The Roberts family were of Welsh ancestry, and left Wales in the fifteenth century because of religious persecution.  They settled in Switzerland, where James Roberts, great grandfather of Peyton Roberts, was born in 1754.  James and his brother John came to Wythe county, Virginia in 1775.  [Wythe County, Virginia, was not chartered until 1790.]  John enlisted in the English army and was never heard of afterwards. James joined the Continental forces, and was wounded at the battle of King's Mountain, in 1780.  He recovered, remained in the army, and was present at the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown.  He married Nancy McKelvey, a native of Ireland, and their eldest son John was born in 1781 [May 8, 1784, according to other family records].

John Roberts, eldest son of James and Nancy McKelvey Roberts, married Naomi Lay, who was born June 5, 1785, in Tennessee.

John lived in Campbell county, Tennessee, and there his eldest son, James Esmon, was born Aug. 28, 1807.

John served as a private in the 7th regiment of the United States Infantry during the War of 1812, and was awarded 160 acres of bounty land. Warrant and Land Patent

The family moved to Breckenridge [Breckinridge] county, Kentucky, in 1827......  John Roberts and his family, with the exception of the eldest son, moved to Fountain Green, Hancock county, Illinois, in June, 1835.  James E. followed with his family in June, 1837. [Nancy Roberts, second youngest daughter of those for whom we have dates of birth, was born February 3, 1825, according to the date inscribed on her tombstone.  Elizabeth Roberts was born January 18, 1827, according to family records.  In every federal census from 1850-1880 for Nancy and 1850-1900 for Elizabeth, they reported being born in Kentucky.  In addition to James Esmon, daughter Isabell apparently did not move to Illinois in 1835.  She gave birth to two sons in Kentucky, one in early 1836 and another in early 1837.]

John, Naomi and their family were early settlers in Hancock County.  On October 10, 1840, a patent (certificate of ownership) for a land purchase was finally issued from the government office in Quincy.  On July 3, 1835, John had paid $1.25 per acre for 80 acres located in the north half of the northwest quarter of section 35 in Township 6 North, 5 West - the township wouldn't be named Fountain Green for another 15 years.

On November 3, 1840, a second patent was issued.  On July 30, 1836, John had paid $1.25 for an adjacent quarter section situated in the southeast quarter of the northwest quarter of section 35.  This gave him a total of 120 acres lying one mile east and a little south of the village of Fountain Green. His son, John McKelvey Roberts, owned the quarter section due east, and James Esmon Roberts owned the quarter section due west.  View an illustration of the location of their properties.  Return to this page with your browser back function.

John's time in their new surroundings would not reach generously into old age.  On March 26, 1841, he prepared his last will and testament, naming his wife and children as recipients of all his worldly goods.  It would seem he knew his days were numbered, because he died less than two months later.  His will was probated on May 1, 1841.  Naomi survived him but not for an extended interval; she died between 1850 and 1860.  They were both buried in the Roberts family burial ground.

Regarding John Roberts' place of birth, in 1880 the following children reported he was born in:
James - Virginia
John - North Carolina
Jesse - Tennessee
Nancy - Tennessee
Elizabeth - Tennessee; she also reported Tennessee in 1900.

The children of John Roberts and Naomi Lay were:

i.	James Esmon Roberts, born August 28, 1807, in Campbell County, Tennessee.  He died February 18, 1890, probably in or near Fountain Green Township. Burial in the Roberts Family Cemetery.
ii.	John McKelvey Roberts, born January 1, 1811, in Tennessee; died August 8, 1887, probably in or near Miami County, Kansas.  Burial in Miami County, Kansas.
iii.	Isabell Roberts, born November 13, 1812, in Tennessee.  She died January 30, 1855, probably in or near McDonough County, Illinois.  Burial at Friendship Cemetery in that county.
iv.	Jesse Gibson Roberts, born December 25, 1814, in Tennessee.  He died June 14, 1897, probably in or near Hancock County, and was buried at Majorville Cemetery in Hancock Township.
v.	Jozedic Roberts, born February 22, 1822, in Tennessee; died December 6, 1874, probably in or near Miami County, Kansas.  He was buried at Fontana Cemetery, Miami County.
vi.	Nancy C. Roberts, born February 3, 1825.  She died July 9, 1897, probably in Hancock County.  Interment at Roberts Cemetery.
vii.	Elizabeth Roberts, born January 18, 1827, in Kentucky.  She died January 4, 1907, near Lenora, Norton County, Kansas.
viii.	Naomi Jane Roberts.  She was buried at the Roberts Cemetery.  Dates unknown.
ix.	Mary (Polly) Roberts.  She married John Gough on November 17, 1835. Marriage Documents  Polly Gough was mentioned in her father's will in 1841, but beyond that we have no record of her.
x.	Susan Roberts married James H. Logsdon on January 24, 1837, in Hancock County.  When John prepared his will, he named her as Susan Logsdon, with no mention of where she was located at that time.  There were no households headed by a James Logsdon in the 1840 federal census for Hancock County.  No further records have come to light.

Jesse Roberts, 34, male, farmer, value of real estate 300, born TN
Naoma, 65, female, born TN
Nancy Dye, 24, female, born KY
Bethany Roberts, 6, female, born IL, attended school within the year