Robert Collingwood Blackett

A Londoner who, with his Yorkshire-born wife Eleanor, converted to the LDS faith and sailed for America in 1856 — only to be stranded on the Nebraska frontier for years before finally crossing the plains to Utah. He settled in Nephi, where he is buried beside Eleanor in Vine Bluff Cemetery.

At a Glance Has open questions

Born: November 5, 1807, London, England
Died: December 19, 1878, Nephi, Utah (age 71)
Parents: Not documented here
Spouse: Eleanor Mitchell (married May 11, 1828, England)
Children: Including John William Blackett (b. Feb 29, 1848), Robert Collingwood Blackett Jr., and Joseph Francis Blackett
Family line: Blackett · Averett · Stephens line (Jerry's mother's side)
Relation to Jerry: Jerry's 2nd great-grandfather through Fern

How sure are we? Well documented through ship manifests, the Perpetual Emigrating Fund ledger, census, and cemetery records.

Still to find out

The exact year the family completed the overland crossing (sometime between 1860 and 1868).

Read about Robert in…

From London to the Frontier · The Family Tree

Sources for this page

LDS Church History Biographical Database
Institutional archive

Confirms Hugh Johnston's death (Sept 29, 1854, age 54, Empey Company), James Johnston's 1890 British Mission, and the Blackett family (John William Blackett ID KWCF-N6M; Robert Collingwood Blackett Sr. ID KWJH-KQV).
Saints by Sea Database (BYU)
Immigration database

Ship manifest for the Blacketts' 1856 Atlantic crossing. Robert Collingwood Blackett ID 9210; John William Blackett ID 9214.
Perpetual Emigrating Fund Records — Ledger B, Page 202
Institutional archive

Documents the Blackett family's PEF loan. Available at the LDS Church History Library or via FamilySearch.
1860 United States Census — Nebraska
Government record · 1860

Confirms the Blackett family was still in Nebraska four years after sailing from England. Available at Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.
Find a Grave — Robert Collingwood & Ellen (Eleanor) Mitchell Blackett
Cemetery record

Both buried together at Vine Bluff Cemetery, Nephi, Utah. Memorial ID 66062453.

Notes from the family

Remember something about Robert? A story, a photo, a correction, a date? Even a messy note helps. Just open the plain-text file research-notes/robert-collingwood-blackett-notes.md and type it in — or tell Scott (or Claude Code) “add this to Robert’s page,” and it will be woven in properly, with the source recorded.