Roberts Settlement
To preserve one of Indiana's historic chapels and cemeteries associated with Indiana's black pioneers. To document and curate the history and genealogy of Roberts Settlement and other early black settlements throughout midwestern states. To promote the contributions and accomplishments of the women & men and events that shaped the legacies of black settlements.
About Roberts Settlement
Roberts Settlement was established in 1835 by free people of color whose freedoms and liberties were under attack in the antebellum south. James Roberts and Willis Roberts arrived in Indiana in the late 1820s as family scouts. Finding Indiana quite suitable, they informed their anxious family back in North Carolina that Indiana would be a good place to live in peace and freedom. The Roberts initially settled in Rush County near North Carolina Quakers already established in the area. The Roberts’ and other kin formed their own community—The Beech Settlement—in Rush County. Land near The Beech was being acquired quickly by other settlers and land speculators. Roberts family members arriving in 1835 faced limited land prospects at The Beech. These families were forced to look further west to Hamilton County where good, inexpensive land was still available. Hansel Roberts, Elijah Roberts and Micajah Walden purchased 440 acres in Jackson Township. Over the next 50–60 years, the Roberts community expanded to 1,700 acres and over 200 residents. The community valued family, faith and education. Many Roberts descendants pursued professional careers beyond farming, including teaching, preaching, medicine, law and commerce within emerging Black urban communities throughout the United States.