Abusiyam, Huang, Kim, Liu, Ly

The Life of Thomas Robb

Throughout history, the great city of Philadelphia, known as the birthplace, of America
has served as the center of revolution and change since the revolutionary era. There is no doubt
that when the nation entered the groundbreaking period of the Gilded Age, Philadelphia was at
the forefront. It was an age defined by the unprecedented economic growth, represented by
revolutionary businessmen who built empires in every industry on both the national and local
level. These businessmen amassed great personal wealth through capitalization of the market
and sheer influence of their reputation. Of these men, includes the subject of this project,
Thomas Robb. Robb was one of the most prominent figures in the Philadelphia real estate and
high society scene during his time (Document AC).

Thomas Robb was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 30, 1841, to Charles
Robb and Rebecca Hunter. His father, Charles Robb, was of Italian descent, while his mother,
Rebecca Hunter, was of German descent (Document A). Charles Robb was a successful real
estate agent and made numerous substantial transactions during his career (Document D).
Between 1823 and 1841, Charles Robb and Rebecca Hunter expanded their family through the
continuous birth of new children. Thomas Robb was born the youngest of eight children, having
six older brothers and one older sister. However, Thomas Robb experienced many deaths of his
older siblings during his early life (Document A).

In 1860, Charles Robb’s total acquired property had the combined net worth of sixty
thousand dollars, forty thousand dollars for the value of his real estate and twenty thousand
dollars for his estate (Document A). This made him a member of the wealthiest social,
economic circle in Philadelphia with a fortune equal to 1.7 million dollars today. Since Thomas
Robb was in line to inherit a large real estate empire, he decided not to attend college and
finished his education in high school (Document U). At an early age, Robb was particularly
adept at real estate and learned quickly from his father (Document AC).

Unfortunately, Thomas Robb was grief-stricken by the death of both his parents in his
late thirties. His mother passed away in 1873, and his father followed two years later. Charles
Robb left his fortune to his son, Thomas. In 1880, the Robb family was still recorded to have
some servants providing for the household (Document C). With the real estate empire his father
left him, Thomas Robb thrived, steadily rising to become an influential figure in Philadelphia.
He was in the same social circle as the Biddle family, a prominent old Philadelphian family who
held their position in high society. Many members of the Biddle family were fellow members of
the clubs and associations Robb was a part of.

In 1871, Thomas Robb, at the age of twenty-nine, married Delia Cozens, who was
twenty-four at the time (Document C) in the Church of Ascension on the twenty-eighth of June.
He was also an elected vestryman for this same Church for seventeen years (Document AC).
The couple would go on to produce three children, a son and a set of twins. Thomas Robb Jr.
was born in 1873 and Eagleson and Henrietta Robb were born in 1878. The family of five
resided at 407 South 22nd street.
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In the year of 1881, Robb and his partner, Charles McCrea, purchase substantial area of
land from John K. Mccurdy and his wife. The piece of land was five lots in size extending
between twenty and twenty-first streets and bounded by Dickinson and Reed streets, in the
present day the plot of land occupies six city blocks (Document E).

Thomas Robb was benevolent a man very involved with his work and with the lives of
others; his philanthropy and generosity abled him to serve the public in multiple aspects of
society. He played a significant role in multiple charity events and organizations. For example,
The Charity Ball was an annual event held at the Academy of Music (240 South Broad Street),
serving as a social gathering that doubled as a fundraiser for local hospitals. The participants
were required to pay an entry fee that contributed towards the total amount raised (Document
R). In 1888, he served as treasurer of the Charity Ball. It was the eighth annual Ball, and there
was a vote to decide which charities the funds would go. The funds were granted to the top four
establishments, which were the German Hospital, Orthopedic
Hospital, Children’s Hospital, Medical-Chirurgical Hospital.
The Pennsylvania Society to Protect Children From Cruelty
was among the organizations that were on the ballot, an
organization for which Robb served as an officer for
(Document F).

Another organization that Thomas Robb

contributed much to, and even led, was The Pennsylvania
Society to Protect Children From Cruelty, which was a
prominent charitable organization that Robb took part in.
Founded in 1876 and located at 217 South Broad Street,
the Society’s objective was to protect those who could not
defend themselves-- specifically children, as the name
suggests. The organization described itself as the “shield
between the hard hand and its helpless victim,” and its
objective was to provide and promote the platform for
philanthropic work of the rich for the cause of child
cruelty. It was the duty of the society to investigate cases
of child cruelty and to care for the abused children.

Robb served as an officer of the executive committee of the society from 1887
to 1888 (Document L) and went on to become the vice president
of the organization (Document AC). Under the leadership of Robb
following the statutes of the Society, the organization fought for
the rights of children through the court of law, situated them in
foster homes, and punished irresponsible parents for abusing their children. Besides leading the
organization, records show Robb was also a regular contributor to the society, donating an
amount of ten dollars frequently.
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In 1888, Robb joined the Seventh Ward Organization. Here, he managed to donate at
least two thousand dollars every year, around fifty-six thousand dollars today (Document G). In
1891, Robb advanced from a member to joining the board of directors. He was also put on the
standing committee for finance along with two other people due to his massive amount and
experience with money (Document H). Robb was not only documented to donate money but
extra clothes as well. In 1895, these clothes included two overcoats, two hats, four pairs of
shoes, and more (Document K).

Robb secured influence through obtaining the position of the vice president to protect
children from cruelty, and treasurer of Charity Ball. Both organizations shared the purpose to
serve the city. His status as the director's board of the Seventh Ward Donations and his financial
donations of substantial amount show that Thomas Robb's success in his real estate financially
allowed him to reach out to those less fortunate than him through many charitable organizations
like the ones mentioned above.

In the following year, 1889, Thomas Robb and his family made one of his first visits to
Cape May for his vacation. He stayed in the
Chalfonte Hotel, a newly opened hotel at the time
(Document I). In 1895, he once again would return to
Cape May (Document M). These repeated visits
caused him to develop a passion for Cape May, which
became evident in 1898; on April 10th of that year,
Thomas Robb and his business partner Robert
Linderman purchased the South Jersey Railroad
Company from its owner, Francis Gowen on April 9,
1898, (Document P). As the President of the Atlantic
City division of the Reading Railroad, Robb had
helped it expand dramatically. He advocated for the
construction of another railway leading to Cape May.
The development of this road would help raise
property prices along the road, contributing to his real
estate business interests (Document AC).

Thomas Robb was also an active member of

popular societal clubs of his day, specifically the Penn and
Rittenhouse Clubs. These served the purpose of the social gatherings
or high society individuals to share intellectual interests in politics,
arts, and sciences. Robb was a consistent member of two high profile
societal clubs, the Rittenhouse Club and the Penn Club. The Rittenhouse Club was organized on
February 9, 1875, by Dr. William Pepper Jr. and S. Weir Mitchell as a social arts club. The club
aimed to create an environment for elite businesspeople, intellectuals, and artists of Philadelphia
to socialize. It was highly regarded as a place for the elite to convene. He was a member of the
Rittenhouse Club from 1890 to his death in 1903.
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Soon after, Robb joined the Penn Club, and his membership lasted from 1892 until his
death in 1903. The Penn Club was organized on March 18, 1875, for the cultural development
of the city (Document W). The founders of the club were previous members of the Penn
Monthly Association, who formed the organization under the leadership of Wharton Barker1.
Under his leadership, the Penn Club was founded, he also later went on to become one of the
founder’s of the Union League. These men integrated the ideals of high intellectual expressions
in “art, letters, science, politics and morals” from t.he association into the newly founded club.

1897 was one of Thomas Robb’s more memorable years, highlighted by the wedding of
his son, Thomas Robb Jr, to Marie Gregg. The daughter of Joshua Z. Gregg, Marie was
described as a popular socialite and a great beauty (Document O). The Philadelphia Inquirer
reported on May 27 of the wedding that was to be held on June 5th at the Church of New
Jerusalem2 on 22nd and Chestnut Street (Document O). The ceremony was ordained by
Reverend Dr. Worcester, pastor of the church. The bride donned a gown of white satin while her
bridesmaids wore elaborate white dresses trimmed with blue ribbons and white lace. One of the
bridesmaids was Henrietta Robb, sister of the groom, and Thomas Robb Jr.’s brother, Eagleson
Robb, served as the best man. An extensive reception was held afterward at the Gregg family
residence. A lengthy reception list showcases the reputation and influence that the Robb family
had at the time. Miss Marie Gregg was depicted to be a well-respected beauty in Philadelphia
(Document N).

In 1901, Thomas Robb continued to make large business transactions, one of which
would leave a lasting legacy. On April 1, Thomas Robb purchased land from William
McCoach, from the southwest side of forty-ninth street to the northwest side of Springfield
Avenue, for a sum of twenty thousand dollars, equivalent to half a million dollars today
(Document S). After developing the land and its surrounding area, he donated the estate to the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company3 for the construction of the forty-ninth street station. The
present-day forty-ninth street regional rail station4 still occupies the same plot of land
(Document AC).

Although Thomas Robb and Delia Cozens had a harmonious marriage, the same could
not be said for his son, Thomas Robb Jr. Unfortunately, his marriage to Marian Gregg ended
crudely. Near the end of 1902, Marian Gregg accused Thomas Robb Jr. of having an affair with
three other women. Although the dispute was heated, the two of them both wanted the matter to
be settled calmly (Document T). After the split, Robb Jr would remarry in 1906 to Susan Burns.
The two raised three children named Rowen Thomas Robb, Raymond E. Robb and a daughter
whose name is unlisted.

1
Earned his degree in Finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
2
Erected in 1881 by Theophilus Parsons Chandler
3
The Company was chartered in 1846 and its first line ran in 1848 connecting Philadelphia and Pittsburgh
4
Now connected by Trolley route 13
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On February 12, 1903, Robb suffered an apoplectic stroke5 in his office inside the Bullitt
Building. His physician, who was also present, rushed to Robb’s office in an attempt to revive
him. However, his efforts were in unsuccessful, and Robb was declared dead at 12:40 PM
(Document AB). Survived by his three children and his wife, Thomas Robb would be buried at
the Woodlands Cemetery three days later. He was buried in grave lot CC 229 with his burial
number of 728 (Document AA). His wife would die
seven years later due to disease (Document AD).

Thomas Robb’s life was defined not only by his

success in real estate but also by his generosity and
kindness that led to his philanthropic work, touching
the lives of Philadelphia’s needy. His charitable work
impacted the lives of the sickly and ill-treated
children. Even with his success as a businessman, he
remained humble and aided the society to advance
forward with progressive social change. With various
charities and countless efforts, he raised thousands of
dollars for local hospitals and mistreated children.
Robb can be compared to the great philanthropist,
Andrew Carnegie. Both men of prominence and
wealth chose to dedicate their time to improving the
lives of the less fortunate. However, what was more
impressive was Robb’s ability to balance his
philanthropic work, his business endeavors, and
domestic life. His summer vacations and love for
Cape May were instilled in his son, Thomas Robb Jr,
who took a liking to Cape May as well.

Failure was not a word Thomas Robb was well acquainted

with. Although he never received any college education, Robb still achieved success through
learning the craft of real estate and relief on the experience and estates his father entrusted to
him. Furthermore, Robb secured his position in Philadelphia’s high society through his
membership in societal clubs, Where he mingled with men comparable and even exceeding his
personal status and wealth. A man of the Gilded Age, Thomas Robb defied the stereotypes of
his status quo and became a beacon for the despaired.

Map of Thomas Robb’s Travels

5
An apoplectic stroke is when a brain blood vessel either ruptures or is blocked, and the person goes unconscious
Abusiyam, Huang, Kim, Liu, Ly