Roberts Settlement

In July 1835, three African-American men, Hansel Roberts, Elijah Roberts, and Micajah Walden, purchased homesteads in Hamilton County, thirty miles north of Indianapolis. Raised in North Carolina as free landowners, they migrated to Indiana when it became clear that their freedom was at risk. What started as homesteads for themselves and their families eventually grew into a settlement of 16 families across 900 acres of land.

Life in the Roberts Settlement wasn’t always an easy one. Due to the isolation of the settlement, families had to be resourceful and self-sufficient. Despite the fear of losing their rights and uncertainty they faced, the community eventually grew into a fairly stable, secure settlement. By the late 1870s, the community boasted 300 residents and almost 2,000 acres of land.

As farming opportunities declined and interest in urban life grew in the late 19th century, so did the population in Roberts Settlement. Individuals who moved from Roberts Settlement found success in urban communities. Some of these individuals included Dr. Carl G. Roberts, a prominent surgeon in Chicago, and Reverend Cyrus W. Roberts, an established Midwestern minister. Others were able to live good lives in cities, purchasing homes and raising families, no doubt thanks in part to their upbringing in the Roberts Settlement.