WI BIO - Dodge Co - ROBERTS, John J.

History of Dodge County, Wisconsin. Chicago: Western Historical, 1880, p 630

John J. ROBERTS, merchant, was born 05 February 1843 in Wales, son of O. R. 
ROBERTS. In the spring of 1847 the family came to Columbia County, 
Wisconsin. Mr. O. R. ROBERTS, a man of more than ordinary culture, was a 
prominent and respected citizen in the old country, where held positions of 
trust. He [O. R. ROBERTS] died about 1867, at the age of 75 years.

When seventeen years of age, John J. ROBERTS went to work for Gov. SMITH, and 
in August 1862 he enlisted in Company E, Twenty-ninth Wisconsin 
Volunteer Infantry, and served about ten months. John J. ROBERTS then 
returned, raised a company for the Forty-eighth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, 
and entered the service again as First Lieutenant of Company B. He was 
afterward promoted to Captain, served his time faithfully, and was honorably 
discharged.

On his return, John J. ROBERTS worked for William E. SMITH for a while, then 
went into partnership with R. P. SMITH in a general merchandise store. Mr. 
ROBERTS came to Waupun in the fall of 1870, and engaged in trade with Lewis 
SMITH, and about ten months after that took the entire business himself, and 
he has been carrying it on very successfully ever since. John J. ROBERTS is 
agent for the American Express Company, keeps one of the largest and 
best-assorted stocks of groceries, boots and shoes, crockery, etc., in the 
city, and deserves a big "credit mark" for his industry and good business 
management. Mr. ROBERTS does not let a chance for shrewd speculation pass 
without getting involved.

In September 1868 he [John J. ROBERTS] married Miss Jennie SMITH, daughter of 
Alexander SMITH and sister of Gov. SMITH. The children by this marriage [the 
children of John J. and Jennie (SMITH) ROBERTS] are: (1) Malevlin J., born 
in August 1869, who died when 6 months old; (2) Jessie May, born in November 
1871; (3) Almira Chamberlain, born in March 1874; and (4) Ira Smith, born 
23 August 1878. Mr. ROBERTS is a Mason and a member of the Commandery.

[Submitter did not seek or view primary or other records to substantiate 
events in this biography. Note that Ira's middle name is the same as the 
maiden surname of his mother. Submitter would ordinarily expect that 
Chamberlain may be the maiden surname of a grandmother of Jennie (SMITH) 
ROBERTS, since in other biographies of this period, submitter has noted many 
cases where an uncommon middle name is the same as the maiden surname of that 
person's mother or grandmother, however, the biographies upon which this 
observation was based were not those of Welsh immigrants. The Dodge County, 
Wisconsin, biography of Joshua ROBERTS contains a short but clear statement 
about the Welsh naming custom. In this biography, Joshua, the son of Robert 
ELLIS, was not named Joshua ELLIS, but instead Joshua ROBERTS, taking his 
father's first name as his surname. Another example appears in the Dodge 
County biography of Robert ROBERTS, whose father was Robert Ellis, the son 
being not Robert ELLIS, Jr., but instead Robert ROBERTS.] 

Submitted by Cathy Kubly