ROY ROBERTS HERITAGE SHOWS DEEP  ROOTS IN WALTON COUNTY

Monroe and Walton County sustained a great loss in the death of Roy Nunnally Roberts on March 30^th.  The accolades and tributes showcasing his life have been many, but few know of the deep roots his family had in Monroe and Walton County, coming from a prominent, pioneer family and instilling in him the great qualities he was generously known for.

        Roy’s heritage stems all the way back to John Nunnally, who started the family in Walton County.  He was born on February 12, 1758 and died on June 10, 1825, seven years after the founding of Monroe in 1818.

        On January 16, 1783 he married Susan Virginia Burton in Cumberland County, Virginia. Early in the 19^th century they moved to Clarke County.  Both are buried near Bishop. Of their nine children, one son was William Branch Nunnally, born December 6, 1791, and married Mary Hale Talbot.

        William and Mary Nunnally were among the early settlers of Walton County. Their home was located about six miles from Monroe on property purchased from John Love as an original land grant.  It has remained in the Nunnally family continuously. Mary H. Talbot Nunnally was the daughter of William and Mary Bailey Talbot and was a direct descendent of Matthew Talbot, born in 1689 in Wiltshire, England, and who came to America in 1720.  Mary T. Nunnally became one of the earliest members of Bethel Baptist Church, organized in 1837.

        William and Mary Nunnally had a son, John (b. 1/13/1823; d. 10/16/1912) who married Sarepta Jackson Griffeth (b. 8/5/1829; d. 5/11/1883). From this union came their children, James G., Levy Viola, William Hartwell, Matthew Talbot, and John Jackson Nunnally.

        Roy Roberts’s great grandfather, William Hartwell Nunnally, (born August 6, 1856 and died December 29, 1930) married Mary Eulalia Gober (born May 22, 1860 and died April 27, 1952) of Jefferson on December 19, 1878.

        After living on a farm six miles from Monroe for seven years they moved to Monroe in 1885 where Mr. Nunnally entered the mercantile business. He established the Monroe Telephone Company, serving as its first president.  He also was president of The W. H. Nunnally Company, Monroe Oil and Fertilizer Company, Bostwick Supply Company and was a vice-president of the National Bank of Monroe.  He was also a deacon of the Baptist Church for over 40 years.  Both he and Mrs. Nunnally took active interests in many facets of civic and social areas.  Mrs. Nunnally helped organize the Matthew Talbot Chapter D. A.R. and the U. D. C. chapter. She also wrote a series of articles for the Walton Tribune and other publications which brought her widespread acclaim.  The children from this marriage were: Josiah Roy, Harry Bell and Frances Nunnally.

        Josiah Roy Nunnally, Roy Roberts grandfather (b. 11/12/1880; d. 10/17/1950), attended North Georgia College in Dahlonega and the University of Georgia where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity.  He succeeded his father as president of the Monroe Oil & Fertilizer Company, The W. H. Nunnally Company and founded and headed Nunnally Lumber Company.  He was also chairman for many years of the Monroe Board of Education.

        On April 29, 1909 he married Alethea Felker, daughter of Joseph H. and Clara Knox Felker of Monroe. Their children were: Clara Knox, Alethea and William H. Nunnally. The two younger children died in early childhood.  Clara Knox married James M. Roberts of Monroe whose children were: James, Jr., Roy N. and William N. Roberts.

        James McMullen Roberts was the son of Col. Orrin Roberts and Susan McMullen of Hartwell.  He grew up in Monroe where his father was in law practice with the late former governor Clifford Walker. His sister was Sara Roberts Musser of Darien, Connecticut.

        He attended Monroe High School and the University of Georgia where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.  He served as manager of the university football team.  He later received his law degree from Harvard.

        James M. Roberts married Clara Knox Nunnally and were residents of Monroe where he practiced law with his father.  They moved to Atlanta in 1941where he established the law firm, Roberts and Cohen. He was an active partner until his death in 1965.

        Col. Orrin Roberts, the other grandfather of Roy Roberts, was a distinguished figure in Monroe in the field of law.  He was born in Hartwell, Georgia, the son of the late James. P. and Ellen Parker Roberts.  He attended the local schools there and furthered his education at the University of Georgia in the Law Class of 1897 and was shortly thereafter admitted to the bar.

        In 1905 Mr. Roberts married Miss Susan McMullan and moved to Monroe shortly after their marriage, going into the practice of law with Clifford Walker After Mr. Walker’s retirement, he continued the business with his son.  Mr. Roberts became recognized as an outstanding jurist and during his long legal career he also served as Representative of Walton County, as a Trustee of Wesleyan College, Grand Master of the Odd Fellows Lodge of Georgia, member of the Georgia and National Bar Association and a member of the Georgia Public Service Commission.  Besides engaging in his law practice, for many years Col. Roberts was the attorney for Walton County.

        Alethea Felker (Allie) Nunnally, Roy Roberts grandmother, was an important figure in the Monroe community, being one of the founders of the Walton County Hospital in the 1920’s, serving on its board of directors as secretary for many years.  She also organized the first Girl Scout troop in Walton County where many of their early meetings were held in a little cabin in the woods behind the Nunnally home. She took an active interest in the social affairs of Monroe writing a social column for the Walton News for many years.

        During World War II and after her husband’s death, Mrs. Nunnally became president of Nunnally Lumber Company and was chairman of the board of directors at the time of her death in 1978.

        Being a traditionalist in the true sense of the word, “Miss Allie” maintained the highest of standards.  A favorite story of how devoted she was to her husband tells about prior to his death, Mr. Nunnally gave her a new black Cadillac to enjoy. She continued to drive and care for this car well into the 1960’s when the car had aged and required more service and attention. Upon pressure from her daughter and grandsons, “Miss Allie” reluctantly traded in the old car for a new Cadillac all the while expressing her dislike in doing so because of her love for the old car her late husband had given to her.

        Roy’s funeral in the Monroe First United Methodist Church was perfect in that it brought back memories of how his grandfather Roy Nunnally and George W. Felker purchased the land from the Mobley family to build the beautiful church with the building materials coming from Nunnally Lumber Company. And how ironic it was the first funeral to be held in the new sanctuary was for Roy’s grandfather.

        The family business continued with Mrs. Nunnally serving as president and grandson James serving as general manager and grandson Roy serving as secretary.

        After Roy’s grandmother died, his mother and brothers continued operating the lumber business with Roy’s brother, James, serving as president.  The business closed in 1999 and with the former W. H. Nunnally Company, the Nunnally family had served Monroe and Walton County for well over 100 years.

        It is not hard to see how the inherent values of family, dedication to his business, community and things educational and political came so easy to Roy Roberts. One could almost say he was groomed from an early age to become the distinguished citizen and businessman he was. People like Roy Roberts are rare in today’s world and Monroe was certainly a better place because of him and the family he came from.

Walton Tribune – April 23-24, 2022

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