My Family Tree

1900: Rock Creek, Coffey Co, KS "David and Elizabeth" from "Missouri"
1905: Neodesha, Wilson Co, KS "D A and L F McRoberts" (KS State Census)
1910: Patoka, Gibson, Indiana "Alvin and Lizzie"
1917: KC, MO (James McRoberts supported the family as a Clerk at Jones Stores downtown - from WW1 Draft Reg)
1920: KC, MO David and Glen, Audrey absent. Note- Elizabeth says she is a widow. *
1930: KC, MO only Elizabeth, Glen, Lester, Ethel

Lester born 11/1909 was 5 months old at the Apr.15,1910 Census but born in KS, so they must have just moved back to Indiana. Lela said she met Mac in 1914 - so would have been Ottowa.

see note on James McAtee, Elizabeth's father. Living nearby in Key West 1900. David helped his father-in-law break out of jail, and both families fled to Kansas.

In 1920, David is living with Denver, Denver's wife Merl and their mother in Clay, Pike Co, IN - curiously, the census says he is "Uncle" and Camelia is "Grandmother". Turns out Denver is Anne's son.

Nellie tells this story about growing up: "Mother said Alvin left her for days at a time alone on a ranch with ranch hands and 8 children. Pansy died as a small child. He evidentally suffered a stroke and eventually used a cane and a wheelchair and was pretty much an invalid. Mother's health became very fragile. The doctor told her she had to send her husband home to his folks or she would die - she could not take care of them all. When he left by train, he asked her for money and she held out her hand and gave him all that she had. He took it and left her penniless and with the children. She said she had loved him, but when he took all the money she had, knowing that she had nothing to take care of the children, her love for him left. [Nellie] wanted to go see him on her honeymoon [1928] and mother told her that if she did, she would never come to see her again. The sad thing is he had died 2 years before without any of us knowing. David's parents had oil wells yet never contacted mother or sent her money. [James] said he remembers their father would put them in a trailer and and stop outside of different towns until the townspeople would feel sorry for the kids and "take them in" to feed them.

After David left (between 1913 and 1917), Lizzie raised her 8 kids alone. She ran a boarding house at 3606 Flora, KC, MO. Her sons had to work at an early age to support the family.