ROBERTS, DANIEL WEBSTER
(1841-1935)

Daniel Webster Roberts, Texas Ranger, was born in Winston County, Mississippi, on October 10, 1841, one of the eight children of Alexander (Buck) and Sabra Roberts.

At the outbreak of the Civil War he joined Capt. W. H. Perry's company of mounted rifles in the Twenty-sixth brigade of the Texas Militia and served as a scout against Indian raiders in the Devil's River region. His father is said to have joined the Union army as a captain. On February 26, 1862, Roberts enlisted as a private in Company K of Col. Peter C. Woods's Thirty-sixth Texas Cavalry regiment; he deserted with many other members of his company on February 2, 1864, when the regiment was dismounted. His first recorded Indian fight came in August 1873 when he, with his brother George T. Roberts and eight other settlers from Round Mountain, pursued a band of raiding Comanches. "All of us were young men," Roberts remarked, "but we were seasoned plainsmen inured to the hardships of life on the frontier. We knew how to ride hard and shoot straight." George was severely wounded in the battle of Deer Creek, and Dan was shot through the left thigh. The hard-pressed boys were reinforced by Cicero R. (Rufe) Perry, but the Indians escaped. Each of the group was awarded a coveted Model 1873 Winchester rifle for his service in the fight. Roberts and his fellow rangers took part in the Mason County War. The ranger company also cooperated with the United States Army, not only in fighting Indians but in surveying and building a military road from Fort McKavett to Fort Stockton. With the rank of first lieutenant, Roberts led his men on campaigns in Kimble, Mason, and Menard counties and followed Indian raiders onto the Llano Estacado.

Roberts married Luvenia Conway of Columbus, Texas, on September 13, 1875. In the fall of 1882 Roberts again resigned from ranger service and, in deference to his wife's health, moved to Nogales, New Mexico, then a raw gold-mining community. There the couple lived for thirty years, and Roberts worked as a stock raiser and miner. There, too, the childless couple adopted Lillie Roberts, who later became the wife of Governor J. F. Hinkle of New Mexico, and her brother Fred, both the children of Roberts's brother, George. Dan and Luvenia Roberts at last returned to Austin "to pass the remainder of our days in our beloved State." At the age of ninety-three, Captain Roberts suffered a fracture of his left shoulder. The fracture developed into pneumonia, from which he died in his Austin home on February 6, 1935.

Sources; "ROBERTS, DANIEL WEBSTER." The Handbook of Texas Online.


ROBERTS, Daniel Webster (Ind. Sur. No. 11233)
Born October 10, 1841, in Winston County, Mississippi, died February 6, 1935, in Austin, Texas. Married Luvenia Conway September 13, 1875, in Columbus, Texas; she was born September 14, 1849, died July 14, 1940. Application based on service in Company D of the Frontier Battalion from May 28, 1874, to August 31, 1876, and from September 29, 1877, to February 28, 1878. Application approved.
One of the outstanding Captains in the Frontier Battalion, Roberts saw extended service against Indians and in his application stated that he had "scars from bullet wound through left thigh." He was the son of another famous Indian fighter, Captain Alexander "Buck" Roberts. (Source: Bertha Hood)

FdAGr Contributor WichitaFalls:
I found him in a book titled "TEXAS RANGER INDIAN WAR PENSIONS"
Abstracted By Robert W. Stephens

He was a Texas Ranger

ROBERTS, Daniel Webster (Ind. Sur. No. 11233}
Born October 10, 1841, in Winston County, Mississippi, died February 6, 1935, in Austin, Texas. Married Luvenia Conway September 13, 1875, in Columbus, Texas; she was born September 14, 1849, died July 14, 1940. Application based on service in Company D of the Frontier Battalion from May 28, 1874, to August 31, 1876, and from September 29, 1877, to February 28, 1878. Application approved. One of the outstanding Captains in the Frontier Battalion, Roberts saw extended service against Indians and in his application stated that he had "scars from bullet wound through left thigh." He was the son of another famous Indian fighter, Captain Alexander "Buck" Roberts.

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Dan W. Roberts

D. W. Roberts was born in the State of Mississippi, in Winston County, October 10th, 1841. His father, Alexander Roberts, came to Texas in 1836, and helped the Texans fight the battles of the Republic for nearly four years, being in many engagements with the enemy, the most noted of which was the Plum Creek fight, which has gone into the history of Texas.

Soon after the Plum Creek fight, my mother prevailed on father to take his family to some place of safety, firmly believing that wholesale murder would be their fate: (Father's judgment was waived) and her love of family won her cause, and they went back to Mississippi in 1839.
During their stay in Mississippi, I was born, making that State my native soil, but father's love for Texas had never subsided, and his turn came to persuade mother back to Texas, where he joined his old comrades again in 1843. I was about two years old when they returned to Texas.
My father followed up the frontier, and I was reared, and almost rocked in the cradle of Texas warfare. When I was a small boy, I developed some very peculiar traits of character, not peculiarly good, but rather strangely peculiar.

We were fond of dwelling alone, to commune with Nature's beautiful work. I had my favorite pecan trees, and would conceal myself under them, to hear the crows murmur to each other, while they were gathering the splendid nuts.

My father's recital of early Texas battles had imbued me with the spirit, that those old Texans were the rightful lords of that grand and new republic, and that their heroism should be sustained, and when I grew to be a man, that I would devote my life to the cause that my father so loved.

In my boyish dreams I was always in command of men. My education was limited to the common English branches. As I grew to manhood, I could see that war should not be our occupation, but the constant raids of savage foes upon Texas, gave us the field that our more youthful days had pictured for us. We were "put in command of men," and our stewardship will follow. Our work was more preparatory for civil government consequently we were never a politician, but always adhered to democratic principles.

Capt. Roberts Married
About the last of August, 1875, Major John B. Jones reached Company "D" on his march westward along the line of the companies. He had an inkling that Lieut. D. W. Roberts was intending to tender his resignation, the purpose being to get married. The Major, in his characteristic fine tact, broached the matter first, and in his keen black eyes was a laughing twinkle that told me that he had anticipated me fully. He told me that he was in perfect accord with my idea of getting married, but, that my resignation was not at all necessary. He told me I could have a leave of absence, as long as I thought necessary, and to bring my wife on out to the company, or, I could leave her temporarily at a neighboring village, until I could prepare comfortable quarters for her, in, or near camp. He said he would see to it, that such arrangements were satisfactorily made. I agreed to do as he told me. But, a second consideration came to my mind, that I had been too hasty. My intended bride had not been consulted, as to whether she would come out among the red-skins or not. She had been reared in the town of Columbus, Texas, and knew comparatively little about the frontier. But, I went to Columbus, and told her the whole story, and happily, she agreed to the programme, and appeared to think it the climax of all the romance she had ever indulged in.

My wife was Miss Luvenia Conway, and we were married on September 13th, 1875. Mrs. Roberts is still living, and keeps my good old love letters as a menace to treachery. We took leave of Columbus, immediately after our marriage ceremony, the train having waited for the event, and via the City of Houston, we reached the City of Austin on September 14th. Stayed in Austin a few days, or until our ambulance and escort could meet us there. When the "boys" made their appearance, it was Mrs. Roberts' first sight of Rangers. When we took up our march for camp, nearly 200 miles distant, four men rode just ahead of the ambulance, with all the paraphernalia of Rangers, I noticed Mrs. Roberts taking them in, with intense scrutiny.

Their broad belts, full of cartridges, and a leather string, to which a hair brush was attached, to clean the rifle barrel, which hung down from the rear of the belt, was the one thing that appeared to "paralyze" her; finally she ventured to ask me what that was. I told her that all the original stock of Rangers had "caudal appendages". She gave me her first searching, doubtful look. In after years, she found out, that I was a charter member of the Ananias Club.

The second day's march took us by the residence of an old colored woman that had belonged to my father since before I was born. I could not pass her without stopping to see her. She came out and grabbed me, in the fashion of a silver-tip bear, and pressed me to her good old warm heart. I introduced her to my wife, and her first expression was "Daniel, you have married a beautiful woman." Mrs. Roberts took the compliment gracefully, but after we had driven a little distance from the cabin, I told her that the old ''darky'' had been blind for forty years.

That evening brought us to Blanco City (my old home town), where we were greeted with open arms by some of the best men and women on earth. That reassured my wife that I might have been respectable when I was young. The next day brought us to Fredericksburg. It was on Sunday evening. The custom of the old German people was to have their gala day on Sunday, and a big ball was "on tap" at Charles Nimitz hotel. Mrs. Roberts watched the gay dancers, until Terpsicore got the best of the Bible, and she joined in the beautiful waltz. She wished that the dance might last until morning, as she might merge the dark end of two days into only half of a crime.

Next day we reached Fort Mason. Mason was General Robert E. Lee's "ante-bellum" quarters. We were then within 50 miles of my camp. I could begin to hear what was happening in that section. I concluded that I had better leave Mrs. Roberts in Mason, and go myself up to the head of the San Saba River, where my camp was, and see if the "sky was all clear". I left my wife in Mason, with my friends, Mr. and Mrs. Henry M. Holmes. Mr. Holmes was the private secretary of Governor "Sul" Ross. I went on up to my camp and found matters quiet. I returned to Mason within ten days, and took Mrs. Roberts up to Menardville, where we were to take our Ranger quarters for the winter.

There was not a house in the town that was in any way related to a saw mill, and brick yards were away back in older civilization. We engaged board with Mr. and Mrs. John Scott. Mrs. Scott was postmaster at Menardville, and she was an estimable lady. She had plenty of work to do besides a pen full of cows to milk. I volunteered to milk the cows for her, but she told me that "they wouldn't let John come into the pen". I insisted that she should give me the pail and let me try it, which she did. I walked into the pen, and milked the cows without any difficulty, and I guess John Scott hates me for it yet.

I prepared quarters for us, about one and one-half miles from the town, and we soon went into camp. Here we spent our honey-moon, with sweet old King Nature, watching the wild ducks and geese "splash in the beautiful water of the San Saba River. Our only music was the gobble of wild turkeys and the splash of beavers' tails against the water, and our little string band in camp, sent a wireless message back-to Home Sweet Home.

The rifle and revolver were not the only potent factors in advancing the successful settlement of the frontier. The '' Man with the Hoe'', was our partner, and while we watched his enemies, he, in turn, supplied us with corn and oats for our faithful horses, and built himself a nice home. As soon as people began to feel secure in their citizenship, the American spirit of enterprise asserted itself.

When the Republic of Texas came into the Union of States, she reserved all her public domain, and appropriated it to the upbuilding of the state, in public institutions and school funds. And "Uncle Sam" was not more liberal in giving the people homes. I think it was the Fourteenth Legislature that offered a land subsidy, to encourage irrigation, specifying the dimensions of a ditch to carry the water, say six feet wide, at the bottom of the ditch, and twelve feet wide, from cut to cut across the top, and four feet deep, on level ground. For this class of ditch, the state offered three sections of land to the mile of ditch, not otherwise appropriated, to the makers of that grade of ditches. The state not reserving any rental, or any further claim on the enterprise. Under this covenant, between the state and the citizen we had the pleasure of seeing the first ditch made, and stood guard for the workers in their happy vocation. Source: RANGERS AND SOVEREIGNTY, By DAN W. ROBERTS, CAPTAIN COMPANY "D" of the TEXAS RANGERS, Published 1914