Individual Details
Richard Hubbard Roberts
(16 Oct 1839 - )
At the age of five years he removed with his parents to Williamsburg, now Brooklyn, E. D. He was sent to boarding school at Stamford, Conn., and at the age of sixteen started on his business career as clerk in a large jewelry establ1shment in Albany. That there was mutual confidence between employer and employee is evidenced by the fact that he remained
with the firm seven years, becoming thoroughly proficient in every branch of the business. He then formed a connection with the old well-known firm of Ball, Black & Co., of New York, where, after remaining a short time he returned to Albany, where he formed a copartnership in the jewelry business with William Wendell, under the firm name of Wendell & Roberts. They did a large and successful business without interruption for thirteen years—1S63 to 1876, when Mr. Roberts retired with a competence, leaving a large circle of friends in the old town where he spent the earlier years of his life.
During his residence in Albany, Mr. Roberts was recognized as a public-spirited, progressive man, and lent his aid and encouragement to all honest improvements in that city. He was an incorporator and active member of the Fort Orange Club. He was an enthusiastic yachtsman and organized the Albany Yacht Club.
On retiring from business Mr. Roberts spent several years in exclusive travel. He afterward engaged in the wholesale diamond business in New York under the firm name of Roberts & Yerrington, continuing for eight years. During this period his attention was called to the mining for gems in North Carolina, and he organized the Emerald and Hiddenite Mining Company. The mine worked by this company yielded the largest emerald crystal ever taken from a mine, and the distinctly American gem, the Hiddenite. Mr. Roberts is president of the Wiles Laundering Co., of Troy, the pioneer of this industry in America. He is also a director in the Troy Laundry Machine Co., which is the outgrowth of the above mentioned company. He is secretary of the closing up of the affairs of the New York Hemp & Flax Manufacturing Co., of which his father was one of the founders. Fond of sports he joined the Manhattan Athletic Club of New York, and in order to keep up his Albany acquaintance became a member of the Albany Society Club of New York. With an ancestry having the patent of nobility, as viewed from an American standpoint, he identified himself with the Sons of the American Revolution and later with the Founders and Patriots of America.
with the firm seven years, becoming thoroughly proficient in every branch of the business. He then formed a connection with the old well-known firm of Ball, Black & Co., of New York, where, after remaining a short time he returned to Albany, where he formed a copartnership in the jewelry business with William Wendell, under the firm name of Wendell & Roberts. They did a large and successful business without interruption for thirteen years—1S63 to 1876, when Mr. Roberts retired with a competence, leaving a large circle of friends in the old town where he spent the earlier years of his life.
During his residence in Albany, Mr. Roberts was recognized as a public-spirited, progressive man, and lent his aid and encouragement to all honest improvements in that city. He was an incorporator and active member of the Fort Orange Club. He was an enthusiastic yachtsman and organized the Albany Yacht Club.
On retiring from business Mr. Roberts spent several years in exclusive travel. He afterward engaged in the wholesale diamond business in New York under the firm name of Roberts & Yerrington, continuing for eight years. During this period his attention was called to the mining for gems in North Carolina, and he organized the Emerald and Hiddenite Mining Company. The mine worked by this company yielded the largest emerald crystal ever taken from a mine, and the distinctly American gem, the Hiddenite. Mr. Roberts is president of the Wiles Laundering Co., of Troy, the pioneer of this industry in America. He is also a director in the Troy Laundry Machine Co., which is the outgrowth of the above mentioned company. He is secretary of the closing up of the affairs of the New York Hemp & Flax Manufacturing Co., of which his father was one of the founders. Fond of sports he joined the Manhattan Athletic Club of New York, and in order to keep up his Albany acquaintance became a member of the Albany Society Club of New York. With an ancestry having the patent of nobility, as viewed from an American standpoint, he identified himself with the Sons of the American Revolution and later with the Founders and Patriots of America.
Events
| Birth | 16 Oct 1839 | Middletown, Conn |  | ||
| Event | 7 Jun 1880 | Albany | |
Families
| Father | Elijah Hubbard Roberts (1795 - 1871) |
| Mother | Emily Matilda Pratt (1797 - 1870) |