Alfred D. Robinson and Marion James Robinson
| Alfred D. Robinson | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 9, 1866 Watton, Norfolk, England |
| Died | February 26, 1942 (aged 75) San Diego, California |
| Occupation | retired merchant |
| Known for | horticulturalist, developed many varieties of begonia |
| Marion James Robinson | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Marion James Duncan October 1873 San Francisco, California |
| Died | June 13, 1919 (aged 45) San Diego, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | promoting gardening in San Diego |
Alfred D. Robinson (1866-1942) and his wife Marion James Robinson (1873-1919) were wealthy residents of San Diego, California known for their impact on gardening and the cultivation of flowers, particularly begonias. Their extensive home garden was used to propagate and develop more than 100 new varieties of ornamental flowers and was later opened to the public as Rosecroft Begonia Gardens. Rosecroft was the name of their estate in the Point Loma neighborhood of San Diego. The residence, built for them in 1912, is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Marion J. Duncan was born in San Francisco in October 1873, the daughter of retired merchant Hilarion Duncan (1831-1901) and his wife Charlotte (Lottie) D. Wadham. Marion was the only grandchild and Hilarion was the only child of the wealthy Scottish merchant James Duncan (1796 or 1798 - 1874). James Duncan had made his fortune in copper during three decades as a merchant in Valparaiso, Chile, before retiring to Britain in 1864. He was born and is buried on the Scottish Highland Isle of Bute, where he is known as "The Copperman". The name of her estate, Rosecroft, was Marion's nod to her Highland Scottish heritage.
Alfred D. Robinson was born in Watton, Norfolk, England, and emigrated to the USA in 1887 at the age of 21. After a brief stint as a cattle rancher he became a medical instruments merchant with the firm Hoppe and Robinson in Santa Ana in Orange County, California. In 1897 he married Marion J. Duncan; the couple had two children, Larona (born 1901) and Charlotte (born 1908).
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