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Melissa (Maxwell) Roby |
Melissa (Maxwell) Roby was born on May 21, 1851 in Marion County, OH, the daughter of Marshall and Margaret (Johnson) Maxwell.
Melissa was 10 years old when her mother died and age 19 when her widowed father wed our Margaret (Miner) Sloan. She grew to womanhood in Cardington, Morrow County, OH.
On Aug. 8, 1869, at the age of about 18, Melissa was united in the bonds of holy matrimony with Civil War veteran Thomas Benjamin "T.B." Roby (Oct. 20, 1844-1918), a native of Erie County, OH. Their nuptials were held at Mount Gilead, Morrow County, by the hand of Rev. William Jones, pastor of the local Methodist Episcopal Church.
The trio of offspring born to this union included Bert Elsa Roby Sr., Minella Ann "Nellie/Nynell" Coffman and Franklin D. "Frank" Roby.
Thomas stood 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighed 145 lbs. He sported a fair complexion, blue-grey eyes and dark hair.
During the war, Thomas had gone to Sandusky, OH to enlist in the Union Army on Aug. 20, 1864, at the age of 19. He was placed in the 128th Ohio Infantry, Company K. He was stationed at Cedar Point, OH in late 1864 and early 1865, on detached service, in a company commanded by Lt. Baker.
While there, he developed a bad cold and bronchitis which impacted his throat and lungs, and he claimed that "exposure incident to the service" was the cause. There were no regimental surgeon at Cedar Point to provide him with medical care, so he was rested in bed for two weeks. One comrade, John O. Underhill of Cardington, said that Thomas "looked weak, had a cough and suffered with soreness of chest." Underhill also wrote that the soldier "looked pale and poor in flesh."
Thomas served in the Army for a total of 11 months. He received his honorable discharge at Camp Chase, OH on July 13, 1865 and returned home to a life of farming. Neighbor Robert M. Dick of Fulton, Morrow County, recalled seeing and working with Thomas on his return from military service, saying he was "emaciated in appearance, pale and his chest appeared flat and sunken..." Friend Alexander Marvin, who lived four to six miles away, said Thomas "was unable to perform more than one half the labor of an able-bodied man..."
Then in 1869, Melissa and Thomas pulled up stakes in Ohio and relocated to Missouri, where Melissa's step-uncle and aunt Luther and Mahala (Minor) White and step-cousins Lester and Susan (McCarty) Whiteand Layton White had moved. The hope was that Thomas' health would improve in the drier climate. The Robys and Whites became neighbors about a mile and a quarter apart in Haseville, Linn County, MO.
In 1870, Thomas is known to have been converted to Christianity, joining the Methodist Episcopal Church.
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| The Robys' marriage record, 1869 - courtesy National Archives |
They remained near Haseville in Jackson Township, Linn County, MO in 1880. When the federal census enumeration was made in 1880, the family was on a farm in Jackson, living next door to Melissa's married sister Kathryn Scribner and family, and as near-neighbors to Melissa's Melissa's name was written as a simple "M" by that year's census-taker.
They made yet another move in 1884 to Barber Couinty, KS, as had the White step-aunt, uncle and step-cousins. Their homeplace in 1889-1890 is known to have been Isabel in Valley Township in Barber County, KS. Melissa's step-cousin Lester White dwelled a half mile away, and step-cousin Layton White about two miles distant. The three men worked with and for each other and interacted regularly. Dr. J.D. Karr was the family physician during that era of time. Layton later said that Thomas' breathing was so difficult that at times he "talked almost in a whisper."
After nine years in Kansas, the Robys made the decision to uproot and head toward the newly opened territory in Oklahoma. As such, they took part in the Oklahoma Land Run of 1893. Based on their claim, they purchased property in the Cherokee Strip section along the northern tier of the territory. Their tract was located northwest of the town of Alva, Woods County and two miles south of Fritzlen.
Evidence suggests they may have maintained their home in Kansas until moving to Alva for good in 1895. Many years later, the Alva (OK) Review-Courier said that Melissa "homesteaded land near the present site of the Alva post office." Her younger married sister Olive A. "Ollie" Carter and family also moved to Alva about this time.
In the postwar years, Thomas was burdened with hemorrhages of the lungs which led to bronchitis. He endured a chronic buildup of mucus in the throat and sinus ("catarrh"), a constant cough and an irregular heartbeat. He was treated from time to time by Dr. C.F. Rutledge, who considered the patient entirely disabled for earning a living with manual labor. A physician once wrote that "I also know him to be a man of exemplary habits and his disabilities are not due to vicious habits."
When learning he was eligible, he applied for and was awarded a military pension on June 4, 1888, as compensation for his ailments. [Invalid App. No. 657.735 - Cert. No. 515.512] Among those supporting this through their eyewitness testimony and affidavits were cousins Lester and Layton White.
From that time on, Thomas received monthly pension checks. He remained eligible as long as he underwent examinations every few years by military surgeons. One medical report from 1894 noted that "we find the tongue red and coated white, also fissured. We also find the skin dry and muscles flabby. The man is very poorly nourished and not capable of making any exertion without great exhaustion."
The federal census enumeration of 1900 shows the Robys in Alva, with Thomas earning a living as a stock trader. Their married daughter Nellie Coffman and her family lived next door. He joined the local chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans' organization, and remained a member for the rest of his life.
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| Frenzied race for land during an 1890s Oklahoma land rush - Harper's Weekly |
The couple spent their winters in the south toward their final years. With two of their sons already in Phoenix, AZ, they went there in the fall of 1918 "hoping the mild climate might bring better health," reported the Alva Weekly Record.
Sadly, Thomas died in Phoenix, AZ on Nov. 14, 1918 while there "for the benefit of his health," a friend recalled. In an obituary, the Weekly Record said that "His sons and daughter and faithful wife have done all that willing hands and loving hearts could do, but as comes to each and all, when the time of departure is at hand, so ends the early life of a kind neighbor, a loving, devioted father and husband, a faithful Christian man... The bereaved wife and children have the sympathy of hosts of friends in their loss." The remains were shipped back to Alva aboard the Santa Fe Railroad. Rev. E.C. Anderson led the funeral service in the Methodist church, assisted by 14 fellow members of the GAR post, with Frank Howerton handling funeral arrangements.
Later that year, on Nov. 25, 1918, living in Arizona, Melissa was awarded his military pension. [Widow App. No. 1.131.871 - Cert. No. 862.591]. As such, she would have received monthly checks from the government for the rest of her life. Friends J.E. and Olive Carter and N.W. Magruder signed affidavits of testimony in support of her claim.
As of 1937, Melissa had returned to Alva where she spent the balance of her years. Suffering from chronic heart disease, heart valve insufficiency and disease ("angina pectoris"), she was gathered in by the heavenly host on March 22, 1937 at the age of 85. Her remains were lowered into the sacred soil, next to her husband's, in Alva Municipal Cemetery. Among those traveling to attend the funeral were her married niece Pearl Watkins of Ringwood, OK as well as Mrs. Arthur Watkins and Walter Roby of Guymon, OK. Her daughter Nellie Coffman provided vital information for the official Oklahoma certificate of death.
~ Son Bert Elsa Roby Sr. ~
Son Bert Elsa Roby Sr. (1870-1944) was born on Sept. 10, 1870 in Missouri.
In about 1897, he married Lettie Frances "Fannie" Williams ( ? - ? ). T
hey became the parents of at least two -- Nellie Roby (born June 1898) and Ruth Roby (Feb. 1900).
In 1900, when the U.S. Census was made, the young family lived in Fritzlen, Woods County, OK, and he generated income as a farmer. As of 1900, Bert's younger brother Frank lived under their roof.
In time they moved to Arizona and settled in Phoenix.
Death claimed Bert in Phoenix on Jan. 23, 1944.
Daughter Nellie Roby (1898- ? ) was born in June 1898.
Daughter Ruth Roby (1900- ? ) was born in Feb. 1900.
~ Daughter Minella Ann "Nellie" (Roby) Coffman ~
Daughter Minella Ann "Nellie" Roby (1873-1953) -- also known as "Nynell" -- was born on Sept. 22, 1873 in Missouri.
Circa 1895, she wed Thomas J. Coffman ( ? - ? ).
They settled in Alva, Woods County, OK, next to her parents, and in 1900 he made a living there as a salesman.
One known son was Thomas B. Coffman (born July 1900).
They remained in Alva for decades.
Nellie passed away in Alva on Feb. 6, 1953.
Son Thomas B. Coffman (1900- ? ) was born in July 1900.
~ Son Franklin D. "Frank" Roby ~
Son Franklin D. "Frank" Roby (1875-1959) was born on Sept. 2, 1875 in or near Chillicothe, MO.
A bachelor at the age of 23, in 1900, he lived in the household of his brother Bert in Fritzlen, OK and worked as a cattle herder.
Frank was twice-wed. His first wife was Lina Davis (1882-1907).
Two sons of this marriage were Maxwell Franklin Roby Sr. and Walter Alex Roby.
Grief descended on the family when Lina died in 1907, leaving behind her husband and two sons under the age of seven. The boys grew to manhood in Alva.
His second bride was Carrie Gibson ( ? - ? ).
Circa 1919, he made his home in Phoenix, AZ. At some point he was engaged in mining silver in "Old Mexico." Said the Alva Review Courier:
Frank Roby meanwhile led an active and varied life in the southwest and Old Mexico as a miner, prospector, cowboy and sometimes farmer. Frank and his brother Bert once had a silver mine about 80 miles south of Durango, Old Mexico, but during a revolution were driven out, escaping only with their lives. He returned to Alva in the late 1930s where he remained until his death.
He eventually returned to Alva and made his final home at 511 Center Street. There, he passed away at age 84 on Dec. 8, 1959. Burial was in Alva Memorial Cemetery, with Rev. L.E. Shackelford, of the First Methodist Church, officiating. Obituaries were published in the Review Courier and Oklahoma City Daily Oklahoman.
Son Maxwell Franklin Roby Sr. (1901-1948) was born in 1901.
Son Walter Alex Roby (1903- ? ) was born in Artesia, NM in 1903.
Copyright © 2000-2001, 2004, 2010, 2014, 2017, 2024 Mark A. Miner