image_pdfimage_print

A Visit with John and Lizzie (Murrell) Roberts- well, almost

Edith (Roberts) [McMurray] Luck at her desk in Newton, Iowa, 1980.

Many of us are fortunate to know our parents and grandparents, and some of us have actually visited with a great-grandparent. The chance of meeting a great-great grandparent is pretty slim, although today, thanks to the foresight of Edith (Roberts) [McMurray] Luck (1899-1982) and the persistence of a beloved little red-haired girl- Edith was once one of those too- we can, in a sense visit that many generations back.

That little red-haired girl was not me, but I am a beneficiary of the stories Edith wrote about her years growing up on the farm and the people she loved. She gives us so much detail about her family that it is almost like we are there for a visit too.

The John and Elizabeth Ann (Murrell) Roberts Family, 1904.

In the above picture, the fourth child from the left sitting on the ground with long ringlets and a big bow in her hair is Edith Roberts. She was four, and the young woman standing above her in the light dress is her sister Ethel Gay Roberts; her brother George A. Roberts is just to the left of Ethel and their mother, Ella V. (Daniel) Roberts, is in between. Edith’s father George A. Roberts, Sr. is to the right of his daughter Ethel. You can, most likely, pick out John Roberts and his wife Elizabeth Ann “Lizzie” (Murrell) Roberts further to the right in the picture, as they are the oldest in the family and both dressed in dark clothing. (John is the fourth from the right standing, Lizzie the fifth.) Family get-togethers like these on the farm were how Edith learned so much about her family history, and how she had an opportunity to really get to know her grandparents, uncles, aunt, and cousins.

That little red-haired, persistent girl named Edith grew up telling her own descendants about their ancestors, and she finally wrote much of it down, due to the persistence of that other little red-haired girl. (Thank you both!)

Edith’s words are what will be shared here, with minimal additional comments from yours truly- mostly just enough for clarity and to help keep us straight with factual family history. [Editor’s notes will be in italics.]

Edith wrote:

“My grandpa and grandma Roberts were something else. They … had moved into town from the farm. They first lived in Monroe, but later moved to Prairie City.  John and Elizabeth Roberts. I have always liked that name. I like to pronounce and write it and see it in print. ROBERTS, Welsh name it is. Two brothers came over here from Wales. One became a Tory and went to Canada during the Revolutionary War, and our ancestor came west. He was a Whig, and I suppose this is why we have been Republicans all these years. It makes conservativeness, maybe? Never thought of that before. 

[The story of two immigrant brothers, one a Tory (British loyalist), and one a Whig (American patriot) is a common one, but that great political divide is also one that was sometimes true even for brothers born here. Thus far, almost all of what Edith stated about her family history has been found to be true with copious research, so this story bears looking into. A Roberts family history, however, states that the original Roberts immigrant came to America from Wales. (That may still count as being a Tory? Knowing when they came over would help us to determine if this story is true or not.) Also, research is very challenging with such a common name, but maybe with all that is available these days, we will find an answer soon.]

“Grandpa [John Roberts, 1832-1922] was indeed one of the finest looking men you can imagine. Very, very tall. Over six feet, thin, and stately. As I remember him he never walked with a cane or in any way showed his age, except his white hair. It was sort of bristly like, cut short, and always immaculate. He smelled so good. He used a nice smelling cologne I suppose. In those days that was really something. I cannot remember my dad ever using anything like that, or my brother either. He was always well turned out. Clean, neat and sprightly.  

[Despite his age- 72- John Roberts is the tallest of the family in the 1904 picture! And he does look “well turned out.”]

“But what a disposition. So different from grandpa Daniels [Edith’s maternal grandfather]. He [John Roberts] would argue at the drop of a hat on any issue no matter what it was. He harped on religion a lot. There were two churches in Prairie City, one Methodist and the other Christian. Grandpa Roberts was a member of the Methodist church, and if you were not, you were no good. The Daniels belonged to the Christian Church; that is where they attended. Really I don’t think they ever had anything to do with each other. Lived in this little town of maybe 500 people and probably never saw each other except at the post office. By the way, the post office was common ground for every one in town. No mail delivery then. You had a post office box and had to pick up your own mail. A gossip center perhaps.  

The “Homeplace” of George A. Roberts, Sr. and Ella V. (Daniel) Roberts, Jasper County, Iowa. Image taken circa 1900 and hand colored. Part of this farm had belonged to John and Lizzie Roberts previously.

 

“I have often thought that maybe it was because of grandpa Robert’s disposition, caused my dad to leave at such an early age. He farmed for himself before he was twenty, and mother was only sixteen or eighteen when they were married. Dad had trouble with his brother Jason, who was grandpa’s pet, and grandpa was always blaming dad for uncle Jason’s doings. Anyway this is dad’s side of the story. Once I understand they had a “knock-down and drag out” and after that did not do so much “trouble-making” for dad. 

[Ironically and sadly, George A. Roberts, Sr. was a strong-willed, quick-tempered man like his father. George disowned his daughter Ethel when she married a man he did not approve of, and he averted his eyes and did not speak if he saw her or his grandchildren on the street in their small town. Ethel made a good choice, however, as the man George had in mind for his oldest daughter turned out to be a ne’er do well. George did have quite a soft spot for his youngest daughter Edith, however, despite her sneaking notes between her sister and her eventual husband, Bert Robison.]

“Dad had three brothers and one sister. Uncle Ed [William Edward Roberts, 1858-1935] who was a dear. So gentle and kind with beautiful mirthful brown eyes. Aunt Mollie [Mary Jane (Roberts) [French] Blount] 1863-1947] lived in Des Moines and was considered ‘city folks’. Will tell you that story another time. Then dad, and then uncle Jason [Jason Lee Roberts 1859-1940]. There were lots of cousins. Uncle Ed had three children, uncle Jason had seven, aunt Mollie six, and we had three. A lot different than our small close-knit family on mamma’s side of the house.  We were just another grandchild to them. Their house was more interesting than grandma Daniels. I suppose they had more worldly goods. As I look back on it now. Once we had to go there for Christmas and how we kids did complain. Always it was Christmas at grandpa Daniels, or it just was not Christmas. Grandpa Roberts had bought four silver tea sets (we still have one). Each set was in a clothesbasket and what to do about the giving of them. We had Christmas the next day at grandpa Daniel’s but it was not the same as if we could have had it on Christmas Day. 

” Now dear little Grandma Roberts [Elizabeth Ann “Lizzie” (Murrell) Roberts, 1835-1917], as a fretting, busy always at something sort of person. She was so small she could stand under grandpa’s outstretched arm. She loved flowers, and this is what I remember most about that place. There were flowers everywhere. I never see one of those tiny, tiny pansies that I don’t think of grandma Roberts. She was so quiet and kind, and never crossed grandpa, but took his tirades in stride.  

“She came originally from West Virginia. She remembered the slaves and how bad it was for them. Only in whispers did I hear mamma and her talking about this. I was not supposed to be listening.  

“Going back to the flowers, she had a terrarium…  I can see it yet. It was in a large jar and was most interesting. Her dining room was filled with flowers. Always there was a huge fern. You had to be careful not to touch the ends of the fronds or they would die. They would too. The houses were larger then, but I can remember this dining room was most cluttered. 

“I can remember the Reo runabout grandpa bought. [Edith was in her 70s when she wrote these stories, and still very sharp.] To have an automobile then was something. They would drive out to visit us during the week, but never on Sundays. Always they were in church on that day. No one did anything on Sunday but go to church and make calls in the afternoon.  They would come chug-chugging in the farmyard…  [that area] was quite level at that time. Grandpa so tall, and grandma so little, with her veil flying back of her in the wind. They wore tan dusters.  [A long coat was necessary to keep off the road dust as few roads were paved back then.] They would come in for dinner. Mother would have chicken and noodles, because they like that, and all the goodies that went along with a good country meal. Mamma was considered an excellent cook. There was a good relationship between mamma and grandma. [They were in-laws.]

A current example of a 1906 Reo Runabout, via wikipedia

“After dinner dad would go out and get in the automobile and drive it around in the [open area near the farmhouse], in a circle. Of course I was right behind him having a ball. No one else in the family had a car at that time. About four o’clock they would leave and the next week they would visit one of the other children. Strange, all three brothers lived in this area. Each just two miles from each other.  

[Each son received part of John and Lizzie Roberts’ land from his will, before he passed away, or they bought it from him. Some of that land is still owned by descendants.]

She [grandma] always had handwork. Her little hands were never idle. I wish I had some of her handwork… Her workbasket was a most tempting place to get into. Not that I did. I really had a sort of stand-off attitude towards both of them.  

“I don’t seem to remember much about the passing of either of them.  Seems to me grandma went first [she did] and uncle Ed moved in with them and they took care of grandpa because they eventually lived in this house for years. It is still there and I can show it to you some time.  

“Well my pets, this is just off the top of my head; there’s much more that could be written…  I hope this will be meaningful to all of you, and that you will be [as] proud to have them as your… [ancestors], as I am to have them as grandparents.”

 

I hope that you enjoyed our little visit with Edith’s grandparents, and they are now more than names, dates, and a few pictures. What a treasure she has left us!

.

 

Notes and Sources:

  1. Family treasure chests of photos and stories.
  2. Reo image– https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reo_Runabout_1906.jpg

 

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images. Click to enlarge images. We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.

Original content copyright 2013-2019 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly. Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.

Travel Tuesday: A Trip to Town in 1906 by the Roberts Family of Jasper County, Iowa-Part 1

Horses in Snow in Marshall County, Iowa, 1940, by U.S. Farm Security Administration.

 

Roberts Family (Click for Family Tree)

Although the above image is not for Jasper County, Iowa, and was taken much later than 1906, the view would have been much the same for little Edith Roberts [later McMurray Luck] and her family as they drove to town in the long, cold winters of her childhood.

Edith wrote stories, spurred on by her dearest granddaughter, of her years growing up on the family farm. People travelled and visited more than many of us thought they would in those days, and in Iowa in winter, that would mean a horse (or two) carrying them through ice, snow, blizzards, etc. (They took the train to some places, but with living way out in a rural area, one would have to get to a larger town or city for a train depot.)

“We lived ten miles from Newton, Iowa. Once a week, weather permitting, we made a trip to Newton, winter and summer. “

Edith’s parents were George Anthony ROBERTS (1861-1939) and Ella Viola DANIEL ROBERTS (1866-1922). Edith’s big brother, whom she adored, was George A. ROBERTS, Jr. (1889-1965). She loved her sister, Ethel Gay ROBERTS ROBISON (1891-1969) very much too, even risking the wrath of their father as she passed notes to Ethel from the boyfriend her father did not like. (Ethel married that boyfriend, Bert ROBISON, and her father disowned her, never speaking to her again or acknowledging her children.) But I digress, and we need to get back to 1906, when Edith was just seven years old, and the family was heading to town.

Here is a description, in Edith’s words, of some of the preparation for their trip:

“Brother would be outside getting the horses and bobsled (or buggy) ready. To make up the bobsled they would put a wagon box on the two sets of runners and two sets of sideboards on the wagon box to cut down the wind blowing across the wagon box. Then they dumped a lot of clean straw in the wagon box and scattered it around, making it a foot deep at least. It smelled so fresh and clean.”

Getting ready to leave meant dressing for the weather, as well as wanting to look good when one got into town.

“While mother was hurrying around seeing that I got dressed, and sister too, Dad would still be warming his back at the oven door. He was always so cold. He had had sciatica-rheumatism before I was born and had had to learn to walk again.”

Edith was the baby and beloved by her father, who had red hair, as she did. (Her brother Georgie had red hair as well.)

“I would be would be wearing either a blue dress or a red one, whichever was the older. The newer one would be kept for special occasions. Every winter I would have one new dress, just one. When I pranced out for my dad’s admiration, he would say; “Well, well, my girl is a red bird today, what is yours?” or a bluebird, if I was wearing the blue dress.”

Ethel was fifteen in 1906, so was very concerned with how she looked before the trip.

“Mother would be insisting that sister put on a sweater as she was never dressed warm enough. She would say; “Button up your coat, and tie that fascinator closer around your neck.” A fascinator was a long wide scarf very soft and warm. Sister had worked on her hair all morning and did not want to spoil it.”

Leaving the house was not as easy as checking our programmable thermostats (ok, who even bothers with that??). One had to plan ahead, as they knew they would be very cold by the time they got back home:

“Dad or mother would bank the fire in the cook stove so that all we had to do when we got home was just stir it up, and with some corn cobs and a dash of kerosene the fire would be going in short order. No one was allowed to use kerosene except mother and dad.”

 

To be continued…

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. “A Trip to Town, 1906–Wintertime” by Edith (Roberts) [McMurray] Luck. Written in the 1960s-1970s for her grandchildren.

 

Click to enlarge any image. Please contact us if you would like an image in higher resolution.

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
 

Original content copyright 2013-2017 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.

SaveSave

SaveSaveSaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

Funeral Card Friday: Ethel Gay (Roberts) Robison

Funeral Card of Ethel Gay (Roberts) Robison- cover.
Funeral Card of Ethel Gay (Roberts) Robison- cover.

Roberts Family (Click for Family Tree)

Ethel Gay (Roberts) Robison was the middle child of George Anthony Roberts (1861-1939) and Ella Viola Daniel (1866-1922). She married Bert Robison (1890-1977) about 1913, and they had three children: Ruby E. Robison, Harry Robert “Bob” Robison, and Helen Viola Robison.

Funeral Card of Ethel Gay (Roberts) Robison.
Funeral Card of Ethel Gay (Roberts) Robison.

 

We will tell more about Ethel in another post.

 

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. Images from family treasure chest of photos and ephemera.

 

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images. Click to enlarge images.

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
 

Original content copyright 2013-2016 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.

Sentimental Sunday: Roberts Genealogy in an Address Book

Page from an address book of Edith Roberts (McMurray) Luck, with genealogical information of family and friends.
Page from an address book of Edith (Roberts) (McMurray) Luck, with genealogical information of family and friends.

Sometimes the small ephemera left by a person can be so personal that it makes me sentimental about them and the sweet times we had together. Seeing the handwriting, seeing who is important in her life, and just noting that this was information that she thought was important enough to pass on, touches my heart. Edith (Roberts) (McMurray) Luck is a big part of why I love family history so much, so this find made me very sentimental about the times she talked about her family, and drove us all over the county to visit her cousins and elderly relatives. There was only one of the new-fangled copiers in town, and family members would not allow us to take their treasures, so my sister and I copied obituaries, letters, etc., by hand, using a purple Flair pen (the coolest thing to come out of the 60s). There are precious documents that were shared that hot Iowa summer, items that would have been lost forever had we not transcribed them in the 1960s.

Here is a transcription and some details about the persons she listed:

Grandpa Daniels  [Robert Woodson Daniels- Edith’s maternal grandfather] March 21-1862

enlisted Rocklimogen W. Vir

5’8″

Light complexion- Light hair   Grey eyes

discharged fm USA [United States Army] March 25-1865

was 23 years

Born May 26-1843

Died June 20-1922  79 years

 

Grandma Daniels [Margaret Ann Hemphill Daniels- Edith’s maternal grandmother]

Marg A.

Born Sept 25- 1839

died Dec 19- 1915   76 years

 

George Roberts [George Anthony Roberts, Edith’s father]

Born Nov 18 -1861        78 years

died April 18 -1939          5 months

0 days

 

Ella V. Daniels [Ella Viola (Daniels) Roberts, Edith’s beloved mother]

Born Oct 29 1866        55 yrs- 3 mo- 18 days

Died Jan 17 1922        56 yrs.

 

Georgie Roberts [Edith’s brother, George Anthony Roberts, Jr.]  June 30 1965 [death date]    76 [years]   -1889 [birth year]

 

Ethel Robison  [Edith’s sister, Ethel Gay Roberts, married to Bert Robison]  Jan 28 1969 [death date]  78 [years]  1891 [birth year]

 

Winnie Carson [Edith’s first cousin- Winnie Viola Walker was the daughter of Lily G. (Daniels) Walker, Edith’s mother’s sister, and married Archibald Carson (1892-1982)]   June 1997 [June 1897 was when Winnie was born- an error in Edith’s notes]

 

Hilma Stines  [Edith’s first cousin and sister of Winnie Viola Walker, both daughters of Lily G. (Daniels) Walker, Edith’s mother’s sister; married Ruben M. Stines.] Ap. 1900 [birth date either April 1900 or approximately 1900; census calculation indicates about 1902 for birth.]

 

Mrs. Annie Hunniball   [Eliza Ann Fletcher, a close friend and neighbor of Edith as an adult. Annie was born 18 Dec 1880 in Timworth, Suffolk, England, and married Albert John Hunniball (1877-1965); they never had children. As a young woman, Annie worked in one of the palaces of the British Queen.] Died 7.45 PM.

1971  Tues Jan 26- Buried

Thurs Jan 28

 

As I was typing out these names and dates, I thought it somewhat ironic that Edith would have used a page from her address book that had a place for a phone number, since telephones were unknown when some of these persons were born. But then, maybe it was not so ironic, since the lifetimes of these folks spanned a simpler time, leading up to the use of the telephone and even the automobile in the early 1900s. By 1914, the US had the most telephones per capita of any country, so even Margaret Ann (Hemphill) Daniels may have seen or used a telephone before her death in 1915, depending on when it was introduced to their rural area. What an amazing time period to have lived, from the late 1830s until the nineteen-teens and twenties. The changes in technology were just astounding during that time span.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Family treasure chest.

 

Please contact us if you would like a higher resolution image.

Copyright 2013-2014 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

 
We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post, and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.