Bio – Clora Dell Scott Roberts Adams

Clora Dell Scott is my great-grandmother on my newly found Roberts line. Because “O”s can look like “A”s when written various records, as you will see, sometimes records provide her name as Clora and sometimes Clara.  These name differences are confusing because she has an older sister named Clara. Luckily, Clora’s middle name of Dell is in contrast to her sister’s middle initial of “M.”

Clora was born on 6 February 1883 in Goode, Franklin County, Illinois.[1] Like many women, she doesn’t age quite as quickly as the calendar.

In 1908, on her marriage license to Hosea Adams, she indicated a birth date of 6 Feb 1884.[2]

In 1920 Census, she states her age as 35, also inferring the birth year of 1884.[3]

In 1936, on her Social Security Application, she indicated a birth date of 6 Feb 1889.[4] (In the 53 years to 1936 she only aged 47 years.)

She was the second child of Samuel Vaden Scott and Amanda Jane Haley. Her older sister, Clara, was born in 1879. We know that she had another sister, Laura born in 1888. She also had another sibling born, probably about 1885 or 1886 who died as an infant. Her sibling’s death was the first of many tragedies in her life.   

Clora was only six-years-old when her mother died in 1889. Her father married Lavina A. Shockley three years later. Samuel and Lavina had six children; Alma, Elmer, Amanda, Lillie Flossie and William giving Clora six half-siblings. Her father lived to a ripe old age of 71. 

Clora married Hugh Ellis Roberts on 7 October 1900.  She was only 17 years old, and Hugh may have only been 16 years old when they married, but both indicated they were 18 on their marriage license. The families probably didn’t mind that that Clora and Hugh got married because seven months later, their first children, fraternal twins, were born.  Harry Ray Roberts and Carrie May Roberts were born on 22 May 1901 in Franklin County, Illinois.

Bert Allen Roberts, my grandfather, was born on 7 September 1903 in Spring Garden, Illinois.

Finally, Mable Ilean Roberts, Clora’s youngest child was born on 2 June 1908.

1908 was a terrible year for Clora.  On June 8th, her daughter Carrie died of diphtheria and measles. In 1908, both diseases were very communicable and very deadly.  It must have been horrific to try to care for a sick child and be pregnant at the same time. I’m sure the stress of trying to keep newborn Mable away from sick Carrie was difficult. Carrie was buried in Hammond Cemetery in Sesser, Franklin County, Illinois.[5] Two months later, Clora’s husband Hugh died of consumption (a term typically used to describe tuberculosis).  Hugh died on 30 August 1908 and is also buried in Hammond Cemetery in Sesser, IL.[6]

At this point in her life, she appears to have lived in Illinois all of her life.  However, something, or someone, convinced her to move to Indiana. It will take more research to figure out why she moved 150 miles away to Graysville, Indiana, where she married Hosea Lee Adams on 1 December 1908[7] only three months after the death of Bert. Hosea was born in 1889 and was six years younger than Clora. He was 19, and she was 25 at the time of the marriage. The couple lived in Sullivan County, Indiana, through 1910[8] and 1920[9] Census records.

Clora’s sons Bert Allen Roberts and Harry Ray Roberts both married in 1922 and Clora was still in Sullivan County. In 1925, Clora’s daughter Mabel Ilean Roberts married, and Clora is listed as living in Terre Haute.[10]

With all of the kids grown and married, it appears that it was time to leave Hosea.  Sometime between 1925 and 1930, Clora and Hosea divorced and Clora moved to the Detroit, Michigan, area.  Again, I don’t know what brought her to Detroit. I have not managed to find Clora in the 1930 or the 1940 Census records. Finding her in those census records may provide insight into her life during those years.  With so many siblings it would be easy for her to hide from Hosea if she wanted to. It is also interesting to note that Clora’s name was listed as Clara in November 1942 in contrast to her name in her initial Social Security application in 1936.[11]

Clora Dell (Scott) Roberts Adams died on 29 June 1945 in Detroit, Michigan at the age of 62. Her death record indicates her name as Clara.[12] Clora is buried at White Chapel Memorial Cemetery in Troy, Michigan.[13]  I am currently working to find her grave location, so I may visit her resting place in May.