Mystery Photo Identified?

About 10 years ago, I was given two photocopies of old photographs. (They were not high quality/resolution copies.) One was of our great-grandpa, William B. Wilson. The other photo was identified as the sister & brother-in-law of William Wilson. The photocopies came from the Alma Wilson Barnes family.

This first photo is of William B. Wilson. He married Mary Polly Huff 7 Dec 1858 in Collin County, Texas. She died about 1899 in Oklahoma. William died in 1920 in Oklahoma.

Below is the second photocopy of a picture given to me.  It had the following notation:

"Coss & Bess -- Sister & Brother-in-law to William Wilson"

To date (2009), I have never been able to figure out just who Coss & Bess were.  I thought maybe "Coss & Bess" meant who the picture was to not who the picture was of.

Mystery Photo

The research into William Wilson's family showed he had two siblings -- both sisters. One was named Mary and she married Jacob Helms. Another older sister listed in the Collin County, Texas 1850 census, was only known as E. G. (or J.). It was not known what happened to her.  William and his sisters were the children of James and Martha Ann Wilson of Collin County, Texas. 

William's wife, Mary Huff Wilson, had a brother by the name of Cosley. I thought perhaps this could be him -- but his wife's name was Tempie.  "Bess" is sometimes used as a nickname for Elizabeth.  But, who that be????

So the "Coss & Bess" written on the picture remained a mystery to me because it did not fit any of the family. 

Find A Grave Solved a Mystery

Last month, I found the following picture on Find A Grave.  As you can see, it is the same picture as the one above, only in better condition than my photocopy. It was attached to the memorial page for W. J. Roberts who was buried in the Hess Cemetery in Jackson County, Oklahoma.  W J Roberts was the husband of Sarah Elizabeth Jane Wilson Roberts.

Research into William J. Roberts shows he was born 12 Dec 1829 in Tennessee. He lived in Collin County, Texas from 1850 to the 1890's, then moved to Oklahoma.  William married Sarah E. J. Wilson on 22 Jun 1856 in Collin County, Texas. According to their family, Sarah Elizabeth Jane Wilson was the sister to our William Wilson and the daughter of James and Martha Wilson.  She was the unknown sister from the 1850 Census - E. G. (or J.) Wilson.

Solving the mystery of the photo, helped solve another genealogical mystery. 

Years ago, my uncle Wilber told a story about his Grandpa (Charles B Wilson) visiting "Roberts" relatives in Portales, NM in the early 1900's. I could never figure out how the Roberts in his story were related to our Wilsons. He also talked about a gunfight that took place in Texas involving the Wilson and Roberts families.  Supposedly one of the Roberts in my uncle's story of the gunfight had their finger shot off.  He said that after the gunfight, the Roberts family moved away from Collin County, Texas. 

Research into the Roberts family from the Find a Grave photo above, shows they moved from Texas to Oklahoma.  Later some of their children moved to Portales, NM and lived there in the 1910 census.  

The wife of William J. Roberts in the above photo, Elizabeth Jane Roberts, appears to be the daughter listed E. G. (or J.) Wilson in the 1850 Census for the James Wilson family. That would make her the sister to William Wilson. "Bess" is sometimes used as a nickname for Elizabeth.

Any additions or corrections to this information concerning the William & Elizabeth (Wilson) Roberts family would be appreciated.