A Young Roberts Family, Jasper County, Iowa
Roberts Family (Click for Family Tree)
George Anthony Roberts (1861-1939) and Ella Viola Daniel (1866-1922) had known each other as very young children in Warren County, Illinois. Both families migrated across the rich midwest prairie to Jasper County, Iowa in 1868, via covered wagon- what an adventure for young children! George and Ella grew to adulthood in Jasper County and then married on 16 Apr 1885. Ella was just 18 years old, and George 23.
The family must have been full of joy as they prepared for their first child to be born. John Robert Roberts was born on 14 Mar 1888, but sadly he passed away in June. One year later, on 11 Jun 1889, they became the parents of George Anthony Roberts, Jr. They must have been very excited as little Georgie passed the three month mark and beyond. Georgie grew up to be a very hard-working man, growing crops and raising livestock as he got older, and eventually working the farm he inherited from his parents. He also worked the sections of farm his sister, Edith (Roberts) [McMurray] Luck, inherited.
It has been challenging to research the photographer of this portrait for greater accuracy in estimating a date when it was taken. Georgie was always short, so we have to consider that in estimating how old he was in the photo; he and Ella are siting up on a riser, so that alters our perception of height as well. If Georgie was a year and a half, the photo could have been taken in late 1890. Georgie’s sister Ethel Gay Roberts was born on 28 Jan 1891, however, and Ella does not look as if she is at the end of a pregnancy. So possibly the portrait was taken mid-1890, around Georgie’s first birthday.
This picture is a good example of why it is wrong to assume, or use current ways of thinking in analyzing our ancestors, their photos, and artifacts. If one did not know who the people were in this picture, a person today would assume that the child was a girl, because of the dress. However, back in the day, little boys wore dresses during their youngest years. There were numerous reasons:
1) Changing diapers was easier with an outfit that was open at the bottom- and remember, they only had cloth diapers back then, with no plastic pants to put over them to contain moisture;
2) Dresses are easier to get a wiggly or newly walking toddler into, vs. pants;
3) Dresses allowed more growth, whereas pants are outgrown fairly quickly; and
4) In general, our ancestors generally did not have many closets or storage areas, but did not need them as their wardrobes did not include as many outfits as we tend to have today. If boys and girls could wear the same clothes when very young, passing down dresses that had to be handmade, or finally could be store-bought but expensive, would make sense to our frugal and often cash-strapped ancestors.
Notes, Sources, and References:
- Thanks to those who share the wonderful treasures of our family history.
- See also “Wedding Wednesday: Ella V. Daniel and George A. Roberts,” http://heritageramblings.net/2014/08/20/wedding-wednesday-ella-v-daniel-and-george-a-roberts/
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