W.T. ("Uncle Bud") Roberts

W.T. ("Uncle Bud") Roberts. William Travis Roberts, son of William and Rachel Roberts, was born near Georgetown, Texas. At 13, "Bud" assumed care of the family while his father fought and died in the Civil War. In 1870, he married Mary Thompson (1855 - 1915) at Georgetown. The young couple quit cotton farming for cattle raising, but soon lost most of their small longhorn herd to rustlers., When buffalo hunters told of free range farther west, they decided to make a fresh start in Howard County, becoming its first permanent settlers in 1877. They built a dugout and homesteaded at Moss Springs near Signal Peak until forced out by rival land claimants. The Roberts family relocated about 1.5 miles away on Moss Creek, promptly filing a claim on this land 1883., They had the first wire fence and the first water well in the county. Enduring many hardships, they attained success, and gradually acquired 12 sections of land. Four of Roberts' seven children reached maturity. The family raised Whiteface Hereford cattle and fine Morgan saddle horses. The Roberts "B 5 Bar" brand on a horse was for many years the supreme guarantee of quality. "Uncle Bud" died on his beloved ranch at the age of 91.