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Polly (Smith) Roberts (abt. 1791 - 1877)

Polly Roberts formerly Smith
Born about in Vermont, United Statesmap
Ancestors ancestors
Wife of — married about 1815 in Genesee County, New Yorkmap
[children unknown]
Died at about age 86 in Richfield Township, Genesee, Michigan, United Statesmap
Problems/Questions Profile manager: Hal Smith private message [send private message]
Profile last modified | Created 10 Jul 2013
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Contents

Biography

Polly Smith was born about 1791 according to her 1860 census entry in Ray, Macomb County, Michigan where she appeared living with her sister Abigail "Nabby" Smith, married to John Worthington Goodell and their family.[1] She appeared as "Polly Roberts". More about the Smith, Goodell, Amidon families is written in the biographies of Polly's siblings, Sabra M. and Moses Tyler Smith. The families moved around the same time from Vermont to Genesee County, NY; then in the 1830s-40s to Macomb and Genesee County, MI.

She married Erastus Roberts likely about 1814 based on her age and 1817 birth of first known child and that marriage probably happened in New York around Darien or Pembroke, Genesee County where several family members lived at the time.

In 1820 an Erastus Roberts appears 7 miles from Pembroke in Clarence, Niagara County NY (mis-transcribed and indexed as "Erastus Heleris" but the image clearly shows "Roberts))[2] with 2 males < 10, 1 male 10-15, 1 male 26-44, 1 female 26-45. This could be the blended family with Stephen born 1817 and older children from Erastus' prior marriage. Given the unusual name of Erastus, it seems likely that it is the same one who married Polly Smith although it is possible that Polly married an Erastus Jr born about 1795.

The family appears under Erastus' name on the 1830 federal census in Pemboke, NY[3] as expected with a family of 13 (1 male 5-9, 2 males 10-14, 1 male 15-19, 1 male 40-49 (Erastus) 2 females < 5, 3 females 5-9, 2 females 30-39, 1 female 70-79. The elderly female is probably somebody's mother but there is an extra female 30-39 so possibly some of the children were hers; possibly she was a sister of Erastus. Only 5 children of this couple have been identified so far but Erastus may have been married earlier.

The family next seems to appear in Bennington, Genesee, NY in the 1840 census[4] about 7 miles from Pembroke with 8 total (2 males 20-29, 1 male 50-59, 2 females 5-9, 1 female 10-14, 1 female 15-19, 1 female 30-39). The elderly female is gone, 2 of the males who would now be 15-29 are gone, possibly married; but there should now be 5 females between 11 and 19 and there are only 2 plus there are 2 new ones under 5. The females who were 30-39 should now list as 40-49 but they do not appear, just one still between 30-39. Maybe Polly chose not to age the full 10 years and the other woman 30-39 in 1830 left with her 3+ children?

Which Erastus are we talking about?

There was an Erastus Roberts married to a Hilphia or Hilpah Holcomb (born 1787) who had several children including Mariott or possibly Maryette Holcomb but Hilphia died in 25 Mar 1820 in Bloomfield, CT [5] and our Erastus & Polly Smith already had their first child in 1817 so this must have been 2 different Erasti. Some sites list their last child born Oct 1817 instead of 1820 but Stephen S. Roberts, son of Polly of this profile was born April 1817, so again we have 2 different Erastuses.

Erastus of Hilphia may have been the same Erastus of Connecticut who earlier married Lois Cotton 24 Nov 1803[6] and had son Erastus Seymour Roberts born 24 Oct 1804 in Bloomfield, CT. Wife Lois Cotton supposedly died the same day in 1804. This Erastus seems to have died in 1856 in Florida but with no sourcing; it seems to be based on a marriage record for Erastus S. Roberts of Tallahaseee, FL marrying Elizabeth T. Roberts of Windsor, CT on 1 Oct 1832 at WIntonbury Church (Bloomfield, Connecticut) but that is clearly not this couple given dates of birth of children and that Polly lived until 1872.[7]

An Erastus Roberts died in 1826 in Broome, NY[8] (250 miles east of Pembroke when we know that wife Polly Smith traveled west to end up in Michigan); he died intestate and a judge assigned someone to inventory his estate without mention of any family or relatives which given that our Erastus had at least 5 children and 2 born after 1826 combined with the fact that he owned a house in Richfield, MI in 1845 where his daughter Sophia got married, eliminates the Erastus of Broome, NY as a candidate.

Another Erastus Roberts born 1785 in NH to Daniel and his wife Asenath is also eliminated as too young since the Erastus of NY appeared in 1810 and 1820 censuses with an apparent first wife close to Pembroke and had 4 children including one over 10 by 1810.

So clearly I cannot choose the cup that is in front of ME...

Children of Polly Smith and Erastus Roberts

Sourced by birth & death records, censuses, marriage records:

  1. Stephen S. Roberts 1817–1881 (married Roxana "Roxy" Ford, possibly related to Emeline and Marion Ford who married 2 of the sons of Polly's sister Sabra M (Smith) Amidon?)
  2. Mary M. Roberts 1821–1885 (married Lorenzo Latimer)
  3. Daniel K. Roberts 1824–1893 (married Harriet S. Ford)
  4. Hannah Orinda Roberts 1828–1874 (married Algernon Sydney McArthur)
  5. Sophia Roberts 1830–1848 (married Zelum Dibble in the house of her father, Erastus Roberts which tells us Erastus and Polly were in Richfield, MI by 14 Jun 1845[9]. The minister's handwritten note to this effect says "the house of Erastus Roberts", not "of Polly Roberts" implying that Erastus was still alive.

Where's Polly in 1850?

  • not with brother Shubal in IL
  • not with brother Moses Tyler in Ray
  • not with sister Sabra & husband Amidon in Richfield, MI
  • not with brother Jacob Kimball in Darian, NY
  • not with sister Nabby in Ray, MI
  • not with son Stephen S. in Richfield, MI (next to Sabra & Amidon)
  • not with daughter Mary M. & husband Lorenzo in Richfield, MI (Polly's daughter Hannah lived with Mary & Lorenzo), also next to brother Stephen S. & Dyer Amidon & family
  • not with son Daniel, wife Harriet in Richfield, MI
  • Daughter Sophia, wife of Zelum Dibble, seems to have died by 1849 when he remarried Sophronia Drake
  • not anywhere alone or with anyone else on Ray, MI census which is only 30 pages

Maybe she was back in NY temporarily living with someone else.

As stated above, Polly appears with sister Nabby (Smith) Goodell in 1860 so Erastus was dead by this date. She then appears on the death record of daughter Hannah (Roberts) McArthur where she is listed as residing in Marathon (where Hanna and her family lived about 15 miles from Richfield) as of 25 May 1875. Hannah's father Erastus Roberts is also listed but as deceased, so Polly was still alive.[10]

A death record has not been found yet, nor an 1870 census record so Polly's final years remain elusive. If she was still alive in 1875 she would have been 84 years old so seemingly would have finished her life in Michigan near her children.

Sources

  1. United States Census, 1860 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MW6Q-YJ6
  2. United States Census, 1820 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHLB-KYB
  3. United States Census, 1830 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHPN-PPL
  4. United States Census, 1840 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHTQ-BBD
  5. Connecticut Deaths and Burials, 1772-1934 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F7VR-861
  6. North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 A genealogical record of the descendants of Quartermaster George Colton https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/61157/46155_b289845-00107/1103144
  7. NEHGR vol 72 (1918) https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2129/32608_234174-00128/137978
  8. New York, Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999 for Erastus Roberts Broome Wills, Letters, Vol A-C, 1806-1852 https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/8800/005114951_00025/7093573
  9. Michigan, County Marriage Records, 1822-1940 Genesee 1836-1867 https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/61374/004653767_00157/900248959
  10. Michigan Deaths, 1867-1897 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6QR9-TR4

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Kitty Smith for starting this profile. Click the Changes tab for the details of contributions by Kitty and others.





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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Polly by comparing test results with other carriers of her ancestors' mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known mtDNA test-takers in her direct maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Polly:

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Rejected matches › Polly (Smith) Glover (abt.1789-)

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