The Family of John
Robert Roberts and Mary Richards
This story of John Robert Roberts of Lletty, Llanfrothan
Parish, Marionthshire, Wales is taken, mostly, from The Book of Remembrance of
David Robert Roberts, his older brother.
John Robert Roberts was born December 8, 1822 the eighth
child of Robert Roberts and Elizabeth Edwards.
Little is known of his childhood.
In 1846 John and a number of his siblings were converted to the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon).
The account of their conversion was recorded in The Book of Remembrance
of David Robert Roberts, pp A10-A11 (hereafter abbreviated as DRR).
John, approximately 19 years old, was working one day in a
slate mine in the region and was preparing an explosive charge when it went off
prematurely and nearly blinded him. He
left the mines and made a living for his family by operating a shoe shop. His entire family was eventually baptized.
[DRR pages A-8 and A-11.
Entry #15] states “Excerpts from
Festiniog (Wales) Branch Records…) “John Roberts, Merchant, of Llanfrothan,
born Llanfrothan, Merionethshire, Wales, (was) baptized July 17, 1847 by David
Roberts, confirmed by David Roberts. (Immigration not shown but on line above
is April 10, 1856 intended for him apparently.”)
“Elizabeth Roberts, [The oldest daughter of John Robert
Roberts and Mary Richards Roberts] of Festiniog, born Festiniog,
Merionethshire, age 8 years, (was) baptized April 9, 1855 by David Roberts,
(and) Emigrated April 10, 1856.”
“William David (sic) Roberts, son of Elder John Roberts and
Mary Roberts, his wife (was blessed) by William Richards and David Roberts,
February 29, 1852.” “Robert Edward Roberts, son of Elder John Roberts and Mary,
his wife, (was blessed) by Elder John Treharn, March 10, 1856.”]
John’s brother, Daniel and his wife, Gwen [Lloyd] and their
four children had immigrated in 1850.
Daniel and his oldest son, William, had died of Asiatic cholera while
going up the Mississippi and were buried on the riverbank near Worthing’s
Landing, Kentucky. Gwen and the other
children, after staying in Winter Quarters for nearly 18 months, went across
the plains to Utah with an unknown ox team.
Gwen married an acquaintance, David Rees Evans, and settled in Brigham
City, Utah. After David died
unexpectedly in 1861, she and her family moved to Malad City [Idaho] where they
homesteaded.
John’s sister, Elinor Humphreys and her family immigrated in
[1849] and settled in Vermont and did not go to Utah.
When the John and David Roberts families began to immigrate
to “Zion” in 1856, John needed someone to help him so he agreed to pay his
nephew, Robert David Roberts, the son of David Robert Roberts, to be his guide
on the excursion.
John’s family and David’s family came to America aboard the
Samuel Curling (19 April) 1856. While
waiting to get the handcarts ready, John & David Roberts’ friends and
family from Vermont came and encouraged them to go to Vermont and work in the
slate mines. They chose, however, to
“connect with the handcart company led by Edward Bunker and with some
difficulty, especially for John, arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on October 2,
1856.” [The Edward Bunker Company arrived at Salt Lake City in front of the
Willie and Martin Handcart companies.]
David records in his accounting of the journey, “Full of
hope we commenced this perilous and eventful journey on the 23rd of June, 1856,
with the hand carts… At time we suffered
terribly from the blistering heat of the sun, with no water to drink and at times
my tongue was badly swollen in my mouth from thirst which was also the
condition of most of the others in the company.”
“We finally reached the Black Hills at which place we were
overtaken by a severe snow storm. The
weather was terribly cold, chilling us to the marrow and our clothing was very
scant and we suffered terribly from the cold, not being accustomed to it. Our provisions were short and we had to be
rationed, living on bran bread most of the time, and not half enough of that,
with what buffalo meat we could obtain….(many) were taken sick with severe
cases of dysentery and some of them nearly lost their lives as the result of
it.”
“In places the roads were very rough and in other places we
had deep streams to for(d) or to ferry. We had steep hills to climb and every
obstacle in the way that could be conceived to try the souls of men and
women. Finally, on the 2nd day of
October, 1856, we arrived in Salt Lake City.
We were all nearer dead than alive and within a few days after our
arrival in Salt Lake City, thirteen of our company died from the exposures and
vicissitudes of the journey, and were buried in the Salt Lake Cemetery, one
among the number being Uncle John, whose companion and guide I had been on that
trying journey.”
[The Utah, Salt Lake County, Death Records show the death
date for John Robert Roberts as 16 October, 1856; The cemetery information
shows he was buried in “Plat F, Block 10, Lot 7" of the Salt Lake
Cemetery. One other person on that same
page of the death record is shown to be buried in that same location. [I made a personal visit to the grave site in
May 2014 and verified that there is no headstone where the cemetery records
show John Robert Roberts is supposed to be buried. BDR]
David continues: “After this, Aunt Mary, the widow of my
Uncle John, continued to live in Salt Lake City and in the year 1859 she
married a man by the name of John E. Jones, who lived in Ogden, which place is
about 37 miles north of Salt Lake City.
In the year 1861, John E. Jones, her husband, apostatized from the
Mormon Church and joined what is called the Morrisite Church. After the death of its leader (Joseph Morris)
the church was thus broken up and John E. Jones with Aunt Mary and her family
moved to the state of California, locating finally at Bishop, Inyo County,
where the children at present reside.”
The 1860 U.S. Census shows Jno E (John), Mary, Mary E
(Elizabeth), Wm D (William Daniel), Robt E (Robert) and “Mary A.” Jones living
in “Weber, Utah Territory.”
The 1870 U.S. Census shows John E and Mary Jones living in
Bishop, Inyo, California with their Jones children but none of the Roberts
children. The 1880 census again shows
the Roberts children not living in their mother’s home.
Mary Elizabeth Roberts married Andrew Jackson Shipley on 08 Nov 1866
in Mono, California. They raised 5
children, Sara Jane Shipley, 1867-1924, John Robert Shipley, 1870-1937, William
Frank Shipley, 1873-1953, LeRoy Shipley 1875-1955, Adrian Shipley, 1878-1955.
Mary Elizabeth Roberts Shipley died 29 June 1918 in Bishop
California. Andrew Jackson Shipley died on 16 March 1918. They are both buried
in the East Line Street Cemetery in Bishop, Inyo, California.
William Daniel Roberts married Hermina Louise Thomson in 1888
and they raised five children; Audrey
Juanita Roberts, 1889-1894, Llewellyn Lyle Roberts, 1889-1989, William Alvin
Roberts, 1890-1978, Thedosia Sunda Roberts, 1893-1978 and Revan Ruy Roberts
1903-1988.
William died on 23 March 1925 in Los Angeles, California and
Hermina died on 5 November 1943 in Los Angeles, California. Both are buried in the East Line Street
Cemetery in Bishop, Inyo, California.
Robert Edward Roberts is shown in the 1880 census in Round
Valley, Inyo, California with his wife, Emma and an infant daughter,
Luila. The 1900 census shows him as a
‘Lodger” in Benton, Mono, California. The 1930 Census shows him as “divorced”
and living in Bishop, Inyo, California.
An obituary reference on Ancestry.com provides the following:
“Inyo Independent, March 22, 1935 Robert E. Roberts - Robert E.
Roberts, the oldest, in point of residence passed away in Los Angeles March 16
following a two year illness. Aged seventy-nine years, he was born in
Wales in 1856. He came to Round Valley, Sept. 12, 1865, where he spent
his life. He was a sturdy pioneer who never failed to lend a helping hand
whenever needed. His was a kind hospitable disposition. He was pronounced
in his opinions and convictions, yet he held the esteem and friendship of all
because of his high ideals of right and justice. He is survived by three
half-sisters, Mrs. Mary A. [Jones] Suits, Mrs. Charlotte S [Jones] Riggs, Miss
Deborah L. Jones, Santa Monica, and a half-brother, John E. Jones, [Jr.]
Woodsend.”
Although the Shipley family has Mormon
roots, I could find no historical references that showed any other connection
to the LDS faith. Nothing in the record shows that John Edwards Jones or Mary
Richards Roberts Jones realigned themselves to the Mormon faith that brought
them to America.
Boyd D. Roberts, 2015
1st Cousin, 3 times removed to
the John Robert Roberts children (Roots Magic relationship calculator)
