Semmes Pioneer Family-minerva Emeline Roberts 1847-1923

 Jesse Vickers, Jr.

Minerva  Emeline Roberts was born in Green County, Mississippi on March 18, 1847 the daughter of Isaiah Roberts,( 1809-1851) and Ann Cochran (1827-1903).  Minerve Roberts family moved to Albritton Precinct (Semmes), Mobile County, Alabama, in 1867.  

​Minerva married John Ashbee on January 14, 1888, Mobile Co. Alabama.  John Ashbee (1845-1916) was the son of George Washington Ashbee  born in 1803 and Mary Rhodes born in 1813.

John Ashbee served in Company A 7th Alabama Cavalry in the Civil War. He is listed  on the 1880 Federal Census in Albritton Precinct (Semmes), Mobile County, Alabama as a laborer working in the household of William Polk Roberts, Minerva Roberts brother, who had a small Sawmill and commissary Store on his property.

According to Government Land Office Records: John  bought 80.64 acres of land in 1879.  This land was adjoining the north side of Margaret Wulff's (Minerva's mothers) property.  

According to the story passed down in the family, Minerva suffered from crippling Rheumatoid Arthritis all her adult life. When Jesse Vickers, Sr. was a little boy, he visited Uncle John and Aunt Minerva and he remembered Aunt Minerva holding onto a ladder back chair and pushing it in front of her as  a walker. When John  built  his bride their new log cabin he knew his wife would be unable to get to a storm cellar so  he had long iron spikes made to fasten the logs together to make the house safer for his wife in case of a twister.

*** It is interesting to note the Ashbee's original log cabin home was covered over with additions and remodeling over  the years. It was recently uncovered when remodeling by the current owners who chose to keep the cabin as a  room in their home,

John and Minerva set aside a parcel of their property for use as a cemetery that was deeded to  Semmes First Baptist Church on October 21, 1904. The trustees of the Church signing the deed were as follows: J. F. Harroun, J.A. Wulff, and I.H. Roberts.  The deed wasn't recorded in the Courthouse in Mobile until December 23, 1930 and is in Deed Book 232 page 267. John Ashbee died April 12, 1916 was buried in this Cemetery. Minerva Roberts Ashbee died September 21, 1923 and was buried next to her husband.   Their Graves are marked with a large Cement Marker in the Cemetery that they donated to their Church.

 ****Semmes First Baptist was originally named Mt. Pleasant Church and began in the log cabin school on the township's sixteen section of land.   Schools often served as the meeting house for community activities  and early churches in Alabama.