1841 - 1906
Illinois - Nebraska - Illinois
James M Roberts - we don’t know what the “M” stands for - was born, according to the 1900 census, in January (or possibly June) 1841 in Illinois. His parents were Obadiah Roberts and Louisa Eisen; he had a sister, Caroline, and an older brother William (also known as Livingston), and possibly two other siblings, who possibly died young. His parents also died young, and he and Caroline and William L were raised by their uncle (who was possibly their second cousin once removed, but for now let’s leave it at uncle), Livingston Roberts and his wife Margaret. Their probable grandfather, Jesse, had been one of the first settlers in their part of Illinois, and the township was named after him.
Livingston had a large family of his own, and was a fairly big man in the county. He kept an inn, known as the Halfway House, because it was halfway between Springfield and Chicago, and supposedly Abraham Lincoln often stopped there. Although Jesse had owned slaves in Kentucky, he left there, he said, “in order to educate his family beyond the influences of slavery.” Some have claimed that Livingston's Inn was a stop on the Underground Railway; other sources say it was not, but that no black person was ever turned away from his door.
The Roberts family moved to Illinois in about 1826 - one source says 1827, and further states that the three sons, Livingston, Obed and Jesse, planted crops that year. However, Obediah must have returned to Kentucky in the fall, because he married Louisa Eisen there in October, 1827, and they stayed there until sometime between 1830 and 1840. In 1830 (James was not yet born, but William L possibly was), Obediah and Louisa lived next door to her father, Jacob.
1830 Kentucky Livingston Salem 005
Jacob Eisen 00112211 0012001
Obediah Roberts 02001 00001
By 1840 - in fact probably by 1838 - Obediah and family had moved to Illinois. Caroline was born there in 1838, and James in 1841. They were there for the 1840 census:
1840 - Illinois Marshall Lynn Pct, p. 196 Obediah Roberts 0010001 110001
1f under 5 b. 1835-40 Caroline 1838
1f 5-10 b. 1830-35 Unk f.
1m 10-15 b. 1825-30 William Livingston 1829
1f 30-40 b. 1800-1810 Louisa Eisen
1m 40-50 b. 1790-1800 Obediah b. ~1800
Maxine (Lacey, my major Roberts informant) thinks that Obediah and Louisa went back to Kentucky, to be near her ailing mother. At any rate, the 1840 census is the last documentary evidence anyone so far has found for them. The children were either left in Illinois, or returned after their parents' possible deaths. Since Livingston’s guardianship accounting has charges for “expense of boarding, clothing and schooling” James from age 8-12, the parents probably died by about 1849. They (the children) were with Livingston in 1850.
1850 - Marshall Co, Ill - no twp listed
Livingston Roberts 38 farmer $10,000 KY
Margaret 36 wife OH
Thomas 17 m farmer/ Alonzo 15 m/ Mellissa 13 f/ Jesse 11 m/John 9 m
Zelphia 6 f
George 5 m/ Elizabeth 3 f
Livingston 21 m KY
Catherine 12 f IL
James 11 m IL
Levi Bissell 21 farmer PA
Susan Myres 22 OH
Frank Myres 2 IL
Sometime after this, brother William L apparently left for Missouri. He died before the next census, and left property in that state to his brother and sister. (The property was section 10, township 30, range 28 - which, as far as I can tell, is in Dade County, formed from Barry and Polk counties in 1841. I have not found ANY Roberts records there so far.)
James’s other uncle-or-cousin, Jesse James Roberts, moved to Iowa in about 1853, and Caroline was possibly on a visit to him when she married Lorenzo Dow Wellman (a descendant says they suspect she had had her eye on him earlier). She was married in Fayette County, Iowa (which is where Jesse lived) in 1856.
Lorenzo Dow Wellman - Caroline Margaret Roberts - 5 October 1856 by Lyman Curtis, JP
information supplied by Maxine Lacy
James stayed in Marshall County with Livingston:
1860 - Marshall Co, Ill - 286 - Livingston 48 m farmer KY; Marg 46 OH
Jesse 19 m Il / John 17 Il / Zilphie 15 f / Elizabeth 13 f / Wm? 12 m
Riley 6 m / Ada 4 f / Martha 7/12 - all Il
Cath?Gust 28 m farm laborer Germany;
Jacob Seitz Lutz 22 m; And& Henry Seitz John Lee 25 m all Germany
Jas Roberts 18 m farm laborer 1000 Ils
Eliza Roberts 18 f servant Germany
I have always assumed that Eliza's last name was a mistake - but it just now occurred to me that maybe she was James's (first) wife - and that might be why there was the settling of guardianship accounts.
In November 1860, there was an accounting of the guardianship of Livingston:
State of Illinois }
County of Marshall}SS [?] In the county court of said county
of the November term AD 1860
To G L Fort judge of said court
The undersigned Guardian of James
Roberts & Caroline Roberts, minor heirs of Obediah Roberts dec’d
would respectfully report. and charge himself as follows
To cash recd for sale of Real Estate $1081.04
“ ” ” from proceeds of personal property of Estate of O Roberts
deceased through Wm L Roberts now dec’d 459.54
“ Amount of cash received of Self as administrator of the
Estate of Wm L Roberts dec’d 87.78
---------
$1628.31
Amount due Each heir $814.15 -
By Amount of cash paid Caroline Roberts $10.00
“ ” “ ” Caroline since her
marriage with Lorenzo Wellinan [ie Wellman] 540.52
“ Amt cash paid since [?] 123.30
1860
Nov 20 By Amount paid in full of her share in note 140.33
--------
$814.15
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
By Amount paid for taxes on James Roberts personal}
property in Marshall Co. for two years. } $16.21
“ Amt cash paid tax on land in Mo. 1.25
“ Amount of commission on $814.15 48.84
“ Expense of boarding clothing & schooling minor for
four years from his eighth to twelfth year 120.00
-------
$186.31
1860
Nov 10th[?]Amount in hands of Guardian of date Nov 20.1860 627.84
-------
$814.15Said Guardian would report that said sum of $627.84 is loaned out at ten per cent interest and that said minor James Roberts is now about nineteen years of age
All of which is respectfully submitted Lacon Nov 20th AD 1860
Livingston RobertsSaid Guardian would further report said minors, as heirs of their brother Wm L Roberts deceased are now the owners of the E ½ of the NW ¼ sec. 10 T. 30. R. 28. Also W ½ NW q sec 10. T. 30. R. 28. lying in the state of Missouri.
Livingston Roberts
Here is a picture of James as a young man - I am not sure what age he would have been.
(At one time I thought this was a uniform, but lately it looks to me just like a nice suit. He's got an Edgar Allan Poe look going for him, no?)
James served in the Illinois Infantry Volunteers, 77th Regiment, Company B from 1862-1865 - enlistment date 9 Aug 1862, discharge 10 July 1865 in Mobile, Alabama. He had a fairly rough war. Sometime in September 1864, he met his uncle Jesse, serving in Co. “K” Thirty fourth Regiment, Iowa Infantry Volunteers at Donaldsonville, Louisiana. Before that, he was at Vicksburg. He hurt his back there, in a famous charge, and later spent a lot of time trying to get a pension. (James's Civil War file was sent to me by Maxine Lacy, although I think a few pages might be missing.) His personal description at enlistment was as follows: age 22 years; height 5 feet 6 1/2 inches; complexion dark; hair dark; eyes dark (this info from his granddaughter Aunt Dorothy).
A brief outline of James's service:
1862 - 77th Illinois Volunteers organized at Peoria
- August 9 (or 12) - James signed up
- September 3 - mustered in
- October 4 - moved to Covington, Ky
moved around in Kentucky, then to Tennessee
- December 26-28 - Chickasaw Bayou
- December 29 - Chickasaw Bluff
1863 - to Arkansas
- January 10-11 - assault & capture of Fort Hindman, Arkansas Post
moved to Louisiana
- May 1 - Battle of Port Gibson
- May 16 - Battle of Champion’s Hill
- May 18 - July 4 - siege of Vicksburg
moved to Mississippi
- July 10-17 - siege of Jackson
back to Vicksburg, then to New Orleans
- Oct 3- Nov 30 - Western Louisiana Campaign
back to New Orleans, then to Texas
1864 - February - back to New Orleans
- March 10 - May 22 - Red River Campaign
to Baton Rouge until August
- August 3 - 8 - siege and capture of Fort Gaines
- August 8 - 23 - siege and capture of Fort Morgan
back to New Orleans
1865 - March 17 - April 8 - Campaign against Mobile, Ala
- April 9 - assault and capture of Fort Blakely
- April 12 - occupation of Mobile
- April 13 - May 9 - expedition to Tombigbee River & McIntosh Bluffs
back to Mobile
- July 10 - mustered out, Mobile
After he was discharged, James returned to Marshall County, and in 1867, he married Harriet L (possibly Lodice) Helms.
Marshall Co. County Clerk's Office (someone looked this up for me)
Marriage of. . . Roberts, James M to Helm, Harriet M.
on 29 Sep 1867 by A.R. Morgan of Illinois Central Conference
(Reverend Riley Morgan)
James and Harriet
possibly a wedding photo?
I apologize for the poor quality - it is a scan of a scan.
James is not very good with dates - on his pension application, he says he and Harriet were married in 1871. He also gives different dates for the births of both Stella and Bernard. (He is consistent about Ruby’s birthdate though.)
He and Harriet had four children:
Estella May (our great grandmother) b. 10 April 1874
Bernard b. 10 February 1876
Edna b. ~Apr 1879
Ruby b. 16 Sept 1882
They are in Marshall County for the 1870 and 1880 censuses:
1870 - Marshall Co Ill - Roberts Twp - Lacon PO
13-15 Roberts, James 30 m w farmer 450 Ill
Dicie 23 f w keeping house Va
1880 - Marshall Co Ill - Belle Plain Twp.
Roberts, James 40 b Ill Ky Ky laborer
Lodice 30 b. Va Oh Oh keeping house
Stella 6 b. Il Il Va
Bernard 4 b. Il
Edna 1 b. Il
Helm, Mary wf 23 boarder Iowa Oh Oh
Foster, James 24 farmer Il Oh Oh
Baby Edna died in 1881
1881 September 8, 1881 (from the Henry Republican)
Vital Statisics - Died
July 30, Edna Roberts, 2 years, 3 months old, at La Rose. Reported by Dr. L. J. Sherwood
http://www.piperspages.com/Marshall/VitalDeaths.html
It isn’t clear what exactly James did. In 1870, he said he was a farmer, which can mean almost anything but which implies to me at least a minimum of prosperity. In 1880, he was a laborer, which (again, to me) sounds a bit declasse. And it is true that James worked really hard to get his Army pension - and he also claimed it made him unfit for work. The Robertses always gave me the impression (in their pictures, in the way Aunt Dorothy acted) of being a bit snobbish, so I don’t know what to think about this.
Ruby was born in 1882 in Illinois. James and Harriet got divorced in 1887 in Ord, Valley County, Nebraska - so apparently they had moved there sometime after Ruby was born. Harriet remarried on 10 November 1889 - another Roberts! in fact another J M Roberts (this time it was John). I have not yet figured out exactly who he is or who he is related to (excuse the grammar!). In the 1900 census, he says he was born in Indiana, so it may be just a coincidence, and he may be no close relative at all. Their marriage took place in Geneva, Fillmore, Nebraska, which was the stamping grounds of the Bothwells.
There is no 1890 census.
In 1891, James filled out an affidavit for a pension in Marshall County, Illinois and it stated that his address was La Rose - so maybe he moved back there after the divorce? Later documents all come from Nebraska; the next one is dated 1894, and he claims to be a resident of Bruning, Thayer, Nebraska (Stella and James Bothwell were living there at the time). In 1897 and 1900, his address was still Bruning - he was, in fact, living with his daughter Estella at the time of the 1900 census:
1900 - Thayer Co, NE -Bruning, Belvedere Precinct - V 38,ED 15, Sheet 1, Line 8
James A Bothwell
Stella 26 Il
Verne 7 Ne
Floyd 4 Ne
also father-in-law James M Roberts 59 Il divorced b. 1841 Jun or Jan Il Ky Ky
Bernard lived in the same county, and Harriet and John Roberts, with young Ruby, lived in Gage County, which is two counties to the east.
Here is a picture of him as an old gentleman:
He looks a little disillusioned, and familiar with pain - but quite distinguished, no?.
In December 1905, he went to the Soldiers' and Sailors' Home in Quincy, Illinois, where he died on February 14, 1906 - cause of death chronic entero-colitis, complicated by organic heart disease.
Hebron Journal of Feb 16, 1906
DEATH OF J.M. ROBERTS
Mrs. J.A. Bothwell on Wednesday received a telegram stating that her father, J.M. Roberts, had died at Qunicy, Ill. Wednesday where he had been at the soldier's home since last December. He had been feeble for some time, but the last letter received here stated he was improving. Mr. Bothwell started Thursday morning to be present at the funeral.
According to his death certificate, he was buried in the Soldiers Home Cemetery.
To: father, Obediah Roberts | mother Louiza Eisen | wife Harriet Helms
To: siblings | children
To: James's Civil War records
Back to: Roberts Home Page | Lee's Genes Home Page
Questions, Comments, Additions, Corrections?
contact me at: lee@leesgenes.com
page last updated 2 Mar 2007