Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 5.djvu/33

 VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

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ard Cromwell, both residents of Ashexille, North Carolina I James, who lost his life by drowning when but nine years of age ; Phil- lij) and Elizabeth, both of whom died in in- fancy.

A glance at the way in which this large family of brothers has become distributed to all parts of the United States, their homes ranging all the way from Washington state t( North Carolina, will show clearly enough that the adventurous spirit and the desire tu see the world, which seemed to have en- tered the Roberts family with their father, was transmitted by him to the succeeding generation. And yet withal, the steady iiidustr}- of their lives bears evidence of the possession in full measure of those more quiet virtues, the heritage of their ances- tors, as exemplified in the life of their grandfather, William Roberts. This gentle- man, who was born in Cornwall in 1795, and lived to be seventy-five years of age, V. orked for fifty long years as a miner in his native land, without losing so much as a single day through all that period.

Abraham (2) Roberts, the eldest child of Abraham (i) and Alice (Uren) Roberts, was born October 8, 1866, in Keweenaw county, Michigan. While still very young his father removed to Houghton county in the same state, so that from five years up his childish associations are with the latter place. It was in the local schools of Hough- ton county that he received his education. They lived at Calumet in Houghton county for a number of years, and here the elder Mr. Roberts kept a store, doing a business in general merchandise. When the younger man came of age to enter the business world and had completed his education, he secured a i)osition in the Tamarack Co-operative As- sociation of Calumet, the largest and most successful concern of the kind in the United States. He remained in that employment continuously for fifteen years and more, and during that period familiarized himself with every detail of the business, and gained a large experience of the same, experience which has since served him well, and brought him to the responsible post which he now holds. He continued with the Tama- rack Co-operative Association until 1906, and then received an offer to become general manager of the co-operative store at Lake Linden, a town in the same county and state. His alert mind and a natural apti-

tude at mastering new problems, together with a great power of concentration and un- usual industry, had at length attracted the attention of others besides his employers, and won as they could not fail to win recog- nition. He accepted the oft'er from Lake Linden, and held his position as general m.anager for five years, or until 191 1, when a project was broached to him that he go to Seattle, Washington, and there organize a co-operative store, there being no one bet- ter fitted to undertake this enterprise than he. It is probable that Mr. Roberts would have fallen in with this proposal, but for the fact that, just at this time, the general man- ager of the large store at Calumet, where he had received his business training, died, and Mr. Roberts was called upon to take his place. He managed the business of the Tamarack Co-operative Association for two years. His next move was to Newton, Kan- sas, where he had been offered the manage- ment of a large department store, which he accepted. While he was thus occupied at Newton, Kansas, his reputation as a man- ager and as an advertising man grew apace, and spread over a very large area. In this way he came into touch with the Union Stores Incorporated, of Richmond, Virginia, the great concern with which he is now as- sociated, and on January i, 1914, he moved to Richmond, and took over his new duties as general manager of the Union Stores In- corporated. It is an enormous co-operative association situated on Seventh and Frank- lin streets, Richmond, with a capital of one million dollars, and numbering among its officers and directors some of the largest and most substantial business men of the city- Its president is W. D. Duke, the three vice- presidents are T. O. Sandy, W. J. Whit- lock and C. P. Cadot, respectively, and the secretary and treasurer is C. D. Coleman. These men, all astute financiers, were quickly impressed by Mr. Roberts' abilities from their preliminary dealings with him, and spared no pains to secure those abilities in permanent service for their corporation. Mr. Roberts has been with the new concern for but a few months at the present writing, but already the business shows response to bis active and able management, which is even more than meeting the expectations of the officers of the concern.

Mr. Roberts, however much he may be interested in the conduct of his business, and