Robinson, Isaac Dunsmure (Ike)   (1825 - 1912)

Born on 28 June 1825 in Tasmania; he died on 19 November 1912 at sea, on the passage from Norfolk Island to Sydney.

His father was John Anthony Robinson, (aged 34) and his mother was Anne Wade, (aged 25).

He arrived on Norfolk Island in about 1863 having travelled from Tasmania on board a whaling ship.

While 'Ike' was born in Tasmania, some people believe he may have been educated in England, such was his keen interest in botany. He certainly had sufficient standing in scientific circles to enable him to send many plant specimens to scientists in Europe and to Ferdinand von Mueller in Melbourne.

One source suggests he "came to Norfolk as a teacher for the public school".

He appears to have had one daughter with Bounty descendent Kezia Quintal (who died shortly after) but he went on to register a marriage with her sister, Hannah Quintal, producing another eleven children.

He held some important offices on the island, including: Postmaster, and Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Lloyd's agent, Secretary to the Council, councillor, and secretary of the Horticultural Society.

He also listed himself as 'USA Consular Agent', a position that probably aided the many American whaling ships and their crews that visited the island at that time.

His botanical skills gave him sufficient standing in the scientific community that the then Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, J.H. Maiden, and a colleague, J.L. Boorman, accepted his invitation to visit the island in November 1902 . Their combined collections are presently held by the National Herbarium of New South Wales (NSW).

His death is reported in The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) 25 Nov 1912:

"The late Mr. Isaac Robinson, who died on board the steamer Malalta on Tuesday, while on the passage from Norfolk Island to Sydney, was a resident of nearly 50 years. He had fllled many positions on tho Island. He was secretary to the Executive Council, American Consul-General, Registrar for Births, Marriages, and Deaths, etc. The deceased was very popular in the Island community, and his death is universally deplored."

- Asplenium robinsonii F.Muell. [now: Asplenium austrasicum f. robinsonii]
- the red alga Enantiocladia robinsonii (J. Agardh) Falkenberg (1901)

Source: Extracted from:
https://www.norfolkislandtime.com/blog/2024/11/24/isaac-robinson-the-man-credited-with-bringing-the-thanksgiving-tradition-to-norfolk-island
Pers.Comm. R.Barker-M.Fagg email 18/3.2026
The Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW) Mon 25 Nov 1912, Page 6, PERSONAL
https://www.thepeerage.com/p16530.htm#i165291
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1220355513/view?partId=nla.obj-1220369636#page/n3/mode/1up
[Letter, 1888 Feb. 22, I. Robinson,Norfolk Island, to G.M. Dare, Singapore] [manuscript]
Portrait Photo: 1986 stamp, part of a set of 3 stamps issued for Ameripex '86 International Stamp Exhibition, Chicago and showing: Isaac Robinson (US Consul 1887-1908).

Collecting localities for 'Robinson, I.' from AVH (2026)

Data from 231 specimens