Roberts Roots & Branches

Emails received from the Lincoln County Historical Society: here is the link provided from the above email: http://www.lincolncountywy.org/ Go check out the new web site and let me know what you think!  I am also excited about their upcoming goals and things that will eventually be available on the site.  See the email below! Go Lincoln County Historical Society!    What wonderful goals and  exciting accomplishments they have made in for the family researcher!  They do a great job so, go to their web site, support them and leave a comment!

I have been made aware of some problems when it came to making comments.  So, if you have tried to make a comment and not been able to because you did not have an account it is now not necessary. I have gone through all of my blogs and made the adjustment.  Sorry for the inconvenience. So, I expect more comments! Also, in other "techie" news, I believe I have figured out how to post date posts! Go me! Have a great day & leave a comment!

A through Z.  I hope that you have been able to learn about the research I have done.  I wanted to share some things that were not necessarily "research" or "family history", but were how or where I get my information.  These are the things that have made this journey so much fun and inspiring.  I hope that you have enjoyed reading these posts. It has been fun and I have been able to explore and share my creative side. I do wish there were more "R's" in the alphabet! Enjoy your day! P.S.  If your visiting please, Please, PLEASE leave a comment!  Remember the post entitled "Your Cheers"?

picture from here The above picture of zoo animals look so cute, however, the "zoo" I wish to expound on is not cute little animals!  It is an "animal" of sorts:  It is my loft.  --my genealogy stuff!  It includes my office/desk/copy machine/tables/credenza. My desktop/laptop/IPad/scanner/printer.  I have pictures/papers/documents/sources/correspondence. I have to do's: urgent to-do/soon to-do/someday to-do/to-do lists/to-do items/and what to-do with? I have books/files/magazines/notes/handouts/syllabus. I have CD’s/flash drives/even floppies. I have program software/clip-art/database collections. I have newspapers/copies of newspapers/newspaper clippings. I have journals/keepsakes/binders. I am so blessed to have a "genealogy space" in my house where no one touches or moves anything; however, I have exploited the blessing and have let it get blown out of control!  (Don't call Hoarders, or I'll be in the back of that dumpster ...

picture from here Way back in the early days of my research I sent a letter to the Wyoming Archives with a list of several Roberts family members whose death certificates I wanted.  I enclosed a check and my contact information. About a week later, I received a call from a very sweet and kind woman at the Wyoming Archives.  I worried there was a problem as this was my first request for certificates. However, she explained there was no problem she just though it might be easier for her to read through all of the Roberts Wyoming death certificates from Uinta and Sweetwater County she had, so I could decide which ones I wanted.  She read through the list, I mailed her another check, and that is the story of how I received so many Roberts death certificates!

Many years ago my dad and his wife, Joe, and myself ventured down to Henderson, Nevada to interview and speak with William Henry Meacham, son of Letitia Roberts(35).  In fact I met Billy and his son, E., at his mother's funeral.  Each year in February for the past 9 years I have gone down to Las Vegs with my girlfriends.  While there I have stopped by to visit with "Wild" Bill Meacham.  He was always such a fun and lively character.  He had stories, photographs, quotes and lots of Roberts family information.  His home was your home.  He always wanted you to feel comfortable and at ease.  I miss visiting with Billy, and I miss his wife Ella Mae.  As Billy would always say, "...his claim to fame." For me Billy's claim to fame was our visits in Vegas!  Rest in peace, I miss you.

Rock Springs Historical Museum, Rock Springs, Wyoming My research trips to Sweetwater County begin in the county seat of Green River. The first stop is the usually to the County Clerk’s Office and the court house depending upon what I am researching. Second stop, is the Sweetwater County Historical Museum , to see what is new and to browse their new books, and lastly I visit the Riverview Cemetery to pay respects and search for relatives.  (See photo below) Welcome sign in Rock Springs, Wyoming The trip then takes me to Rock Springs, about twenty minutes away. While in Rock Springs, I usually go to the City Cemetery , Mt. View Cemetery, the Rock Springs Historical Museum , and Western Wyoming Community College to search microfilms of the old Rock Springs Rocket. Lastly, I will drive around the town and community, wondering if my relatives walked down this street, stopped at this business or saw this view.  If I have extra time, I LOVE to go to the old antique stores i...

Marlene Pean lived in Central Point, Oregon, and was a neighbor of June and Clifford Phillips. (Clifford Phillips was the son of Clifford Phillips and Jennie Roberts, who is the daughter of John Richard Roberts and Selina Parker). Marlene was sorting through the family items and found a Roberts Roots & Branches newsletter. Being a genealogist herself, Marlene emailed and asked if I was interested in copies of the Phillips family pictures. Of course I was. Everyday Marlene would scan and email me a handful of pictures along with the family stories and information that June and Clifford had related to her. Marlene also included some handwritten letters and documents. Shortly after Marlene contacted me, we had decided to move.  I was packing and house hunting and not doing much genealogy, but I was so glad to have the information and pictures she was sending me. Marlene had finished emailing me the photographs just before we moved.  Four months later my husband died. F...

Roberts Roots & Branches Newsletter Statistics: Started in October 2000 to current Published Quarterly in the months of:  January, April, July, October. There are currently 43 newsletters mailed out quarterly Article submissions are welcomed, accepted, and appreciated. Financing of newsletter.  There is no membership dues or subscription rates.  Newsletter is free.  Donations are accepted and appreciated. There are currently 11 separate blogs on the Roberts family that began in March 2009 Goals of the Roberts Newsletter:   *Share & exchange information about the Roberts family *Keep in touch with the Roberts family members *Locate and find all living descendants of Hugh & Margaret Roberts *Inspire & motivate others to become involved in the Roberts family research *Share knowledge, resources, and information about how to do genealogy

I am like a kid waiting for Christmas when I wait for certificates from England.  I find myself checking my mailbox everyday (usually I check it once a week, checking the post office box in rural Utah was my husband's job and I just don't think about it.  I also don't think about checking the gas, tires, etc.) When I open the certificates I have a bi-polar reaction:  I am either elated with new and wonderful information, or I am in the dumps with the wrong certificate or nothing I can connect to! When I received what I believe was Hugh & Margaret's marriage certificate I was hoping that I would be able to jump on FamilySearch or Ancestry.com and link up to a line that had done research further back. Nope, nada,  nothing. How frustrated I was.  Oh, well so goes the Roberts family history research!

Many years ago when I first began family history work, January was my month--it was my Christmas.  I would bake casseroles and have freezer meals ready for my family, and I would organize my trip.  Armed with my printouts of books and films I wanted to look at, I would take a week and stay at my dad's or in-laws and spend a full week at the family history library researching.  I would gather as much as I could and learn as much as I could in the week and then return home to organize, analyze and sort  through what I found. So, traditionally, January is my "genealogy month." Now that Christmas is over and January is approaching I thought I would do a new thing and relate some fun, weird, simple, interesting, and amusing things I have learned, found, come across, and located regarding the Roberts family. For this month I will write a post relating to each letter of the alphabet.  I hope you find these posts interesting and informational.  PS:...

image from here • The Grinch stole my family tree. • My family tree is not a real one; it’s artificial! • Christmas morning, under my family tree Santa left me: Census records, marriage certificates, christening records and a map to the cemetery. • This year I’m not decorating my tree, I’m just going to appreciate the simplicity of my family. • At the Christmas tree lot do they also sell family trees? • Can I put my Christmas tree and family tree on the same timer? • Flock the Christmas tree; flog the family tree--just to see who falls out! • Christmas tree: It didn’t look that big outside! Family tree: It looked bigger on the computer screen! • Christmas tree lights and public pedigrees: a tangled mess! • For Christmas you don’t want to decorate and light a banana tree; likewise source and document your family tree so you don’t end up the wrong tree! (by jrobertslott)

 image from here  Dear Family, Happy Thanksgiving I am thankful for: FamilySearch digital images my mission at the FHL continual training I receive at the FHL my new IPad to assist with my research all of you who placate my passion notes, letters, emails and phone calls from my readers my Roberts family who came before me working with my Dad at the FHL so we can discuss research questions this season of my life to be able to devote my time to this research living in Wyoming in 1999 to 2002 so I could research Have a wonderful turkey day spending it with loved ones. Janet

"A society grows great when old men plant trees  in whose shade they will never sit" (Greek proverb) http://www.newton.lib.ia.us/images/prog/2008prog/tree/image_view_fullscreen A family grows great, when previous generations leave their  histories, in whose shade of wisdom and knowledge  they will leave for their descendants. (Janet's proverb)

http://images.google.com Monday, July 4--Independence Day marks an anniversary and a birthday for our ancestors. 116 years ago on Monday, July 4, Isaac Roberts (10) and Janet (16) Howie were married. Two years later, July 4, 1897 their second son, James H. Roberts (24) (my grandfather) was born. Both of these events, the marriage and James' birth took place in Trimdon Grange, England, but Isaac was an American citizen.  He obtained his citizenship and then went back to England where he married Janet and worked in the Durham County coal mines.  Why did he go back to Durham County and not Staffordshire County--the county he immigrated from in 1886?  Did he have family in Durham County?  Did he have a job secured in Durham before he left?  So many mysteries left to the puzzle. . .

Okay, so I haven't posted for awhile, but that does not mean I haven't been busy, because I have, that is why I  haven't posted! I attended the first ever RootsTech in Salt Lake City--it was a blast.  I attended with my Dad and it was very enjoyable.  I learned allot and I was exposed to some technology that I surprisingly found interesting and fascinating.  Who knew! I am still trying to locate that "smoking gun" that proves Hugh & Margaret's marriage certificate.  I have not found what I am looking for, but that is not necessarily a bad thing--all signs and extensive research points to the fact that I have the correct certificate. I have found it so much fun to order certificates from the GRO that I have ordered another four certificates.  Which means I have found some pretty interesting causes of death, and I have certificates for people that aren't related! And I took week and went to Las Vegas.  What does genealogy have to do with Las ...

Did you see the first episode of the second season?  Vanessa Williams set out on her journey to find her family.  This Friday, Tim McGraw, country music superstar uncovers his father's heritage among the Founding Fathers.  You can see "Who Do You Think You Are?" on Friday evenings on NBC or you can watch it @ http://www.nbc.com/who-do-you-think-you-are/ No one wants to see this picture again, after all of the posts for the last two months  and the saga about the lost certificates, but after all this is research and I have sent away for more certificates from the GRO!!!!  Let the waiting begin... Here I am with many puzzle pieces and some fit and some don't.  But, still sorting and trying to figure out Hugh's parents and that family line.  If you have any tidbits that might help call me . Finally, I am attending RootsTech, the family history and technology conference that will be held this week at the Salt Lake Convention Center.  I ...

I have been under the weather, so I haven't done too much research in the last week.  I am still working on some problems with family member trees on Ancestry.  I spent one whole Saturday trying to locate Hugh Roberts parents and family in parish and church records--to no avail.  I have spent some time on NewFamilySearch trying to update information. I have published  the January 2011 newsletter.  While doing that, I found I was in need of updating the addresses and contacts, such as updating contact information, and removing addresses for undeliverable mail. I have also added another 50 new documents to the document index and then have added that information to my Roots program.  What family history have you done?  Just a little something matters.

Happiness is  receiving a phone call   or email from  a relative working on  the same family line! In the past couple of days I have received emails and a phone call from relatives about our family.  What a reward and blessing to have people share my enthusiasm about my family and about family history research.   So, to my newly found family members, welcome and I hope that this is an indication of the breakthroughs we will have this year on the Roberts family. P.S.  How about another family history reunion in August 2011.  More information to follow.

Here are a few statistics and numbers: 720--original documents and sources 762--people in the Roberts database 272--families in the Roberts database 307--places in the Roberts database 1,093--citations in the Roberts database 447--times, this blog has been viewed 70--posts on Roberts Roots & Branches blog 38--family members receive the  newsletter  19--editions of the newsletters have been published to date, including Oct 2010