Roberts Family (Click for Family Tree)

As we work to identify the people in the above photograph, which was cropped from the original posted in Part 1, an internet search for images was not very helpful. Our own blog posts were the majority of the hits, so we revisited those.

We have posted the family photos from the large get-togethers of John Roberts’ descendants in the early 1900s.

In this image, Guy L. Roberts was only about 2 years old, so it doesn’t help us much to ID him, but his mother, Julia French Roberts was 29 and his father, Jason Lee Roberts, was 33. We can see adult features to help confirm our hypothesis as to half the passengers in the beautiful old Cadillac.

This portrait taken 8 years later gives us an even better idea of the facial features of Jason, Julia, and Guy. Guy was about 10 years old in this family grouping, so his features will changesomewhat, throughout the next 10 years or so.

We also have a portrait of Jason and Julia from maybe 10 years after this last family picture, about 1910 or so:

Ears and noses are good facial areas to focus on when trying to ID persons through the years, and those features do suggest the man in the back seat could be Jason Lee Roberts. The woman in the circa 1910 portrait and the younger images looks very much like Julia French Roberts, in this author’s humble opinion.

We recently found the following portrait in a box full of photos, with many of them Robertses and the photos unexpectedly old:

If you have not read the caption, would either of these adults look familiar? This looks like the couple in the front seat of the car, so we feel they are most likely Guy and Florence Myrtle Wilson Roberts.  Again, we have found no other photos of Guy or Florence online or on genealogy websites to verify this identification, but it seems very possible we have the correct people. The first two children of Guy and Florence were Cyrene Iris Roberts (later Stillwell), who was born in 1912, and John Malcolm Roberts, born 1914. Florence would have a total of 10 children before she and Guy divorced in 1943. Guy remarried in 1947 and had one child, Guy L. Roberts, Jr., with his second wife, Bernice Harper Roberts (1908-1981).

Have we met the Genealogical Proof Standard in identifying these people? We do have a lot of circumstantial evidence, but is it a “preponderance of evidence”? Have we done “exhaustive research”? This is as much as we now know, and feel the hypothesis of those in the car being, from left, back seat, Jason Lee Roberts, Julia French Roberts, and in the front seat Guy Leslie Roberts and his wife Florence Myrtle Wilson Roberts is correct. We hope that someone will have other pictures to definitively prove our hypothesis, so please contact us if you can tell us more!

And of course, that car in the second picture of Guy and Florence… People took pictures of themselves with their most prized possessions, and since Guy founded two automobile insurance companies, we could suggest that he was very proud of his vehicles. We can definitely say it is not the same car as the first because of the back fender line angling down, whereas in the first/earlier car the back fenders ran straight to the rear of the vehicle. So this may be the latest and greatest model at that time. And that is the deepest this human, not vehicle, genealogist will proceed, leaving it to others who will better enjoy the fine nuances of successive car vintages to research.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. Family treasure trove of pictures.
2. Prior Roberts family genealogical research.
3. A special “thank you” to the Harlan family for allowing us to share the image of Jason and Julia they posted on their WordPress blog.
4. Thanks also to our wonderful family who has shared the boxes of pictures and tediously scanned them so we may all enjoy. More of those to come on the blog!

 

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 2013-2022 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 the copyright or use of “Heritage Ramblings” blog material.

ROBERTS Family (Click for Family Tree)

First,  it is important to say that **we do not know for sure the identity of these people in the car. **  We are hoping that a kind reader out there will share some of their images to confirm or refute our educated guesses.

Second, what a fun picture! Wonder where they are going, dressed in their finery. Looking at the intricate and beautiful hats of the ladies, they most likely will not be driving very fast with the top down.

This RPPC (Real Photo PostCard- photos were printed on heavy cardstock for mailing) was found in a collection of wonderful very old pictures that included many persons in the Roberts family of Jasper County, Iowa. There were no names on this image to definitively ID the individuals, but because it was a postcard, we got very lucky that it was completed to be mailed to a person and has a signature. Sadly there is no postmark to give us an approximate date. With this information, however, plus previous research, we can make an educated guess about the people out for a ride in this amazing new machine, the automobile.

Again, while we do not know for sure that this image is of the people we listed in the caption, there are quite a few clues that have helped us to come to these conclusions. Here is a bit of the thought process and information used to verify steps in our hypothesis- it is not quite a genealogical standard of proof, but as close as we can get with the data we can find:

1. The car and clothing of the persons in the photo suggest the early 1900s time period in the United States.

2. On the front grill of the car, the name appears to be “Cadillac.” A Google search for Cadillacs from 1900-1930 was a starting place to ID the car, so we could determine approximately when this was taken and who in the family would have been alive at that time. Using the comprehensive “New Cadillac Database” was easy as one can to scroll through all the pictures and confirm with the text the specs and profile of a vehicle. Identifying features of the vehicle include distinctive square lights on the side with round lights in front. There is a curved cowling to separate the longer hood from the four-seater body. The car had a top (a demi-tonneau) that could unfold above the seats for protection from the weather if needed. If this non-car-person’s assessment is correct, this may be a 1909 Cadillac Thirty, an exciting new vehicle with a 30 horsepower engine. Top speed would have been about 50 mph, which isn’t bad considering how few roads were paved, especially in rural areas like Iowa. This model may have been the Model G demi-tonneau. The base price was $1350 (about $46,000 today), with a speedometer, lamps, a generator for the lamps (instead of oil or gas lamps), a detachable tonneau, a second battery, etc. all adding to the price- selling cars hasn’t really changed much, has it? This could instead be a 1910 or 1911 model, 1911 being the last year a crank was used to start the car. So we can say that likely this car is circa 1910, which helps us pin down the time. [Please do leave us a note if we have not found the correct Cadillac model- we appreciate true expertise in identifying this vehicle!]

3. We know the Roberts family had cars fairly early-on, as Edith M. Roberts spoke of her grandparents, John Roberts (1832-1922) and Elizabeth Ann Murrell Roberts (1835-1917) having a car. Her father, George Anthony Roberts, Sr., enjoyed driving it before they had their own.

“I can remember the Reo runabout grandpa bought.  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… It 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.  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.

“After dinner dad would go out and get in the automobile and drive it around 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. “

REOs (pronounced ree-ohs) became available in 1915, and were produced until 1953. R.E.O. are the initials of Ransom Eli Olds, the founder of the company. And, for those of a certain era, the name of a 1915 truck called an ‘REO Speedwagon’ was the origin of the name of the excellent 1970s-80s band REO Speedwagon! (The letters were spelled out in the band name, however.)

4. Another good clue for identifying this image was on the back. As a postcard, the name and address were there: “Mr. Geo Roberts Jr” of Monroe, Iowa. We know that George Jr lived in Jasper County, Iowa, for his whole life. Georgie, as he was known, was born June 11, 1889 on the family farm near Monroe, Iowa in Jasper County, to George Anthony Roberts, Sr. (1861-1939) and Ella Viola Daniel (1866-1922). Georgie worked the family farms, both as a boy as well as when an adult. This helps us know to look at extended family and friends of the Robertses.

5. “Guy” is a less common name in the family, and a search within the family tree takes us to Guy Leslie Roberts, born December 9, 1890, in Mound Prairie Township, Jasper County, Iowa, to Jason Lee Roberts (1859-1940) and Julia French Roberts (1863-1917). Bingo! Jason Lee was the oldest of the three Roberts brothers born to John Roberts (1832-1922) and Elizabeth Ann Murrell Roberts (1835-1917).

That meant that Guy and Georgie were cousins, and they all lived about two miles apart in rural Jasper County! Since there is no postmark the photo postcard was not actually mailed and likely presented in person, again suggesting that we most likely have the correct “Guy.”

 

Next: A few more identification details and photos…

 

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. Family treasures chest of photos and ephemera. A special “thank you” to all of those through the last 150 years or so who have preserved and passed on the beautiful images of our dear family.
2. A special “thank you” to Edith M. Roberts McMurray Luck for the stories she wrote about her life growing up along with her sweet biographies of our ancestors, and the grand-daughter who encouraged her to put those thoughts on paper for the generations to come.
3. “Descriptions and Specifications of Cadillac Cars 1905 – 1912.” https://www.newcadillacdatabase.org/static/CDB/Dbas_txt/Cad05-12.htm
4. REO cars, and REO Speedwagon- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REO_Motor_Car_Company, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REO_Speedwagon

 

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 2013-2022 by Heritage Ramblings Blog.

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 the copyright or use of “Heritage Ramblings” blog material.

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: 

1. Thanks to those who share the wonderful treasures of our family history.
2. 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/

 

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 2013-2019 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.

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.

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.  

 

“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.]

“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.

Roberts Family (Click for Family Tree)

The Jasper County, Iowa farm of George Anthony Roberts and Ella Viola (Daniel) Roberts was very close to the one-room schoolhouse that their three children, George Anthony Roberts, Jr., Ethel Gay Roberts, and Edith Mae Roberts attended. Edith described the proximity in one of the stories she wrote for her grandchildren. She was a captivating writer, and set the scene remembered from when she was just four or five, even before she described anything about the school. She called her story, “A Winter Afternoon 1904.”

“Mother and I had had a nap and I was playing in the kitchen, while Mama was taking out of the oven huge loaves of bread and a pan of six inch high biscuits.

“There must have been a dozen in this particular pan she always used for these biscuits. The fragrance from the freshly baked bread was delightful. The golden-browned tops were well greased, making them even more delicious to eat. Mother used a potato water starter. I don’t know just how she did it. I do know that sister was always warned not to upset the cup of starter on the table in the pantry. She baked once a week.

“These winter afternoons were quiet and comfortable as I think back on them.”

Edith continued:

“It was about time for the kids to come home from school. If I timed it right I could stand on a chair and watch for them to leave the school grounds. We were just a quarter of a mile from the school-house.

(The Roberts farm was in Mound Prairie township, in Section 25 and 26 in the years these photos were taken. Their house sadly burned down sometime around the 1970s.)

As an adult Edith could not stay still- always working, doing something with her hands while listening to her favorite farm programs or PBS shows, or a good conversation. She must have been a very busy child, and admitted that in the following:

“This afternoon I was standing on a chair jugging from one foot to the other with a carpet ball in my hands. A big basket of them was under the resevoir [sic]. Also near the stove was a tall can of thick cream. It was being warmed to churn the next morning. Mother had warned me to be careful. Finally, while I was shouting; “They are coming, they are coming.” she said sharply; “Edith Mae Roberts, if you drop one of those carpet balls in that cream you will get a hard spanking.” Under my breath I said; “I wish my name was not Edith Mae Roberts.” I was teased about this for years. “So you don’t want to be called Edith Mae Roberts huh?”

Apparently the carpet balls (torn up old clothing that would be made into a household carpet) did not end up in the cream- or, Edith never admitted they did. The most important thing at that moment was the schoolhouse, as the two siblings she loved so dearly were running out the door, running up the hill, and coming home to her:

 “The kids came in all hot and breathless and covered with snow. All hungry as little bears. I knew mother would fix them one of those fresh biscuits and I would get half of one too, with either plum butter or apple butter on it. Delicious! I can almost taste them now.”

Georgie and Ethel may have spent the last part of their school day thinking of the delicious treat they might find when they got home- they knew which day of the week was baking day! The two of them may have run the whole quarter mile home to get to that biscuit faster- and get out of the cold Iowa snow.

The biscuits were a wonderful treat, to be sure, but their after-school snack was also fuel for hardworking farm youngsters on a cold winter day with snow to trudge through as they did their after-school work. Georgie was 15 years old in 1904, and Ethel 13; they were expected, by that age, to do practically the job of an adult on the farm.

“Brother and sister would change their school clothes and get outside to do the chores. If I didn’t have a cold I could go too. What fun it was to tag my brother through the snow. Gathering a few eggs in the chicken nest, and leading the horses to water, and putting corn and oats in their feed boxes. The barn was warm and noisy with their movement and eating. We would go up in the hay mow and throw to put [it] in their mangers. Brother helped mama milk, and I would have to go Protesting to the house, because I couldn’t be in the cow-barn where they were milking. Sister would start supper, and another winter afternoon had come to a close.”

Edith was protected for a while longer from the dangers of farm life, such as a restless cow kicking her or a large work horse not seeing her and smashing her against a wall. She most likely protested quite heartily as she was scooted to the house, and knowing how spunky she was, she likely would have been persistent as well, but her safety would have won out.

She understood why, and that the family loved her:

“As I look back on my early childhood, I seem to remember this feeling of contentment, happiness and always being busy as were everyone in the family. We were happy and had concern for each other. Of course there were spats with each other but when we needed each other [all] the family rallied around. There was not much show of affection, in fact I can’t remember ever seeing my mother or father being hugged or kissed by sister or brother. I think it was frowned on. Not me. I loved them all and showed it, but I was the baby. Maybe this is what made the difference.”

Edith would go on to attend that same one-room schoolhouse, but she would take her education even farther than did her brother or sister. But that is another story.

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. Family treasure chest of photos, stories, and memories.

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

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave