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Joseph Oliver Roberts and Margaret Ann (Shore) Roberts
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 24 July 1950 Joseph Roberts DA643A Page: 1 2 3 4 5 |
Here is what he shows.
Born: 3 March 1901, Roanoke, Roanoke County, Virginia.
Mother: Caroline Ellen Roberts, born: USA, died 1907.
Father: William Edward Roberts, born: USA, died 1909.
Brothers and Sister: James Edward Roberts, age 53; William Dennis Roberts, age 52; Caroline Ellen Babcock, age 43.
Note: The DA643A form is dated 24 July 1950. His sister is age 43, indicating she was born about 1907, the same year the mother died. She is given the same name as her mother's.
Pennsylvania World War II Veterans Compensation Record.
Master Sergeant Joseph Roberts completed his Pennsylvania State World War II Veterans Compensation record on April 4, 1950, entitling him to compensation for having entered military service in Pennsylvania. It was approved on May 29, 1950.
29 May 1950
Joseph Roberts
World War II Veterans Compensation
Page: 1 2 3 4Here is what he shows.
Born: 3 March 1901, Roanoke, Roanoke County, Virginia.
Enlistment date: enlistment into military service on 22 October 1924.
Residence: living at 3500 Forbes Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when enlisted.
Census Records.
The 1910 U.S. Federal Census shows the Shore family living at 230 Sandmeyer Street, San Antonio. It shows the parents Jesse and Anna Shore with two children, Ernest (age 7) and Louise (age 3). Margaret Ann was born in July 1910, three months after the census was taken.
The 1920 U.S. Federal Census shows Anna Shore with four children, Ernest (age 16), Louise (age 12), Annie (age 9), and Jessie (age 7), now living at 130 Sandmeyer Street, San Antonio. Their father Jesse Shore was counted in a separate military census at Camp Travis, San Antonio.
The 1930 U.S. Federal Census shows Joseph Roberts as a member of the 68th Service Squadron at Kelly Field, San Antonio. His birthplace is shown as Pennsylvania, his father's birthplace as Massachusetts, and his mother's as Pennsylvania. This census was probably taken from the local military office central records, and not taken directly from each soldier. His entry is on line 29 on the census page.
The 1930 U.S. Federal Census shows the Shore family living at 716 Denver Boulevard, San Antonio. It shows the parents Jesse and Anna Shore with two children remaining at home, Margaret (age 19) and Kathryn (age 17).
The 1940 U.S. Federal Census shows Margaret Ann Roberts living at 615 Delmar Street, San Antonio. She is married with three children: Joseph O. Jr. (age 6), James J. (age 4) and Carol Anne (age 2). Her husband Joseph O. Sr. is away in the military service, stationed in Panama.
Other Documents.
A photograph from about 1912 shows Margaret Ann Shore as an child of about 20 months, with her brother Ernest and sister Mary Louise.
Many photos show Margaret Ann's childhood and life with her family.
Photographs from about 1920s and 1930s show Joseph Roberts first in the U.S. Cavalry and then in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Later photos show Joseph in the U.S. Air Force.
Many photos, letters and records provide scenes from Joseph and Margaret Ann's marriage, with their four children.
Military Travels.
With their father's miltary service spanning the European war that began in 1939, through the United States being forced into World War II after the attack on Hawaii in 1941, and continuing through the Korean War starting in 1950, the family endured separations that lasted for years at a time.
With their father away during those war years, Ann managed the family home and rearing and schooling of the children. The family would come together for a short while, to be separated again on short notice by a new military assignment.
A 1939 letter, from Joe in San Francisco to Ann in San Antonio, shows him preparing to board his ship for Panama. He departed San Francisco on March 25 on the USAT Republic, arriving in Panama on April 4, 1939. The family remained separated until October 1940.
On October 15, 1940 Ann and the three children at that time traveled aboard the USAT Chateau-Thierry, embarking from Charleston, South Carolina, landing briefly at San Juan, Puerto Rico, and then joining Joseph in Panama. A telegram sent from Joseph in Panama to Ann aboard the ship shows him anticipating their meeting on October 17, 1940 in Cristobal, Panama.
Telegram to Ship:
Telegram
Shortly after the family came together in Panama, they were separated again. Joseph was transferred on September 9, 1941 to Trinidad, British West Indies, while Ann and the children remained in Panama. On December 8, 1941, the day after the United States was forced into World War II by the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Joseph was transferred to Dutch Guiana (Surinam), South America, with Ann and the children staying in Panama.
Now they were not only separated again, but were living apart in two foreign countries.
Finally, with the nation at war, families of military personnel were evacuated from the Panama Canal Zone. Ann and the children returned to the US in January 1942 aboard the USAT Shawnee, amid U-Boat alerts. She and the children found a home in San Antonio, Texas, while Joseph remained in Dutch Guiana, supporting anti-sea and anti-submarine air reconaissance in defense of the Panama Canal.
Here is a page from the passenger list:
Page Zoom
The page is hard to read. The 'zoom' is clearer. The family is shown on lines 12-15:
Margaret age 31
Joseph age 8
James age 5
Carol age 3The page shows the family embarking on the Shawnee on January 14, 1942 from Cristobal, Canal Zone, landing at New Orleans on January 17. Their destination is the home of Margaret's parents, Jesse and Anna Shore, at 716 Denver Blvd., San Antonio, Texas.
'Mom' (Margaret Ann Roberts) and the children remained in San Antonio, Texas while 'Dad' (Joseph Roberts) was reassigned to Dutch Guiana (Surinam), South America supporting antisea and antisubmarine surveillance for the Panama Canal.
Here is Margaret Ann Roberts's record of the family's trip to Panama and return. This was written in 1993 in a letter to her son, James Roberts:
Legion of Merit. For his service in establishing the base in Surinam, Master Sergeant Roberts was recommended for the military Legion of Merit award:
In July 1943, with the threat to the Panama Canal subsiding, Joe was reassigned back to the United States. Two 1943 photos show Ann and Joe at the 'Court of Seven Sisters' in New Orleans, where she had gone to meet him on his return from South America.
It was the first time they had seen each other after a continuous separation of nearly two years. They were together again.
In all, the family was together for only 11 months, of the 52 months before and during World War II.
Their fourth child was born in 1945. The family remained together in San Antonio, Texas until 1949, when Joseph was reassigned to Victorville and then to Riverside, California. On April 5, 1950 he was reassigned to Tokyo, Japan. Two months after he arrived there, the Korean War began.
Here are his orders to Japan:
2 December 1950 Front
Here is his application for moving his family to Japan:
Military families were denied permission to travel to Japan after the Korean War began in June 1950. The family began another long separation.
Finally on 9 August 1951 the travel suspension was lifted. On the very next day, 10 August 1951, Joseph applied for his family to join him.
From the time Joseph went to Japan in April 1950, Ann and the four children remained in San Antonio for another year and a half.
On October 23, 1951 Ann received permission to join her husband in Japan. She took the four children by rail from San Antonio, Texas to Los Angeles and then to Oakland, California. They departed San Francisco on November 27, on the US Army Transport J. C. Breckinridge, arriving in Yokohama on December 7, 1951. Reunited with Joseph at the dock, after so many long separations they were finally together again.
The ship docked in Yokohama with a military band playing and streamers:
7 Dec 1951 Arriving Yokohama
The family was driven by automobile to their new home in Tokyo. When the car pulled into the driveway and Ann saw the four-story home for the first time, she asked which of those floors would be theirs: the family had so many times lived in small homes, sharing rooms to be able to be together on military assignments. Joseph told her that the whole house was hers. It included a maid, a 'houseboy' who maintained the coal furnace, and a security guard posted during the nights. She had never known such luxury. At last she and her family had a home with real conveniences after many years of separation and self-sufficience.
The family now enjoyed a period of being together, in an interesting and exciting place.
Seven months later, Joseph died in Tokyo on July 12, 1952. It was five days before Ann's birthday.
Ann had to arrange for bringing the children back to the United States, and for shipping the family's belongings. They had no home address in the United States. She had to find a new home and begin making a life as a military widow with three children.
Here are Ann's orders for the family's return to the United States:
16 July 1952 Orders
... and here is Ann's note on those orders:
16 July 1952 Orders
Here is the receipt for the family's belongings, packed by Ann for their return:
19 July 1952 Receipt
The family returned on the USS Mann, departing from Yokohama on 23 July and arriving in San Francisco on 2 August 1952.
Here is a photograph of the ship, with the passengers' manifest showing Ann and her children. She is shown as "Single" on the list.
Her return voyage as a widow contrasted sadly with the joyous one the family had enjoyed seven months earlier, that had brought them together.
Condolences and Commendations. Letters to Ann are shown below on this page with condolences from military officers including the Air Force Chief of Staff.
She also received her husband's Presidential Accolade, signed by the President of the United States. It too is shown below.
At his funeral, her husband received a full military Guard of Honor salute with seven riflemen standing at attention, firing on command three rounds (total of 21 rounds). Ann received the folded flag and kept it with dignity and pride through the rest of her life.
In later years she served as a volunteer in organizations for helping military veterans and senior citizens.
Photos show the Roberts family together, with their four children: Joseph Jr, James, Carole, and Cheryl, as they were growing up.
Many more photos show Margaret Ann in her later years. She lived in Etna, Maine, near her daughter Cheryl Sue, and in Tarpon Springs, Florida, near her daughter Carole Ann.
Margaret Ann did extensive volunteer work for military veterans and military service widows organizations. She assisted elderly and disabled citizens in medical and retirement homes, when she was well into her eighties herself. She worked diligently and unselfishly with them. She said that doing so with others less fortunate than she in their elderly years "makes me feel young."
Burial records.
Joseph and Margaret Ann are interred together at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, Texas. Their gravesites are side by side.
The military career of Joseph Roberts spanned more than 27 years.
He enlisted into the U.S. Army Cavalry on 22 October 1924.
On 31 October 1927 he reenlisted into the Army Air Corps.
He continued his career in the Air service,
renamed the Army Air Forces and then
the United States Air Force after World War II.
Joseph and his wife Margaret Ann had planned for their retirement
to begin when he finished his 30 years of service.
He died in 1952, before they could realize their goal.
Here are records of his discharges and reenlistments, promotions,
and merit ratings. He was rated Superior in performance of his service,
his character was rated Excellent, and he received commendations.
On his death he received a Presidential Accolade,
as well as accolades from the Air Force Chief of Staff
and senior officers.
His military career is summarized below.
More accolades and commendations are shown higher up on this page.
21 Oct 1927 Discharge and Reenlistment Front Back |
30 Oct 1930 Discharge and Reenlistment Front Back |
30 Oct 1933 Discharge and Reenlistment Front Back |
30 Oct 1936 Discharge and Reenlistment Front Back |
30 Oct 1939 Discharge and Reenlistment Front Back |
1 Nov 1945 Discharge and Reenlistment Front Back |
1 Nov 1948 Discharge and Reenlistment Document 1 |
1 Nov 1948 Discharge and Reenlistment Document 2 |
13 Dec 1949 Discharge and Reenlistment Document 1 |
13 Dec 1949 Discharge and Reenlistment Document 2 |
11 Feb 1926 Promotion to Sergeant (Cav) Document |
9 Jul 1931 Promotion to Corporal (AC) Document |
22 Aug 1933 Promotion to Sergeant Front Back |
20 Sep 1938 Promotion to First Sergeant Document |
8 Dec 1939 Promotion to Staff Sergeant Document |
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1 Feb 1940 Promotion to First Sergeant Document |
1 Feb 1940 Promotion to Technical Sergeant Document |
1 Apr 1941 Promotion to Master Sergeant Front Back |
1 Apr 1941 Promotion to Master Sergeant Document |
5 Jun 1943 Legion of Merit 1 2 |
 View All
Enlistments
Promotions
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20 Jun 1947 Training Front Back |
28 Aug 1948 Record Front Back |
4 Jan 1950 Merit Report Front Back |
9 May 1950 Merit Report Front Back |
6 Dec 1950 Commendation Transmittal Letter |
Cheryl Sue (Roberts) Graves is the youngest daughter of Joseph and Margaret Ann Roberts.
These photos were sent into our family heritage by Cheryl's daughter, Debra Kay Tasker.
With the travels of a military service family, Joseph and Margaret Roberts and their children
lived in Texas, California, Panama, and Japan.
1934
San Antonio, Texas.
1949
Riverside, california.
1954
San Antonio, Texas.
Below are some photos of the homes where they lived
in San Antonio, Texas, and in Tokyo, Japan.
In 1965, Jim Roberts went to Tokyo.
He found the home where the family had lived in 1952.
His photographs and a description of his visit
are shown below.
26 May 2020
Documents
5 April 1950 
21 June 1950 
Passengers List: Page 
