Research Plan – Bert Allen Roberts (1903-1949)

Roberts Line
By Don Taylor

I am beginning a deep dive into my Grandfather Bert Allen Roberts. He died before I was born and before my half-siblings were born, so there are no direct memories of the man I know about.

Bert Allen Roberts, Sr.

Bert Allen Roberts was born on 20 September 1903 in Sesser, Illinois, as the third child of Hugh Ellis Roberts and Clora Dell Scott. He had three siblings: Harry Ray, Carrie Mae, and Mabel Ilean. He died on 1 May 1949 in Elwood, Madison, Indiana, USA (State Road 37, at the east edge of Elwood.). When he was 18, he married Essie Pansy Barnes, daughter of Joel Clinton Barnes and Marada Alice Lister, on 13 May 1922 in Sullivan, Sullivan, Indiana, USA.

Basic information regarding Bert includes Birth, Marriage, and Death Certificates and the Census records for all censuses while he was living. I reported those in my initial post, Bert Allen Roberts (1903-1949). I have reviewed the sources attached to him in his FamilySearch profile, L2HT-QN5. Bert appears in 52 Ancestry Public Trees. I have also reviewed all of the sources associated with those trees.

Conflicts I know about

Name: Some researchers indicate Bert’s name was Herbert. I have contacted both researchers and asked if they had a source for the name. All the records I have refer to him as Bert.

I received a response from both of them, they had no sources for “Herbert” and have updated their trees accordingly. 

Birth:  Some records indicate he was born on 7 September 1903; others show he was born on 20 September 1902. (See: Proof of Birthdate.) I have settled on 7 September 1903 as his date of birth.

Location: The 1931 Polk City Directory indicates his wife, Essie, is a widow living at 460 S 13-1/2 Street. And Bert is residing at 803 North 3rd.***

Burial:  There is a conflict in Bert’s burial location. He has a marker in Elwood, IN, where he died, but the newspapers indicate his body was returned to his home in Michigan.****

Laying out and organizing the areas for my research include:

Locations, Dates, & Events of Bert Allen Roberts’ Life

* Records from birth until 1908 use his parents, Hugh Ellis and Clora Roberts.
** Records from 1908 until 1920 might use stepfather Hosea Lee and his mother, Clora Adams names.
*** Pay close attention to the city directories from 1929-1934 for his residence and the conflict between his residence and his wife’s residence.
**** Confirm the location of his body’s burial.