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Guide to the Roberts Family Papers
MS 2
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Table of contents
Title: Roberts family papers
Dates: circa 1850s-1984
Collection number: MS 2
Creator:
Roberts, Patricia F.
Creator:
Roberts, Gloria P.
Collection Size:
3 linear feet
(7 boxes + 1 oversized box)
Repository:
African American Museum & Library at Oakland (Oakland, Calif.)
Oakland, CA 94612
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
No access restrictions. Collection is open to the public.
Materials are for use in-library only, non-circulating.
Permission to publish from the Roberts Family Papers must be obtained from the African American Museum & Library at Oakland.
Roberts family papers, MS 2, African American Museum & Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library. Oakland, California.
The Roberts Family Papers were donated to the Northern California Center for Afro-American History and Life by Patricia F.
and Gloria P. Roberts on June 7, 1992.
Marianne Garden and Maria Ortiz (photographs), 1995. Revised by Sean Heyliger and encoded in EAD, March 6, 2013.
Biography / Administrative History
Frederick M. Roberts
Frederick Madison Roberts was born in Chillicothe, Ohio in 1880 to Andrew J. and Ellen Wales
Roberts. From his mother, he acquired the distinction of being the great-grandson of Sally Hemings,
a woman reputed to be the mistress of Thomas Jefferson. In 1886, the family moved to Los Angeles,
where Andrew Roberts helped to start a tracking and storage company. He later opened a mortuary
business, Roberts Undertaking, and trained his sons, Frederick and William, to help him.
Roberts was the first African American to graduate from Los Angeles High School and he went on to attend the University of
Southern California for one semester and then transferred to
Colorado College, where he received an A.B. in legal studies. He also received a certificate from the
Chicago School of Embalming. While in Colorado, he began his career as a newspaper publisher by
serving as editor of Colorado Springs Light from 1908-1912. He also served in his first civic office,
acting as deputy assessor of El Paso County, Colorado.
Upon his return to Los Angeles, Roberts joined his father's business as a mortician and also
purchased and began editing New Age, a weekly paper. Around 1914, Roberts moved to Mississippi
to take on the position of principal of the Mound Bayou Industrial School. After four years of
educational work, he returned to California and ran for the Republican seat for the 74th District in
the state legislature. His victory in this race proved to be a milestone, for he became the first African
American to hold a seat in the California State Legislature. He held this seat continuously for ten
years and then after reapportionment occurred, he was elected from the 62nd District for three more
terms. In 1934, he lost his seat to Democrat Augustus F. Hawkins. Politics continued to interest him,
however, and in 1946, he became the Republican nominee for the 14th District seat in the United
States House of Representatives. He lost the election to Democratic candidate Helen Gahagan
Douglas but remained active in the Republican party up until his death.
In addition to his careers as a politician, newspaper publisher, and mortician, Roberts also
played an important role in civic and religious affairs. He acted as a director for local branches of
the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Y.M.C.A., the Urban League,
and the Outdoor Health Association. He frequently gave speeches at events sponsored by the
Woman's Political Study Club. Roberts also served as a trustee of the First A.M.E. Church at Eighth
and Towne avenues.
Roberts married his wife, Pearl Willard Hinds, on November 30,1921. They had two daughters,
Gloria and Patricia. He died suddenly in 1952 after suffering a fatal injury in an automobile accident.
Pearl Willard Roberts
Pearl Roberts was born on January 17,1892 to Lucy McKinney and Wiley Hinds on their ranch
in Tulare County. She spent the first nine years of her life on the ranch and attended Deep Creek
School, a country school in the neighboring town of Farmersville. Her father bought the family a
piano when she was about six years old and arranged for Pearl and her sister to travel to Visalia for
piano lessons.
When Lucy Hinds decided to move to the city of Oakland and take a rest from the hard ranch
work, Pearl joined her and began attending Oakland High School. She continued her piano lessons
and also played the organ and sang in the choir at her church. Upon finishing high school, she
attended the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio. Oberlin had a strong commitment to
providing educational opportunities for women of color and Pearl gained not only excellent musical
training, but also leadership skills. After completing her degree and a summer session at the Boston
Conservatory of Music, Pearl accepted a position as teacher in the music department at the State
Normal College of South Carolina at Orangeburg. She later became department head and developed
a deep interest in negro spirituals as a result of hearing them sung by her students.
Upon her return to Oakland to care for her mother and invalid brother, Pearl accepted a position
as a church organist and became the first African-American female pipe organist in Northern
California. She also taught piano and started a chorus, the Etude Musical Club, which performed
spirituals along with popular songs. This group received a great deal of praise from critics and even
an offer to tour the United States.
On November 30, 1921, Pearl married Frederick Roberts and moved to Los Angeles. She
continued her musical activities at the First A.M.E. Church at Eighth and Towne, serving as organist,
choir director, and founder of the Clef Club. She also became active in political affairs through
participation in the Woman's Political Study Club. After her husband's death in 1952, she was
accorded the honor of serving as a member of the Electoral College for the State of California. She
died on July 21,1984.
Gloria Pearl Roberts
Gloria Roberts began her study of music with John Gray at the Gray Conservatory of Music in
Los Angeles. She won her first piano contest at age eight and went on to become a three-time
winner of the annual piano contest of the California Festival of Music and Art during her teens.
While a music student at the University of Southern California, she studied with Marguerite Bitter
and won piano competitions sponsored by Mu Phi Epsilon and the California Music Teacher's Association.
Gloria continued her studies at the Julliard School of Music in New York, where she prepared
for a career as a concert pianist. After winning first prize at the National Guild of Piano Teachers
auditions, she began concertizing in New York and New Jersey and received critical acclaim as "the
Marian Anderson of the keyboard." She then embarked upon a West Coast tour, playing recitals in
San Francisco, Los Angeles, Fresno, Seattle, and Portland. After several years of touring, she
returned to southern California, where she became a church organist and First Vice-President of the
Southeast Symphony Association.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Roberts Family Papers document the activities of a family who achieved many milestones
for African-Americans in California. Frederick Roberts was the first African American to graduate
from Los Angeles High School and the first African American state assemblyman. In addition, he
worked for the first African-American mortuary to be established in Los Angeles. His wife, Pearl,
attended both the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Boston Conservatory of Music. She
became the first African-American woman pipe organist in Northern California and founded a very
successful choral group which was acclaimed for its performance of spirituals. Frederick and Pearl's
daughter, Gloria, also pursued a career in music and performed in both the United States and Europe
as a concert pianist.
Although not comprehensive in scope, these papers provide insight into these various
milestones. They do not offer an in-depth look at the career of any one individual but do highlight
some of the achievements of Frederick, Pearl, and Gloria Roberts. Frederick Roberts' political career
is not thoroughly documented and is only represented by miscellaneous campaign flyers, pamphlets,
and correspondence. However, the papers do include election reports and flyers relating to his
campaign for the Republican seat of the 14th Congressional District, as well as materials from the
National Republican Convention he attended right before his death in 1952. Information on Roberts'
biography and his involvement in the undertaking business and in various civic and religious groups
is also present in the form of correspondence, clippings, and pamphlets. The papers also encompass
a large collection of photographs documenting Roberts' role as a politician, as well as various family
members.
The musical contributions of Pearl and Gloria Roberts are documented in programs,
correspondence, and clippings relating to their education and concertizing. Their involvement in the
political arena and in religious affairs is also illustrated in materials from the Woman's Political
Study Club and the First A.M.E. Church. In addition, various pamphlets, certificates, programs, and
letters provide a record of Pearl Roberts' service on the Electoral Committee for California. Personal
correspondence received by these two women upon the death of Frederick Roberts also contains
many warm tributes to and reminiscences about him from politicians and friends. The papers also
include one miscellaneous file of materials on the Roberts' other daughter, Patricia Fredericka.
Sub-group I. Frederick Roberts
Series I. Biographical
Series II. Business Activities
Series III. Civic Activities
Series IV. Political Activities
Series V. Religious Activities
Sub-group II. Pearl Roberts
Series I. Biographical
Series II. Business Activities
Series III. Civic Activities
Series IV. Musical Activities
Series V. Political Activities
Series VI. Religious Activities
Sub-Group III. Gloria Roberts
Series I. Biographical
Series II. Musical Activities
Series III. Political Activities
Sub-group IV. Patricia Roberts
Series I. Biographical
Sub-group V. Assorted
Sub-group VI. Photographs
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Roberts, Frederick M., 1880-1952
Roberts, Gloria Pearl
Roberts, Patricia
Roberts, Pearl Willard, 1892-1984
African Americans--California--Los Angeles--Politics and government.
African Americans--Politics and government--20th century.
Tulare County (Calif.)--Pictorial works.
African American cowboys.
African American farmers.
Oberlin College--Students.