Y-DNA Haplogroup I-M223 sub-Haplogroup I-FGC15127 Roberts Ancestry

I-M223 refers to the Y-DNA Haplogroup branch of the father to son lines of this Roberts family from the Province of Ulster, Ireland. The sub-Haplogroup of I-FGC15127 appears to be the common ancestor for Roberts family from this paternal line in Northern Ireland and outward to the former colonies of the United Kingdom. One of the branches of I-FGC15127 is I-Y4723 and that is of our Roberts line from Lurgan, County Armagh, Ireland (Northern Ireland).

The earliest known male Roberts ancestor (as of 2021) was Robert ROBERTS, born about 1791 presumably at or in the district of Lurgan, County Armagh, shoe maker in the town of Lurgan, died in 1848 at Lurgan, County Armagh. His wife was Jane FALOON born about 1788 and died at Lurgan in 1868. Lurgan falls within the Shankill Parish and Robert ROBERTS and his family appears to have been mostly associated with the Shankill Parish Church of Ireland in Lurgan.

Below is a summary of the first three generations of the Roberts family currently known. Males in bold type are I-M223 Y-DNA Haplogroup and presumed to be I-Y4723 branch.

First Generation
1. Robert ROBERTS born about 1791; died 1848 burial 12 Oct 1848 Lurgan, County Armagh, Ireland
mar. Jane FALOON born about 1788; died 1868 Lurgan, County Armagh, Ireland

Second Generation - children of Robert Roberts and Jane Faloon
1.1 Anne ROBERTS bapt. 28 Apr 1822 Lurgan, County Armagh; d. before 1826.
1.2 Henry ROBERTS bapt. 25 Dec 1823 Lurgan, County Armagh.
1.3 Anne ROBERTS bapt. 26 Jan 1826 Lurgan, County Armagh.
1.4 John ROBERTS b. 1827 bapt 25 Dec 1827 Lurgan, County Armagh; d. 21 July 1908 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
mar. about 1855 Johanna MATTHEWS b. abt. 1836 St. Helliers, Jersey, Channel Islands; d. 1878 York, Yorkshire, England - no children known.
1.5 Robert ROBERTS b. 15 June 1832 Lurgan, County Armagh; d. 28 Sep 1911 Goodna, Queensland, Australia.
mar. 1854 Eliza SMYTH b. 13 Sep 1833 Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Ireland; d. 26 Feb 1914 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

rel. 1870 Hannah SIDNEY b. 1846 Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales; d. 12 October 1917 Warwick, Queensland, Australia.

Third Generation - children of Robert Roberts and Eliza Smyth
1.5.1 Jane Eliza ROBERTS bapt. 20 Sep 1854 Lurgan, County Armagh; d. 25 June 1938 Claremont, Western Australia, Australia
mar. 1879 William Henry BRADBURY b. 1845 Braithwell, Yorkshire, England; d. 23 Sep 1923 Claremont, Western Australia, Australia
1.5.2 Henry ROBERTS b. 24 May 1856 bapt. 15 Oct 1856 Lurgan,;County Armagh d. 28 Feb 1945 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
mar. 1876 Emily Jane MARTIN b. 22 Feb 1859 London, Middlesex, England; d. 11 Dec 1945 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
1.5.3 Robert ROBERTS bapt. 11 May 1859 Lurgan, County Armagh; d. before 1864
1.5.4 Margaret ROBERTS bapt. 26 Dec 1860 Lurgan, County Armagh; d. before 1867
1.5.5 Catherine ROBERTS b. 18 July 1862 bapt. 11 Feb 1863 Lurgan, County Armagh; d. 11 Sep 1924 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
mar. 1884 Herbert Chamberlain BLUNDELL b/ 1863 Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England ; d. Sep 1906 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
1.5.6 Robert ROBERTS b. 16 Nov 1864 Ballybundon, County Down, Ireland; died after 1914 Australia
1.5.7 Margaret ROBERTS b. 25 Feb 1867 bapt. 29 May 1867 Lurgan, County Armagh; died 1869 Lurgan.
1.5.8 Thomas ROBERTS b. 20 May 1870 bapt. 20 Oct 1870 Lurgan, County Armagh; d. 20 Dec 1949 Auckland, New Zealand.
mar. 1891 Mary Jane HENNESSEY b. 1870 Dublin, Ireland; d. 25 Jan 1920 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
rel. 1907 Ruth Myrtle SMITH b. 1882 Timaru, New Zealand; d. 14 Feb 1950 Ohope Beach, New Zealand.
mar. 1930 Helena PHILLIPS (nee LAING) b. 16 June 1884 Norfolk Island; d. Auckland, New Zealand
1.5.9 William ROBERTS b. 7 Aug 1974 Brisbane, Queensland; d. 15 Apr 1875 Brisbane, Queensland
1.5.10 Frederick William ROBERTS b. 26 Sep 1876 Brisbane, Queensland; d. 25 Aug 1967 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
mar. 1897 Lesbia Eliza KEARNAN b. 1876 Ipswich, Queensland; d. 8 Feb 1934 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
rel. 1920 Alice Louisa RITCHIE (nee MORTIMER) b. 

Third Generation - child of Robert Roberts and Hannah Sidney
1.5.11 Samuel SIDNEY b. 5 July 1871 Brisbane, Queensland; d. 7 May 1913 Roma, Queensland, Australia.

mar. 1896 Alice Beatrice GARLAND b. 31 July 1878 Queensland; d. 16 August 1946 Roma, Queensland, Australia.

1.4 John ROBERTS immigrated out about 1897 and joined his brother Robert in Brisbane. John had joined the Royal Artillary in 1846 and saw over 21 years of service in Ireland, Canada, the Crimea, India and England. He was at the Battle for Sebastopol in the Crimea where he was wounded. He was probably tended in the army hospital by Florence Nightingale. It is believed he convalesced at St. Hilliers, Jersey where he met and married Johanna MATTHEWS. She died at York in 1878.  In 1881 he was a Barrack Sergeant at Gate Fulford in York. In Brisbane, he lived with his brother and Eliza at Spring Hill. On an Imperial pension he died in 1908.
1.5 Robert ROBERTS, a shoe maker like his father, married at Lurgan in 1854 and immigrated to the Colony of Queensland arriving in August 1870 on the "Flying Cloud". His son 1.5.2 Henry ROBERTS was a cabin boy on the ship, returning to England a couple of weeks later when it sailed. Also on board the "Flying Cloud" was a young Welsh woman, Hannah SIDNEY. She disembarked at Maryborough while Robert is reported as travelling on to Rockhampton. However they must have met up again, possibly in Brisbane, because Hannah gave birth to a son, 1.5.11 Samuel SIDNEY at the Lady Bowen Hospital, Spring Hill, Brisbane in July 1871. We have now confirmed that Samuel's grandson, Murray SIDNEY has the same Y-DNA as that of the Roberts male descendants of Robert ROBERTS. Hannah SIDNEY went on to marry John McKavanagh in 1872, then John Schneider in 1879, James Ryan in 1895 and Patrick O'Mara in 1914. She died at Warwick, Queensland in 1917. Robert ROBERTS died at the Goodna Asylum in 1911 and was buried in the Asylum Cemetery.

Robert's wife, Eliza Roberts with the remaining children, Jane Eliza, Catherine, Robert and Thomas, set sail for Brisbane on the "Great Queensland" in 1873 and joined up with husband and father Robert that same year. They had two more children in Brisbane. Eliza died at the home of her son Henry, in 1914.

1.5.2 Henry ROBERTS visited his family a couple of times while serving on various ships travelling to Queensland. He married at Portsea, Hampshire, England in 1876 where they had three children, one passing away in 1881. He was not to permanently immigrate until 1882 when he and his new family arrived at Brisbane on the "RMS Almora". A child was born on the voyage. In Brisbane they has another 9 children.

1.5.6 Robert ROBERTS arrived with his mother and siblings in 1873. Little is known of what became of Robert. In 1902, it is believed he lived at Woogaroo (thought to be Goodna, Queensland) and was still living when his mother died in 1914.

1.5.8 Thomas ROBERTS married in 1891 in Brisbane but may have left his wife at some time over the following 10 years. He joined the 3rd Commonwealth Continent and went to the South African Boer War in 1902, after which he turned up in Auckland, New Zealand in 1903. He established a new life there and had two families over the next 45 years. He died in 1949.

1.5.10 Frederick William ROBERTS married in 1897 in Brisbane and had two sons, the first dying in 1898. It appears Frederick also went to the Boer War. After the war, he and his wife and son Eric moved to Sydney. He again joined up for the First World War and saw action in France. On his return he and family lived at Five Dock for many years. He had a relationship with married friend in 1919 that produced a son in 1920, John Douglas Mortimer Ritchie. This again has been proved by DNA, as John's daughter matches all the Roberts and Mortimer families and not the Ritchie side.

Wayne Roberts
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia