Benjamin Morgan Roberts, Jr. was born August 18, 1857 at Fort Supply, Wyoming.  This is close to Fort Bridger, Wyoming.  He was the first born of Benjamin Morgan Roberts and Mary Bullock Roberts.  He lived in Wyoming till he was 6 weeks old then Johnston’s Army came.  Everything was quickly loaded that they could take, and set fire to the rest.  They moved to Provo, Utah.  Besides other brothers and sisters, Benjamin shared the Family Circle with some Indian children.  The Roberts bought an Indian Girl “squaw Polly” not a Ute, but stolen from another tribe.  To protect her from Indians, she was taken to Salt Lake City and given up.  We saw, an Indian boy, joined the family, grew to manhood, went to Nevada where he later died.

 1862 was spent in Centre Creek  mouth of Daniels Canyon.  Being a heavy winter, feed scarce, snow covered the fences, herds of cattle died.  In 1869 Ben was with his Father putting up hay for Wells Fargo Co. about 150 miles west of Provo at Callao, Utah (known then as Willow Springs, a Pony Express station on the Overland Stage Route.) while haying, Benjamin Sr. was stung by a scorpion.  His foot swelled up, turned black.  He was rushed by son Ben Jr. to Provo, Utah by horse power 150 miles where Dr Riggs doctored him.  Here also was the Roberts’ home.  When but 12 years of age Ben Jr. accompanies his father and family on an LDS Mission to the muddy.  The mission to “The Muddy” in Nevada is vividly told by Benjamin Jr. “November 1869 we left Provo with 5 yoke of oxen and 2 wagons with 6 mules, 40 cows and calves.  At Kanosh, Utah the snow was 2 ½ feed deep.  Here we left all the cows but one.  We were 8 miles from Kanarrah, Utah Christmas Eve.  The dugway over Black Ridge was sharp and made difficult travel.  I had to drive the yoke of oxen on one of our trial wagons down to the Muddy.  We were south of St. George on New Years 1870.  The Navajos were stealing horses and mules.  The Paiutes helped us herd ours.  Next day I was driving 4 head of oxen when one gave out.  I couldn’t get him up, so I drove my pocket knife in the ox.  Father came back 1 ½ miles and gave me a licking for doing this.  I held the ox’ tail and father took 2 whip stalks and rubbed them against his tail, and he got up.  “That’s the way to get an ox up when he’s given up,” father said. 

We crossed the Virgin River 27 times and quicksand was dangerous.  Finally through mud, rain and wind, we reaches T. Joseph and built a home.  We stayed that winter and built a canal but sand drifted in.  We moved 6 miles north to get water.  Electa died.  More troubles as rattlesnakes were common.  The Indians were friendly as we brought water near to them by canal built by Mormons.  The U.S. government surveyed out land and found we lived in Nevada.  President Young visited us and told the settlers to move where they wanted to.  St. Thomas on Virgin River, Overton, St. Joseph, and Upper Muddy the Mormons moved out. 

After over 2 years we were last to leave.  Navaho Indians stole our mules and left us stranded on the desert south of Cedar City.  (Perhaps it was on this occasion when the Indian Children they had given to them sent to the Chief and they returned some of the livestock, or it could have been some other time.)  However, with help from others, we returned to Provo, Utah.  We homesteaded at the mouth of Provo canyon and bought 72 acres on the “Bench” in what is now Orem, Utah. 

The first man I ever worked for day wages was Bishop Scott.  I worked for Utah South Railroad to bring it to Provo from Salt Lake City, then on thru Sevier Canyon. 

After marriage, all I had was a span of fine horses.  I made adobe bricks at night and hauled lumber from Provo canyon in the daytime.  Our first home was 2 roomed, then move to Milner home where our first child Mattie was born.  I cleared and drained 2 city lots, bought off of Judge Milner for $50. 

Benjamin Morgan Roberts II was a farmer with cows, poultry, horses, and pigs.  His spare time was spent hauling wood from the canyon or coal from Coalville, Utah.  He hauled sand and moved to Castle Valley to homestead 10 miles east of Price, Utah.  After 1 year they moved back to Provo and accumulated more farmland.  Industrious, honest, and never in debt long, his word was his bond.  The only security that banks asked was just his name.  His family moved into the new home next door in 1914.  His wife, Sarah Ann Milner died the nest year after making new carpets and quilts.  (She was an artist with Making clothes for the big family.)  Benjamin’s responsibility doubled with raising the family with strict honest.

He managed to keep his family of 15 children close by him even when marriage, or work or death interrupted the program.  In his later years he spent winters in California with different sons and daughters.  In the summer he could be found helping some of his sons hauling hay, or helping with the general upkeep of the farms.  He was one of the oldest members of the Lodgell O.O.F.  It can be said here, that he was the first white child born in Wyoming.  He had some favorite “injun stories” that he told his grandchildren.  He tells of seeing the “Buffalo Bill Wild West Show”.  In January 1938 after a week’s illness which followed a heart attack, grandfather passed away.  When notified of his sudden illness, many members of his family were with him when the end came.  He was buried 6 February in Provo, Utah.