The Roberts Clan in Missouri or The Gunfight at the Critical Fork of the Guest River
“Mom, how did the Roberts family end up in Taney County on Caney Creek?” I asked. Mom didn’t answer immediately; instead, she looked back at Dad, then at Granny, then back at me. The look on her face meant that she knew more than she was willing to tell. The mystery surrounding the Roberts clan in Missouri only increased my curiosity and determination to know everything I could about our ancestry.
Mom sat silently in the boat for a long time after I asked how the Roberts family ended up on Caney Creek in Taney County. Then, she then began to speak softly and deliberately, “Our family came to Taney County in the late 1800’s from Wise County Virginia. Mom and Daddy didn’t speak about it in front of us, but my cousins said that there was an awful feud, someone was shot, and our Great-Grandfather Ira moved the entire family along with the Hunsuckers, Jenkins, and Maggards to Missouri. I know that Uncle Roaten was born in Virginia, but believe my Daddy [Preston Ira] and the other boys were born in Missouri.” Her voice trailed off and Dad said, “We need to stop talking and catch some fish.”
So with those brief words, I was left pondering what really happened and would I ever really know. Years later, I asked Mom to tell me more about our family. Her knowledge of the family tree was encyclopedic; she could still recall almost everyone’s name and often their birthdays into her 80’s. But, like Mom, I depended upon my cousins and later, on the internet, to piece together the story of the Roberts’ mysterious move from Virginia to Missouri.
Some of the story is well documented and consistent; other parts have widely conflicting accounts. This is my version of the story:
On January 1, 1891, the Roberts clan had gathered at Ira Hampton (Henry) Roberts home on the Critical Fork of the Guest River in Wise County Virginia. Each New Year’s Day, my great-great grandfather held a “Turkey Shoot” and gave away live turkeys, chickens, and smoked hams as prizes for the best shots. While the family was gathered under a large apple tree in the front yard, three armed assailants rode in on horseback and opened fire killing Galen Marion Roberts, John Hunsucker, and one other family member. At this point, the stories diverge; some stories paint the Roberts as blood-thirsty murders who put 26 bullets into the youngest assailant; other stories tell of a family defending itself against a heinous and unwarranted attack. I suspect the truth lies somewhere in between.
My cousin Denzel recalls his mother saying that, in the midst of the gunfight, a man in a plaid shirt reached down, picked up a pistol from one of the slain family members, and, standing upright in the gun smoke, shot all three assailants in order, killing one outright. The man in the plaid shirt then walked to the river bank and hurled the pistol into the middle of the mill pond. At the time, no one could recollect who was wearing a plaid shirt on that fateful day. But after Ira passed in 1935, several of the family members seemed to regain their memory and recalled that our great-great grandfather was wearing a plaid shirt that day.
It was commonly known that Ira was an expert shot having served in the Confederate Army until captured and placed in prisoner of war camps in Kentucky and Ohio. Ira was arrested for murder and brought before a Board of Inquiry. After expending a sizable sum of money, the Board of Inquiry refused to press charges. No one knows if the money was spent on legal fees or bribes. But, two things were known for certain; Ira Roberts had proven in the Civil War that he was more than willing to take up arms to defend his family and he was also willing to go to extremes to avoid being imprisoned after being held as a prisoner of war by the Union forces.
While facing the Board of Inquiry, Ira sent his entire family to Chadwick, Missouri by train and then by wagon to the Caney Creek basin in Taney County where they established their homesteads. Since there was no statute of limitations on murder, Ira left Wise County Virginia and a fortune in coal mineral rights as soon as he was released by the Board of Inquiry. He moved west to secure his future and freedom in Taney County Missouri.
Interestingly, the family hired an attorney in the mid-1930s to go to Wise County Virginia and file a legal brief to recover the lost mineral royalties from the coal mine. The attorney’s body was found floating face down in the Guest River. No other attempt has been made at reclaiming our rightful inheritance, but Google maps clearly show a large coal mine and railroad spurs on the Critical Fork of the Guest River where our great-great grandfather Ira’s farm was located.
Dad picked up his pole and cast into the current at the top of the next shoals catching another smallmouth bass. “I told you that we need to stop talking and get back to catching fish”. Throughout their marriage, Dad would tell a story or start an activity anytime Mom seemed to be burdened with bittersweet memories of the past.
#TheFloatFishingTrip #PresAndNola #DonaldAndRuby
Bradley Roberts Wyatt 