Robert LOMAX (February 14, 1809 - December 12, 1883)[1, 7] was baptised in St. Mary's Church, Westleigh parish, Leigh, in the county of Lancashire. His parents were James LOMAX and Mary BAKER. Nothing is known of his life until his marriage.
Robert LOMAX was married to Sophia Elizabeth BARNES (ca. 1809 - April 23, 1882) [8] in Manchester cathedral, in Manchester, Lancashire, England. The event was recorded as follows:
September 5, 1830
Robert Lomas, bachelor of this parish, spinner married Sophia Elizabeth Barnes spinster of this parish after banns. Both made their mark. Witnesses to the ceremony were Thomas Parry and William Holland (his mark) [2].
Robert and Sophia and their daughter, Hannah probably came to America in the late 1830s or early 1840s. A search for their passenger arrival records is under way. Nothing is known of Sophia's background, but in the 1900 census [10], her son Robert Owen Lomax would give his mother's birthplace as Wales. Family rumor has it that Robert lived for a time in an Owenite utopian commune in the Pocono Mountains. The Lomaxes may have remained on the communal homestead and claimed title to it after the dissolution of the commune. That is one explanation for the fact that by 1870, this spinner-turned-farmer owned one of the largest farms in his township. The fact that the family does not appear on the 1850 census for Monroe County argues against this theory.
The 1860 census finds Robert LOMAS [sic] (aged 51), wife Sophia E. (51), and son Robert O. (15) living on their farm in Barrett Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania [4]. Daughter Hannah had already married and was living on adjacent property.
We have a bit more information from the 1870 census. On August 12, the census taker recorded the following:
Lomax, Robert, 61, farmer, $6000 real estate, $1000 personal estate, born in England Lomax, Sophia E., 61, born in England [5].
The 1880 census taker found the Lomaxes in the same place on June 7th, and recorded the following [6].
Lomax, Robert, 71, Retired farmer, born in England, parents born in England Sophia E., 71, wife, keeping house, " "
Robert and Sophia had three children that I know of.
Mary Ann is buried beside her parents in McComas Cemetery [8]. The inscription on her tombstone is illegible, but considering that she is buried with her parents, does not appear to have had a married name, and did not show up on any census returns, one may assume that she died young, perhaps as an infant.
Hannah was born in England [5]. Sometime before 1860, she married Edward DEUBLER (born ca. 1833). In his will, signed on April 19, 1864, Robert LOMAX confirmed the previous transfer of some property to his daughter:
I have heretofore given and executed and delivered to my daughter Hannah, wife of Edward Deubler, a deed for a tract of land containing one hundred an ten acres in said Barrett township, and adjoining the land whereon I live, and being part of the same tract, which one hundred and ten acres I consider her fair share of my estate, the deed for this land to my daughter was destroyed by fire, and I intend to make and deliver to her another, but as accident may prevent such delivery I hereby give and devise said one hundred and ten acres to her, her heirs and assigns forever.The 1860 census found Hannah and Edward DEUBLER already living next door to the LOMAXES with their first two children, Sophia E., age 2, and Robert E., age 10/12 [4].
By the 1870 census, taken on August 12, the DEUBLER household had swelled to eight [5]:
Deubler, Edward, 37, farmer, $1000 real estate, $800 personal estate, born in Pa. Hannah, 38, born in England. Sophia, 12, born in Pa. Robert, 11, ". Magadaline(spelling doubtful), 7, ". Sarah, 5, ". Charles, 2, ". Catharine, 6/12, ".The 1880 census, recorded on June 7th, had this to say about the family:
Deubler, Edward, 47, Farmer, born in PA, parents born in Wurttemburg Hannah, 47, wife, Keeping house, born in England, parents born in England Robert E., 20, son, At home on farm, born inPA, father born in PA, mother born in England F. Mardeline (spelling?), 17, Daughter, At home Wilhelmina S., 14, Daughter, At home Charles N., 12, Son, At home Catherine M.A., 10, daughter, At homeDaughter Sophia was gone (and probably married) by 1880. The spelling of the second eldest daughter's name is a mystery, as is the initial F. We can deduce that since neither Hannah's nor son Robert's ages had increased by ten years since the previous census, both their birthdays fell between June 7 and August 12.
See The descendants of Robert Owen LOMAX and Elizabeth PYE