Frank Wallace Roberts Jr. (1862 - 1946)

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The Jr. suffix was added from information in the Dec. 18th, 1887 edition of the St. Louis Post Dispatch newspaper. The article said that Frank Jr. was intern visiting his father Frank W., this would also indicate that his fathers middle name was also Wallace.

Biography

Frank Roberts was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Frank Roberts and Sarah West. His father was a merchant businessman and there were two other sons, George and Harry and two sisters, Sada and Ella.

As a young, single man, Frank Wallace Roberts heard stories of cheap land and he left home, going West to near San Angelo, TX where he ran a small herd of cattle. He met Allie Elliott of nearby Mertson, TX and they married, having four sons, Frank, Volmer, Elliott, and Harry, and one daughter, Sadie. When the government began offering land at bargain rates to those willing to settle in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Roberts moved his young family in 1914 to what is now Mission, TX. He opened a confectionary business, which was a cross between a soda shop, a tobacco store, and a general store. It was successful, so he left that business to son, Elliot, and moved the rest of the family to San Benito, TX. Volmer and Frank went on to serve in the Army in World War I.

Roberts again open a confectionery shop on Sam Houston Street near where the old Rivoli Theater once stood. But, he did not want to build his home ìin townî, so he began building a large farm house on Austin Road near where the Army of the Rio Grande had troops camped in an area that later became the high school football field. He felt safer from border bandits with his family close to the soldierís camp. He became acquainted with many of the soldiers and found they needed a place to congregate, so the back of the confectionery shop became ìThe Alcoveî, a very popular spot for young people for many years.

At about this same time, Robertsí son Elliott, began bringing trainload of people from Chicago on what was called ìland drives.î Many times the people would be brought to the Roberts home for rest and refreshments, as it was not far from the train depot.

As the Lower Valley settled, there was more bandit activity from across the Mexican border. He often had the children hide under the beds while he, the older boys, and soldiers chased the raiders back across the border. Behind some of the sheetrock in the home at 301 N. Austin, bullet holes remain today from those bandit raids.

Following ìThe Alcoveî Roberts opened and operated Roberts Office Supply, again on Sam Houston Street, but on the opposite side. As his health failed, he sold that business to Warren Tenney, who continued it as Tenney Office Supply, until his death. Frank Roberts was a lifetime member of the Rotary Club and Masonic Lodge, a 32nd Degree Mason. He was instrumental in bringing the Boy Scouts of America to the Valley, as well as the Order of the Eastern Star and Rainbow Girls. Roberts and wife Allie, wee some of the first members of the Methodist Church of San Benito. He served over 50 years on the San Benito School Board of Trustees.

Frank W. Roberts was named one of the first Justice of the Peace for the Lower Rio Grande Valley. First in the group south of Corpus Christi and he remained an active Justice until his death in 1946. He was known as ìJudge Robertsî from the beginning and held court, witnessed important events, and performed countless weddings during the early years. He and Allie had many a wedding in their living room with some of the sleeping children, awakened and asked to serve as witnesses. Miss Allie died in 1943, and with Judge Robertsí health beginning to fail, his married daughter, Sadie, and husband Howard Caswell, and their two daughters, Virginia and Lois, moved into the home on Austin Street to care for him.

Judge Roberts died at age 84 in 1946. He was still an acting Justice of the Peace for Cameron County. He is buried alongside his beloved Allie, the Masonic Circle at Mont Meta Cemetery, San Benito, TX.

Submitted by Caswell Adams, Granddaughter February, 2004

Above material copied from frankroberts.sbcisd.net "The History of Frank Roberts Elementary School"

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