Thomas Roberts

As printed in 1909

THOMAS ROBERTS.

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Mr. Rolierts. a native of Oswk'go county. New 'ork, was born December 27, 1841. and is of Welsh lineage. His iarenls. Tiidr and Elizabeth (Jones)

Rohrrts, \v('i-c natives of Wales and in the year IS.SO came to the TTnited States. They resided for some time in New York and finally removed westward to Waek Hawk county, Iowa, where their remaining days were passed, the father departing this life in ]86fi when he was sixty-four years of age, while the mother died in 1892. This worthy couple were the parents of seven children, namely: Mary Jane, who died in childhood; Humphrey Tudr. who married Sarah Ellen Bird and lives in Arkansas City, Kansas; Elizabeth, who died in December. 1870; Thomas, of this review; Susan, who married Nathan Parish and is residing in Sac City, Iowa; Mary J., who in 1870 became the wife of Clark Ravlin and died December 8, 1876; and Olive, the wife of Thomas Humphrey, a resident of Marshalltown, Iowa.

Reared under the parental roof, Thomas Rolierts was early trained to habits of industry, perseverance and integrity and in the course of time these have borne rich fruit in his life of usefulness and honor. He acquired his ((location in the public scliools and gave to his father the benefit of his services oil the home farm until twenty-one years of age. when, in answer to his country's call, he offered his services to the government, enlisting as a member of Company C, One Hundred and Tenth Regiment of New York Volunteers, under the command of Colonel D. C. Ijittlejohn. The regiment was assigned to duty with the Army of the Culf and after a short stay at Baltimore was-sent.0 New Orleans, where they arrived on the twenty-first annivei-sary of Mr. Roberts' birth. He was all through the active service of the war from tlu; time of his enlistment in 1862 until his honorable discharge, embracing a period of three years and one month.

Soon after Mr. Roberts returned from the war the family decided to try Iheir fortunes in the middle west and in the latter part of February, 1866, arrived in Black Hawk county, Iowa, where they settled on a farm. Sixteen y(>ars were passed on that place, at the end of which time a removal was made to Buena Vista county. In 1881 Mr. Roberts purchased land in this county, l)ut it was not until the following.year that the family arrived and took possession of the farm. The locality in which they settled was still a frontier district in which the evidences of modern civilization were few. Their goods were shipped to Newell, Iowa, which at that time was the nearest railroad point, and from there were handed by team to the farm. Mr. Roberts paid (inly six and a half dollars per acre for the land which is today a valuable and productive tract, owing to the care and labor which he has spent upon it and the unusual rise in value following the rapid settlement of the county. As his financial resources have increased he has extended the boundaries of the place until he owns three hundred acres of as fine land as can lie found in the country. He owns also three hundred and twenty acres in Clay county, Iowa, and a tract of valuable land in North Dakota and his property interests arc the visible evidence of well directed thrift and energy.

On the 30th of December, 1869. occurred the mo.st important event in the life of Mr. Roberts— his marriage to Miss Mary L. Landis. a daughter of Alexander and Delia (Bowman) Landis, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania. He was born in Landisburg. April 4. ISIS, and his wife in Summit, November 12, 1826. They were married March 2. 1847, and I he mother- (lied in PpiiiiKylvaiiia. Jniic 18, 1857, and after residing there until 1864. the father came to the west and now makes his home with Jlr. Roberts at the advanced age of ninety-one years. In the material line the ancestry of the Landis family is traced back to a very early period. Hans Peter Siimma.y was a Palatine Mennonite exile from Canton Aurgan, Switzerland. The name in Europe is write Siimme, which would indicate a French origin from the river or county Somme, in northern France, but judging from their religion and other characteristics of these people it is more likely that they were of the western exiles of Italy in the earlier hi.story of the church and assumed the name of the place hereunto they escaped from their Italian expatriation.. Like many of the other Palatine Menmniitt's they became settlers of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. From our accounts the members of the family, to escape the relentless persecution, fled from Augan to OfFenberg, in middle Baden, and on the revocation of the edict of Nantes, liy Louis XIV of France in 1665, they removed to Alsace for the same cause, and again on the cessitm of France upon the treaty* of Ryswic in 1607, they removed to Holland for protection, becoming refugees under the rule of William of Orange or his successor, the people there enjoying religious freedom.

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While the ancestry of the Landis family cannot be traced back to so remote a period as the Summay family, it is definitely known that they have been represented in America from colonial days, for Henry Landis, the great-grandfather of Mrs. Roberts, was a soldier of the Revolutionary war.

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As the years passed the home of Mr. and Mrs. Roberts was blessed with the following named sons, and daughters: Tudr Landis, the eldest, born February 4. 1871, married Laura Stevens and is engaged in the real-estate business in Marathon, Iowa. Hugh E., born December 29, 1872, married Laura Griffiths and they reside at Storm Lake, Iowa, with their four children: Garence Errol, Cedric, Guy and Trcssa Fay. Guy, the third son of Mr. and Mrs.

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In his fraternal relations Mr. Roberts is connected with Marathon Lodge, No. 417, I. O. O. F., and also belongs to James ililler Post, G. A. R., of Marathon, taking an active interest in the welfare of his old army comrades. His political allegiance has always been given to the republican party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. The family hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church.

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As printed in Past and present of Buena Vista County, Iowa (1909). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.