Biography of Alice Elizabeth ROBERTS
[Ref. P.8]
| Ancestors |  |
Profile | |
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Street Directories | |
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Index for ROBERTS |
Biography of Alice Elizabeth ROBERTS
[Ref. P.8]
| Ancestors | |
Profile | |
Photos | |
Street Directories | |
Voter Registers | |
Index for ROBERTS |
Alice Elizabeth Roberts was born in Radstock, Somerset on 11 November 1865, the eldest of the two daughters of James and Harriet Roberts. She was baptised in the Parish Church on 4 February the following year. The 1871 census shows the family living at Wells Hill in Radstock.
The census of 1881 census finds Alice at the age of 15 as a servant in the household of stonemason Albion Oram and his wife Alice at 11 Ladymead in Bath, Somerset.
Alice was living in Paris with her father who ran the only English language newspaper there at that time. She had been engaged to a cousin of George by the name of Waters but he had died from tuberculosis. George and Alice were married in Paris on 14 May 1887 and their first child, Howard Stanley Folker, was born there on 26 March 1888.
Late in 1899, the family emigrated to America, sailing to New York aboard SS Egypt. The immigration record of their arrival has not been found but it is known that they went to stay with a cousin in Evanston in Illinois. On 10 January 1890, a letter to George from his brother Alfred acknowledges money sent and he expresses his hope that it will help him to get established in his new life. Alfred also asks if Alice's health is improved and expects that the climate will suit.
By the time their second child, Dorothy Vida Folker, was born on 27 September 1890, they were living in San Francisco in California. In the mean time, on 31 May 1890, George and Alice had purchased at auction a plot of land which was on the corner of Elma Street and Lovell Avenue in Easton, later known as Mill Valley. On that plot George built a two storey house which he called Newton Cottage. Their remaining children were born at there, George Newton Folker on 8 January 1893, Mildred Eastland Folker on 17 November 1894 and Herbert Penn Folker on 23 September 1896. Unfortunately, the family lost possession of the house in 1902 as they had not been able to keep up with the mortgage payments.
George, as head of the household, completed the naturalisation process on 27 July 1898, and this automatically included Alice and the children. At that time, the family lived in Point Reyes in Marin County where George was employed as an assistant at the Point Reyes Light Station. The 1900 census gives their place of residence as 1900 Point Reyes, Marin, California. The Voters Register from 1900 to 1918 shows Alice living in Mill Valley and her affiliation being to the Progressive Party. A letter written by George on 13 October 1901 to his brother Alfred records family and national events.
The census of 1910 shows Alice with her five children living at 1552 Goleyming Street in the Sausalito Township in Mill Valley, Marin County, California. She had given her status as divorced. According to the 1916 Voters register, Alice was living with daughter Dorothy at 1121 Vallejo in San Francisco. Her party affiliation was Republican. The following year she was living at 1452 Jackson in San Francisco with children Mildred, Dorothy and Herbert. Son Howard had left home by then.
In 1920, the census shows Alice still living at 1452 Jackson Street in District 32 of San Francisco in California and, on this occasion, son George was in the household as well. The Voters Register from 1920 to 1934 shows Alice living in Elma Street and her affiliation being to the Republican Party.
By 1930, Alice was living with her daughter Mildred Mancha and family at 3 Elma Street in Mill Valley. The Directories of 1934 and 1935 give Alice's address as 618, 26th Avenue, San Francisco. It is not clear if she was living with family at that time. When the next census was taken in 1940, she was with her widowed daughter Dorothy Morris and two year old son Grover son at their home at 1125 Masonic Avenue in San Francisco. The Voters Register for that year confirms that address as does the register of 1944.
Alice passed away on 8 August 1945. An entry in the San Francisco Examiner newspaper gave notice of her funeral.