"Short Commute"

Mr. and Mrs. T. W. Roberts located in Lawrenceville about 1866, where Mr. Roberts engaged in a general merchandising business across the square now known as 703 12th street for thirty years. (Ed. Note His store building was located on the corner where the Citizens Bank stood in 1927. Later this was Hedde’s Baby Shop and now is the Finishing Touch.) Mr. Roberts died April 21, 1900. Mrs. Elizabeth H Pritchett Roberts died January 9, 1927. They were both buried in Lawrenceville City Cemetery.

The couple had four children. One son died in infancy as did a daughter, Dora, in 1897. The two daughters, Mrs. Frank C. Meserve of Lawrenceville and Mrs. O. E. Strehlow of Chicago survived their parents.

There was no need for Mr. Roberts to hire a buggy to commute to his store because the family lived on the East side of the square in a large house where the Avalon Theatre and later the Golden Rule Offices were located. (716 11th Street). He could even walk home for lunch.

In the obituary of Mrs. Elizabeth Roberts published on January 12, 1927, the Lawrence County News described the Roberts house. “Years ago, the Roberts home on the east side of the square was one of the social centers of Lawrenceville, Mrs. (Elizabeth Pritchett) Roberts taking an active part in the affairs of the day. It was a favorite gathering place for the young people, and many of the older residents well remember the many parties and functions in the big house.”

Newspaper ad published April 1, 1868 in the Lawrence County Journal