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| John
Roberts
was born
in 1830 at Aston-upon-Trent, Shardlow, Derbyshire, one of nine children
of a cow keeper and dairy man Joseph
Roberts (1810-1895) and
Eliza Johnson (1811-). His siblings included Emma, Selina,
Mary, James, William, Sarah, Julia (a carver and gilder) and Eliza. John married a girl from nearby Heath End in Leicestershire and they moved to Derby in the early 1860s, where they had two sons and two daughters. While it is tempting to assume that John was a son of the early Derby daguerrotype pioneer, Thomas Roberts, initial research suggests they are unlikely to have been related. Thomas did have a son John, but the latter was born in 1839 or 1840 in Derby, and died in 1880. John probably started his photographic business in Derby in the late 1860s. A cdv is known (see below), probably from the late 1860s, which lists his premises as 14 Derwent Row. In 1871 he had a studio at 26 Osmaston Street - thus overlapping briefly with the career of Thomas Roberts - where he remained until about 1877 (Craven, 1993). From then until 1883, he lived and operated from premises at 26 St Peter's Street. His wife Mary and daughter Fanny were both milliners. The photographer William Pearson had a studio at the rear of shop from 1863 until at least 1876. He briefly occupied a shop at 17 Mansfield Road from 1883 until 1885, and then moved to 31-33 Nottingham Road. His elder son, another John Roberts, entered the trade long enough for the firm to be listed in an 1891 trade directory (Kelly) as "Roberts & Son", but in April that year he listed his occupation as "compositor", and by 1901 John Roberts junr. had become a musical instrument maker. Craven (1993)
states
that the business later moved to 57-59 Nottingham Road, and that John
Roberts
senr. retired in 1903. John Roberts died in Derby in 1904, at the
age of 74. I am very grateful to Julie Nugent, great-granddaughter of John Roberts' sister Eliza (married Josiah Brown and lived in Leicester), who has sent me information about the family and several images of photographs of family members by John Roberts. |
| Portfolio |
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Unidentified
soldier
by J. Roberts of 26 Osmaston Street, Derby Undated, but probably taken c. 1865-1870 Format: Cabinet card Size: Mount 82.6 x 117.5 mm Image © & courtesy of Michael Jones Notes by BP: I believe that this is a militiaman, dressed in the uniform of the 1st Derbyshire Rifles. A photograph by Richard Keene, dated August 1874, showing officers of this militia regiment is included here. |
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Caroline
Young (1852-1928) with her half-siblings Rosamund and Richard Smith by J. Roberts of 26 Osmaston Street, Derby Undated, but probably taken c. 1871 Format: Carte de visite Image © & courtesy of Brenda Croome Notes: see Photo-Sleuth article |
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| Reverse
of
photo
taken by John Roberts of 26 Osmaston Street, Derby, date unknown but
probably
1874-1877
Format: unknown Image © & courtesy of Christine Hibbert Nothing further is known about this photo. |
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Unidentified
older man with beard
by J. Roberts of 26 Osmaston Street, Derby Undated, but probably taken c. 1874-1875 Format: Carte de visite Image © & courtesy of Cynthia Maddock Notes |
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Sarah
Earl
née
Astle (c1854-) and baby daughter Ada Earl (born c. Feb 1875),
by John Roberts of 26 Osmaston Street, Derby, Undated but must have been taken in early to mid-1875 (see Notes below) Format: Carte de visite Image © & courtesy of Steven Chain Nothing further is known about this photo. |
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| Notes
by Steven Chain: Ada married Albert Potter and
their oldest
daughter was Marie Maud - It is likely she who wrote "My
Grandma
& My Mother (the baby) as she visited the family in Kansas in
the
late
1950's or early 1960's. That would then explain the pencil
note
about
Marie Maud. She was married three times, first to Harry Hopkinson,
second
to Joe French and finally to Michael Anson. As Maud Anson she
wrote
a book about her life and family titled, "Life's a Jubilee." Notes by Stuart Brown: She also wrote a booked titled "Missed Bits," which was published in 1983. |
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Unidentified
older man with beard
by J. Roberts of 26 Osmaston Street, Derby Undated, but probably taken in the late 1870s Format: Carte de visite Image © & courtesy of Cynthia Maddock Notes |
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Portrait
of
unidentified young man,
by John Roberts of St Peter's Street, Derby, undated but probably 1877-1883 Format: Carte de visite Image © & courtesy of Samantha Smith Nothing further is known about this photo. |
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| Eliza Roberts née Johnson
(b. 1811), by J. Roberts of Derby Undated but probably taken in the late 1870s or early 1880s Format: Carte de visite Image © & courtesy of Julie Nugent Notes: These two photos of Eliza Roberts were taken by her son John Roberts in the late 1870s or early 1880s. |
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Joseph Roberts (1810-1895) by Roberts & Son of Holborn House, 33 Nottingham Road, Derby undated but probably taken in the mid- to late 1880s Format: Carte de visite Image
©
& courtesy
of Julie
Nugent |
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A
group of four unidentified woman by Roberts & Son of Holborn House, 33 Nottingham Road, Derby undated but probably taken c. 1888-1892 Format: Cabinet card Size: Mount 109 x 164 mm Photo 107.5 x 148.5 mm Image ©
& collection of Brett Payne |
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Portrait
of
an unidentified woman by Roberts & Son of Holborn House, Nottingham Road, Derby undated but probably taken c. 1893-1896 Format: Cabinet card Image ©
& courtesy
of Martin
Jackson |
| References
Images and information kindly provided by Brenda Croome, Michael Jones, Cynthia Maddock, Stuart Brown, Julie Nugent, Martin Jackson, Samantha Smith, Christine Hibbert and Steven Chain 1841-1901 UK Census - online from Ancestry.com FreeBMD North East Midland Photographic Record - Picture the Past Anon (1874) C.N. Wright's Directory of South Derbyshire, Third Edition, October 1874, Derby. Anon (1881) Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, Kelly & Co., London. Anon (1887) Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, Kelly & Co., London. Anon (1891) Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland & Nottinghamshire, Kelly & Co., London. University of Leicester's Digital Library of Historical Directories Anon (1895) Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, Kelly & Co. Limited, London. Anon (1895) History, Topography, and Directory of Derbyshire, T. Bulmer & Co. - by kind courtesy of Sonia Addis-Smith Craven, Maxwell (ed.)(1993) Keene's Derby, Breedon Books, Derby, pp. 200-202. - by kind courtesy of Sonia Addis-Smith |
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