Who, you might be asking yourself, is MIles Grey Robison (sometimes noted as Robinson). The younger generations might scratch their heads in puzzlement, but the second generation (children and nieces and nephews of William and Anna May) will generally know of whom I speak.
Here is the answer; Miles Grey Robison was a friend of Grandma and Papa Lilley. It seems that from at least 1917 until sometime after 1940, Miles was a boarder who lived in their home. How do I know, you ask? Well, since I definitely hear you asking, I will tell you.
Miles World War I draft registration (see below) lists Mrs. William Lilley as his nearest relative :
Here is the answer; Miles Grey Robison was a friend of Grandma and Papa Lilley. It seems that from at least 1917 until sometime after 1940, Miles was a boarder who lived in their home. How do I know, you ask? Well, since I definitely hear you asking, I will tell you.
Miles World War I draft registration (see below) lists Mrs. William Lilley as his nearest relative :
You will note the address of Miles is listed as 1803 Perkiomen, Reading, PA. Papa's WWI registration address is also listed as 1803 Perkiomen. Effie is listed as his wife.
In the 1910 census Miles was not listed with the Lilley family. (As an aside, a 16 year old young woman named Martha Albright was living with them and listed as a servant). However, he appears In the 1920 census where he is listed as Miles Robinson, a boarder.
In the 1930 census Miles is there, listed as a brother to the head of the house, which is Papa
In the 1940 census Miles is there, listed as a lodger.
The 1950 census is not on line as of yet, as the 70 year privacy limit will not be reached until 2020. I wonder if our cousin Linda would know if Miles lived with them in the 1950s.
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Grandma Lilley died on 29 December 1946. Did Miles live with Papa after that? I don't know and I can find nothing more on Miles after the 1940 on the net besides his SS death index;
NameMiles Robinson
SSN196-05-6009
Last ResidenceReading, 19601, Berks, Pennsylvania, USA
Born25 Mar 1885
DiedNov 1967
State (Year) SSN issued
Pennsylvania - Before 1951
and surprisingly, a burial record from Reiffton, Berks County
Name:Miles Gray Robinson
Birth Date:25 Mar 1885
Death Date:Nov 1967
Cemetery:Forest Hills Memorial Park
Burial or Cremation Place:Reiffton, Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Has Bio?:N
Spouse:Irene Robinson
Note the spouse. Although it is a calculated relationship according to Findagrave.com , I am not sure this is really his wife. I can't find any marriage record for Irene Bowers Robinson or Robison. Perhaps the headstones were in close proximity and the archivist assumed they were married. There were no pictures of the headstones or any information on how close together the graves were. I did find a newspaper article from 1933 (below) that indicates Miles had a sister named Irene, but she married a man named Hoffman. So this may or may not Miles' sister or may or may not be Miles' wife.
Papa died in 1969. My recollections of my Papa are from the 1950s when we lived in Oley. I never remember seeing or hearing about Miles in that time frame. Papa's brother Albertis lived in Reading, though, and I never remember hearing anything about him, either.
So there you have it. Whatever rumors abound regarding Miles, the actuality is that he was close enough to Papa and Grandma Lilley to cite them as nearest relative (Grandma in 1917 on his draft registration and brother to head of household (Papa) in the 1930 census and that he lived with them at least through 1943 or 1944 (see pic below). That means for twenty seven years or more, Miles was a member of the Lilley family
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Grandma Lilley died on 29 December 1946. Did Miles live with Papa after that? I don't know and I can find nothing more on Miles after the 1940 on the net besides his SS death index;
NameMiles Robinson
SSN196-05-6009
Last ResidenceReading, 19601, Berks, Pennsylvania, USA
Born25 Mar 1885
DiedNov 1967
State (Year) SSN issued
Pennsylvania - Before 1951
and surprisingly, a burial record from Reiffton, Berks County
Name:Miles Gray Robinson
Birth Date:25 Mar 1885
Death Date:Nov 1967
Cemetery:Forest Hills Memorial Park
Burial or Cremation Place:Reiffton, Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Has Bio?:N
Spouse:Irene Robinson
Note the spouse. Although it is a calculated relationship according to Findagrave.com , I am not sure this is really his wife. I can't find any marriage record for Irene Bowers Robinson or Robison. Perhaps the headstones were in close proximity and the archivist assumed they were married. There were no pictures of the headstones or any information on how close together the graves were. I did find a newspaper article from 1933 (below) that indicates Miles had a sister named Irene, but she married a man named Hoffman. So this may or may not Miles' sister or may or may not be Miles' wife.
Papa died in 1969. My recollections of my Papa are from the 1950s when we lived in Oley. I never remember seeing or hearing about Miles in that time frame. Papa's brother Albertis lived in Reading, though, and I never remember hearing anything about him, either.
So there you have it. Whatever rumors abound regarding Miles, the actuality is that he was close enough to Papa and Grandma Lilley to cite them as nearest relative (Grandma in 1917 on his draft registration and brother to head of household (Papa) in the 1930 census and that he lived with them at least through 1943 or 1944 (see pic below). That means for twenty seven years or more, Miles was a member of the Lilley family
Maybe at some point I might come across more information about Miles Gray Robison. The first time I can find any additional information I will pass it along.
As an aside; somewhere in all the pictures of the Lilleys I have one of Melvin , the young brother of our father, William Arthur, Sr., who was born in 1917 and died in 1923, while riding a bicycle on a street (Cotton Street, I think) in Reading. He was hit by a car and died of his injuries. The back of the picture says "Milton Lionel Gray Lilley". Maybe Miles was his Godfather.