Robinson Chest
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Page 5 of 5
DESCENDANTS OF ROBINSON
William Byron Robinson had no descendants because he had not married before joining the rush for gold. He was betrothed to a Lydia Bryant. William had promised to send her money as soon as he struck it rich. She planned to sail to California and William would meet her in San Francisco.
In the course of my research, I discovered descendants of William’s brother who are presently living in Oregon. They confided in me many details and showed me another hand written letter that William had sent to Lydia. This letter was given to Lewis Manly somewhere in the desert. Possibly William had a premonition he would not make it to the gold fields. Manly alludes to this letter but does not specifically mention it in his famous book on the Death Valley ’49ers. The descendants also have the transmittal letter from Lewis Manly, which I saw and read.
Because of promises made to the descendants, I can not reveal further family details. However, I am free to explain some of the additional discrepancies that would-be historians have noted. The two photographs are of William’s brother and the brother’s two daughters. These were taken in San Francisco in the late 1860s. The two porcelain bowls are those of William Robinson’s sister-in-law. They were exchanged for the two bowls that once belonged to Mrs. Brier. These bowls were returned to a descendent of the Brier family and their whereabouts are unknown to the Robinsons.
As to the "grub stake," both Lewis Manly’s letter and Robinson’s letter use the words "grub stake." Both these letters are on fragile paper, apparently torn from an old book. They have been folded and unfolded many times and are falling apart. I bought for the descendants archive-quality Mylar document holders and the letters are now relatively safe from additional deterioration.
Much more was told to me about William’s life and death that I can not now reveal. I can tell you that Lydia died of a broken heart when she received news of William’s death. She died on October 13, 1850 and on her tomb stone is this inscription: "My heart beats with yours."
I am continuing to work with the descendants and they are now willing to donate their artifacts to a major museum. It may take several years to complete the negotiations. In the meantime, they and I hope the above will put to rest the controversies surrounding the treasure chest that Robinson left in the cave on January 2, 1850.
I had planned to write a book detailing my discovery. As of now, my attorney and publisher discourage me from doing so. Now that my innocent tampering with the chest is documented, maybe some day I can step forward with all the information surrounding the Robinson Chest.