THE ALEX ROBERTS FAMILY
THE NICKOLIS ROBERTS FAMILY
The L.L. Roberts Family

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THE NICKOLIS ROBERTS FAMILY - 1967
by Mrs. Ernest Madill (Maud Roberts)

    In 1889 Nickolis and Isabelle Roberts followed one of their sons westward from Thurso, near Ottawa, to Shellmouth, where they Settled Mrs. Roberts was one of the first of the Cammeron clan to settle in this district. Mr. Roberts, a stone mason, carried on his trade after settling, while his sons, Alex, John, and Paul became very capable river drivers. River drivers were very important to the lumber business in the spring as they transported the logs down the river.

    Of the three young men, John remained a bachelor while Paul married Miss Watson of Stratford, Ontario, and raised eight children. Alex, having preceeded his parents to Shellmouth, married Agnes Whaley two years after coming in 1884. Miss Whaley was the eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Whaley who had the first post office in Shellmouth. This union produced nine children of whom four are now living.

THE ALEX ROBERTS FAMILY

    Lizzie, now deceased, was the wife of James Nickel of the Silver Creek district. Two of their sons, Robert and Kenneth, live in British Columbia, while Lyle lives in Russell with his wife and six children.

   Ethel, also deceased, married James Moster and had two sons, Frank of Shellmouth, and Harold of Inglis. Both Nelson and Harold served in the First World War and never married. Harold died in the services while Nelson was seriously wounded and gassed but lived until 1953.

   Mona, now deceased, never married.

    Hugh married Dora Nerbas and now lives in Manning, Alberta. Their children, Bud, Reginald, Brian, and Nelson live in different points in western Canada.

   Colin, whose wife was the former Winnie Hooper now deceased lives at Shellmouth with his two sons Garry and Barry.

    Jessie, married to William Ferris, lives at Dropmore with he husband and son Howard. Her daughter Alice is Mrs. James Johnson of Brandon.

    Maude, who resides in Russell, was the wife of the late Ernest Madill, son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Madill of Russell. Lulu, her eledest daughter, lives in Russell with her husband Oliver Calvert and daughter Orlla.

    Noreen and her husband, Robert Corley, live in Brandon with their younger son Kylie while Blair, the elder son, is married and lives in Russell with his wife and son, Travis.

    Thelma, the youngest daughter, is the wife of Karl Schentag. They reside in Medicine Hat Alberta with their sons Tom and Kerry, while their daughters Cheryle, in nurses training, and Glenna, a nurses aid, live in Edmonton.

    Thus the descendants of Nickolis and Isabelle Roberts have scattered across Canada from their home in the Shellmouth District.

The L.L. Roberts Family - by Mrs Anne Pratt (Ethel Roberts)

        Leonard Littleword Roberts ("L.L." to all his friends) was born in Sheffield, England.  He was a member of a large family of sons and daughters of a well-known physician in that city.  he emigrated to Canada in 1882 and took up a homestead on Section 30-21-28 later the site of the Barnardo Home.

    "L.L." early distinguished himself by doing things in his own way.  He dug his shelter in the slope of a hill and lived there in comparative comfort.  In the story of Craigie, Mrs. Shaw tells how the only evidence of a residence there was the stove pipe emerging from the snow.  In the winters, Mr. Robertsb loved to go to work in the lumber camps in the bush where his remarkable skill with horses was turned to good account. Contemporaries of his tell of “Flesh and Devil” a mighty team of horses which he alone could control. In later years he took pride in his hackneys and loved to drive to Russell with a spanking team with harness gleaming and brasses glittering.

L.L. Roberts married Agnes, the widow of James Lawther. Mrs. Lawther had four daughters, Mary, Alice, Laura and Elizabeth (see Lawther family). Mr. and Mrs. Roberts had a family of four, Leslie, Maud, Margaret and Ethel. They lived on the family farm near Londondeery School until they retired to Russell.

Leslie Morton Roberts married Lois Buie. He farmed near Silverton and displayed many prize-winning horses at the Russell Fair. In 1931, he moved with his family to British Columbia where he now lives in retirement at Chilliwack, He has a family of three, Helen, Mrs. H. Adams; Graham and Donald. Harold Adams served in the Canadian Army and died in 1962. Graham served in the R.C.A.F.

Maud Littlewood Roberts married Norman J. Bajus of Vancouver. They had two sons Norman Stanley and Douglas. Norman, the elder son, was killed in World War II. Douglas served in the R.C.N. He now lives in Vancouver where he is well known for his prowess at
golf.

Margaret R. K. Roberts served on the staff of the Telephone Company at Russell and later with the British Columbia Telephone System in Vancouver, where she now resides.

Ethel Winnifred Roberts, the youngest member of the family, married A. M. Pratt (see Pratt family).