Mr. & Mrs. Levi Roberts Celebrate 69th Anniversary, Covington, Alabama

http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/covington/newspaper/1roberts3.txt
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Rebecca Roberts Nagle
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May 2003


Oldest Married Couple In
State Pass 69th Anniversary

The Opp Weekly News
Thursday, March 12, 1936

Mr. and Mrs. Levi Roberts said to be the oldest married couple in 
Alabama, a fact which has never been disputed, spent their sixty-ninth 
wedding anniversary very quietly at their home on South Railroad Avenue,
Friday, March 7, 1936.  Due to the illness of Mrs. Roberts all customs 
of celebration were omitted from the day’s program.

Mrs. Roberts, known to her friends as “Aunt Amanda”, who is now 
eighty-seven years of age, was born in Abbeville, Ala. and is of 
Scotch-Dutch descent.  Her grandfather came from Scotland and her 
grandmother from England but her parents were born and reared in the
United States.  Her grandfather was a wealthy slave owner of North 
Carolina.  Her father inherited some of the slaves and kept them until
they were freed.  Memories of slavery days are still indelibly 
impressed upon the mind of Mrs. Roberts and she delights in relating 
them to the present generation.

“Uncle Levi”, as Mr. Roberts is known to his many friends is ninety-two
years of age and has spent his entire life in Alabama.  His parents 
came to Alabama from Georgia and settled at Elba, later moving to the 
present site of Hacoda, Alabama.  Mr. Roberts served in the Civil War 
with two of his brothers, one of whom was killed.  He was also 
dangerously wounded in action near the close of the war when a bullet
struck his jaw bone almost tearing it from his mouth.

Uncle Levi and Aunt Amanda were married just after the Civil War in 
1867.  Their parents gave them a home where Hacoda is now, near Corner 
Creek.  Mrs. Roberts when asked about the country at that time stated 
that game was so plentiful they could sit on the porch of their home 
and see turkeys, deer, wolves, wild cats, squirrels and panthers, as 
these wild animals roamed up and down the creek banks.  She said that 
they often worked in the fields until eleven o’clock and then went 
fishing, caught enough fish for dinner, prepared the meal and returned
to the field by the time the noon hour was over showing that fish were
very plentiful also.

After a number of years they moved to Estothel and settled the 
homestead owned by their sons today.  They then moved to Opp, which 
was thirty-four years ago.  At that time the only scenery in Opp were
the pine thickets and just a few houses about.  The Roberts moved into
a two story frame structure, which was later destroyed by fire and they
built the present home near the same location.  They have three sons, 
Grey, Edward and Daniel, all of Opp, one son Levi, Jr. having died 
several years ago.  They also have two daughters, Mrs. Oliver Carter 
of Columbus, Ga., and Mrs. Henry Parker of Florida.

Mrs. Roberts has been ill for several weeks but until recently this 
aged couple were extremely active for their years, doing all their 
work about the house and Mr. Roberts worked in his own garden.  They 
are of the Primitive Baptist faith and abide by the teachings of the 
Bible.  Their policy has always been to follow the Golden Rule.  It is
to this that Mr. and Mrs. Roberts attribute their long, happy, wedded 
life.