Roberts Roots & Branches

As this past month I have reflected on facts and information about Wyoming and where our ancestors lived in Wyoming, I thought I would share a few personal experiences about Wyoming. My first research trip was magical as I learned about my father’s childhood and where he grew up.   He came to life as he told stories and recounted valuable memories.   It was a beautiful trip.   M y father and I scoured the Rock Springs cemetery for hours.   I didn’t know where any records were kept or what I was doing, but I dove right in.   From there I learned where the newspapers were kept, where marriage and court records were kept and where I could find photographs.   I did not give up, even when deterred by complacent or uninformed employees or volunteers.   I asked questions, I persisted and I searched for leads to other records. My husband worked for, what was then, Utah Power and Light and he had an opportunity to bid on a job in Kemmerer, Wyoming....

was named for the river whose headwaters are in the Wind River Mountains.   Sweetwater County was created 27 December 1867 and first named Carter County—about 20 years before the Roberts family came to Wyoming.   The name was changed to Sweetwater by the Legislative Assembly in 1869.* *Source:   Dobler, Lavinia, “I Didn’t Know That About Wyoming”, Wolverine Gallery, Basin, Wyoming, 1984.

While researching facts about Iowa I came upon this website:  Scrolling down I had to laugh when I saw this!!!!  Source:  50 States.com

was named for Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States.*   ---The family of John Richard Roberts(8), son of Margaret(2) & Hugh(1), settled in Kemmerer (Frontier), Lincoln County, Wyoming. *Source:   Dobler, Lavinia, “I Didn’t Know That About Wyoming”, Wolverine Gallery, Basin, Wyoming, 1984.

Ten miles west of Kemmerer at Fossil Butte Monument.    ---The family of John Richard Roberts(8), son of Margaret(2) & Hugh(1), settled in Kemmerer, (Frontier) Wyoming. From the Wyoming Tourism site about Fossil Butte: “The monument contains 8,198 acres and protects a portion of the largest deposit of freshwater fish fossils in the world. The richest fossil fish deposits are found in multiple limestone layers, which lie some 100 feet below the top of the butte. The fossils represent several varieties of perch, as well as other freshwater genera and herring similar to those in modern oceans. A large, deep-bodied fish with many curious plates is common. Other fish such as paddlefish, garpike and stingray are also present.”* * Wyoming Tourism site Fossil Butte National Monument.    Sources:   Dobler, Lavinia, “I Didn’t Know That About Wyoming”, Wolverine Gallery, Basin, Wyoming, 1984.

Rock Springs Rocket, 5 Oct 1893

1988—Wyoming produced  163.6 million tons of coal.    Source:  Dobler, Lavinia, “I Didn’t Know That About Wyoming”, Wolverine Gallery, Basin, Wyoming, 1984.