Roberts Roots & Branches

Not EVERY immigrant changed their name upon immigration.  More often it was just misspelled!

Today marks the 129 anniversary when Joseph Jones and Isaac Roberts immigration to the United States.  What a journey they must have had!

Just think, without our ancestors immigrating in 1886, we would not be celebrating this holiday today! From the website history.com:  "Presidents’ Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, it is still officially called “Washington’s Birthday” by the federal government. Traditionally celebrated on February 22—Washington’s actual day of birth—the holiday became popularly known as Presidents’ Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present." Source:  www.history.com 

On February 15, 1886  Joseph Jones and Isaac Roberts  arrived in the United States.   Happy immigration anniversary!

  They are mustard yellow. There are volumes of them. They have very small print! If you have a common named ancestor, you are doing much searching through many books! William P Filby and Mary Keysor Meyer published Passenger and Immigration Lists Indexes in 15 volumes.   These indexes refer to published passenger lists.   The first three volumes are combined alphabetically and were printed in 1981.   Each volume contains three separate books.   These volumes combined contain approximately 2,000 plus pages.   There have been 13 Supplemental volumes printed to date (2013).   These Supplemental volumes have 1,000 plus pages to each volume.   The Filby books list each passenger and then direct the researcher to the published source of the passenger lists. Contained for each entry, if available, is the following information (see picture below): passenger surname given name age  place of arrival year of arrival ...

My immigration ancestors!

"In America, we are all just a generation or two removed from someone who made our future the purpose of their lives. America is the story of everyday people who did extra ordinary things. A story woven deep into the fabric of our society. Their stories may never be famous, but in the lives they lived you will find the escense of Americas's greatness." --Marco Rubio, Republican National Convention, 30 aug 2012 

From Sea to Shining Sea!    The 1940 Census is 100% complete, and many are asking what will the next big push be in the Indexing world?    The next focus will be on immigration and naturalization records.   To learn more see here.   No special skills or fixed time commitments are required.   Volunteer when you can.   Register, sign in and follow the guided steps. Indexing. . .have you signed up?

Rock Springs Train Depot, cira 1998 The Isaac Roberts family left green, lush, humid England and immigrated to the United States.  Traveling from England to Rock Springs, the Isaac Roberts (10) family arrived at the train depot after dark in September 1906.  The following morning when Isaac’s wife, Janet Howie (16), woke up and looked out the window and saw the gray-brown and brown-gray of “Rock Springs” she exclaimed, “My God Ike, where have you brought me to?” Janet Howie lived in Rock Springs from September 1906 until her death in 1944, she never had the opportunity to travel back to England. 

picture from here Here are my research questions: 1. Who was Maggie on the immigration record of Hugh (1) & Margaret (2)? 2. Who was Hugh’s mother? 3. Who was Hugh’s father? 4. Where is Samuel Caulton’s (5) family in Derbyshire? 5. What is Hannah P. (357) Samuel’s first wife’s maiden name? 6. Which Welsh parish was Margaret’s family in? 7. Which Welsh parish was Hugh’s family in? 8. Why did Isaac (10) Roberts return to County Durham? 9. Where is the emigration record of Isaac’s (10) return to England? 10. Where is Hugh (1) buried in Pennsylvania? 11. What is Hugh’s (1) correct death date? 12. Where are the missing descendants of Joseph Jones (19) & Sarah Roberts (11)? 13. Who did Magie E. Jones(240), daughter of Joseph Jones & Sarah Roberts marry? 14. What happened to the children of Robert Roberts:  Margaret Roberts (460), daughter  and son Hugh (463)? 15. What happened to LD. Smith (37), first husband of Letitia Roberts (35)? 16. Where exactl...

From the Immigration Record of the Roberts Family, WHO is Maggie?  I have often wondered if this "Maggie" was the daughter of Letitia(9) Roberts & Joseph Jones(19), however, the 1900 US census reports their daughter Maggie(24) was born in Pennsylvania, January 1886, so her age would not be 2 years. So WHO is this immigration Maggie? It is NOT the daughter of Hugh(1) & Margaret(2).  Their daughter, Margaret(13),  died at the age of 7 in 1877 in Hanley, England So WHO is this immigration Maggie? If this was Margaret's(2) daughter she would have had this child at the age of 49 years old.  Possible, but not probable!  In addition, there is no other record of Hugh & Margaret having a child, Maggie once they were in the United States! So WHO is this immigration Maggie? The Spain Arrival Date: 28 June 1886 line #102...Hugh Roberts(1)...48 years old.......male...laborer...steerage...1 bag line #103...Margaret(2)..........4...

Fact: After being widowed for about seven years, Margaret(2) married Samuel Caulton(5) on 31 May 1893 in Rock Springs, Sweetwater, Wyoming. Fiction: The story goes that Margaret & Hugh's son, Isaac(10) did not accept second marriages, so when his mother married, Samuel Caulton, Isaac refused to go and see his mother even though they lived just a few houses away.  Isaac threatened that he would leave and never come back.  And so he did. . . Fact: Isaac's citizenship papers were dated 30 September 1893, four months after his mother's second marriage.  And, Isaac probably left shortly thereafter. Fate: Just nine months after Margaret married Samuel, and four months after Isaac's citizenship papers, Samuel was killed in a coal mine accident. Fiction:   At this time, there are no emigration records to show exactly when Isaac left the United States to return to England.  Fact: Isaac eventually returned back to Rock Springs, in 1906 ...

picture from the website The Compass ISTG http://immigrantships.net/newcompass/ships/ship_files/pix_f.html Ship: S.S. Freisland Arrival Date: September 1906 Isaac Roberts(10)...42 years 11 months.....male...miner ...good health Janet Howie( 16) .... .38 years....................female...wife.......good health Hugh(26).................10 years 6 months......male....child.....good health James(24).................9 years 1 month........male....child.....good health Percival(28).............7 years 9 months.......male....child.....good health Jane(30)...................6 years 5 months....female...child.....good health Isaac(32)..................3 years 9 months.......male...child.....good health Wm.(33)...................1 year 10 months.......male...child....good health Letitia(35)................0 year 4 months......female...child...good health Departure Date: 5 September 1906 Arrival Port: Philadelphia Port of Departure: Liverpool, England & Queenstown, Ireland Destinatio...

picture source: Wikipedia Ship: Adriatic Arrival Date: 21 October 1887 line #52...Selma(sic) (162) Roberts..24 years old...female...Wife line #53...Martha A. (sic) (163)..........4 years old....female...none line #54...Isaac(165).............................1 year old........male...none ------------------next page---------------------------------- John Roberts(8)................... years old.......male...laborer Port of Departure: Liverpool, England & Queenstown, Ireland Destination: New York Microfilm Serial: M237_513 List Number: 1364 Source: The National Archives, Ancestry.com, New York Passenger 1820-1957, Provo, UT, online For more information on the SS Adriatic go to this website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Adriatic_%281871%29

picture from Norway Heritage website: norwayheritage.com Ship: The Spain Arrival Date: 28 June 1886 line #102...Hugh Roberts(1)...48 years old.......male...laborer...steerage...1 bag line #103...Margaret(2)..........46 years old...female...wife.........steerage...1 bag line #104...Sarah(11)...............20 years old...female...none........steerage...1 bag line #105...Hugh(12)................18 years old......male...laborer...steerage...1 bag line #106...Elizabeth(14)..........11 years old...female...none......steerage...1 bag line #107...Jane(15)..................10 years old...female...none......steerage...1 bag line #108...Maggie(?).................2 years old...female....none......steerage...1 bag Port of Departure: Liverpool, England & Queenstown, Ireland Destination: New York Microfilm Serial: M237_496 List Number: 759 Source: The National Archives, Ancestry.com, New York Passenger 1820-1957, Provo, UT, online