The Robinson Family Collections include the papers of Stewart MacMaster Robinson and those of his father, William Courtland Robinson.

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Stewart MacMaster Robinson Collection

The Stewart MacMaster Robinson Collection consists of personal archival material created and collected by Stewart M. Robinson (SMR). SMR was a Princeton Theological Seminary graduate in the Class of 1918, after which he served as a chaplain in World War I. The collection includes correspondence from SMR to his wife during World War I, with Princeton Seminary professors after the war, and with contributors to “The Presbyterian” during his time as its editor. In addition to the letters, the collection includes sermons preached by SMR and his personal journals and records from his work as a pastor. Finally, the collection contains family history papers related to his father, William Courtland Robinson, manuscript drafts by SMR, published works by SMR, and other related materials by or about SMR.

Stewart MacMaster Robinson was a Political Science major at Princeton University (Class of 1915) and a life-long scholar of early American history. In 1956, he published The Political Thought of the Colonial Clergy: Words of the Declaration of Independence Foreseen in the Writings of Clergymen Prior to July 1776, which demonstrated the profound effect that clergy had on public and political questions of the time. Another manuscript on the same topic was unpublished at his death, but has since been edited and published in 2024 as Proclaim Liberty: The Pivotal Impact of Colonial Clergy on the First Continental Congress of 1774. Both of these works are based on SMR’s extensive collection of sermons of early American clergy that he collected during his lifetime and donated to Princeton University and is available for research through the Manuscripts Division of Firestone Library.

For more information, see the finding aid for the entire collection.

Digitization of this collection was made possible through the generous financial support of the Robinson Family.

Contents

• Series I: Correspondence
• Series II: Personal Records
  • Subseries A: Journals
  • Subseries B: Planners and Records
  • Subseries C: Biographical Information
• Series III: Publications and Other Writings
  • Subseries A: Sermons (by SMR)
  • Subseries B: Works (by SMR)
  • Subseries C: Works (collected by SMR)
• Series IV: Audio/Visual Material
• Books:
  • The Political Thought of the Colonial Clergy: Words of the Declaration of Independence Foreseen in the Writings of Clergymen Prior to July 1776
  • Proclaim Liberty: The Pivotal Impact of Colonial Clergy on the First Continental Congress of 1774

William Courtland Robinson Collection

The William Courtland Robinson Collection is made up of personal and professional correspondence and other documents related to W. Courtland Robinson. The papers are largely made up of correspondence organized chronologically and alphabetically by Robinson from 1902-1937. The materials also include Robinson’s pastor records from the late 19th to early 20th centuries, materials related to Robinson’s work at Princeton Theological Seminary, and publication materials from Robinson’s time as Editor of The Presbyterian. William Courtland Robinson was the father of Stewart MacMaster Robinson, whose collection is also available digitally (see above).

Digitization of this collection was made possible through the generous financial support of the Robinson Family.

Contents

• Series I: Correspondence
• Series II: Pastor’s Records
• Series III: Princeton Theological Seminary Files