Harold Bennett, relative of Robert H. Jackson and historian at the Myers Memorial Library, is pictured at left. Photos by Jordan Patterson

FREWSBURG — Robert H. Jackson, former Supreme Court Justice and prosecutor in the Nuremberg Trials was remembered during a ceremony in the Myers Memorial Library in Frewsburg

Harold Bennett, family member and historian for the Myers Memorial Library, presented on his grandfather’s cousin Thursday evening.

“I think it’s important for local people to know about local history,” Bennett said.

Bennett came into possession of the Jackson family Bible that Robert H. Jackson used when he swore the oath to become a Supreme Court Justice. The Bible came into his possession after someone in the Jackson family line tracked Bennett down and thought he was the perfect person to hold onto that particular Bible.

Bennett spoke about the greatness of Jackson but decided to fixate on him as a man, rather than his political career, hence the title of the presentation, “Robert H. Jackson, the man not the politician.”

“Robert Jackson has always been one of my biggest family members and I’ve always really enjoyed him,” Bennett said. “My presentations are always on, not him as far as a big-time lawyer in the Nuremberg Trials, I present Robert Jackson as a local person growing up in this small little community as a family member.”

Bennett’s main emphasis during the presentation were anecdotal information on Jackson such as how many siblings he had, his siblings and parents’ names and where he was born. Jackson, although a native of Frewsburg, was born in Spring Creek, Pa., in a house that his grandfather built.

Jackson graduated from school in Frewsburg in 1909 and in Jamestown in 1910. This was because Jamestown had a few extra classes that Frewsburg didn’t offer. Jackson returned to school the following year. His graduating class at Frewsburg consisted of just two other students.

One member in attendance at the presentation thought it would be interesting to find out what happened to the two other people that graduated with the now-famous Robert H. Jackson.

Bennett said when the Jacksons moved to Frewsburg the community wasn’t too keen on the family. Members of the Myers library and community members at the presentation speculated why.

Possible reasons could range from the family being known Democrats in a predominately Republican area in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Another reason could be the father, William, being a known drinker, and the fact that the mother taught the kids to dance. Bennett speculated that Frewsburg at the time was considered a dry town and there wasn’t a lot of dancing going on as well.

Jackson would go on to become an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court and prosecutor in the Nuremberg Trials that convicted Nazi soldiers of war crimes during World War II. Jackson also did all this without a college degree.

Bennett’s biggest take away from his presentation was that Jackson was just a “normal boy.” And the fact that he became “world famous” was astonishing to him.

“A normal boy from a small community who became, basically, world famous because of the Nuremberg Trials,” Bennett said.