Thomas H. Roberts

As printed in 1908

THOMAS H. ROBERTS, whose valuable farm of 160 acres is situated in Moorefield Township and is the original quarter section which was entered by his father from the Government, almost 100 years ago, is a leading citizen of this part of Clark County. Mr. Roberts was born on his present farm, March 28, 1836, and is a son of James H. and Mary (Wren) Roberts.

James H. Roberts was born in Virginia, in 1785, and came to Clark County, Ohio, in 1810. After securing his land and beginning its clearing and cultivation,

Mr. Roberts rented it out to another early settler and moved to Lawrenceburg, Indiana, near Cincinnati, where he operated a tannery until the death of his first wife, after which lie returned to his farm in Ohio. He added more land to his first purchase and at the time of his death, in 1863, he owned 235 acres. Until 1832 he lived with his family in a log house, but then built a one-story brick one, and in the latter his son, Thomas H., was born. James H. Roberts was married (first) to Jane Wilson, in Virginia, and they had one child when they came to Ohio, William, who was born in Virginia in 1808. Six more children were born to that marriage in Ohio. Mr. Roberts was married (second) to Mary AVren, and they had ten children, nine of whom survived infancy. The mother of these children died in 1876. In every sense of the word, James H. Roberts was a typical pioneer. He was a man of robust constitution, of enterprising nature and of sterling character.

Thomas H. Roberts was reared on the farm on which he was born and which has always been his home, with the exception of two years which he spent at Springfield and an absence of four months in the army. He followed agricultural pursuits after completing the usual country school education, leaving home for the first time when he enlisted in Company E, Sixteenth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, April 23, 1861. He served until September 7, 1861, although his discharge papers were dated August 18, 1861, being stationed during all this time in West Virginia. Mr. Roberts returned home and resumed farming. His property is situated on what was once the Urbana and

Charleston Road, just one-half mile south of the Mechanicsburg Turnpike, about nine miles northeast of Spring-field. Thisis a beautiful and fertile section of Clark County.

On March 26, 1863, Mr. Roberts was married to Mary Coffey, who was born in Pleasant Township, Clark County, Ohio, and is a daughter of William and Nancy (Curl) Coffey. Her paternal grandfather, Joseph Coffey, came to Clark County in 1803. Both her father and mother were born in Pleasant Township. Her maternal grandfather, Jeremiah Curl, was born in Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Roberts have six children, namely: Charles, James William, Annie, Elizabeth, Lucy and Mary. Charles Roberts is the manager of the home farm. He married Josephine Warwick, and they have five children: Agnes, Josephine, Thomas Edwin and John. James William Rol)- erts is engaged in farming in Moorefield Township. He married Blanche Baldwin and they have one child, Blanche. Annie Roberts married Richard Marsh and they live in Indiana and have four children: Gladys, Grace, Elizabeth and Nathan. Elizabeth Roberts married Harry Bruce and they live at Troy, Ohio. Lucy Roberts married Nathan Marsh and they have three children: Douglas, Emily and Mary Catherine; and Mary Roberts married George Maxwell. Mr. and Mrs. Roberts have lived to see all their children comfortably settled in homes of their own. He is a man of quiet tastes, devoted to his home and interested in local matters only so far as becomes a good citizen, taking no very active part in politics. He belongs to the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic.

As printed in 20th century history of Springfield, and Clark County, Ohio, and representative citizens (1908). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.