This is Chapter Twelve of twelve, the final chapter of the Williams / Harris Line. All of the previous chapters are like intertwined journeys which eventually lead us back to Northeast, Ohio. This chapter brings us to Trumbull County, in the area of the former Connecticut Western Reserve, where we meet the Young family.
(Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).
The Connecticut Western Reserve
From Wikipedia: “The Connecticut Western Reserve was a portion of land claimed by the Colony of Connecticut and later by the state of Connecticut in what is now mostly the northeastern region of Ohio. The Reserve had been granted to the Colony under the terms of its charter by King Charles II.
Connecticut relinquished its claim to some of its western lands to the United States in 1786 following the American Revolutionary War and preceding the 1787 establishment of the Northwest Territory. Despite ceding sovereignty to the United States, Connecticut retained ownership of the eastern portion of its cession, south of Lake Erie. It sold much of this ‘Western Reserve’ to a group of speculators who operated as the Connecticut Land Company; they sold it in portions for development by new settlers… The territory was originally named ‘New Connecticut’ (later discarded in favor of ‘Western Reserve’), and settlers began to trickle in during the next few years. Youngstown was founded in 1796, Warren in 1798, Hudson and Ravenna in 1799, Ashtabula in 1803, and Stow in 1804.”
“Trumbull County was formed in 1800. On July 10 of that year Governor St. Clair proclaimed that ‘all that territory included in Jefferson County, lying north of the forty-first degree of north latitude and all that part of Wayne County included in the Connecticut Western Reserve’ should constitute a new county to be known by the name of Trumbull and that the seat of justice should be Warren. This made the new county co-extensive with the Western Reserve.” In other words, “Trumbull County comprised the entire Western Reserve until the formation of the state of Ohio in 1803.”
“The county was named for Governor Johnathan Trumbull, Jr., then governor of Connecticut. His family was a prominent one. His father, Johnathan Trumbull, Sr., also governor of Connecticut, was the only royal governor at the outbreak of the Revolution who supported the colonists and continued in office.” (Trumbull County OHGenWeb)
This brings us to Farmington Township, designated as a pale blue square on the Western Reserve map shown above at the chapter opening.
“The township, named Henshaw initially after one of its key landowners, Samuel Henshaw, saw its first settlers in 1806 with David Curtis and Captain Lewis Wolcott from Connecticut. Josiah Wolcott also played a notable role by purchasing a large tract of land from Samuel Bond, leading to the construction of a log cabin in the winter of 1806-07. Despite many hardships, including a fatiguing journey, Josiah Wolcott returned to Connecticut to move his family to the Farmington Township… Farmington Township experienced a swift transformation from the humble log cabins of its early settlers to a well-established township. In 1828, residents of Farmington Township began raising funds to establish Farmington Academy, a college. James Greer was the first principal, and the academy flourished, attracting nearly three hundred students.” (West Farmington Village) (1)
The Young Family of Farmington
It was in this time frame that Eli Young and his wife Catherine (Bellesfelt) Young settled in Farmington township to undertake farming. They had married in 1812, and were and an early family in the area. We have records of Eli paying property taxes starting in 1826. He was born circa 1789 and died May 9, 1861. Catherine was born circa 1793 and died July 9, 1853. (Both Eli and Catherine died in West Farmington, Trumbull County, Ohio.) On the 1850 Census, we learned that they came from Pennsylvania.
Censuses prior to 1850 did not list all household members, but we learned of their children’s names through Property Deeds and Wills. The children we know of are:
- Sarah Ann (Young) Hewitt
- Stephen Young, January 21, 1816 – February 14, 1898.
Stephen carries the family line forward. - Mary Young
- Newton Young
in Trumbull County, Ohio, on March 18, 1846.
Their son named Stephen, continued on as a farmer in the area, and married Miranda Stowe on March 18, 1846, in Trumbull County. She was born October 28, 1823, in nearby Braceville township – died, April 17, 1895. Both Stephen and Miranda, like his parents, died in West Farmington. They had three children:
- Leora J. (Young) Pixley, born 1847
- Augusta M. (Young) Roberts, born 1849, Augusta carries the family line forward.
- Howard Young, born 1859
On the 1870 Census, we noted the sister Leora was teaching at the community school, and Howard, being somewhat younger, was at school. What was interesting to note is this: for 30 years of censuses, Augusta M. Young was only noted for being at home.
a publication for Sunday and General Reading from 1877. We think a better title
would be Augusta At The Window. More than half a century would pass
before Disney would release its famous Snow White movie with the heartfelt song,
“Someday, My Prince Will Come…” 🎵
We keep wondering about that… what was she doing for all those years? (2)
What The Censuses Tell Us
We can infer some things about Joseph A. Roberts, Augusta’s future husband: In 1860, his father had a farm in Palmyra township, Portage County. Then his mother Elvira died in 1861 and things shifted for the family. By 1870, we see Joseph working in the home of the David E. Jones, in Paris township, Portage County, as an agricultural laborer. By 1880, he is doing the same work, but living in the home of the Lewis Taft family in West Farmington Village, Farmington Township, Trumbull County.
When we examined the various censuses that came before Joseph and Augusta met, they seem very straightforward. We know that they married in 1881, but no evidence has survived showing how they met. It’s a conjecture on our part that they met through friends, or family members who were acquainted with each other, since they both were living in West Farmington at the time.
It appears that Joseph was not interested in following the path his father had taken in pursuing mining as a vocation. This makes some sense when you consider that he had spent much of his life surrounded by the cycles of nature, rather than the coal dust of the mines. This connection with the natural environment came to have a big effect on his choice of career.
Joseph A. Roberts and Augusta M. Young, in Trumbull County, Ohio. You can see that Joseph had beautiful handwriting by his signature on the marriage license.
When they married in June 1881, Joseph A. Roberts and Augusta M. Young were in their early 30s. The Young surname then gave way to the Roberts surname. We wonder if they chose to marry at this time, because their lives were going to change much in the next few months and they wanted to be together. Very soon, they would be living in Cincinnati, Ohio, on the opposite side of the state. Once there, Joseph would be seeking his medical education to become a general practitioner doctor. He was following his interest in what was then called Eclecticism — a movement about nature-driven principles of medical care, which peaked in the 1880s and 1890s. (3)
Medical Training in the Early 1880s
In the 1880s, a prospective physician in Ohio would likely attend a proprietary medical college, many of which were for-profit and independent from universities. During this era, medical education was in a state of transition.
Most programs required two years of lectures, though the curriculum was often repetitive—students would sometimes attend the exact same set of lectures both years. Instruction was primarily lecture-based rather than clinically-based. Students sat for 6 to 8 hours a day in large amphitheaters. Practical experience was rather rare in the classroom. Students often had to arrange their own private clinical instruction or work as an apprentice to a local doctor to see actual patients. Requirements were minimal; a basic “common school education” was often the only prerequisite for entry.
A student would typically choose between several types of medical institutions based on their philosophy of care. Joseph A. Roberts, being an Ohio resident, received a medical education in Eclectic Medicine. Ohio was then a hub for this type of thinking. Here is a bit of the movement’s history — the Eclectic Medical Institute of Cincinnati was the leading school of this type.
“Eclectic medicine was a branch of American medicine that made use of botanical remedies along with other substances and physical therapy practices, popular in the latter half of the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries.
The Eclectic Medical Institute in Worthington, Ohio graduated its first class in 1833. After local body snatching led to the notorious ‘Resurrection Riot’ of 1839, the school was evicted from Worthington and settled in Cincinnati during the winter of 1842–43. The Cincinnati school, incorporated as the Eclectic Medical Institute (EMI), continued until its last class graduation in 1939, more than a century later. The American School of Medicine (Eclectic) trained physicians in a dozen or so privately funded medical schools, principally located in the midwestern United States. By the 1850s, several ‘regular’ American medical tradespersons… had begun using herbal salves and other preparations.” (Wikipedia)
from Polk’s Medical Register and Directory of North America, 1890.
The following are excerpts from the History of the Eclectic Medical Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1845-1902. They describe the education Joseph would have received during his tenure at the school.
“The following is a resume of the minimum requirements for graduation… In 1879, the length of the term was increased to twenty weeks, with no holidays, and one week for examinations. This gave nineteen weeks of solid lectures — thirty-six each week (with twelve hours per week additional in hospital) — making a total of 684 lectures per session. Thus, in the two sessions (40 weeks), 1,368 lectures were given the classes. Besides this, dissections were held at night. Under the previous twenty weeks’ course, with holidays out, and one or two weeks for examinations, not more than seventeen weeks were actually consumed in instruction— the lectures numbering from 24 to 28 per week, or from 408 to 476 per session. The old sixteen weeks’ session had thirty-six lectures a week (15 weeks), making 558 lectures.
From 1879 to 1887-8, no change was made in the personnel of the Faculty. However, some additions were made to the duties of some of the teachers. Thus, in 1883-4, Professor Howe was made Lecturer on Forensic Medicine, and Professor Scudder Lecturer on Hygiene, while Pharmacy was added to the chair of Chemistry under Professor Lloyd.”
After he graduated from school in the class of 1884 and received his diploma, Polk’s Registry has him listed as having a practice in Nelson township, Portage County, Ohio. We know that by 1891 he was listed as a physician in the Cleveland Business Directory, and already living in that city. At that point, the Polk Registry may have been a little bit out of date. (4)
Combination Atlas Map of Portage County, Ohio, by L.H. Everts, 1874.
(Image courtesy of David Rumsey Map Collection).
The Cleveland Business Directory Records
(Instead of an 1890 Census)
Since we have already learned that there is no US 1890 Census available, we turned to Cleveland Business Directories to tell us what was happening in their lives during that decade. Throughout the decade he worked at various locations in Cleveland, but he always posted his business address in the directory each year.
When we analyzed his address listings for his General Physician practice, it appears that he moved around nearly every year. This probably means that he was renting office space and did not work at a dedicated facility. He was usually listed under occupation, or family name, depending upon the year. Here are the locations during the 1890s:
| Year | Cleveland Location | PHYsician | ROBerts |
| 1891 | 106 Euclid Avenue | x | |
| 1892 | Hough Avenue near Crawford | x | |
| 1894 | 684 Hough Avenue | x | x |
| 1895 | 34 Princeton | x | |
| 1897 | 1568 East Madison Avenue | x | |
| 1898 | (same location) | x | |
| 1899 | 2795 Superior Avenue | x | |
| 1900 | (same location) | x | |
| 1910 | 954 Parkwood Drive NE | x |
In the year 1900, at the start of the 20th century, we have another Census for the Roberts family. Here we see that they have a son named Harris and that he is 11 years old, having been born in August 1889. An important fact about Joseph is that he states on this census that his birthplace is in Ohio, in March 1850. This is the only specific record for that event which we have found.
It appears that advertising in the Cleveland Business Directory was something he viewed as important during the first decade of his medical practice. (Likely, it helped to build awareness and keep his clients aware of his office location). After 1910, we do not see additional entries until 1923 when he is located at 8423 Brookline Avenue, and then again in 1926, when he is located at 1696 Crawford Road. “The Roaring Twenties was a prosperous decade for Cleveland. By 1920, the year in which the Cleveland Indians won their first World Series championship, Cleveland had grown into a densely populated metropolis of 796,841 with a foreign-born population of 30%, making it the fifth largest city in the nation.” (Wikipedia)
(Image courtesy of the Cleveland Memory Project .org).
Records for the period outside of the Cleveland Business Directories are very, very scarce. For some reason, it appears that by circa 1910, Joseph was living separately from Augusta and she was living with their son Harris W Roberts. Ten years later, in 1920, Joseph appears on the Census in the home of the Thomas Anderson family, as one of four lodgers. By 1930, he is living with his son Harris W. We know that Augusta has passed away before the 1930 Census. (5)
William H. Roberts and Mrs. George Stitt
Augusta M. (Young) Roberts died in 1924 from a bout of pneumonia. Her husband Jospeh A. Roberts followed her almost six years later, of the same malady, but he contracted pneumonia as a consequence when recovering from having his stomach resected in surgery. Augusta was buried with her parents and brother in the Hillside Cemetery, West Farmington, Trumbull, Ohio. Joseph was buried in Knollwood Cemetery in Mayfield Heights, Cuyahoga, Ohio.
Joseph had a brother and sister who were mentioned in his obituary (which is located within his Find A Grave file), but none of his other siblings were mentioned. His brother William H. Roberts lived in Indiana for part of his life, and then relocated to the Cleveland area and lived there for nearly 30 years. His sister, known through the censuses as Sarah M. became Mrs. George Stitt, is also mentioned. (6)
The Nightingale
If you recall, at the end of Chapter 6 we wrote about the marriage of Henry and Ann Harris’s daughter Elvira to George Williams. That marriage is where the family lines from two countries, England and Wales, came together. The youthful deaths of Elvira (Harris) Williams in 1889, and her husband George Williams in 1893 were woeful, but… In a figurative sense, those events essentially brought into being our narrative of the Williams / Harris line.
Our narrative on this family line began with a very old map that showed the Bristol Channel and the river Severn. To the north is Wales, and to the south is England. This is the territory of Luscinia megarhynchos, more commonly known as the Nightingale. What a beautiful bird, and what better friend to guide us as we look back at the Williams and Harris family lines.
(Image courtesy of Hare and Tabor, via Etsy.com).
Imagine yourself as The Nightingale, flying over the twilight skies of the Bristol Channel, surveying first the bank on one side and then the other. Over time you see the progression of the Harris and Roberts families of Wales as they make their way through time, and cross the Atlantic Ocean to America. Then you cast your glance southward and see the Williams family, as they do the same in England, and then also, make their way to America. Once there they meet, and the Joseph A. Roberts family then creates a new family of their very own, through the adoption of a boy named Benny H. Williams, who then takes the name of each family. In his new life he becomes Harris Williams Roberts, and the intertwined golden braid, is complete.
The above graphic presents an image of two Bristol Channel banks, where the waters flow toward their new beginning in America. Sara (Harris) Roberts was the sister of Evan Harris, and it is through her marriage to Esau Roberts, that the Williams, Harris, Roberts family lines combine.
Let’s explain this more fully, starting with Sara (Harris) Roberts and Evan Harris’s relationships —
- Sara (Harris) Roberts’s son was Joseph A Roberts.
- Her brother was Evan Harris.
- Evan’s son was Henry E. Harris.
- Therefore, Henry E. Harris was Sara’s nephew, and a 1st cousin of Joseph A. Roberts.
- Henry E. Harris’s daughter was Elvira (Harris) Williams.
- Elvira was a first-cousin-once-removed to Joseph A. Roberts because she was the daughter of his 1st cousin Henry E. Harris.
- Elvira’s son was Benny H. Williams. Therefore Benny, as the child of a first-cousin-once-removed, was a second cousin (or a 1st-cousin-twice-removed) to Joseph A. Roberts.
- When Joseph A. Roberts adopted Benny H. Williams, he was adopting a second cousin, who was then renamed as his son: Harris Williams Roberts.
Since some readers may not be used to seeing phrases like “first-cousin-once-removed”… there is an article (with charts) at the end of the footnotes, which explains these cousin relationships more fully.
We hope you have enjoyed the chapters on the William and Harris family lines, as much as we enjoyed creating and writing them. As we said at the beginning, “Both histories enlighten, helping us understand not only the families we are born into, but also the families we create.” (7)
Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations
The Connecticut Western Reserve
(1) — four records
Western Reserve Including the Fire Lands 1826
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Western_Reserve_Including_the_Fire_Lands_1826.jpg
Note: For the map image and history.
Connecticut Western Reserve
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticut_Western_Reserve
Note: History references and the contemporary map.
Trumbull County OHGenWeb
History & Genealogy
https://trumbull.ohgenweb.org/history/
Jonathan Trumbull Jr.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Trumbull_Jr.
Note: For his portrait.
The Young Family of Farmington
(2) — twenty-five records
For the maps presented in this section we relied on the:
Trumbull County
Records Center & Archives Department
http://www.archives.co.trumbull.oh.us/archives_maps.html
Farmington, 1830
https://www.co.trumbull.oh.us/archives/Maps%201830/Farmington%20%201830.pdf
Farmington, 1859
https://www.co.trumbull.oh.us/archives/Maps%201859/Farmington%201859.pdf
Farmington, 1870
https://www.co.trumbull.oh.us/archives/Maps%201870/Farmington.pdf
Augusta M Roberts
in the U.S., Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1127/records/397340
and, here is a better version of the map:
ebay
1899 Map of West Farmington Village Trumbull County Ohio
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/394854290214
Note: For the property labeled Augusta M. Roberts in the lower left corner.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/979025989/1800s-panoramic-view-map-cleveland-ohio
West Farmington Village
A Brief History of Our Village, Early Beginnings
https://westfarmingtonvillage.com/history
Note: For the text.
1812
Daughters of The American Revolution
North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000
for Eli Young
D > Daughters of the American Revolution > Lineage Book : NSDAR : Volume 163 : 1921
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/61157/images/46155_b290465-00125?ssrc=&usePUB=true&pId=3759181
Book page: 124, Digital page: 126/340
Note: Documents the 1812 marriage of Eli Young to Catherine Bellesfelt.
1826 >
Eli Young
Tax – Ohio, Tax Records, 1800-1887
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J96B-1NB?lang=en
Note: Eli Young is paying property taxes in Farmington township as early as the 1826, and then paying them continuously for many years.
1830
Eli Young
in the 1830 United States Federal Census
Ohio > Trumbull > Farmington
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8058/records/394289
Digital page: 5/8, Bottom third of the page.
1839
Deed Record: Trumbull. Deeds 1838–1839
#005641221
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89SY-T3DQ?view=explore&lang=en&groupId=TH-1961-29635-4858-23
Digital page: 104/554
Note: Quit claim deed of Eli Young to Stephen Young.
1840
Eli Young
in the 1840 United States Federal Census
Ohio > Trumbull > Farmington
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8057/records/1752472
Digital page: 7/14, Bottom third of the page.
1853
Deed Record: Trumbull. Deeds 1853–1854
#005756392
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G935-2R95?view=explore&lang=en&groupId=TH-1971-30440-21605-74
Digital page: 461/553
Notes: Land transfer from Sarah Young Hewitt to her brother Stephen Young. Land was given by John Young to Eli and Catherine Young and then to their children, including Sarah and Stephen.
1854
Deed Record: Trumbull. Deeds 1853–1854
#005756392
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L935-2529?view=explore&lang=en&groupId=TH-1971-30440-21605-74
Digital page: 462/553
Note: From the Will of John Young, his father—
He had willed that his land be used by Eli and Catherine Young, and their four children: Sarah Ann, Stephen, Mary, and Newton.
https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-american-agriculture-farm-machinery-4074385
1850
Eli Young
1850 United States Federal Census
Ohio > Trumbull > Farmington
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8054/records/14616320
Digital page: 24/31, Lines 12 through 15.
Notes: By the age of 60, he is a shoemaker. His daughter Sarah Hewitt and her husband John live with them. She must have had 2 husbands because of the Trumbull County book entry, and the DAR entry> The second husband is named John Sager.
1853
Catharine Bellesfelt Young
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/81181131/catharine-young
Note: Her dates are 1793 to July 9, 1853.
1860
Eli Young
Census – United States, Census, 1860
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCGG-XFR?lang=en
Book page: 219, Digital page: 398/405, Lines 18 through 23.
Note: At the end of his life, his wife has already passed on and he is living in the home of his youngest son Newton and his family.
1861
Eli Young
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/81181130/eli-young
Note: His dates are 1789 to May 9, 1861.
1816 – 1898
Stephen Young
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/81181132/stephen-young?
His dates are: January 21, 1816 to February 14, 1898.
1823 – 1895
Miranda A Stowe Young
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/81181133/miranda-a-young
Her dates are October 28, 1823 to April 17, 1895.
1846
Stephen Young
in the Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993
Trumbull > 1842 – 1849
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61378/records/3718218?tid=&pid=&queryId=42394630-5f1e-4ca6-8229-110bfb5cb236&_phsrc=nqI1&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 208, Digital page: 106/179, Right page, second entry.
Note: Their marriage record which recognizes March 18, 1846 as their actual wedding date. (The June 4, 1846 date on the Ancestry file is incorrect).
Stephen Young
Death – Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F6LZ-5ZW?lang=en
Book page: 316, Digital page: 166/169, Top third of the page.
Note: His death date is the only entry for 1898.
Leora J Young Pixley
in the U.S., Find aA Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/73438883/leora-j-pixley
Note: For her data.
Howard C Young
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/81181134/howard_c-young
Note: For his data.
What The Censuses Tell Us
(3) — twelve records
https://www.abebooks.com/Quiver-Illustrated-Magazine-Sunday-General-Reading/31815987787/bd
ebay
The Quiver,
An Illustrated Magazine for Sunday and General Reading
The West Window
Illustration by A.J. Prescott, 1877
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/176823928729
Note: For the illustration.
Observation: Going forward, Augusta M. Young is noted on the 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses, as being at home.
1850
Augusta Young
in the 1850 United States Federal Census
Ohio > Trumbull > Farmington
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8054/records/14616316
Digital page: 24/31, Lines 5 through 9.
Note: Stephen 34, Miranda 27, Leora 3, Augusta 1.
1860
Augusta Young
in the 1860 United States Federal Census
Ohio > Trumbull > Farmington
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7667/records/42510341
Book page: 218, Digital page: 25/30, Lines 11 through 15.
Note: Stephen 44, Miranda 36, Lora 13, Augusta 11, Howard 1.
1860
Esay [Esau] Roberts
in the 1860 United States Federal Census
Ohio > Portage > Palmyra
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7667/records/41939084?tid=&pid=&queryId=1b5f435d-cb53-481c-ba89-b0848e8e4693&_phsrc=nJE3&_phstart=successSource
Note 1: Joseph is living in the home of his parents.
Note 2: Esau 42, Sarah 17*, Eliza 17, Morris 15, John 13, Ann 10, Joseph 9, Benjamin 6, Henry** 5, Sarah M. 2, Hiram 3/12.
*The mother is mis-labeled? She should be about 43 years old at this point.
** This is William Henry Roberts.
1870
Augusta M Young
in the 1870 United States Federal Census
Ohio > Trumbull > Farmington
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/records/38417787
Book page: 25, Digital page: 25/27, Lines 22 through 26.
Note: Stephen 54, Miranda 47, Lora 23, Augusta 21, Howard 10.
1870
Joseph Roberts
in the 1870 United States Federal Census
Ohio > Portage > Paris
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/records/41005032?tid=&pid=&queryId=0080c454-41cb-4ffb-b2c0-aaacb81f051e&_phsrc=KEb10&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 18, Digital page: 18/18, Line 15.
Note: He is living in the home of the David E. Jones family, and working as an agricultural laborer.
1880
Augusta M Young
in the 1880 United States Federal Census
Ohio > Trumbull > Farmington > 189
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6742/records/26788128
Book page: 8, Digital page: 8/23, Lines 22 through 26.
Note: Stephen 64, Miranda 57, Augusta 31, Howard 20.
1880
Joseph Roberts
in the 1880 United States Federal Census
Ohio > Trumbull > West Farmington > 189
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6742/records/25290656?tid=155025192&pid=262048917062&ssrc=pt
Book page: 18, Digital page: 4/6, Line 28.
Note 1: He is living in the home of the Lewis Taft family, and working as an agricultural laborer, (a farmer).
Note 2: Why did he indicate a Pennsylvania birthplace, instead of Ohio?
David Rumsey Map Collection
Ohio
by Samuel Breese and Sidney E. Morse, 1842
https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~21740~660104
Note: For the map image, as originally published in Morse’s North American Atlas, 1842.
Joseph A. Roberts
Marriage – Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Z8MP-3DMM?lang=en
Book page: 3, Digital page: 7/292, Right page middle entry.
and
Marriage Record: Trumbull. Marriage Records 1877–1886
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-BJ3L-TT?view=index&personArk=/ark:/61903/1:1:XZNK-1YM&action=view&cc=1614804&lang=en&groupId=M96N-9ZY
Book page: 28, Digital page: 137/299, Left page middle entry.
Note: For the marriage record of June 11, 1881.
Medical Training in the Early 1880s
(4) — six records
The Agnew Clinic
File:The Agnew Clinic – Thomas Eakins.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Agnew_Clinic_-_Thomas_Eakins.jpg
Note: For the time period appropriate painting of lecture-based medical training.
Eclectic medicine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclectic_medicine
Note: For the text.
History of the Eclectic Medical Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1845-1902
Harvey Wickes Felter, 1902
https://archive.org/details/b24867500/page/n201/mode/2up
Notes: Various reference points throughout as follows —
p.55-56, A description of the school curriculum and syllabus.
p. 146, There are 83 graduates for the Class of 1884.
p. 188-189, A list of the 1884 graduates including Joseph A. Roberts.
Polk’s Medical Register and Directory of North America
by R.L. Polk, 1890
https://archive.org/details/McGillLibrary-103412-265/page/n1549/mode/2up?q=
Notes: Various reference points throughout as follows —
p.889, An advertisement for the Eclectic Medical Institute.
p. 927, Nelson, Portage. 900. Roberts Joseph A (Ecl), 262, ’84. Right page, first column.
p. 1557, Roberts Joseph A 927, His listing is on the right page, third column at center.
Note: For the references and artwork.
Cincinnati Public Library
Cincinnati & Hamilton County Library
History of the Eclectic Medical Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1845-1902: including the Worthington Medical College (1830-1842), the Reformed Medical School of Cincinnati (1842-1845), and the Eclectic College of Medicine (1956-1859), with biographical sketches of members of the various faculties and lists of graduated arranged alphabetically and by classes.
1884. Roberts, Joseph A.
https://digital.cincinnatilibrary.org/digital/collection/p16998coll15/id/215729
Book page: 163, Center column.
Note: For the reference.
David Rumsey Map Collection
Map of Portage County, Ohio
from the Combination Atlas Map of Portage County, Ohio
by L.H. Everts, 1874
https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~229977~5508293:Portage-County%2C-Ohio-?sort=pub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_date%2Cpub_list_no%2Cseries_no&mi=1&trs=11&qvq=q:Nelson%20township;sort:pub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_date%2Cpub_list_no%2Cseries_no;lc:RUMSEY~8~1
Book page: 14, Digital page: Follow the link above.
Note: For the 1874 Portage County map.
The Cleveland Business Directory Records
(Instead of an 1890 Census)
(5) —sixteen records
1891
U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995
for Joseph A Roberts
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2469/records/1100175408?tid=&pid=&queryId=50b81a67-b3d9-4f3c-892a-febfd10c7793&_phsrc=aIv1&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 1038, Digital page: 596/667, Left page in the right column.
Note: The page heading is PHY (for Physicians), at 106 Euclid Avenue.
1894
Joseph A Roberts
U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2469/records/1106578783?tid=&pid=&queryId=9a0dbc0c-4fb9-447a-aa6c-336f80ce606f&_phsrc=aIv3&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 1191, Digital page: 662/731, Right page in the right column.
Note: The page heading is PHY (for Physicians), at 684 Hough Avenue.
1895
Joseph A Roberts
U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2469/records/1099606214?tid=&pid=&queryId=9135982e-abae-40f5-8faa-480f4d6a6713&_phsrc=aIv9&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 1226, Digital page: 662/731, Left page in the left column.
Note: The page heading is PHY (for Physicians), at 34 Princeton.
1898
Joseph A Roberts
U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2469/records/1110634942?tid=&pid=&queryId=56938574-6b86-4d48-aff5-89f9febad62c&_phsrc=aIv11&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 1354, Digital page: 703/772, Left page in the left column.
Note: The page heading is PHY (for Physicians), at 1568 East Madison Avenue.
1900
Joseph Roberts
Census – United States, Census, 1900
12th Census of Population 1900: Cleveland. Census 1900
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMZV-V46?lang=en
Book page: 6B, Digital page: 199/619, Lines 58 through 60.
Note 1: Joseph states that his birthplace is in Ohio in March 1850, and that both of his parents were born in Wales.
Note 2: This is the first census son Harris appears in, because the 1890 Census is lost. Harris’s birthdate of August 1889 is noted, and his age is 11.
and
Joseph A Roberts
U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2469/records/278306625?tid=&pid=&queryId=18d90601-f012-48d5-a846-1c6eda9e2c7f&_phsrc=aIv14&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 1354, Digital page: 716/786, Right page in the right column.
Note: The page heading is PHY (for Physicians), at 2795 Superior.
1910
In 1910, Augusta is living with her son Harris W:
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7884/records/21511720?tid=&pid=&queryId=effb7b42-3fed-4254-a86a-b4513e5373ed&_phsrc=ZPY20&_phstart=successSource
and
Joseph A Roberts-Con [con designates: continued]
in the U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995
Ohio > Cleveland > 1910 > Cleveland, Ohio, City Directory, 1910
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2469/records/1344265383?tid=&pid=&queryId=1ed22da5-3787-4635-b954-471db5ddaa68&_phsrc=ZPY16&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 1291, Digital page: 1424/1879
Notes: Joseph A. and his son Harris W. are listed as living at 954 Parkwood Drive. Augusta is listed at another address, 1474 Addison Road.
1917
Mrs Augusta M Roberts
in the U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995
Ohio > Cleveland > 1917 > Cleveland, Ohio, City Directory, 1917
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2469/records/315763762?tid=&pid=&queryId=febebf43-88e3-4d86-bd79-416f933169d5&_phsrc=ZPY1&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 1503, Digital page: 754/1225
Note: Augusta is living at 12009 Castlewood Dr. Her son Harris W. is also living at the same address, (Book page: 1504). Joseph A Roberts is not listed.
1920
In 1920, Augusta is living with her son Harris W:
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6061/records/33261605?tid=&pid=&queryId=e7fc4745-ff9e-4776-9fec-2194303f30df&_phsrc=ZPY22&_phstart=successSource
and
1920
Joseph Roberts
in the 1920 United States Federal Census
Ohio > Cuyahoga > Cleveland Ward 20 > District 0396
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6061/records/112203893?tid=&pid=&queryId=99482ed4-a36d-47f5-be83-4e59935fda41&_phsrc=KEb4&_phstart=successSource
Book page: Digital page: , Line 79.
Note 1: At 69, Joseph appears to be living as one of four lodgers in the home of Thomas Anderson.
Note 2: He seems to be retired? (Profession is None.)
Note 3: Why does he indicate that each of his parents were born in Ohio, when they were born in Wales?
1923
Joseph A Roberts
U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2469/records/292366965?tid=&pid=&queryId=8863e3d5-0b08-4b58-8023-55ca7514d9f9&_phsrc=bEi4&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 2223, Digital page: 1124/1675, Right column at 23rd entry.
Note: Cleveland, Ohio, City Directory, 1923. He worked at several locations over the years.
History of Cleveland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Cleveland
Note: For the text about the 1920s in Cleveland, Ohio.
Cleveland Memory Project .org
Panoramic View of Public Square, Cleveland, O., circa 1900-1927
https://clevelandmemory.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/postcards/id/3229/rec/2
Note: The postcard verso reads, “The Heart of Cleveland, Ohio. The Public Square is located in the center of the business district. It contains the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, which rises to a height of 125 feet, also a statute of Moses Cleveland, the founder of the City. It is the starting point of al the street car lines, also the many inter-urban lines that run out of Cleveland and traverse all parts of Ohio. It contains several shelter houses and is divided in four sections, all beautifully kept and arranged. A splendid fountain surrounded by gravel walks and beautiful flower beds, occupies the center of each section.”
1930
Joseph A Roberts
Census – United States, Census, 1930
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4QN-6VZ?lang=en
Book page: Digital page: 727/1,133, Lines 77 through 84.
Note: He is living in the home of his son Harrison W. Roberts and his family.
William H. Roberts and Mrs. George Stitt
(6) — sixteen records
William Henry Roberts, the brother of Joseph A. Roberts was living in the Cleveland, Ohio area for about 30 years.
1910
William H Roberts
1910 United States Federal Census
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7884/records/21539401
Book page: 2A, Digital page: 3/9, Line 21.
Notes: Wales is noted for both parents. Birthdate calculates to 1858.
1920
William H Roberts
1920 United States Federal Census
Ohio > Cuyahoga > Cleveland Ward 26 > District 0495
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6061/records/76442276
Book page: 7A, Digital page: 13/35, Lines 37 through 39.
Notes: He is married and has a daughter. Wales is noted for the father, and England for the mother.
Note 1: William Roberts wife is Frances Thomas.
Note 2: Their daughter is Catherine E. (Roberts) Hallock, born 1912.
Frances M Thomas
in the Indiana, U.S., Marriage Certificates, 1960-201
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61009/records/94221013
Note 1: Their marriage date is October 19, 1904.
1940
Wm Henry Roberts
Ohio, U.S., Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2022
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/5763/records/6451731
Note: William passed on in Cleveland on August 25, 1940.
Sarah M Stitt
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/78161907/sarah_m-stitt
Note: This sister of Joseph A. Roberts, Sarah M. (Roberts) Stitt, was traceable only through his obituary information.
1924
Augusta M Young Roberts
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/81181135/augusta_m-roberts
Note 1: Her dates are October 25, 1849 to May 1, 1924.
Note 2: Her birth year here is recorded as 1849,but some other sources cite 1848.
1924
Augusta Young Roberts
Death – Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X6MF-Y5C?lang=en
Digital page: 610/3,295
Notes: Her death certificate. The information was provided by her son Harris Sr. Her birthdate is listed as being October 25, 1849, which is one year later than other records.
Dr Joseph A Roberts
U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/177407157/joseph-a-roberts
Note 1: His birth year is circa 1851, not 1862. His death age should be 79.
Note 2: His obituary information as noted on his Find A Grave file, is as follows —
Name: Roberts, Dr. Joseph, Date: Mar 4 1930, Source: unknown, Reel #69.
“Roberts-Dr. Joseph, father of Harris W., brother of William and Mrs. George Stitt and husband of the late Augusta M., passed away Monday evening. Now at R. S. Bennett Co. Funeral Home, 1940 E. 90th Street, where services will be held Wednesday, March 5, 1930, at 2 p. m. Age 68. Knollwood Cemetery. Cleveland, Ohio.”
Dr Joseph A Roberts
Death – Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XZX9-SL2?lang=en
Note 1: For his March 3, 1930 death record. His dates are March 1850 to March 3, 1930.
Note 2: He states on the 1900 Census that his birthdate is March 1850, see — https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMZV-V46?lang=en .
Note 3: The person reporting is death is his daughter-in-law Mrs. W. Roberts, who is Edna (Caswell) Roberts. She probably didn’t know his correct age. He is recorded as being about 68 at death which would make his birth year 1862.
Note 3: His birth year in March 1850. (See this on the 1900 US Census). The person who reported the information clipped about 12 years off of his age.
Elvira Williams
in the U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/102869719
and
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12416409/elvira-williams
Note: Her gravestone indicates these dates, February 16, 1863 – October 12, 1889.
George Williams
in the U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/102869707?tid=&pid=&queryId=4258b3af-1bc6-4dfe-a2cb-04a03c42166b&_phsrc=lFv3&_phstart=successSource
and
George Williams
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12416396/george-williams
Note 1: His gravestone indicates these dates, August 5, 1856 – March 30, 1893.
Note 2: The citations from the Akron City Directories from Find A Grave. The notes are in error, since these records are for another man named George Williams, and not the man who is from our family. We believe that our ancestor likely worked in agriculture in Paris Township, Portage County, Ohio.
Elmer George Williams
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12416370/elmer-george-williams
Note: His birth and death dates are, April 3, 1882 – December 2, 1966. From 1955 to 1965, he lived at this address: Elmer G. Williams, (Rose J.), home – 2124 4th St., (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio). Rose was his wife and is interred near him.
and
Elmer D. Williams
in the Ohio, U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1774-1973
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2541/records/1383300
Note: For Elmer’s birth confirmation.
The Nightingale
(7) — seven records
Nightingale
https://www.hareandtabor.co.uk/store/p31/Nightingale_greetings_card.html
Note: From the website description, “The nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) is a bird of legendary singing abilities, and continues its’ song after dark. Its’ Old English form, nihtgale, actually means ‘night songstress’, although it is the male that actually sings.”
YouTube.com
Bird sounds – Common nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos)
> Click on the link below for a short 2:32 minute video and hear the Nightingale sing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gokHFCrYGU8
Notes: Form the YouTube.com video page —
“The common nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) is considered the best bird singer in the world. It usually sings in dense vegetation near water where it lives and breeds. Its amazing song can often be heard even during the night. Not many birds can sing so loudly and persistently as a male nightingale. His concert is a true master’s performance because he has a wide variety of chirping, tweeting and shrieking sounds in his repertoire. Enjoy the world’s most beautiful bird song!”
Majestic Mountain Tree
Illustration from Stock Cake
https://stockcake.com/i/majestic-mountain-tree_1765988_1255094
Note: Illustration used for The Williams and Harris Families ancestral chart.
Reader’s Digest
What Is a Second Cousin vs. Second Cousin Once Removed?
by Lambeth Hochwald and Chloë Nannestad
https://www.rd.com/article/second-cousin-once-removed/
Note 1: For the reference and the charts.
Note 2: To our understanding, the phrases ‘second cousin’ and ‘1st-cousin-twice-removed’ are used equally for the same designation.
_____________________________
Since Benny H. Williams and Harris Williams Roberts were the same small boy, we thought that this Calvin and Hobbes comic strip was quite apropos as a closing to these footnotes —
—–
This specific Calvin and Hobbes comic strip by Bill Waterston, featuring their philosophical discussion about life on a sidewalk square, was first published on April 16, 1991. Thanks Bill!
Case Western Reserve University
Encyclopedia of Cleveland History
Calvin and Hobbes
https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/calvin-and-hobbes
Note: For the history.
Our Ancestors, Our Narratives 
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