William Roberts
William
Roberts was born July 27, 1801 in
Tennessee, the second of four sons born to
unknown parents. He was married
three times.
By November 16, 1850 William and his first
wife, Piety (born 1806, South Carolina),
are living in Lamar Co., Texas, where he
his occupation is farmer. Children
living the home are:
Samuel, born 1829, Tennessee
John Peley Sweet, July
3, 1824, Illinois - 20 January 1894,
Jacksonville, Sullivan Co., Missouri
William, born
1831, Illinois
Isabella,
1831, Panola Co., Mississippi - August
1863, Texas
Henry, 1843, Panola Co., Mississippi -
before 1847
William
married a second time to Jane Adeline Smith
Wilson, widow of James Wilson, on July
10, 1856 in Lamar Co, Texas. By June
1860 the family is living in Decatur, Wise
Co., Texas. William is 59 years of
age and occupied as a farmer; Jane is 23
years of age.
Children living in the home are:
John, age 26, occupation - rancher
Thomas Bryant,
age 18 (July
9, 1843 - September 9, 1919, Montague Co.
Texas); occupation - farmer
Henry, age 16
James Wilson, age 6, Jane's firstborn,
child of Jane and James Wilson
William B.,
age 4, born July 1857, Lamar Co., Texas -
October 31, 1879, Bozeman Gallatin Co.,
Montana
Simuel Buford
"Sim", age 2, born October 16, 1858,
Paris, Lamar Co., Texas - Sept 22, 1927,
Butte, Silver Bow Co., MT
Mollie, age 4 months, Texas
Before 1863 the family had moved to
Whitesboro area in Grayson Co., Texas.
Their fourth child, a daughter, Mary
Elizabeth, was born January 7, 1863 in
Whitesboro, Grayson Co., Texas. Jane
died in 1863 either in childbirth or soon
after.
The 1870 census, dated November 8, 1870,
enumerates William Roberts and his 3rd
wife, Catherine "Kittie" Adaline Brumley
Roberts, living in Whitesboro.
William's occupation is that of
farmer. The ages of
Mary Elizabeth and Belle in the 1870
census are 7 and 6, respectively.
The birth date of William and his
3rd wife's child is December 1863.
William married Kittie in February
or March of 1863.
William
died December 26, 1874 in Whitesboro,
Grayson County, Texas and was buried in Oakwood
Cemetery, Whitesboro. His will dated
December 17, 1874 bears an "X" for his
signature; in the District Court of
Grayson County, J.W. Short swore on
February 5, 1875, that he and J.R. Diamond
were witnesses of William Roberts'
signature to Will. His will
provided the following:
1. The children of his 2nd wife,
Jane - William Roberts, Samuel Buford,
Roberts, Jane Roberts and Lizzie Roberts
were to receive 100 acres each of the
William Birdwell headright in Wise Co.,
Texas, located about 3 miles from
the town of Decatur, the same land being
deeded to William Roberts by William
Birdwell on May 2, 1860 in a Bond for Title.
2. The proceeds from the sale of his
homestead in Lamar Co., Texas, were to go
to Thomas Roberts, child of his 1st wife,
as well as the four children mentioned in
the above item, divided among them
equally.
3. To his 3rd wife, Kittie Adaline
and his daughter, William Roberts
Bell Roberts, he willed his
homestead situated about one mile south of
Whitesboro, along with all the horses,
cattle and other stock by him in the
counties of Grayson, Lamar, Montague, and
Wise or elsewhere; all perishable property
of whatever description or character that
remained after the payment of his lawful
debts.
4. He designated his wife, Kittie
Adaline Roberts, as the Executor of his
Will; accordingly she was to take charge
of any property and all property mentioned
in the above items and bring suit to
recover any amount or property that should
be unlawfully held or detained. She
was to take possession of 110 acres of
land situated in Wise Co., Texas and
retain in her possession for the benefit
of his children named in the above items.
The proceeds of the homestead in
Lamar Co. she was to retain also for the
benefit of the children mentioned in the
above items. When the above
mentioned children reached the age of 21,
she was to deliver to him or her their
distributive share of the proceeds of said
land as well as the proceeds of the sale
of the Lamar Co., Texas homestead.
Biography Index
Susan Hawkins
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