This is the marriage bond of Samuel C. Robinson and Margaret Ann Graham dated 1 August 1849.  Margaret was my third cousin three times removed.  These are the parents of the three men that I wrote about over the past three days. (By the way, this is one of over 90 marriage bonds that I identified & obtained copies of from the Rockbridge County courthouse in Lexington, Virginia.) 

Samuel Robinson was born in Richmond, Virginia.  I assume business brought him to the Shenandoah Valley.  The following excerpt is from an 1859 book entitled Iron Manufacturer's Guide to the Furnaces, Forges and Rolling Mills of the United States.

 

More information on Roaring Run Furnace can be found at http://www.go-virginia.com/Roaring-Run-Furnace/. According to that web site, Robinson bought the furnace in 1844 for $21,000 "to be paid in pig iron in four years time." Other facts include

• horses were used in towing the pig iron by boat on the James River and Kanawa Canal
• a lot in Lynchburg was used for storaging pig iron
• 45 laborers with teams were employed at the furnace
• 800 tons of iron was produced in 35 weeks in 1854 

Another blogger (http://showalter.blogspot.com/2012/01/watts-collection-documents-476-500.html) has posted a letter dated 17 Nov 1851 from Samuel C. Robinson to to William Watts asking him to send the power of attorney to vote the shares of his father at a stockholders’ meeting of the James River and Kanawha Canal Company to Dr Archibald Graham, whose presence in Richmond, Virginia, would be more certain.  Graham was Robinson's father-in-law. 

By January 1855, Robinson and Deane were in debt for $31,066 to a number of individuals and banks and the furnace and property were given in a deed of trust to others to be sold at auction to the highest bidder. Robinson and Deane were allowed to remain in possession of the property until they completed work on agricultural implements and machinery. 

In 1860, Robinson lived with his family in Richmond and was a lumber merchant. He valued his real estate at $60,000 and his personal estate at $30,000.  In 1870, he was still in Richmond, was a merchant in iron works, and he valued his personal estate at $1,000.  There was no value attached to his real estate.  I would attribute this drop in prosperity to the Civil War.  Also, his real estate value was likely based on slaves, as one source said he had 57 slaves associated with the furnace business.  

By 1880, before the age of 60, Samuel Robinson had passed away.  His wife and family had moved back to Rockbridge County and were living with her parents.