The Rufus Robbins family papers contain 16 letters addressed to Robbins, who served with the 7th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. In 15 letters, members of the Robbins family, all strong Union supporters, described life in South Abington, Massachusetts; provided news of local families; and discussed their work. Their letters reveal optimism about the war and apprehensions for soldiers' welfare. Ruth Barrows, Rufus's sister, shared her belief that the war would be short and mentioned her anxiety about her husband's expected enlistment (August 4, 1861). Edwin Robbins, Rufus's youngest brother, wrote about shoemaking, a trade he entered to supplement his family's income from farming. The final item is a letter from R. Rowles to "R. Robbins" about the Catholic Church (July 7, 1860).
Rufus Robbins, Jr., was born in South Abington, Massachusetts, in 1828. He had three siblings: Henry, Ruth, and Edwin. His father, Rufus Robbins, Sr., was a farmer who supplemented his income by dabbling in shoemaking; his sons followed him into both trades. On June 15, 1861, Rufus Robbins, Jr., became a private in the 7th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, Company K. He served in Washington, D.C., and Virginia until November 1862, when he fell ill. He spent time at the Carver Hospital in Washington, D.C., and the West Philadelphia Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he died on January 7, 1863. Ruth Robbins married Hiram Barrows, who lived in West Sumner, Maine, and who served in the 9th Maine Infantry Regiment, Company F, during the war.
