Levi and Amanda Roberts 1929 Opp News Article, Covington, Alabama

http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/covington/newspaper/lroberts2.txt
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May 2003


“Uncle” Levi And “Aunt”
Amanda Roberts

Opp Weekly News
March 14, 1929

“Mr. Roberts and I were married sixty-two years ago today, March 7. 
There were fifteen of us children in the homo of my father and mother, 
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Henderson.  I am now left alone of this big family.
They have all been called away.  But we hope to have awaiting us an 
eternal rest where there will be no more partings, and I have a hope 
to meet them there.

I was born in Abbeville, Ala.  Father Henderson was born and raised in
North Carolina.  Mother, who was Cindarilla Hutto, of Scotch-Dutch 
parentage, was born and raised in Georgia.  Grandfather Henderson was
born in Scotland and married Sarah Bottoms in England.  They met on a
boat on which they sailed three days and were engaged.  They were 
married on his second visit to England.  After they were married they 
came to the United States and made their home in North Carolina and 
lived their days out there.  Father and mother were married in Alabama
and lived their days out here.  Grandfather Henderson was of a wealthy
family and owned a large number of slaves in North Carolina.  Father
heired some of the slaves when Grandfather died and owned a few slaves
until the war freed them.  I remember one woman we called ‘Mam’.  She 
had five children.  She died before the war but the children, three
girls and two boys were owned by father until the war.

Mr. Roberts and I were married in Alabama and will likely spend the 
rest of our days here.  When we were married we took an oath to cleave
to each other and nourish each other so long as we both live and we
have tried to live up to our vow.  We have had ups and downs, but we
have overcome them by pulling together.

We are now getting old.  Mr. Roberts is going on 83 and I am 80.  The
Lord has blessed us all through our efforts.  We were married just 
after the Civil War.  Our parents gave us a home.  We had plenty of
hogs and cattle and they kept fat the year round.  So meat was 
plentiful.  Bread was not so easy to get.  The men and the boys all 
went to the war and the farms had all gone down, and but few of them 
came back.  But Mr. Roberts and I managed to get plenty of bread.  We 
pulled together and soon made plenty.  We now look together.

“Father and Mother Roberts had only four children – three boys and one 
girl.  The youngest of the boys (Submitter: Gray S.) was ten years 
older than the sister (Submitter: Sarah J.).  So the Roberts boys were
all in the war.  The oldest brother (Submitter: Daniel) died in the 
war.  Father Roberts died while the boys were gone.  Two boys came back
home.  Father and mother were both raised in Georgia and married there.
They moved to Alabama and stopped first at Elba.  They then moved to 
where Hacoda now is.  Father Roberts settled there eighty years ago.  
His two nearest neighbors when he settled there were three miles from 
him, one east and the other west.  His next nearest neighbor was ten
miles away.  It remained that way for several years.

Father’s cow pen was five acres in size and he penned all the cattle
every night that could stand in that pen.  Then they lay all around 
the pen outside and the hogs all lay near the house.  It made no 
difference how wild they were they came home at night.  The varmints
were dangerous.  The wolves would stand around the yard and howl all 
night.  They smelt the hogs.  The house was built near the creek – 
Corner Creek – and the way was opened to the creek.  We could sit in 
the house late in the evenings and see all kinds of animals passing up
and down the creek – wolves, deer, turkey, panther, and wild cats.  
The turkeys would begin flying to roost about half and hour by sun and 
continue until dark, and the squirrels would chatter all over the swamp.
The fish would be flouncing in the water.  It was easy to catch all the
fish we wanted.

After we were married, we would go to the field and work until eleven
o’clock.  Then if we wanted something fresh like fish or squirrel wife
would go to the house and start dinner and I (Mr. Roberts) would get 
my gun or fish hook and step down to the creek, get what we wanted and 
back and cook it for dinner.

I haven’t told half about the good old times.  We are now old.  We
have enjoyed a good time together all of our time.  We still are 
enjoying very good health.  We can keep up our business around the 
house.  We feel that the Lord has always blessed us and that His 
blessings may rest with us to the end and that when we are called in 
death, we may be given a home where we may sing praise forever.

Levi and Amanda Roberts,
Opp, Alabama