Fleeta was born about September 11, 1891, in the Clay Community of Itawamba
County, Mississippi. She grew up in the Clay Community and it was there
that she met and married John Roberts in about 1910 or 1911. He was
the son of Jim Roberts and Mahaleth Cobb Roberts. She and John had three
children already by the time the census caught them in 1920 as follows:
1920 Itawamba County, Mississippi Census
Clay P.O.; House# 184-193
John H. Roberts 29 AL AL AL
Fleeta G. 25 MS AL MS
Robbie 5 MS AL MS Female
Ruby 3 6/12 MS AL MS Female
Rea 5/12 MS AL MS Female
They had four more children after 1920, and curiously enough, all the rest would be boys. After World War II, John and Fleeta moved up to Zion, Illinois, with so many other Itawamba families. But they did come back after a while. They lived the rest of their lives in Itawamba County after that.
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The Itawamba County Times
August 14, 1969; page 4
John Roberts services held
John H. Roberts, 77, died in Itawamba County Hospital
Saturday after a lengthy illness. Funeral services were held Sunday
at 2 p.m. with Bro. Mitchell Reed officiating. Burial was in Clover
Ridge Cemetery with Senter Funeral Home in charge.
He was a farmer and a member of the Piney Grove
Church of Christ. He was a resident of Fulton.
Survivors include his wife, Mrs. Fleta Roberts;
four sons, Kenneth, Burgess, and Jeff, all of Fulton, and Jimmy of Mundelion,
Ill.; one daughter, Mrs. Robbie Funderburk of Fulton; two brothers, Trannie
and Rube, both of Waukegan, Ill.; two sisters, Mrs. Maggie Wigginton of Bexar,
Ala., and Mrs. Varnie Bartis of West Memphis, Ark.; 21 grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren.
Grandsons were pallbearers.
Robbie Imogene Roberts
(md. Marshall P. Funderburk)
Robbie Imogene married Marshall after her sister passed
away in 1952. They had no children. She passed away in 1976 at
the age of 62 in Itawamba County.
Ruby Earline Roberts
(md. Marshall P. Funderburk)
Ruby Earline married Marshall and they had four children
together. They lived in Itawamba County. She passed away at the
age of 36 in 1952.
Rea Nell Roberts (died at the age of 8)
Kenneth M. Roberts
(md. Annie Rae Chamblee)
Kenneth and Annie Rae had six children. He passed
away in Tupelo at the age of 74 in 1996.
Burgess Roberts
(md. Marie E. Holloway)
Burgess and Marie lived in Itawamba County. They
had four girls together. He passed away at the age of 54 in 1979.
Jim Roberts (Private)
Jefferson "Jeff" Roberts
(md. Faye Johnson)
Jeff and Faye had five children together. They
lived in Itawamba County. He died at the age of 42 in 1969.
Back to Sarah Lou Genie Webb Franks (mother)
Back to William Jefferson "Billy" Webb (grandfather)
Back to Hiram Webb (great-grandfather)
Back to main page
Photo of Fleeta and John Roberts in middle age courtesy of Mr. Billie Franks, Fleeta's nephew, of Clay, Itawamba County, Mississippi.
Photo of Fleeta and John Roberts shortly after they married is altered from a photo courtesy of Mrs. Sarah Boyett, great neice of Fleeta, of Hoover, Jefferson County, Alabama.