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Robert Kelley Weeks

American poet

Correspondence, annotated notebooks and portrait silhouettes prepared for research
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 20, 2026
Entity authorityQ20715136 ↗
Source-derived summary

Robert Kelley Weeks (September 21, 1840 – April 13, 1876) was an American poet.

Weeks, eldest son of Edward C. and Emily (Stephens) Weeks, was born in New York City, September 21, 1840. He graduated from Yale College in 1862. After graduating he became a member of the Columbia Law School, where, at the conclusion of the course, in May, 1864, he received the degree of LL.B. In the same month he was admitted to the Bar of New York. His tastes led in the direction of literature, and turning from the practice of law, he devoted himself to reading and study. In 1866 a small volume appeared, entitled, Poems, by Robert K. Weeks, and in 1870 a volume entitled, Episodes and Lyric Pieces, both published by Leypoldt & Holt. A third volume of poems was in press at the time of his death. He also prepared for publication a book of Extracts from English literature, and made occasional poetical and critical contributions to the periodicals of the day. His work was anthologized by Edmund Clarence Stedman in An American Anthology, 1787–1900.

He died at Harlem, unmarried, of consumption, on April 13, 1876, in the 36th year of his age.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Robert Kelley Weeks” as american poet. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA useful biographical orientation record, particularly for establishing names, roles and a first chronology. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1840, 1876, 1862, 1864—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1840-09-21. The account is most persuasive where Robert, Kelley and Weeks can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the people & ideas register because the source frames it as american poet. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q20715136. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1840, 1876, 1862 and 1864.

Critical limits

A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.

Best used for
  • Establishing names and roles
  • Building a first chronology
  • Locating cited institutions
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Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Robert Kelley Weeks”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Robert Kelley Weeks primary sources, Robert Kelley Weeks archive and Robert research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

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  3. Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Robert Kelley Weeks” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.