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Robert
Todd was born on June 12, 1848 to Robert Todd and his wife, the
former Rebecca Kellum. He was the fourth of eight children born to
the Todds, two of whom died very young. When the Census was taken
in 1860, the family was living in Camden's Middle Ward, where the
elder Todd worked as a butcher. The seven living Todd children,
Anna, Benjamin, Robert, Emma, Charles, Laura, and William range
from 17 years to infancy. The 1870 Census shows Robert Todd had
married, and was working at the railroad depot in Camden. His wife
Abigail had given birth to s daughter, Helen, a month before the
census. Neither appears to have survived the 1870s, however. Robert
Todd worked for the railroads in Camden for over forty years,
doing different work. City Directories and newspaper articles
record him as a driller, switchman, flagman, fireman, and
engineer. He was working at Second Street and Bridge Avenue when
assaulted in November of 1875. He made a full recovery from the
injuries he received. As
stated above, Robert Todd was living at 519 Benson Street when
appointed to the Fire Department in April of 1876. He was still at
that address when the 1878 Camden City Directory was compiled.
When the Census was taken in 1880, Robert Todd had recently
remarried. He was living at 405 Bridge Avenue with his wife
Margaret, mother Rebecca, and siblings Laura and William Todd. Robert
Todd was living at 417 Bridge Avenue when the 1881-1882 City
Directory was compiled. He was at 527 Bridge when the 1882-1883
and 1883-1884 editions were put together. Robert Todd is not
listed in the 1884-1885 Directory. He is listed in the 1887-1888
Directory at 442 South 5th Street. The 1890-1891 Directory shows
Robert Todd and his brother William, who lived with him for most
of the 1880s and 1890s, at 518 Clinton Street. His sister Laura
was then living next door at 516 Clinton. Robert Todd is listed in
City Directories from 1894 to 1898 at 608 South 4th Street. The
1899 book shows him at 529 South 3rd Street. When the census was
taken in 1900, Robert and Maggie Todd were living at 312 Stevens
Street and they were still their as late as 1906. The Todds were
at 330 Stevens Street in 1910, 404 South 3rd Street in 1914, 422
Stevens Street in 1917, and 412 Stevens from 1918 through January
of 1920. By 1918 he had left the railroad and was working as a
machine operator in a machine shop. Robert
and Margaret Todd are not listed in the 1924 Camden City
Directory.
Robert
Todd's brother, Charles A.
Todd, served with the Camden Fire Department for many years,
retiring as a Captain in 1922. Robert
Todd's cousins, Benjamin
Lorenzo Kellum and Jacob
Kellum, both had long and distinguished careers with the
Camden Fire Department.
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