 william s robinson 18611945  william s robinson 18611945 ray wed 10302013 1123 springtime in the southbiloxi mississippi william s robinson william smith robinson 18611945 was born on september 15 1861 at east gloucester essex county massachusetts to robert robinson 18391907 an 1855 english immigrant fisherman and emeline smith 18411919 a native of massachusetts they married november 28 1860 in gloucester massachusetts and were the parents of two other children george r robinson 18641940 m susan sibley 18601925 and nellie d robinson torrey 186818961870 essex co massachusetts federal census rm593608 473b image 179 and fagmt pleasant cemetery gloucester essex co massachusetts william was the son of a fisherman whose early years were highlighted by meeting the famous artist winslow homer and famous writer rudyard kipling his early art work focused on the sea with paintings and drawings of boats around 1890 he traveled to paris to study at the academie julian upon his return to the united states he began to exhibit his art and teach in both philadelphia and new york  william robinson to us all was first and last a painter he had few hobbies and did not seem to need any he painted the beauty of the new england countryside its harbors and vessels with devotion and knowledge accumulated through long years of study and acquaintance   robinson s biographer for the salmagundi club frederick lester sexton 1945 old lyme during the first two decades of the 20th century the village of old lyme connecticut was the setting for one of the largest and most significant art colonies in america centered in the boardinghouse of miss florence griswold 18501937 the colony attracted many leading artists henry ward ranger childe hassam and willard metcalf among them who were in the vanguard of the tonalist and impressionist movements drawn to old lyme by its natural beauty they discovered an old new england setting that was as one observer noted expressive of the quiet dignity of other days here was a country retreat where as metcalf put it every day is so in line with work interacting with each other and with the community the artists of the colony produced an impressive body of work which achieved renown in its day and still calls attention to the enduring and fragile qualities of the rural new england landscape old lyme recreated many of the features found abroad and was for a time identified in the popular press as the american barbizon or the american giverny a stay at the griswold house provided an artist with affordable lodgings good food and company the availability of studio space and varied subject matter for pleinair painting but old lyme offered something more a retreat from the hurried pace of the city to a town that time had largely forgotten from jeffery anders in 1905 william s robinson traveled from new york to the village of old lyme connecticut to stay at the boardinghouse of florence griswold 18501937 he worked in a studio near the brook that flows in the corner of the property in 1921 robinson moved into the boardinghouse and established a fulltime studio on the grounds during this same year the new building for the lyme art association designed by charles platt opened and robinson became a charter member years later he was elected their president once sequestered in old lyme his paintings revel in the surrounding landscape according to his salmagundi club biographer his best pictures are not always of sailing vessels but more often of connecticut hillsides and pasture lands especially about old lyme where he lived for thirtyone years in the old griswold house working in a studio across the brook from the lyme art association gallery robinson was one of the few people with miss florence when she died in the house in 1937 shortly thereafter the boardinghouse was shut down and all of her belongings sold in a public auction on the front lawn of the house robinson then moved to biloxi mississippi where he continued to create impressionistic landscapes instead of stoic new england homesteads and blossoming mountain laurel however he painted charming images of shrimp factories and southern shanties biloxi laurel inn the laurel inn was a large twostory framed structure situated at 1722 west beach boulevard now 1316 west beach in biloxi mississippi between present day st jude formerly 3 rd street and st paul street once known as 2 nd street it was situated in a part of block 2lot 10 of the keller s avondale subdivision this subdivision was bounded by west beach boulevard south 3 rd street east father ryan avenue north and 2 nd street west lot 2block harrison co mississippi chancery court 2 nd jd district plat bk 1 p 2 the laurel inn was operated by two women  anna rebecca bessie shorey allen edmonds  18711961 and lottie belle brooks williams  18741959 bessie d edmonds the manager was a native of baltimore maryland before 1900 she had married a mr allen and at this time she was living at baltimore with her parents miles c shorey and mary j shorey natives of maine and virginia respectively bessie had a daughter mary e allen 18931961 circa 1904 bessie married lt commander samuel preston edmonds 18671943 a native of miami missouri the edmonds family arrived at biloxi in 1925 as lt commander edmonds was assigned to head the us coast guard base at biloxi he had graduated from the us naval academy in 1887 and entered into military service with the us coast guard lt commander edmonds retired at biloxi in 1931 his service had taken him to alaska the great lakes atlantic and gulf coast as well duties in foreign waters as an instructor on cadet cruises 1931 biloxi city directory 1931 p 124 1900 baltimore co maryland federal census r 615 p 3b ed 211 and the daily herald june 21 1943 p 1  at this time neither mrs edmonds nor mrs williams owned the laurel inn they were domiciled here in 1930 and were renting the home for 200 per month in their household were preston s edmonds 19041977 ryland c edmonds 19081970 m virginia welsh ella e edmonds 19101972 m irwin massey cowie 19101972 and olive w shorey 18741930 the sister of mrs edmonds mrs edmonds expired at tallahassee florida on september 21 1961 at the home of her daughter ella e cowie 1930 harrison co mississippi federal census r 1146 p 6a ed 4 mrs lottie b williams was born at lumpkin county georgia on october 1 1874 she married william smith robinson in harrison county mississippi on november 9 1936 harrison co mississippi circuit court mrb 47 p 336 mrs robinson acquired the laurel inn on july 17 1937 from fred l burton harrison co mississippi chancery court land deed bk 216 p 87  references   1927 biloxi city directory  rl polk and company nola1931  1931 biloxi city directory  rl polk and company nola1931  the daily herald 50 th anniversary souvenir golden jubilee number biographical and historical 18841934  samuel preston edmonds the daily herald gulfportbiloxi mississippi1934  chancery court harrison county mississippi chancery court cause no 33844   city of biloxi v mrs myrtle walker and deedy baxter  may 1955 journals the daily herald    captain edmonds dies after short illness at biloxi   june 21 1943 the daily herald   william s robinson dies in biloxi   january 12 1945 the daily herald   lottie b robinson   august 20 1959 the daily herald    wife of former cg commander   captain sp edmonds  dies in florida   september 21 1961 706 views  