Robert Wesley Alsbrook was born in Marion on October 30, 1872 to Stephen Wesley Alsbrook and Sarah Jane Blankenship, the daughter of Isham Blankenship who owned considerable property in West Marion around what would now be the Dairy Queen and the V.A. Hospital on W. Main Street. His father Stephen came to Southern Illinois in 1859 when he was 13 years old and later established himself in the drug business in which he continued until his death in 1872. Robert was not born until about six months after the death of his father and his education was secured in the schools of Marion, New Burnside and Creal Springs College.

By the 1880 census, 8 years after the death of his father, Robert’s mother had remarried to J.B. Edington and the family was found living in New Burnside, Illinois. The step-father, J.B. Edington, was 31 his Robert’s mother Sarah J. 30 had two children by her previous husband Stephen, they were Arthur B. Alsbrook aged 9 and Robert W. Alsbrook aged 8.

The following biography was extracted from a Johnson County history book:

“In 1888, he became a railroad telegraph operator for the St. Louis and Paducah Railroad, which later became part of the Illinois Central system and in 1889, went to Paducah where he was station agent and telegraph operator. In 1894, he entered the service of the N.C. & St. Louis Railroad and until 1895 was city passenger agent at Memphis, but in that year took a trip to California and worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad for two years and as bookkeeper on the Leland Stanford ranch for one year.

He returned to New Burnside in 1898 and became a member of the Alsbrook Store Company, where he continued until 1909. In 1910, with his brother, bought the flouring mill at New Burnside, establishing the firm Alsbrook Brothers. In March 1911, they purchased the elevator and mill at Vienna and the capital invested in this enterprise exceeded $16,000. The capacity of the New Burnside mill was 60 barrels per day and the elevator at Vienna had a storage capacity of 30,000 bushels and eight men were employed. In 1911, a new elevator was erected at New Burnside, with a capacity of 10,000 bushels and the mill was doing such a thriving business that it was necessary to keep it running night and day. In the accomplishment of their work the brothers had very little time and today even they were said to be harder workers than any of their employees. Their success in business was largely attributed to the close personal attention they had always given every detail in their business, never allowing goods to be misrepresented in any manner. As a businessman, Robert W. Alsbrook was recognized as possessing the utmost ability, push and energy, and as a citizen none stood any better.

Mr. Alsbrook is a member of the A.F. & A.M. and the Odd Fellows. He and his mother, with whom he resides at New Burnside, are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and have been prominent in its work.”

When the 1900 federal census was taken Robert 27, was found living with his older brother, Arthur B. 22, and his wife Victoria 25 in New Burnside. Living with them were Arthur’s daughter Sarah J. aged 1 and his now twice widowed mother Sarah J. Edington aged 50.

In the 1910 census, the Alsbrook brothers were proprietors of the Farmers Mill and Elevator Company in Johnson County and were still living in New Burnside in the home of the older brother Arthur. Arthur and Victoria’s daughter Sarah had then reached the age of 11 and the mother Sarah J. Edington 59 was still living with them.

In April 1914, Robert W. was elected city alderman under Mayor George B. Calhoun and re-elected under Mayor D.D. Hartwell again in 1915. It was, as a member of the city council fire committee in 1916 that the city of Marion purchased their first fire truck, a 20 HP International Harvester truck.

When Robert filled out his WWI draft card in 1917-18 that he listed his age as 45 and living at 1306 W. Main Street with his mother Sarah J. Edington as his contact person. He was physically described as tall, slender build with brown eyes and brown hair.

By the 1920 census, Arthur and his family, brother Robert and their mother Sarah were living in a large two story home located at 1306 W. Main Street in Marion. Arthur 50, Victoria 44, mother Sarah J. Edington 69 and Robert W. 47 were present along with Arthur’s married daughter Sarah J. Goddard 21 and her son Laurence J. Goddard aged 1. By this time, the Alsbrook brothers were entrenched in their business Alsbrook Brothers, real estate and insurance agents with an office at 202 Public Square in Marion.

Articles appearing in early 1922 indicated that Robert had been making trips to Miami, Florida to transact real estate sales in which he would spend months and that he was seriously considering a move to Miami. On one such trip, Oren Coleman accompanied him because he was also considering a move to Florida. Coleman would later go on to be elected Williamson County sheriff and served from 1926 to 1930 as a successor to Sheriff George Galligan.

An article from October 1922 reported that the firm that started out as Alsbrook Brothers had at some point taken on Clifton D. Kelley to become Alsbrook Brothers & Kelley. The article reported that Pleasant N. Bradley was then being taken on as a partner so that the business would become Alsbrook, Bradley & Kelley Insurance and Real Estate.

When the 1930 census was taken, the Alsbrook family had moved to San Antonio, Texas. Head of household Arthur 59, his wife Victoria 54, their mother Sarah J. 80 and brother Robert W. 57 were working in real estate and living in a rental home at 215 E. Mistletoe.

In 1931, Robert got married to Mary Ellen Kennedy in Comal, Texas at the age of 59.

In the 1940 census, 67 year old Robert and his 55 year old wife Mary were located living in a rental at 606 W. Elmira Avenue in San Antonio, Texas and still working in real estate. By the 1950 census, the couple were living in an apartment in the same town and Robert was still actively working at the age of 77.

On July 4, 1958, Robert passed away of acute uremia and nephritis in San Antonio. Burial was in Mission Burial Park South. His wife, who was younger, lived until October 23, 1989 and also died in San Antonio. Burial was alongside Robert in Mission Burial Park South.

Notes on Children:

There were no children from this late marriage

(Sources: Federal census records, Marion Street Directories, Texas Death records, San Antonio Street Directories, Marion Daily Republican, Marion Semi-Weekly Leader, Miami Herald, Texas Marriage records, FindaGrave.com, WWI Draft records, Williamson County land record, Johnson County Historical biographies. Compiled by Sam Lattuca on 4/19/2024)