Biography of William T Roberts, Sebastian Co, AR

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SOURCE: History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford,
Franklin, and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas. Chicago: The Goodspeed 
Publishing Co., 1889.
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page 1359

William T. Roberts, a well-to-do farmer of Prairie Township, Sebastian Co.,
Ark., was born in Monroe County,  Miss., in 1838, and is a son of Eli and
Permelia (Walpool) Roberts. The father was born in Alabama, on the  13th of
December, 1808, and when a young man went to Monroe County, Miss., where he
married and passed  the remainder of his days, dying in 1872. His wife was born
in the “Old North State,” June 9, 1814, and died  October 4, 1878. Five of
their eight children are living: Harriet C. (widow of Thomas J. Savage), Annie
C. (wife  of Andrew Hawkins), William T., John C. and Jasper, all of whom are
living in Monroe County, Miss., except  William T. After residing with his
parents until he was twenty-three years of age, he was married (in 1861) to
Miss Martha Jane Gilmore, a daughter of Simeon and Lettie (Reece) Gilmore, who
were born and died in  Monroe County, Miss., both dying when Mrs. Roberts was
quite small. She was born in Yalobusha County,  Miss., in 1846, and became the
mother of one child, Fannie Ella, born August 5, 1865, married, July 2, 1879,
to  Dr. W. L. Gillespie, and bore one child, William J., born April 27, 1880.
Dr. Gillespie was born in Tennessee July 24, 1848, and died near Fort Smith,
Ark., March 3, 1882. His widow was subsequently married, November  20, 1884, to
W. B. Milam, who was born February 20, 1861, in this county. They have one
child, Claudie  Leander, born September 15, 1885. Mr. Roberts resided in Monroe
County, Miss., until 1882, when he  immigrated to Sebastian County, Ark., and
purchased ninety-three acres of land four miles south of the county  seat. He
is now the owner of 243 acres of land, 120 acres of which are under
cultivation. Mr. Roberts is one of  the worthy citizens of the county, and in
his political views is a Democrat, casting his first presidential vote for
Breckinridge in 1860.