William Roberds

William Roberds, the son of Joseph Roberds and Anna Randel, was one of the early settlers in Wells township. William was born in Union County, South Carolina in 1794, and the Roberds family moved to Ohio in 1804. In 1833, his parents moved to Grant County, Indiana. In 1828, William Roberds removed to Centre Township, Grant County, Indiana (included in 1840 census), where he was one of the first settlers. He bought a timber farm from the government, cleared the land, erected buildings and made his home there till 1855, when he sold out and removed to Minnesota. "Early Land Records of Center Township (later Mill), Grant County, Indiana" shows that the land William bought was in Township. 24-Range 8, the date was May 4, 1829 and that the size was 77 acres.

William Roberds came west in a wagon train assembled in Indiana. Himself, Tom Kirk, and John Cowan, along with their families were the first white settlers at Roberds' Lake (Lake Chedeweta). They travelled by covered wagon in the same wagon train and arrived in Wells Township, Rice County, Minnesota in the spring of 1855. Before 1853 there were absolutely no white men in this area. There were no roads, no cultivated lands, no civilization; just impenetrable wilderness. This is what the first settlers faced. The wagon train had left Indiana a year earlier and had spent the winter in Iowa. When they arrived, they chose the southeast side of Lake Chedeweta for their new homes, and established a settlement there. The William Roberds family chose a spot near the creek, put up a log cabin and a year later erected a saw mill on the creek. The mill was run by water power and was equipped with an old fashioned perpendicular saw. In 1856, a run of stones, for feed, was placed in the mill and in 1858, when the firm became Roberds and Spear, a circular saw was put in. They later added a flour mill and this was the start of the Roberds' Lake Mills. In 1861, William sold both of his mills and took up farming.

Walter Dienst, born in 1896, told the story later in life of how Lake Chedeweta became Roberds' Lake. The story goes that when Bill Roberds was 62 years old, some of the other early settlers said that if he could swim across the lake, they would name it after him. He swam across it and it has been Roberds' Lake ever since.
The first blacksmith shop opened in the township was erected in 1855 by William Roberds, in section twenty-two, on the shore of Roberds' Lake. The shop was operated by his nephew, Freeman Roberds for about three years, then the business was discontinued and moved to Faribault.

William was married twice. His first wife was Sarah Bennett, who he married in 1815. They were blessed with five children, [ALL] of whom lived till adulthood. His second wife was Sarah Cochran, the widow of John Cochran, and that wedding took place in 1826. Of their seven children, five lived. The first inhabitants of the Lake Chedeweta area were the Wapcuta-Dakota indians. In a treaty, in 1851, these indians sold their lands to the white men. By agreement, the indians were allowed to remain in the area and caused much concern among the settlers as they travelled back and forth to the river. A story was told about how Mrs. William Roberds had to walk through the indian camp to get milk from a neighbor. She was very frightened as she walked through the encampment and watched the indians boiling fish. They would stop eating and watch her, but she was never harmed.
The first township meeting in Wells township was held on May 11, 1858. It was held in the log school house. Those in attendance organized the township by the election of the following officers: Thomas Kerk (Kirk) was elected as supervisor; William McCalla and Patrick OBrien, chairmen; J.W. Cowan (John), collector; S.P. Case, clerk; T.B. Owens (Thomas Owings), assessor; William Roberds and Timothy Casey, constables; S.C. Dumham, overseer of the poor. William became a prominent citizen in the township and was very active till his death, in 1869, when a tree fell on him as he was driving by in a carriage, with a neighbor. Death ensued two days after the accident.

ROBERDS LAKE MILLS - These mills were originally started in 1855, by William Roberds, who erected a saw-mill at the outlet of the lake bearing his name, on section twenty-two. It was run by water power, and was equipped with an old-fashioned perpendicular saw. In 1856, a run of stones for feed was placed in the mill, and in 1858, the firm became Roberds & Spear. A circular saw was put in and this firm continued the mill in this shape until 1862, when they sold it to Bebee & Wood, who ran the establishment with water as the motor until 1865, when the supply of water failed and they hired a steam engine to saw up the logs on hand.

1870 United States Federal Census (listed as deceased)
cause of death: falling tree
Name: William Roberds
Age in 1870: 75
Estimated Birth Year: 1794
Birthplace: North Carolina [should be South Carolina]
Home in 1870: Wells, Rice, Minnesota
Race: White
Gender: Male
Value of real estate: View Image
Roll: M593_9
Page: 693
Image: 510
Year: 1870

Minnesota Cemetery Inscription Index (Eleven Counties)
Surname Given Name Section Birth Date Death Date Cemetery Township County Notes
ROBERDS WILLIAM A-100 N E 1794 28/JUL/1869-6 Oak Ridge Cannon City Rice AGE 75 YRS 6 MOS 9 DS. SP. 1-SARAH BENNETT. 2-SARAH COCHRAN, WIDOW OF JOHN. MAR. 1-1815. 2-1826. TREE FELL ON HIM

1850 United States Federal Census
Mill, Grant, Indiana
Roberts, William
Age: 56
Birth: SC