My 2nd Great Grandfather, John Oliver Roberts (b. 7 June 1848) and his brother James Alexander (b. 11 August 1840), emigrated from Midleton, County Cork to NY City in the 1860's. John married my 2nd Great Grandmother Charlotte Knaggs (b. November 1850 Thurles, County Tipperary) while living there with Charlotte's parents, brothers and sisters (Charlotte's sister Elizabeth married John's brother James). Both John and James moved their families to Tioga County, New York just a few miles from each other. John opened a grocery store in Newark Valley, NY which was passed down through 3 generations before eventually being sold.
From other's research, which I am unable to confirm at this point, John and James siblings were Julia, Marie, Matilda, Polly and William Hawks Roberts. William allegedly emigrated to Australia. Their parents were allegedly William Roberts (b. 1798) and Florence Sarah Hawks (b. 1794) but it would be physically impossible for Florence to have been John Oliver's mother since she would have been around 54 years old at his birth. That doesn't mean William couldn't have been the father and John had a different mother, but none of this is confirmed.
I was wondering if there was any way to find out if there was a Roberts family in the Midleton area who had at least 2 sons, John Oliver and James Alexander? The Roberts attended and were prominent members of the Methodist/Episcopal Church in Newark Valley, NY. The picture attached to this message is of my 2nd Great Grandparents. John Oliver and Charlotte (Knaggs) Roberts, cut from a portrait with my other 2nd Great Grandparents, Joseph and Mary Anne Kemp. John and Charlotte's daughter Mary Anne married Joseph and Mary Anne's son George Edgar.
