Samuel Roberts of Oak Avenue can claim the distinction of being one of the oldest men in Lawrence County. Though the snows of 91 years have whitened his locks and dimned the luster of his eye, yet, he is today a remarkably preserved man. Born in Centre County, Penna., he was carried in his mother's arms on horseback when the family migrated to Mercer Co. They lived a short time with his Uncle William Richards until the [Henry] Crocker farm [north of New Castle on the Jefferson Street extenstion] was purchased for their home. At this time there were not more than 12 or 15 houses in New Castle, besides the two stores and two hotels, blacksmith shop and post office in one of the stores. All the North Hill down to and including North Street was then woods and farming land, and the same on the east side--not a single house. There were no bridges over any of the streams. When people crossed the streams they used canoes unless they were low enough to ford with horses or oxen. The Croker farm was then a part of what was then Mercer county.

     The first persons he has any recollection of in New Castle were Joseph Boyd, the postmaster and storekeeper, John Wilson, and Samuel McCleary, storekeepers, and later John Pearson, who some years after started a store, Mr. Carman, a tailor, Jesse DuShane and a Mr. Hawthorn, tavern keepers, Squire White (Crawford White) who kept a small grist mill and Rev. Sample, a Presbyterian minister. Dr. Pollock owned a farm in what is now South New Castle, but was then little else than timber land and bramble brush and swamp grass. The doctor was afterwards one of the canal commissioners.

     In 1813 when only 7 years of age, a squad of soldiers who were returning from the war of 1812, or perhaps going, saw Sammy on the road, and took after him, telling him they were going to take him to Lake Erie to fight the English and scared him so badly that he ran home crying.

     He first went to school in a little log schoolhouse to a teacher named McJunkin who was very cross.

     In 1815 his father bought a farm on Big Run near Frew's mill in Shenango township and moved to it where he died in 1855, at the age of 91 years. His mother died in 1840, ages 75 years. His father's family consisted of ten children, all of whom are dead except himself.

     At the age of 18 he was apprenticed to Joseph Justice, a hatter, and served three years. During his boyhood it was nothing uncommon to see bears, wolves, deer and wild turkey. All kinds of smaller game were plentiful and was not considered a luxury then.

     On the 15th of March, 1838, he was married by Rev. Ensign Hill, an M. E. minister, to Mary Ann Bennett, a daughter of William Bennett, and by this union had 11 children who are now living and one son James who died in Las Vegas, New Mexico, in 1889, who was married and had one child, since dead.

     The other children living are: Sarah, widow of George Elder, had four children and six grandchildren; William B. Roberts, the wellknown stonemason of Shady avenue, a member of the 134th P. V. I. and G. A. R.; Nancy Matilda, wife of Thomas Maitland, our townsman, seven children, one of whom died, and five grandchildren; Mary Melissa, wife of Joseph Stoner, resides eight miles east of New Castle, had seven children, one of whom is dead; Amanda, wife of William Crocker, resides in the Fifth ward, has seven children living and three dead, and three grandchildren; Harriet, wife of Judge John Sheaffer of Second ward, has eight sons; and one grandchild; Susan, wife of Joseph Sickafuse, has six living children and two dead; and one grandchild; Edward E. Roberts, married to Miss Olive Goodge of Sandy Lake, resides on Oak Street with his father, has three children; John H. Roberts was married three times and one child by each wife; Ellsworth and Alinda, single, and reside at home with their father making a total of 12 children, fifty grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.

     His sons-in-law, Judge John Sheaffer, Joseph Sickafuse and Joseph Stoner, were all good soldiers in the rebellion.

     Mr. Roberts is a member of the Epworth M. E. church, and had been a member before he moved in from the Shenango township farm to his present home 11 years ago. He has always been a Whig or Republican, and has voted for 18 presidents, the first being John Q. Adams, the year Andrew Jackson defeated him, and wound up with a vote for William McKinley, whom he thinks will make a good president. Mr. Roberts has always lived frugally but had no difficulty in digesting all kinds of food. He chewed tobacco in moderation and in early days used some stimulants, generally whiskey, but never except in a few instances, to excess.

     His first recollection of industries were the iron works, where the old mill now stands, built by James, son of Crawford White, and the first glass works built by Anthony Henderson in Croton. He remembers court in Beaver county with Agnew, McGuffin and Breden as lawyers, and Kurtz, Dana and Lew Taylor as children. The first constable in Shenango township was Thomas Carnes.

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