One of the theories proposed previously about this photo is that this image might have been of four Roberts siblings at the funeral of their brother, Charles Roberts.
A little more research exploded that theory, as only one of the siblings went to Nebraska for the funeral. Searching local newspapers for the obituary of Charles, we found it in the Osceola Record published on 24 May 1906.
Part of the obituary states:
Of Mr. Roberts’ family of eleven children, he has four brothers and two sisters living as follows: John Roberts of Prairie City Iowa; Dr. J. Roberts of Holton Ind., Edward Roberts of Bryantsburg Ind., and H. S. Roberts of Holton Ind., who came to attend the funeral but arrived a day too late. Mrs Jane Kennedy of Holton, Ind., and Mrs. Miranda Demaree of Holton Ind.
So only one sibling, Henry S. Roberts (1842-1925), traveled to Osceola, Nebraska, but unfortunately he did not make it in time for his brother’s funeral.
There were also searches using the names of those we thought might be in the photo, both John and William Roberts. The hope was that there would be a mention of them visiting their brother, but nothing was found in the first five or so pages of search hits- there are thousands for such common names as John and William Roberts.
More research needed… but knowing what it is NOT is always helpful in problem solving too.
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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.Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.
John Roberts, center, and possibly three siblings. Unknown date, Clark Photography Studio, Osceola and Stromsburg, Nebraska. (Click to enlarge.)
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?
John Roberts and Elizabeth Ann (Murrell) Roberts, 1892, Jasper County, Iowa, cropped from a larger family picture.
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.
John S. Roberts and his wife Elizabeth Ann (Murrell) Roberts at the family homeplace, 1900 or 1904. Cropped from a larger family picture.
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:
William Roberts (1827-1891), from a William Roberts Family Photo Album.; unknown date. Photo kindly provided by Jon Roberts from Phyllis Codling McLaughlin of the Jefferson County, Indiana Genealogical Society/Jefferson County Historical Society, 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.
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.
Likely Jeremiah Roberts, c1862- NOT John W Roberts. (John W. was 11 yrs old in 1860, and while he may have been in the Civil War as he got older, no service records have been found. Jeremiah was 24 when he was enrolled in the Indiana Infantry Volunteers, 7th Regiment.) Photo kindly provided by Jon Roberts from Phyllis Codling McLaughlin of the Jefferson County, Indiana Genealogical Society/Jefferson County Historical Society, 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.
We also have a photo of Edward Roberts:
Edward Roberts. Photo kindly provided by Jon Roberts from Phyllis Codling McLaughlin of the Jefferson County, Indiana Genealogical Society/Jefferson County Historical Society, 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.Ella Jane (Roberts) Kennedy, c1880. Photo kindly provided by Jon Roberts from Phyllis Codling McLaughlin of the Jefferson County, Indiana Genealogical Society/Jefferson County Historical Society, 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.
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!
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.Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.
John S. ROBERTS- Will, page 1. From Indiana Wills and Probate Records, 1798-1999, Ancestry.com and previously from Ripley County, Indiana. (Click to enlarge.)
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]
John S. ROBERTS- Will, page 2. From Indiana Wills and Probate Records, 1798-1999, Ancestry.com and previously from Ripley County, Indiana. (Click to enlarge.)
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:
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.Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.
Christie family member at West Fork Baptist Cemetery, Ripley County, Indiana, April 2015. Posted with kind permission of Doug Christie. (Sarah Christie married William Roberts, son of John S. Roberts and Jane Salyers Roberts, in 1848.)Christie family member near Preston Christie headstone, at West Fork Baptist Church Cemetery, Ripley County, Indiana, April, 2015. Posted with kind permission of Doug Christie.
Westfork Cemetery is in Shelby Township, Ripley County, Indiana. Quite a few of our Roberts ancestors and cousins are “quietly resting” in this hallowed ground.
The RootsWeb description of this cemetery states it is 1 mile east of SR 421 and about 2 mi. south from Rexville, or 2.5 mi. SE of Haneys Corner, Indiana. It is in Sec. 31 of Shelby Twp., and 958 ft above sea level. Current address information is 10468 S County Road 450 W, Madison, Indiana. The phone number is 812-689-3124.
Sign at West Fork Cemetery, Ripley County, Indiana. Posted with kind permission of Doug Christie.
There is an “Old Westfork Cemetery” listed on Find A Grave (both old & new FAG) but it does not have any memorials.
Learning who else is in a cemetery may also give us clues as to relationships and residences of family. Knowing that our Roberts ancestors lived in Shelby Twp. helps to verify that these folks are the correct family, despite the common name.
Six person named Roberts are listed as buried at Westfork:
John S. Roberts (1805-1875), son of Edward Roberts and Rosy Stewart.
Jane (Salyers) Roberts (1806-1880), wife of John S. Roberts.
John B. Roberts ((1858-1880), son of Charles Roberts and Ammarilla (Reynolds) Roberts.
Amarilla ( Reynolds ) Roberts (1828-1880), wife of Charles Roberts (1828-1906) who was the son of John S. and Jane (Saylor) Roberts.
David Roberts (1845-1892), son of John S. and Jane (Saylor) Roberts. Listed as an “idiot” and lived with his sister Quintilla (Roberts) Mitchell and her husband Daniel Mitchell.
Susan M Roberts (1855-1879), daughter of Charles and Ammarilla (Reynolds) Roberts.
Quintilla (Roberts) Mitchell (1852-1887), daughter of John S. and Jane (Saylor) Roberts.
Alta Mitchell, daughter of Quintilla and Daniel Mitchell.
**NOTE: Please don’t forget that it takes money, work, and time to maintain the graves of our ancestors! Even if we do not live nearby, a donation, no matter how small, to the cemetery association is a great way to honor our ancestors.
A special thank you to Doug Christie, who posted photos back in 2015 on Facebook (see note 2). He kindly gave permission for us to use his photos in this post. There is a good photo of West Fork Cemetery on Find A Grave as well, but there has been no reply from the photographer concerning my request to use the photo. (I particularly love the grain bins in the background.) See https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/1965427/West-Fork-Cemetery?
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.
