Roberts Roots & Branches

Margaret Roberts(13) born 29 March 1870 in Staffordshire County, England daughter of Hugh(1) & Margaret(2) Roberts

I had heard stories about my grandfather who played baseball in Rock Springs.  After watching my grandchildren and some of my cousin’s grandchildren play ball I decided to research the local newspaper to see if I could find any mention of James H. Roberts(24)  playing ball. I started searching in 1917 when James would have been about 20 years old.   I searched and found some scores and rosters, but no Roberts.   I search May through September of 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921 and 1922.   My next visit to WWCC I started my search in 1923 and 1924 when James would have been 26 and 27 years old respectively.   After searching a span of 9 years and spending 6 hours at the microfilm reader I wrote in my research journal: I have researched to age 27 years old with no proof from newspaper accounts. 1-should I try searching up to age 30 years old? 2-Give up the search? 3-look in family histories to see if anymore clarifying information is given. ...

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At first glance, a researcher is thrilled to find a document with new information on it; however, caution should be used right from the start.  There is great value in understanding the “background” of a document.  Why was the document originally created?  Understanding foundational clues about a document will aid in analyzing and utilizing the facts found on the document. Understanding WHY the document was created will help separate primary information from secondary information.  For example, a death certificate is created to certify the date and place of death, however it usually lists a birth date.  The death certificate is the primary source for the death date and a secondary source for the birth date.  Did the document record a church event, or was the document mandated by the government?   Was the document created by a witness to an event; for example a journal entry or a memoir?  If you have an index, transcription, or summar...

Hugh(1) & Margaret(2) Roberts were in Staffordshire by 1859 and the family remained in Staffordshire until 1886 when most family members immigrated. Between 1851 and 1901, the number of people employed on the railways in Staffordshire (excluding construction) increased over nine-fold—from 940 people to 8,971 people In 1881, 7% of Staffordshire’s female population were employed as indoor domestic servants.   Over 35 times as many females were domestic servants as males. In 1851, there were 14 chimney sweeps aged between 5 and 9 in Staffordshire. In 1891 there were 3,505 butchers in Staffordshire There was a rise in the population density of Staffordshire from .06 people per acre in 1831, to 1.5 people per acre in 1991. The number of people per household has decreased over the last 200 years.   In 1801 the average household in Staffordshire contained 5 people, compare to 2.6 in 1991—slightly above the 1991 Great Britain average of 2.5 people per h...