Moses ROBERTS (21 Feb 1806-~1880) +
Mary Ann KYLE (1809-1878)

Henry Louis (21 Jan 1831-9 Sep 1898) — m. Martha Susan Armstrong on 23 Jun 1853; m. Alpha C. Bell on 17 Jul 1870; m. Edith L. Evans on 9 Aug 1896

Granville William (Dec 1832-10 Jan 1911) — m. Martha G. Cathey in ~1853; m. Elizabeth Elender Hall in ~1867; m. Mary Brown on 12 Feb 1889

Sarah A. (~1834-????)

Wiley Henderson (Dec 1837-Mar 1907) — m. Martha A. Wolf on 8 Oct 1857; m. Elizabeth Cannady about 1867; m. Elizabeth A. Biggers on 16 Mar 1884

John Stacy (25 Mar 1840-4 Mar 1918) — m. Amanda Bowling on 23 Sep 1861; m. Mary Ann “Mollie” McAnally on 23 Jan 1879

Martha Adaline (12 Feb 1842-27 May 1925) — m. Edward B. Cathey on 19 Jun 1859; m. John H. Ferguson in 1866

Jacob Newton (4 Jul 1844-18 Dec 1919) — m. Sarah Josephine Moore in Jan 1867

Nancy Carolyn (15 Feb 1847-?18 Dec 1913?) — m. Francis M. Clouse in 186x

William Asbury (28 Nov 1850-16 Aug 1936) — m. Hannah Johnson on 16 Oct 1875; m. Sarah Ann Melinda Smith in 1877; m. Ida E. McAnally in 1897

Moses was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, fourth child of Jacob Roberts from Pennsylvania and Patsy Dodd from Amherst County, Virginia. Online claims that his full name was William Moses Roberts have him confused with a different man.

Mary Ann was born in Monroe County, Tennessee, forty-odd miles south-southwest of Knoxville, to Henry Kyle, one of three brothers from Pennsylvania who settled there in the 1820s. Her mother was probably the widow who showed up in the 1850 census of Monroe County as Peggy Kile, born about 1773 in South Carolina.

Moses and Mary married on 3 Feb 1830, reportedly in Knoxville. The 1830 census showed them in Monroe County, Tennessee, a couple in their twenties with no children.

The 1840 census showed them still in Monroe County, next door to Mary Ann’s parents. They had two boys and a girl aged 5-9, and two boys under age 5. That accounts for the five oldest children listed above.

In 1847, after the death of Moses’s mother, they moved to Lawrence County, Arkansas, where Moses started a farm near what’s now the town of Ash Flat. The 1850 census listed them in Richwoods Township, Lawrence County, Arkansas with children Henry L. (20), Sarah A. (16), Granville W. (15), Wiley H. (13), John L. (10), Martha A. (8), Jacob N. (6), and Nancy C. (3), all born in Tennessee. Son William, the youngest, was born later the same year.

The 1860 census for Richwoods Township, Sharp County listed Moses (54), Mary (51), John F. (20), Jacob N. (17), Nancy C. (12), and William A. (9). [Sharp County was formed out of Lawrence County in 1868. The census bureau must have gone back and changed the county name on the relevant parts of the 1860 census.]

The 1870 census for Richwoods Township listed Moses (64) and Mary (61) with son William A. (19). They were on the same census page as the Estes family, Archie & Sarah.

Mary reportedly died in 1878. In 1880, Moses, a widower, was living with son Jacob N. Roberts and family. He reportedly died later that same year.

According to their findagrave.com pages, Moses and Mary are buried in and are the sole residents of the Moses Roberts Cemetery. Findagrave.com doesn’t know exactly where that is, but describes it as being “Under a tree in an open field on the old Tom Garner farm outside of Ash Flat on Peace Valley Road.” The reference is to Thomas Windom Niblen Garner (1890-1968), who owned a farm in Ash Flat Village, an unincorporated part of Richwoods Township west of Ash Flat proper. The area just west of Garner Hill Road seems the likeliest spot.

This cemetery isn’t the same as the Henry Roberts Cemetery where son Henry and wife are buried; the latter is described by findagrave.com as being off Peace Valley Road but about two miles past Garner Hill Road. It’s also not the same as the Roberts Family Cemetery in Izard County where sons William and (probably) Wiley are buried.

Children

Henry Louis Roberts (1831-1898)

Henry has his own entry in the family tree.

Granville William Roberts (1832-1911)

Granville married Martha G. Cathey (~1840-1865) about 1853. They lived in Fulton County, Arkansas. Children:

William Archie (28 Aug 1857-26 Oct 1916) — m. Malinda F. “Linda” Teague in 1883

Mary Catherine (18 Mar 1860-22 May 1950) — m. John C. Cooper in 1878; m. William Michael Oldfield on 23 Sep 1900

Sarah C. “Sally” (1 Jul 1862-17 Apr 1939) — m. John T. Hall about 1879

Martha died in 1865. Granville married Elizabeth Elender Hall (1834-1884) from Tennessee about 1866. Their children:

Martha Emeline (1 Jun 1867-7 Dec 1954) — m. Dennis T. Burton on 6 Sep 1888

John Henry (6 May 1870-1942) — m. Hannah Jane Estes on 26 Aug 1891

Amanda Jane (1 Jul 1873-7 Aug 1948) — m. Franklin Cozort on 25 Oct 1891

Elizabeth died in 1884. In 1889, Granville married Mary Brown (Jun 1836-190x), also from Tennessee. They had no children.

In the 1900 census, Granville and Mary were living in Pleasant Ridge & Strawberry Townships, Fulton County. In the 1910 census, Granville was living with son John and family in Pleasant Ridge Township, Fulton County. He died in 1911. Burial location is unknown.

Sarah A. Roberts (~1834-????)

There’s no definite record of Sarah after 1850. Claims that she married Samuel B. Cunningham (1828-1917) from Connecticut are almost certainly for a different Sarah. The other Sarah was of similar age, was also born in Tennessee, and was living in Richwood Township (with Samuel and two children) by 1860. That’s a lot of matching data points, but the other Sarah consistently told the census that her father was from Georgia and her mother from Virginia.

Wiley Henderson Roberts (1837-1907)

Wiley married Martha A. Wolf (1837-1863) in 1857 in Lawrence County, Arkansas. The census said she was from Arkansas, although her daughter Josie later said both Illinois and, curiously, Mexico. They lived in Richwoods Township, in the part of Lawrence County that is now Sharp County. Their children:

Josephine Marie “Josie” (23 Jul 1861-22 Dec 1930) — m. James Watkins Cope in 1878

Samantha Evelyn “Sis” (25 Mar 1863-2 Jan 1927) — m. Frederick Foster Wright in 1879

After Martha’s death, Wiley married Elizabeth Cannady (1847-1883) from Illinois. They must have lived in Illinois in the 1860s; the first of their children was born there:

Henrietta (1868-1883)

Isham Ernest (13 Jan 1872-19 Mar 1943) — m. Malena Armstrong on 7 Oct 1896

Christena Agnes (4 Jul 1874-11 Jan 1929) — m. George Washington Parsley on 24 Mar 1895

Sabatina A. (1877-1883)

Rosalie M. “Rosie” (28 Aug 1879-3 Jan 1971) — m. John Nathaniel Hall on 12 Oct 1902

Emma Matilda (6 Dec 1880-23 Nov 1960) — m. Roscoe Mullins on 20 Jan 1901

Leon Dee (26 Mar 1883-16 Aug 1964) — m. Laura Belle Armstrong on 24 Dec 1905

After Elizabeth’s death in 1883, Wiley married in 1884 to Mrs. Elizabeth Biggers (~1841-193x) from Virginia. They had no children.

Wiley died in 1907. I think he’s buried in Roberts Family Cemetery, but the stone that I’m almost certain is his is hard to read. Roberts Family Cemetery is in what’s now Izard County, Arkansas. It’s on Route 90 (Roberts Cemetery Road) south of State Highway 56, due south of Horseshoe Bend and several miles west of Ash Flat. In 1930, Elizabeth (92) was living with a grandson in Sharp County.

John Stacy Roberts (1840-1918)

John married Amanda Bowling (9 Apr 1840-23 Apr 1878) from Tennessee on 23 Sep 1861. They lived in Franklin Township, Fulton (later Izard) County. Their children:

Mary A. (18 Apr 1862-11 Sep 1902) — m. James Porter Hastings

John Henry (7 Aug 1864-10 Jun 1926) — m. Tilitha J. Lee about 1887

William Monroe “Bill” (24 Nov 1867-20 Nov 1936) — m. Mary Ann Williams on 5 Feb 1886

Margaret E. “Maggie” (~1870-1899) — prob. m. Zechariah Booth Reid on 13 Mar 1887

Joseph (1875-1875)

John enlisted in Company B of the 27th Arkansas Infantry on 22 July 1862, and held the rank of sergeant. He deserted on 11 Sep 1863. He was captured in Fulton County, Arkansas on 9 Feb 1864, and sent to military prisons at Little Rock, Arkansas and Rock Island, Illinois. He was released on the Oath of Allegiance on 17 Dec 1864.

Amanda died on 23 Apr 1878, and is buried in Roberts Cemetery. John married Mary Ann “Mollie” McAnally (1 Apr 1859-19 Mar 1937) from Arkansas on 23 Jan 1879. Known children:

Jacob Arthur (30 Sep 1881-12 May 1963) — m. Myrtle L. Whittington

Maud R. (30 Dec 1884-28 Dec 1953) — m. William T. Beaver on 13 Nov 1904

Hattie P. (11 Jan 1887-9 May 1973) — m. George F. Pinkley on 30 Aug 1909; m. Russell F. Johnson in 1941

Lewis Emmit (18 Oct 1888-30 Jan 1969) — m. Lora Alice Tucker

Effie (8 Jan 1894-30 Jan 1990) — m. Theodore Claybourne Thompson on 26 May 1921

Oma (31 Jul 1896-189x)

Stacy Columbus (6 Jun 1898-22 Sep 1969) — m. Bertha M. Hand

The 1900 census listed them in Franklin & Jefferson Townships, Izard County with six children. It recorded Mollie as the mother of 11 children, 6 living, which suggests there were four more children who died young and for whom there’s no record. By 1910 they were in Union, Marion County. John died in 1918 and is buried in Layton Cemetery, Yellville, Marion County, Arkansas. Mollie died in 1937 and is buried with him.

Martha Adaline Roberts (1842-1925)

Martha’s first husband was Edward B. Cathey (1837-~1864) from Tennessee. They married on 19 Jun 1859 in Lawrence County, Arkansas. Their children:

Mary Frances (3 Sep 1860-17 Jan 1937) — m. Terry M. Lamkin in 1877

Archibald Edward “Arch” (13 Aug 1862-25 Oct 1940) — m. Lydia Sarah Dark on 22 Jan 1885; m. Lilly Belle Parker Mayfield on 20 Aug 1922

John Glenn (Oct 1864-24 Dec 1941) — m. Ezilphia Brunetta Johnson

Edward was killed during the Civil War. The family account says 1861, but his son John was born years after that. In 1866, Martha married John Harvey Ferguson (21 Jan 1821-1 Jul 1898) from North Carolina in Fulton County, Arkansas. Their children:

William M. (1867-1896) — m. Eula Kate Wharton

Sarah Elizabeth (19 Jul 1871-1 Jan 1929) — m. Horatio J. Humphries about 1886

Henry Robinson (8 Jan 1876-10 Dec 1936) — m. prob. Rachel Emma Martin; divorced

unknown girl (1877-????)

Lucinda Adeline “Louie” (1 Jan 1880-12 Jun 1968) — m. Ephraim Curtis Rippy on 2 Nov 1902

Harvey Lee (20 Jun 1883-19 May 1890)

The 1870 census found them in Pleasant Ridge Township, Fulton County, with a blended family that included four of John’s children from a prior marriage. The 1880 census showed the family in Richwoods Township, Sharp County.

They moved to Texas in the 1880s. Harvey died in 1898. The 1900 census showed Martha, widowed, living in Denton County, Texas with children Henry and Lucinda. The census noted that she had six living children. That meant Mary, Arch, John, Sarah, Henry, and Lucinda. Martha died in Ponder, Denton County, Texas in 1925. She’s buried in Eakins Cemetery there.

Cautionary note: The Henry Ferguson who married Maggie Biggers in 1899 in Arkansas was not this family’s Henry.

Jacob Newton Roberts (1844-1919)

Jacob married Sarah Josephine Moore (5 Aug 1850-14 Apr 1920) in January 1867. Children:

Isaphene Jane (13 Dec 1868-2 Mar 1939) — m. Joseph Ladd Short in 1888

Mary Francis “Mollie” (1 Jan 1871-1949) — m. John Green Berry Ferguson

Ella Athenia (22 Apr 1874-3 Dec 1962) — m. Joseph Thomas Garner in 1896

Daniel Duffel (15 Aug 1876-19 Feb 1943) — m. Belle Montgomery in 1905

Jacob Walter (24 Jul 1881-3 Sep 1931) — m. Mary Carolyn “Carrie” Schenck on 3 Feb 1909

Oscar William (25 Jan 1883-10 Dec 1910)

Esta Mae (11 May 1891-12 Oct 1953) — m. LeRoy J. Perryman in 1930

Jewell Clarence (5 Nov 1892-1936) — m. Hazel W. Forester on 11 Aug 1922

They lived in Richwoods Township, Sharp County. In 1880, Jacob’s father Moses (74) was living with them.

In 1904, Jacob moved to the town of Calico Rock in Izard County. He died in 1919, and is buried in Roselawn Cemetery, Calico Rock, Izard County, Arkansas. Sarah died the following year and is buried with him.

Nancy Carolyn Roberts (1847-?1913?)

Nancy married Francis M. Clouse (1842-6 Apr 1894) from Monroe County, Tennessee in the 1860s. Francis had been a Union soldier, in Company E of the 11th Missouri Volunteer Cavalry. Known children:

Mary Ann (10 Feb 1867-after 1910) — m. William Perry Shaw about 1882

Rebecca E. (11 Mar 1869-23 Dec 1915) — m. John Monroe Coleman

Moses Roberts (1870-1944) — m. Sarah Higginbottom on 19 May 1895; m. Emma A. Bryant on 11 Sep 1898

John Marion (4 Sep 1874-13 Oct 1962) — m. Fannie Lee Hagan/Hogan on 12 Aug 1900

Theodore (1877-????)

Nancy Margaret Adeline “Maggie” (1880-after 1940) — m. Thomas Joshua “Tom” Crick on 21 Dec 1898

C. A. (1884-????)

In 1870 they were living in Pleasant Ridge Township, Fulton County with their first two children. In 1880 they were in Richwoods Township, Sharp County with the first four. A military pension record referencing a Congressional act of 19 Apr 1908 indicates that Francis died in 1894. He’s buried in Hardy Cemetery, Sharp County under a marker that lists his military unit but gives no dates.

The 1900 census showed Nancy in Hardy Township with son John, daughter Maggie, and Maggie’s husband. It recorded that she had five living children, so Theodore and C. A. had probably died young. A familysearch.org posting claims Nancy died in Tennessee in December 1913. The pension record, dated February 1914, notes she was deceased but not when, so the 1913 date looks likely.

William Asbury Roberts (1850-1936)

William, the only one of his siblings born in Arkansas, was a farmer and blacksmith. He married Hannah Johnson (1852-~1875) from Sharp County, Arkansas, reportedly on 16 Oct 1875. They lived in Richwoods Township, Sharp County, and had one child:

Susan G./C. “Susie” (~1874-after 1920) — m. John Thomas in 189x

Hannah presumably died around the time Susan was born. William married Sarah Ann Melinda “Sally” Smith (8 May 1859-1883) from Dade County, Georgia in 1877. Children:

Hannah “Hanner” (24 Sep 1877-1 Jul 1917) — m. Archibald A. Billingsley on 24 Jun 1894

Sylvinia “Vina” (19 Dec 1878-1925) — m. George Jackson “Jack” Shelton on 17 Jul 1898

Sarah Ann (20 Jan 1883-15 Jul 1966) — m. Benjamin F. Wells

Sarah died in 1883. William married Ida E. McAnally (13 Jan 1876-21 Jan 1920) from Franklin, Arkansas in 1897. They lived in Izard County, and had two children:

Willie M. (4 Aug 1898-21 Jun 1899)

Frances Aris “Fannie” (Jul 1900-Jun 1995) — m. Frank Archie Sharp on 26 Feb 1919

Ida died in 1920. William died in 1936, and is buried with Ida in Roberts Family Cemetery east of Franklin, Izard County, the same place as William’s older brother Wiley H. Roberts.

Links

The Wrong Sarah