Pictures

The Syracuse Herald
Friday Evening
July 3, 1908
The 1910 census report says that Fannie's
husbands last name was Doran.
So now I'll try to find something to back either account up.

I had searched several times at the newspaper
archive site for Elmer Roberts in NY
The first several times I got no results
But finally this article came up.
This article was helpful in several ways
FIRST
I knew the middle initial was E
But once again I had no idea what the E stood for.
This article gave me that answer plus a story to go with his name!
This article told me when his wife Anna died.
That confirmed the grave site information I had found for them
The article said he had a son. But I knew from census records that he
also had a daughter. Her name was Elsie.

This is another picture of Elmer E. Roberts.
This is the picture that really got me started researching.
That was back in the early 1980's.
The large frame on the wall behind Elmer is a map.
I had to use a magnifying glass, but I finally got enough information
to write to the Cayuga County Clerk of Court in NY.
It's called Lakehurst, in Auburn, NY.
I was told I could purchase a copy of the map
and that the housing development was still there!
The date on the map is June 5, 1929.
I was really excited when I got that map!
I made everyone look at it too.

I think this is a little hard to read.
So I'll quote from the article.
October 16, 1937
Mrs. Elsie Roberts Billington, wife of Forris J. Billington
of 224 Armstrong Place, was declared a victom of
suicide by Coroner William R. Winne Saturday.
The 30 year old woman shot herself
with a 22 caliber revolver at her home
Friday afternoon.
Relatives said Mrs. Billington had been in ill
health for about a year.
The body was found by Mr. Billington
when he returned home from work at 5:45 P.M. Friday.
Mrs. Billington's father Elmer E. Roberts of 114 Kellogg Street,
told police he telephoned his daughter's home at 5 P.M.
but there was no answer.
Mrs. Billington was a native of Rome, coming to Syracuse
29 years ago. Besides her husband and father, she is survived by a
brother, Elmer E. Roberts Jr., and a niece, Eleanor Roberts.

December 14, 1936
I knew Elmer Jr., had a son from information
on the 1930 census report.

1949 newspaper article

1954 newspaper article

Below I am copying a letter I have from a Genealogist I wrote
to back in 1982. His name was Raymond P. Ernenwein. The letter
heading says, Verona, New York, April 27, 1982.
Dear Mrs. Muller, I had just about decided that nobody here knew
about your family until this morning I talked with one of my best
sources of information A. Warner Thayer, who will be 92 this Sept.
and knew everyone that lived around Verona Mills or went to the
Seventh Day Baptist church there.
He remembers "Ed" Lea ran a grocery store at the "Your Corners" of
Verona Mills, and (as most such store keepers did) drove his wagon
delivering on the country roads. He says "Ed" wasn't very old when
he died, and Ed's father lived almost as long and Warner "thinks"
but isn't sure that they said the old man Lea was blind.
Warner was of course a young boy then and he says he was not very
old when Ed Lea died and when the younger members moved away. He
recalls the names of the daughters the same as you say - thinks
the youngest was Maude. He only once saw one of the girls after
they moved away - he thinks it was Alice, maybe.
He remembers the son's name as Howard and that he was "about his
age". He doesn't know who he married or where he moved to, nor
likewise for the girls.
The Robert's connection, he says is from the family at "Fish Creek
Station" now called Verona Beach. Martha Roberts Lea was either a
daughter or sister to John Roberts of that place, who ran a grocery
store there and probably he got Ed started running a store.
An account of Verona Beach written by Mrs. Mabel Myers of Verona
Beach tells that the Roberts family were among the earliest settlers
and owned much of the land there.
John Roberts also sold coal and Warner recalls that Smith Showdy
worked for him - they didn't have a regular coalyard but it was
dumped in a pile and later loaded into wagons as customers bought it.

Continued from the Ernenwein letter
According to Mabel L. Bentley Myer, writing in 1967 - "the people I shall
now mention came to these parts about 1840. The Roberts brothers, William,
Harmon, Seth, and George were early settlers. Their homes were established
a few miles back from the lake along Wood River, as it was called in those
days. Their settlement was on the south side nearby where Fish Creek entered
on the opposite side".
A post office called Fish Creek was established in 1870. Fourth postmaster
was John N. Roberts, fifth was Jennie I. Roberts.
"A general store was kept along with the postoffice at Fish Creek. It was
located across the tracks from the railroad station".
The first schoolhouse was near the Roberts settlement. Later a new one was
built nearer the railroad and postoffice.
At the beginning of 1900 two prominent business men of Fish Creek were John
Roberts son of Harmon Roberts and James L. Bentley. John N. Roberts had
bought the general store in 1894 and conducted a thriving business, area
farmers coming to his place for their supplies. He was postmaster for many
years until his death in 1927. He was elected school trustee numerous times.
After the death of her parents, Minnie Roberts Head daughter of John Roberts,
became owner of his store at Fish Creek where the post office was maintained
for so long a time. She was renting it as a residence when it burned in 1945.
Above all quoted from writing (unpublished) by Mrs. Mabel Myer.

Lea Info Continued
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