Roberts Family History
This site is a homage to those who came before us and helped to forge our name and heritage.
While not all inclusive, mostly due to records that are missing and destroyed, our site focuses on the linage of three major persons: Wiley Roberts and his son, Right Thomas William Roberts Sr., and his son, Right Thomas William Roberts Jr.,
and their descendants.
Dedication
To the Pillars of Our Lineage
This site is dedicated to the fathers who carved our path from the wilderness, the mothers who held their families together through hardship and loss, and the generations whose strength made our lives possible.
We preserve these names and stories so that they may never be forgotten.
To the Devoted Ministers and Keepers of Faith
We honor those who faithfully served God and neighbor.
Those who loaded their families into wagons each Sunday morning for worship, who practiced open-pantry hospitality during the Great Depression, and who carried the spiritual legacy of the Savannah Baptist Association into the modern era.
From Joseph Wiley Roberts Sr., whose generosity and faith strengthened an entire community, to Pastor Herbert Roberts, who devoted his life to ministry, and Dr. Gary M. Roberts, who continued the family’s tradition of Christian service through church leadership, teaching, and community involvement, your examples continue to guide those who follow.
Your faith, compassion, and devotion remain a lasting legacy and a light for future generations.
To the Keepers of the Lore
We honor those who preserved our family history through generations of change.
Those who survived war, hardship, and loss, yet continued telling the stories of the people who came before them.
Because of you, the memories of our Lowcountry pioneers, family traditions, and treasured legends have survived and now live within these pages.
To the Defenders of Our Freedom
We honor those who gave their lives in service to their country.
From the longbow archers of Shipton who stood ready to defend their homeland, to the patriot fighters of Revolutionary South Carolina, to Right Thomas William Roberts Sr., who answered the call during the Civil War, and Private First Class Walter Charles Verdell Jr., who made the ultimate sacrifice and now rests overlooking Omaha Beach.
Your courage and sacrifice secured freedoms that future generations would enjoy.
We remember you with gratitude and honor.
“A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done.”
— Ecclesiastes 1:4–9
To Our Descendants
This book now passes into your hands.
Within these pages are the stories of farmers and soldiers, ministers and mothers, pioneers and patriots. Their journeys carried our family from the rivers and marshes of the South Carolina Lowcountry, through the streets of Savannah, across oceans and centuries, and into the modern world.
May these stories remind you that you are part of something greater than yourself.
You carry the perseverance of pioneers.
You carry the courage of soldiers.
You carry the faith of ministers.
You carry the strength of mothers and fathers who endured hardships so that future generations might flourish.
Know their names.
Learn their stories.
Honor their sacrifices.
And when your time comes, add your own chapter to the story they began.
Remember them. Honor them. Carry the torch forward.
A special note of recognition:
This site was made possible by the contributions of Burch Bryant, Jessica Roberts Homan, and Gary M. Roberts Sr.
Most notably, Burch and Jessica’s work at discovering lost family history.
It is my hope that this site will never be finished. May it continue until the Lord comes to take us all home.