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aN eastern iowa connection

6/30/2014

8 Comments

 
John Elson

My name is John Elson and I grew up on a farm in Eastern Iowa.  I was born in Vinton Iowa, the son of Van and Mary Johnston Elson.  I never knew my maternal grandparents. Grandma Johnston died before I was born and Grandpa died shortly after.  My mom always said we were part Cherokee, but we identified as white folks in a white community.  Mom’s ethnicity of choice was Irish, and she learned songs from her father that were passed down from his parents and grandparents who came from Belfast. Mom also said that grandma had moved from Indiana and had fond memories of living there.  For many years that was the extent of my knowledge.

I was curious to find out more about the Cherokee story, but my cousin Larry (who lives in California) was even more curious and he researched the family origins in Indiana.  We knew our grandmother's birth name was Cleo Desdemona Roberts and she was born in Sheridan, IN in 1880.  Her parents and siblings moved to Iowa in 1898 and settled on a farm in Jefferson County in the SE part of the state. After making a phone call to the Sheridan newspaper and learning about the mixed-race settlement in Hamilton County, Larry was able to find out a great deal more in the 1990's, especially with the advent of Internet searching. He e-mailed me a list of sources and I started reading about the Roberts Settlement. It was a revelation to sit down with Steve Vincent's book, "Southern Seed, Northern Soil" and read in the opening pages about my great, great, great grandfather Willis Roberts, who was torn between remaining in North Carolina, where the rights of people of color were being restricted in the aftermath of the Nat Turner rebellion, or moving to Indiana to face new challenges and opportunities. I went back and found additional writings about the Roberts Settlement, the article in Ebony from November 1951 and the thesis written by Edgar Conkling, who interviewed Carl Roberts, the successful surgeon and family genealogist.

When you add the scores of newspaper and magazine articles, there is enough reading to keep busy for months, or years if you expand the quest to include related material on African American history. “The Invisible Line” by Daniel J. Sharfstein, documents the stories of 3 different families and their journey from black to white, and I recommend this book for anyone interested in the topic of passing. We follow their family stories over time, stories with drama, suspense and poignancy. I can only imagine what my great grandfather and family experienced, and much of their story has been hidden and lost. While passing can be a sensitive issue for a few in our family, I think attitudes have changed over time and I know that many of the cousins I know from Iowa embrace and celebrate our ancestry.

As fate would have it, Steve Vincent and his wife moved to Iowa City and our paths crossed at coffee hour after church.  I am grateful for his never ending enthusiasm for all things related to the Roberts Settlement history and for Steve’s willingness to share his knowledge.  

I have learned about relatives who were successful in law, in the clergy, as well as other professions. Judge Milton Arrah Roberts was my great-great uncle, who moved to Iowa before his brother, my great grandfather, Charles Sylvester Roberts did. Their father Elias reportedly donated the land where the chapel and cemetery are.  My great-great grandfather Abram Brown, a civil war veteran who served in the 28th Colored Infantry, settled in Kokomo, Indiana and ran a boarding house for black residents and visitors.  The Noblesville library and the Howard County library in Kokomo have been wonderful sources of information.  The new webpage is great and the short film is very inspirational. Thanks to all who work to keep the Roberts legacy alive.

John has made several visits to our Roberts Homecoming. He is a descendant of Charles Sylvester Roberts, son of Elias Roberts and grandson of Willis Roberts.
Picture
John's grandmother Cleo "Dessie" Desdemona (Roberts) Johnston and her husband Reuben Johnston.
Picture
Picture
John with his immediate family: wife Theresa and son Niall.
8 Comments
Bryan Glover
7/2/2014 10:57:47 am

Thanks for sharing a bit of your family story with us. I am still looking forward to reading "The Invisible Line." As we go forward with telling the many stories about Roberts Settlement's history I hope we get to research the hidden and lost stories you have alluded to!

Reply
Billie Caldwell
7/2/2014 01:27:44 pm

What an awesome reading. How nice it is to find your family. Gives me inspiration to find out about mine

Reply
Beverly Johnston OBrien
7/9/2014 03:56:13 am

The picture is of my grandparents as well. Just found out about this side of my family last year and am looking forward to finding out more about this wonderful, courageous, group of ancestors. Thanks to cousins for all this research.

Reply
Denise Baltimore
8/8/2014 03:51:42 am

Great story John! Thanks for sharing it!

Reply
Christina Roberts-Manfred
6/23/2015 03:57:32 pm

John,
This is all so fascinating! I am just learning about my ancestry. You and I are related! My Great Grandfather was Guy Roberts, brother of Cleo Desdemona Roberts. I have documents from my late Grandfather, Gerald Charles Roberts, and a family tree with your Grandmother's name. I was born in Upstate New York. I recently moved to Kokomo, IN not knowing that my Great Grandfather was born here. I am in awe of the information I have been gathering. Please contact me anytime!

Reply
Janet Flora
9/10/2022 07:00:07 am

John, ran across this, how wonderful. Think of your mom and dad and you often. You have Indiana roots! Janet Becker Flora

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Killeen Water Features link
10/6/2022 07:03:24 pm

Thank you for wrriting this

Reply
Daniel Torres link
6/30/2023 01:53:13 pm

While passing can be a touchy issue for a couple of in our family, I think mentalities have changed after some time and I realize that large numbers of the cousins I know from Iowa embrace and praise our lineage.

Reply



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