Extracted from the O'Fallon Progress (O'Fallon, IL)
Thursday, April 22, 1937

James Roberts Is Found Dead By Fire Chief

James Roberts, 56, of this city, was found dead in the fire department engine room at 9 o'clock Tuesday morning. Death, caused by a heart stroke, occurred about 1 a.m., according to a physician who was summoned. Roberts' position when discovered by Fire Chief Herman Hemmen indicated that he had gone into the City Hall earlier in the evening for a night's lodging.

The body was removed to the Schwarz morgue where Coroner Dr. Leo Madden conducted an inquiry which substantiated that the death resulted from a heart attack.

Funeral services will be conducted at the Schwartz chapel this afternoon at 2 o'clock, Rev. A. E. Klemme, pastor of the Evangelical church officiating. Interment will be in Tiedemann cemetery.

James Roberts, a son of the late Hiram and Julia Norcup Roberts, was born in Caseyville township, Nov. 26, 1880. He was married to Fannie May Manley at East St. Louis in 1910. She died Nov. 13, 1930. Four children were born to the union, one of whom, a son, Robert, died in 1929 at the age of nine years. Those surviving are three sons, James Morris Roberts, Arthur Richard Roberts and George William Roberts, all of this city. He also leaves one brother, David Roberts of this city; three sisters, Annie, wife of Clyde Thompson; Emma, wife of Paul Rothkegel and Nellie, wife of John Wheatley, of Caseyville township and two grandchildren. One brother, William Roberts, died Feb. 23, 1937. One other brother, Hiram, and two sisters, Julia and Beatrice, also preceeded him in death.