Jay Roberts was born in 1890 in Oakland, California across the bay from the Barbary Coast of San Francisco, California, to Iowa native Jesse S. Roberts and Arkansas wife Ada P. Reynolds, who had been married on October 13th, 1887. He was one of three children born to the couple, one of which died before 1900, and his younger sister Memory Hope (11/1/1905). Jesse was a postal clerk and manager, and had helped to start up one of the first mail routes in Alaska, along with early dog sled delivery service between 1903 and 1906. It is unclear whether his family went with him to the northern frontier during that time.
Jesse would later be promoted to inspector in 1910, the superintendent of the San Francisco post office in 1915, and the Superintendent of Railway Service in 1916. As of the 1900 enumeration the family was living in Oakland at 1057 55th Street. Jay's first job as a substitute postman was very likely obtained for him by his father. the entertainers rag coverHowever, he followed his true desire to become an entertainer and ragtime pianist, starting his way through some of the more legitimate venues before making incursions into the less than proper ones. (Hide extended text) ... (Read all)
