Herbert (Herb) Roberts was born in Red Hill, Surrey, England in 1881. He married Edith Ford and they had five children: Vi, Erne, Doris, Bertha and Herb, Jr., before he came to Ferguson, B.C. in 1910. The following year, the family joined him there. They moved- to Ainsworth in 1915 and Herb went to work at the Highland Mine. A daughter, Evelyn, was born in Ferguson, and Stan and Gladys were born in Ainsworth.
In 1917, Edith and all eight children spent a year in Ontario with her sister while Herb got work in Kimberley at the Mine. In the fall of 1918, they were living at Taylors Mill. During the forest fire of 1919, they were all evacuated to the Horman's Ranch, just south of Pighin's Farm.
During the strike of the winter of 1919, Herb moved the family to the Arrow Lakes near Burton where he went cooking for the Hailstorm Mine.
In 1923, Edith passed away and a week later the house burned down. Herb returned to Kimberley to work at the Concentrator on Flotation until 1929 when he again returned to Burton. He worked on roads for the Government even after retirement age. He passed away in 1965.
Vi Roberts married George Ellis in 1920, George at that time was cooking for a geologist and survey crew on Sullivan Mountain above the Mine. He did cooking in several other camps as well. Prior to this he had been overseas with the 72nd Seaforth Highlanders. They had two daughters, Edith and Ellen. Ellen was still a young child when she died of measles in 1926.
In the mid 1940's, George opened up a Building and Supply Store in Marysville which he operated for many years.
His daughter Edith worked at the Concentrator for two years during the war and married Royce Jolie in 1945. He is a shift boss underground. They have four children: Harvey, David, Judene and Calvin. Harvey is a supervisor at the Mine and married Marilyn Corbett and they have two children: Paul and Sara. David is a dry-wall contractor and is married to Sharon Lee. They have two children, Steven and Darcy. Judene works for Finning Tractor in Cranbrook. She married Bryon Mitchell, a meat, cutter for Safeway in Cranbrook. Their two children are Becky and Patricia. Calvin is working in Calgary.
Erne Roberts began working for the Company at age fourteen. In 1923 he married Dorothy Llewellen. They moved to Burton in 1919 where he worked on heavy equipment for the Government. They have thirteen children. Erne is now retired, living just north of Kamloops.
Doris married Steve Waites and their story appears elsewhere in the book.
Bertha married Albert Johnstone in 1928. He was working for the Company at the Concentrator in the steel shop. They had four children: Wilfred (Bud), Hazel, Gordon and Jack.
Bud was born in Kimberley before they moved to a farm near Nakusp. Hazel was born in Nakusp. Gordon was born in Kimberley while Bertha was visiting her sister Doris, and Jack was born in Nakusp.
Bud and Hazel returned to Kimberley and got work at the Mark Creek Store - Bud in the grocery department and Hazel in ladies wear. Later Bud worked for his uncle, George Ellis, in the Building and Supply Store. When that business was sold and finally closed, Bud went to work for the Company, first at the Fertilizer Plant and then as a timber boss underground. He married Rose Renaud and they have four children: Rae, Lynn, Jim and Rob. Hazel married Alan Frazer and returned to Nakusp for awhile. They had one daughter, Laurel, before Alan was killed in a logging accident. Hazel returned and worked for the Marysville Mercantile, then for Craig's Food Market, and finally the Marysville Hardware until it sold out.
Gordon Johnstone is a logger up St. Marys Valley. He married Donna Bottcher and they have four children: Bruce, Chuck, Brian and Lana. Jack Johnstone is also a logger. He married Janine Robson and they have one daughter, Cassandra (Cassey). He is now at Gibson. Bertha and Albert are now back living in Marysville. Albert lost a leg in a logging accident years ago. Bertha has been a cook for many years.
Herb Roberts began working at the Hailstorm Mine near Burton. He then returned to Marysville and worked at the Concentrator for a number of years. He started a logging outfit of his own up St. Marys Valley. He married Nellie Bergstrom in 1936. They spent their honeymoon in a prospectors cabin with a dirt floor on Perry Creek. They have two daughters: Shirley and Karin. Shirley married Don Fatum and they live in Marysville with their five children: Cheryl, Daryl, Dawn, Bryan and Harold (Dlno), Karin married Tom Blayney and they have four children: Denise, Tommy, Curtis and Terry. Tom worked for the Company but they just recently moved to Hay River.
Evelyn Roberts married Doug Hall, who worked at the Concentrator. They had two children: Elaine and Ronald. Doug passed away in 1969. Evelyn remarried Joe Figner and is now living in Arrow Park.
Stan Roberts first worked for his brother-in- law, George Ellis, before going to Trail to work for the Company. He has worked for George McGinnis' logging outfit up St. Marys and once worked for the War Horse Mine, prospecting up Hell Roaring Creek near St. Marys Lake in 1949. He married Joyce Bailey and they have one daughter, Charmaine (Chere). He worked at the Concentrator from 1950 to 1955, then went over to Nakusp to work for Celgar where he still lives.
Gladys (Midge) married Tom Boyton, a Company worker. They had one daughter, Jean, before Tom died in 1935. She then married Bert Crommett and they moved back to Nakusp.
Doris, Bertha and Herb are still living in the area.
