Roberts Family

This is an image found in the ‘new’ treasure chest of photos recently found. The man standing in the center appears to be John Roberts (1832-1922), but who are the other people?

There is no identification on the reverse of the photo.

One clue we have is that the photo was taken at Clark photography studio in Osceola or Stromsburg, Nebraska. Charles E. Clark was 34 years old when he was listed in the 1885 Nebraska State Census, and he was a boarder in Osceola, Nebraska. His occupation was listed as “photographer,” and he lived in Osceola through at least 1920, still working in that business. His wife was also a photographer, but we only know her as “Mrs. C. E. Clark” in the records we found about her concerning Clark studio. Research shows she was Hattie (Byers) Clark (1864-1946). She and her husband opened their second studio in Stromsburg, and she was an equal partner in the business as well as a photographer. So the timeline of 1885-1920 for the Clark photography studio meshes well with the lifetimes of the Roberts children, and the migration of Charles Roberts.

But why would John Roberts have been in Osceola or Stromsburg, Nebraska? And when? And how is he related to the others in the photo?

Since John Roberts, the only person in the picture we can identify with high confidence, lived in Jasper County, Iowa from age 36 until his death, we can assume that he was visiting but not living in Nebraska when portrait of the four was created. For a formal portrait such as this, the folks with him were very likely family. Since their ages seem to be within about 15-20 years of each other, these persons may be siblings. There is a shared resemblance among the men, which lends some support to that hypothesis.

 

But which siblings could be in the picture? We have ten to choose from:

William Roberts (1827-1891), lived in Indiana

Charles Roberts (1828-1906), lived in Indiana and Nebraska

Sally Anna Roberts (1830-1905), married to William R. Rayburn, lived in Indiana and Illinois

Maranda Roberts (1834-1917), married James H. C. Demaree, lived in Indiana and Illinois

Jeremiah “Jerry” H. Roberts (1837-1918), physician, lived in Indiana

Edward Roberts (1839-1922), lived in Indiana

Henry S Roberts (1842-1925), lived in Indiana

David Roberts (1847-1892), lived in Indiana

Ella Jane Roberts (1849-1930), married James H. Kennedy, lived in Indiana

Quintilla A. Roberts (1852-1887), married Daniel Kaye Mitchell, lived in Indiana

Of John’s ten siblings, only Charles Roberts lived in Nebraska. Charles and his wife Amarilla (Reynolds) Roberts, had lived in Jefferson County, Indiana, during their married life. In 1879, they lost their daughter Susan in November at the age of 24; seven months later, their son John died at the age of 22, in June. Amarilla then died 14 Oct 1880, per Find A Grave and her headstone. An earlier document, the 4 June 1880 US Federal Census, however, lists Charles as being widowed. Charles was recorded in that census as a farmer, and his only remaining child, daughter Elsina, plus her husband Benjamin F. Brown and their son Charles lived with him in 1880. The four likely migrated to Nebraska by 1885, as Elsina’s first daughter was born there. By the 1900 US Federal Census, they were documented in Shelby Village, Polk County, Nebraska. Charles died in May 1906, and was buried in Osceola, Polk Co., Nebraska.

So John Roberts could have been visiting his brother Charles Roberts in Osceola when this photo was taken. If this is true, the date range would be 1885, the earliest we know the photographer was in Osceola, to 1906, when Charles died.

So who are the other two men and one woman?

We have only a few pictures to help with identification.

Here is William Roberts:

Do you think that the man on the right in the group photo could be William Roberts?

We believe the following image is Doctor Jeremiah Roberts when he was younger; we have no adult pictures of him.

We also have a photo of Edward Roberts:

The above is an identified picture of Ella Jane (Roberts) Kennedy, but we have no pictures of her three sisters. The woman in the group portrait could also have been a wife of one of the men (possibly Elizabeth Ann (Murrell) Roberts, John’s wife), but more likely would have been a sibling in such a portrait.

If the man on the right is, in fact, William Roberts, we can narrow the time frame to 1885-1891, as William died in September of that year.

The portrait could instead have been taken at a reunion of the four siblings- Charles in Nebraska and three who could travel there. This could even have been as late as May, 1906, when Charles died. The portrait could also be of the siblings who were able to attend the funeral of Charles, feeling it might be the last time they would get together.

The portrait may have been taken after May, 1906, but since every sibling except Charles lived in either Iowa or Indiana, it is doubtful that they would have traveled to Nebraska once Charles had passed away.

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Our photo analysis tells us where the photo was taken- either Osceola or Stromsbugh, Polk County, Nebraska.

The when is still up in the air, but 1885-1906 would probably be the date range.

Who is in the picture is still a mystery, although we believe John Roberts is the man in the center.

We will only be able to solve this mystery if we can find other pictures or information that mentions this family portrait of a visit to Nebraska. Please use our contact form if you have more information about this picture!

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. Martha H Kennedy, “Nebraska’s Women Photographers,” Nebraska History 72 (1991): 62-77. Accessed at http://www.nebraskahistory.org/publish/publicat/history/full-text/NH1991WomenPhotographers.pdf on 25 Oct. 2019.
2. Amarilla (Reynolds) Roberts Find A Grave Memorial# 60404801. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/60404801/amarilla-roberts
3. Photos, other than the lead photo, were kindly provided by cousin Jon Roberts via his communication with Phyllis Codling McLaughlin of the Jefferson County, Indiana Genealogical Society/Jefferson County Historical Society. They are from an album on loan to her from the Lumber Mill Antique Mall, 721 W 1st St., Madison, Indiana. Mall owner is Dean Miller. Album appears to be family and friends of Jeremiah Roberts. Posted with permission.

 

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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, i.e, reference this blog.

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Roberts Family (Click for Family Tree)

Trying to find the parents of Rosy STEWART, who married Edward ROBERTS, has been challenging. Her marriage bond to Edward was signed by a “Charles STEWARD” (she was also listed as “Steward”) but we cannot just infer that he was her father- if her father was no longer living or not living in that area, etc., her brother, an uncle, etc. might represent her in a legal proceeding. (Being female she could not represent herself.) So researching Charles Stewart, to see if he was Rosy’s father or another relation, has been one of our avenues of research. It has been frustrating thus far. He has a common name, and there are so few available records for that time and place. And then there was their migration… so three states at least, and the time period of each migration has not yet been determined.

Right now it seems that there may have been two Charles Stewarts in Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana that could possibly be our man of interest. Differentiating them or proving they are the same man has been challenging.

The above census was taken in 1820 in Jefferson County, Indiana, a place where Rosy lived at one point. But which Charles Stewart is this? Looking at other persons on the census page, we noticed an Isaac CHRISTIE. Isaac’s daughter Sarah CHRISTIE married William ROBERTS, son of John S. ROBERTS and Jane SAYLOR/SALYERS. So this might be the Charles Stewart who is related to our family.

We still need more evidence though…

What do you think?

 

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. 1820 U S Census; Census Place: Jefferson, Indiana; Page: 292; NARA Roll: M33_13; Image: 337; taken 7 Aug 1820.
2. Rosy (STEWART) ROBERTS (1775-after 26 Dec 1826);  Edward ROBERTS (abt 1775- bef 3 May 1830); Isaac CHRISTIE (1798-1865); Sarah (CHRISTIE) ROBERTS (1829-1912); William ROBERTS (1827-1891); John S. ROBERTS (1805-1875) and Jane (SAYLOR/SALYERS) ROBERTS (1806-1880).

 

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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.

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Roberts Family (Click for Family Tree)

Transcription by cousin Jon Roberts (thank you!). We have divided up the will transcription into paragraphs for easier reading.

——————————————————————–

Will of John S. Roberts

The last will and Testament of John S Roberts of Jefferson County Indiana

I John S Roberts considering the uncertainty of this mortal life, and being of sound and memory thanking God for his mercies. Do make and publish this my last will and testament in manner and form as follows (that is to say) first I give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Jane Roberts the use of all my Real Estate both in Jefferson and Ripley Counties and also my personal Estate with the exceptions which may follow.

I also give and bequeath to my son David Roberts his support and living off of the Real and personal property that I may own at my dicease and to be well cared for out of the proceeds of the same During his life.

And I give and bequeath unto my son Edward Roberts Jeremiah Roberts Henry Roberts and Quintilla Roberts One Cow and one feather bed each in order to make them Equal with my other children that has had these things given them.

And further it is my will, that after my decease my Executor sell and dispose of my estate sufficient pay all of my just debts and Funeral expenses together with the debts of my last sickness. And my further will is that my Executor take charge of all of my Real and personal Estate after my decease, for the use and support of my beloved wife Jane Roberts and David Roberts their natural lives off the rents and profits of the farm but in case the rents and profits should not be sufficient for their support, then my Executor to sell in parts or parcels of Estate as he may deem most advantageous for the purposes hereby intended. And my wife Jane Roberts and my son David Roberts is to have their home on the farm on which we now reside and also Quintilla Roberts my daughter to have her home and support on the farm while she remains single.

And I hereby appoint my son Edward Roberts to be Guardian for my son David Roberts and to see that he is well cared for during his natural life and to provide for him out of my Estate. And I hereby appoint my son Edward Roberts my Executor after my decease and desire him to take charge of all my Estate both Real and personal at my decease, and collect and pay debts and make all necessary repairs That may be necessary for the saving of crops or property from loss, for which he is to be allowed reasonable compensation.

And after my decease and the decease of my beloved wife Jane Roberts and my son David Roberts my son Edward Roberts my Executor to dispose of the remainder of my estate and after paying expenses to make equal division of the proceeds between my several children to wit William Roberts, Charles Roberts, Sallie Ann Rayburn, John Roberts, Maranda Demaree, Jeremiah Roberts, Edward Roberts, Henry Roberts, David Roberts, Jane Kennedy, Quintilla Roberts.

And lastly I do nominate and appoint my son Edward Roberts to be Executor of this my last will and testament. And hereby revoking all former wills by me at any made.

And lastly my express will and meaning is And I do hereby order and appoint, that if any difference dispute, questions or controversy shall be moved, arise or happen, concerning any Gift, bequest, matter or thing in this my will given and bequeathed, expressed or contained, that no suit or suits in law or equity or otherwise shall be brought or commenced, or prosecuted for and concerning the same but the same shall be referred wholly to the award, order and determination of my [continued below]

friends Thomas S Mitchell and Jeremiah Roberts both the State of Indiana one of Jefferson & one of Ripley County and what they shall order or direct or determine therein, shall be binding and conclusive to all and every person and persons therein concerned. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the 7th day of December 1875.

                                                                                                                                                                             his

        John     x    S Roberts                                                                                                                                                                            mark

The above instrument, consisting of one sheet was now here subscribed by John S Roberts the testator, in the presence of each of us; and was at the same time declared by him to be his last will and testament and we at his request sign our names hereunto as attesting witnesses.

Stovall Wilkins   Res Ripley County                                                                                                                                                                    Thos S Mitchell  Res Jefferson County

——————————————————————————————————————-

State of Indiana

Jefferson County

On this day appeared in my office Stovall Wilkins one of the Subscribing Witnesses to the Will and Testament of John S Roberts late of said County deceased, who being duly sworn on his oath, saith he saw the said John S Roberts sign and seal the foregoing paper as his Will, and that he with Thomas S Mitchell subscribed the same as Witnesses, in the presence of each other, and in the presence and at the request of said John S Roberts this deponent further saith said John S Roberts was at the time of making and executing said paper as his Will, of full age to devise his property, and of sound mind and memory, and not under coercion and restraint, and that he did publish and declare the same to be his Will and further saith not.

Stovall Wilkins

Subscribed and sworn to before me, this 3 day of January 1876.

James J Sering, Clerk

By J. C. Roberts D. C.

——————————————————————————————————————-

State of Indiana

Jefferson County

I James J Sering Clerk of the Circuit Court in and for said County do hereby certify that the above and foregoing is a true full and complete copy of the last Will and Testament of John S Roberts late of said County deceased, As also of the certificate of probate thereto attached as the same appears from the available file in my office.

Witness my hand and seal this 3rd day of January 1876.

James J Sering, Clerk

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. Wills; Author: Indiana. Probate Court (Jefferson County); Probate Place: Jefferson, IndianaDescriptionNotes : Will Records, Vol B, 1872-1884Source Information: Ancestry.com. Indiana, Wills and Probate Records, 1798-1999 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Indiana County, District and Probate Courts.

 

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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.

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Roberts Family (Click for Family Tree)

Finding that some of our Roberts ancestors were buried in Westfork Baptist Church Cemetery in Ripley County, Indiana, of course a next step would be to learn about the church and seek a list of members, hoping that our family would be included. Church records can be great sources for women, as women were sometimes the first of a family to join a church- or sometimes the only one of the family, but she would usually take the children to church with her. (Of course, one of a woman’s most important duties then was to be a ‘moral compass’ for her family, especially her children.)

Still a small congregation like most rural churches (especially as farms get bigger , more mechanized, and less people actually live on them, the population in rural areas is in decline), there is a Facebook page for Westfork Baptist Church but no webpage.

An old Baptist history book does provide us a bit of background on the church.

“In the year 1826, the West Fork Baptist Church, Ripley Co., Ind., was constituted, and eleven members of this church, (Indian Kentucky,) was granted letters to form that church… These churches are laboring to sustain the cause of Christ in their midst and to show forth the declarative glory of God among the children of men.”

The Indian Kentucky Church was formed in 1814 originally, near Canaan, Jefferson County, Indiana. Records from this church are on microfilm and have been digitized at the Family History Library; unfortunately they can only be viewed at one of the LDS Church Libraries or affiliates. (Adding to To-Do list…) These records include minutes of the church meetings as well as membership lists

The above article does not include any names from the earliest times of the church that are familiar, however having the name “Indian-Kentucky” hints that some (all?) of the members were from Kentucky originally. The history of Indiana does support migration from Kentucky to the other side of the Ohio River in Indiana.

[Note: Subsequent research has shown that Indian-Kentuck Creek is in Jefferson County, Indiana, and has a West Fork as well as an East Fork- might this instead be the origin of the name? Must remember we can’t assume anything… also, county boundaries changed over the years between Jefferson, Switzerland, and Ripley.]

When the Roberts family migrated to Ripley County is unknown. The youngest child of Edward and Rosy (Stewart) Roberts, Mary Ann (Roberts) PRATHER, was born in Kentucky on 28 Jan 1817, so the family’s migration likely was after that date. We still have not sorted out information about their oldest daughter Elizabeth Roberts, but the second oldest child was Sarah Roberts and she married 6 Jul 1826 in Ripley County, Indiana, to William MILES.

The fact that William Roberts, the oldest child of John S. Roberts (son of Edward and Rosy) and Jane SAYLOR Roberts, was born 01 Feb 1827 in Madison, Jefferson County, Indiana, adds to the evidence of the family being in the county by 1827.

Additionally, court records prove that John S. Roberts was given guardianship of his 3 youngest siblings after the death of his father Edward (sometime between 20 Dec 1826 when his will was written and 1830 when it was probated in Ripley County). Thus all this information strongly suggests that the Robertses could have been founding or very early members of Westfork Baptist Church.

So we don’t even have the church records to review yet, but just this small amount of research provides many clues and reinforces what we think we know about the family:

1. They lived in Kentucky then migrated to southeastern Indiana.
2. The family’s migration was likely between 1817 and 1826-7.
3. The family followed the Baptist religion, since they were buried in the local Baptist Church cemetery. (Most religions only allow members to be buried in their cemetery.)

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. “History of the Indian Kentucky Baptist Church,” 1870, originally from Madison Baptist Association Minutes, 1870, posted at http://baptisthistoryhomepage.com/indiana.indiankybc.html
   
2. Old membership roll & minutes, 1931-1945, 1818-1852, 1862-1914 (Indian-Kentucky Baptist Church (Canaan, Indiana))- information for researching– https://ldsgenealogy.com/cgi-bin/FHL2-IN.cgi?128382_Old_membership_roll_&_minutes,_1931-1945,_1818-1852,_1862-1914_(Indian-Kentucky_Baptist_Church_(Canaan,_Indiana))
3. “Indiana Counties and Townships” by Clyde F. Snider, Indiana Magazine of History, Vol. 33, No. 2, pp119-152, 1937.

 

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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.

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Roberts Family (Click for Family Tree)

Tuesday’s Tip: Do you have family treasures stashed in a closet or trunk? Share them- your cousins will enjoy learning more about their family!

Our Roberts cousin is doing just that. And so are we, through this blog.

A great-uncle of Edith (Roberts) [McMurray] Luck, William Roberts, left a big and wonderful family as his legacy. William and his family stayed in Indiana while our ancestor, John Roberts and his wife Elizabeth Ann Murrell, migrated to Iowa.

William’s descendants kept many of the family artifacts from their line, and they are a delight to see. We have already posted pictures of family and friends- see “Friday’s Faces from the Past: The William Roberts Family” for the first of nine posts in the series called the “Lloyd Roberts Family Photo Collection.”

William’s son Isaac Henry Roberts married Clara Shrader, daughter of Mary Ann (Bennett) Shrader. Clara kept her autograph book throughout her life. Completed in her late teens, it obviously was quite an important keepsake to her, and held a lot of memories.

An autograph book was a small, usually hardbound book with blank pages, or sometimes there were lines or images on a page. The book would be passed around to friends to autograph, and they usually wrote a quick little poem. (Those who were born in the 1950s or 60s will remember autograph books as being popular back then too.)

Clara’s autograph book has been lovingly kept by the family and passed down since the 1880s. The current owner has shared the pages of this sweet book for posting, in the hope that not only will descendants enjoy it and it be preserved online, but that descendants of Clara’s friends might see it and get a small glimpse of their ancestor’s personality.

Transcription:

Remember and don’t forget

The Bigest fool you ever met

Command you may

your mind from play

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. “Friday’s Faces from the Past: The William Roberts Family“as the first in the series ” Lloyd Roberts Family Photo Collection” at http://heritageramblings.net/2016/03/04/fridays-faces-from-the-past-the-william-roberts-family/

2. Thank you to our Roberts cousin who so carefully has preserved, scanned, and transcribed this autograph album.

 

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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.