What's in a Name?

My grandparents, Rosa and Charlie Roberson had seven children: Earl, Karl, Carmenta, Kenneth, Kermit, John, and Roventa. In this episode, I interview the youngest of the family, Aunt Roventa Smith.  

Transcript

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I've always enjoyed figuring out puzzles. Join me as I gather pieces of my father's extended family tree history from the Peatross branch as I discover the tea.

My grandparents, Rosa and Charlie Roberson had seven children: Earl, Karl, Carmenta, Kenneth, Kermit, John, and Roventa. In this episode, I interview the youngest of the family, Aunt Roventa Smith.  

Teresa Roberson  

Thank you, Aunt Roventa, for agreeing to talk to me about family history.

Roventa Smith  

I will do my best as much as I can remember.

Teresa Roberson  

You started this controversy, at least for me, and then you made me wait because I asked everyone as much as they could to write down family tree because we are the descendants of the Peatross family, and then I saw my cousin, my running buddy, when I was a child, Chopper. 

Chopper is Aunt Roventa’s son, whose given name is Raymone.

I did not realize that Chopper spelled his last name differently from mine because we're first cousins on my dad's side.

Roventa Smith  

Exactly.

Teresa Roberson  

You did the most intriguing thing and said, "Oh, there's a story behind that, but I can't tell you right now." So, now you get to tell me the story and I appreciate that. Tell me why his has the "T" and mine does not.

Roventa Smith  

You probably don't remember the family like in the 1960s or whatever. We came to Hampton in 1960, 1966 to be exact. So, of course, when I first came to Hampton, my name was "Roberson" without the "T." Being the country girl that I was in the backwoods, not used to anything, not highly educated or formally educated, because you have to remember: in my background, I actually was the last member of the family to go to a two-room school. Yes, I went to a two-room school, and I went to a one-room school. I can remember that myself and my brother John, he was in the fourth grade, I was in the first grade, but we were in the same classroom with one teacher. So, to give you a little bit of background about how this all started, once I came to Hampton and I started to go to a public school in Hampton, and not even realizing the paperwork and all the papers that had to be signed, when I was enrolled as a new student, they asked me what was my last name. Of course, I said, "Roberson," because all my life I had been called "Roberson," so they put it in as R- O- B- E- R- T- S- O- N, and I never corrected it. So fast forward to when I applied for my birth certificate, my father's last name was "Roberson" without the "T." My mother's last name was "Roberson" without the "T." So, when I got my birth certificate back, it was without the "T." Still not really concerned about it because I know that most people pronounce that as "Robertson." When I got my marriage license, and I had to fill it out. I put the "T" in it, not even realizing that it wasn't going to match my birth certificate. It was only until last year that I went to renew my driver's license that it became an issue. I went to get the real driver's license. I had to take my marriage license and my birth certificate, and guess what? They didn't match. So, now I have to go and legally get my name changed. My maiden name changed. So, with all the controversy about the voting ID and all of the stuff like that, I don't know what's going to happen.

Teresa Roberson  

Where were you born?

Roventa Smith  

I was actually born in North Carolina, Leakesville, North Carolina at Tri City Hospital. Who knew? Who knows? Never heard of it. Don't know where it is.

Leaksville is now a part of Eden, NC where the Tri-City Hospital was opened in 1924, then transitioned into a community hospital, then converted into an apartment building. 

Teresa Roberson  

But on your birth certificate, does it have the "T" or not?

Roventa Smith  

No.

Teresa Roberson  

So, it was the school officials when you were in first grade that changed your last name. 

Roventa Smith  

No, not in first grade. It was after I came to Hampton. When I came to Hampton, I was in the seventh grade.

Teresa Roberson  

Oh, oh! I misunderstood that part. 

Teresa Roberson  

You moved to Hampton when you were in the seventh grade.

Roventa Smith  

Yeah. 

Teresa Roberson  

And they're the ones who changed your last name?

Roventa Smith  

I don't think they really did it. I think that they just spelt it, "Robertson," like I pronounced it, and not even realizing that it was two different names because my school record had to been transferred from Danville. But I guess they were going by what I said when I told them. Matter of fact, I do remember having an incident where I got called into the office, and the school principal was saying, "Well, what is your name?" And I told him my name, and they said, "Well, we have you registered as two different people." Because you know, all my life I've been called "Roventa," and then all of a sudden people want to call me "Emma." So, they had me listed as "Roventa Roberson" and "Emma Roberson." Because when you ask me my name, what am I gonna say?

Teresa Roberson  

Roventa.

Roventa Smith  

Thank you. 

Teresa Roberson  

How did Chopper get the "T "in his last name?

Roventa Smith  

Because at the time I wasn't married. In 1972, when he was born, I was told at the hospital that I could not give him his father's last name, so I was using a "T" in my last name at the time. So therefore, he had a "T" in his last name.

Teresa Roberson  

And so, you two are the only ones with the "T" in your last names?

Roventa Smith  

Carmenta also has a "T." And I was just talking to her earlier about this, and she said that Earl, the oldest son, Earl, my mama's oldest child, my oldest brother, was the one that took the "T "out of our last name.

Teresa Roberson  

Unfortunately, Uncle Earl is no longer with us, so I can't ask him directly why he did that, but did he tell anybody why he did that? Does anyone know?

Roventa Smith  

Well, she said that he said it wasn't supposed to be there anyway. Now, another note: I asked my father, Charlie, how did he spell our last name? He showed me his driver's license. On his driver's license, he had a "T" and his last name. But on my birth certificate is no "T" in his last name.

Teresa Roberson  

So, he's listed as "Charlie Roberson."

Roventa Smith  

Right.

Teresa Roberson  

On your birth certificate.

Roventa Smith  

Yes.

Teresa Roberson  

Have you seen anybody else's birth certificate.

Roventa Smith  

No. Do your dad have his?

My father is Karl Wayne Roberson.

Teresa Roberson  

I never knew that anybody in the family spelled their name with a "T." We're all "Robersons" without the "T."

Roventa Smith  

But do your dad have his birth certificate? Is he just spelling it "Roberson" because that's what he was told, or do Charlie have a “T” in his last name on his birth certificate?

Teresa Roberson  

I have got to find it. Mom knows where the birth certificates are, 

My mother, Velma Mae Roberson, directed me where to find Dad’s birth certificate. Charlie’s last name doesn’t have a “T.”

but you intrigued me a few weeks ago when I looked at your family tree, which, by the way, I'm still working on.

Roventa Smith  

Okay. 

Teresa Roberson  

But I wanted to hear this story first because when other people look at what you wrote down as the surnames, I don't want them to think that I misspelled anything.

Roventa Smith  

I can understand that.

Teresa Roberson  

So, here's the thing: should I put with the "T," but put the "T" in parentheses because it's still controversial to me to have the "T" there. It still doesn't feel official. At one point, your mother celebrated her birthday two different times. Can you please tell us about that?

Roventa Smith  

Okay, when my mom became of age to get her social security, and we had to get birth certificate for her. Then that's what they came out with that she was born in October.

Teresa Roberson  

What day in October? Do you remember the day and the year?

Roventa Smith  

Yeah, it was October the…. I think it was October the 14th, 1912, but she says her mother told her she was born January the 8th, 1913. So, what do you believe, the Bureau of Vital Statistics or your mama? So, that's the way that goes. But you got to remember also, Teresa, that as Black people, the record keeping was not correct. A whole lot of mistakes have been made. Even when the birth certificates were recorded, it could have been the day that the person that delivered the child actually recorded the birth certificate, or it could have been the actual birth date. You really don't know because most of it, like in my mom's case, she was probably born at home with a midwife. So, who actually recorded it? But the January 8th could be actually the recorded date because 1912 is a whole year difference almost between 1913. 

Roventa Smith  

The recorded birth date was 1912. October 1912.

Teresa Roberson  

But she thinks she is months younger.

Roventa Smith  

Right, January 1913.

Teresa Roberson  

I don't think the federal government predicted her birth.

Roventa Smith  

That's what I'm saying. I don't understand if the mama had to be there when the child was born. How could the mother get it wrong? 

Teresa Roberson  

For the record, who's Mama Rose's mother?

Although my grandmother’s first name was “Rosa,” we all referred to her as “Mama Rose.”

Roventa Smith  

Mary Henry Peatross. They called her "May Henry," but her name was Mary Henry Peatross.

Teresa Roberson  

And where was Mama Rose, your mother, my grandmother, born?

Roventa Smith  

She was born in Danville, Pittsylvania County.

Teresa Roberson  

And what brought the family to Hampton, Virginia, from Danville, Virginia?

Roventa Smith  

Carmenta and my oldest brother, Earl, were already here. Carmenta had asked my mother if I could come and help her with her children, cause she had Mark, I think Mark is like 18 months older than Angie, and she was pregnant with Angie, and she was working, and she wanted me to come and babysit. Well, being from the country, my mother was not gonna let her baby girl come to the city alone, and knowing that Carmenta worked at night because she worked at a restaurant. So, she decided that she was coming with me. So, me and her and Shiree's mother, which was my mama's sister, Cora, the three of us came together. 

Shirley Marie AKA “Shiree” was Roventa’s first cousin and my second cousin.

When I came to Hampton, I was 12 years old. So actually, my life had began to make a turnaround because I was no longer in that shack that we were raised in. After I came to Hampton, I didn't have to deal with the outdoor toilets and no electricity and going to get water from the spring and stuff like that. So, after I was 12 years old, my life did a turnaround.

Teresa Roberson  

Well, at one point you stayed with my parents and older sisters. How old were you then?

Roventa Smith  

I was about nine, nine-ten, something like that.

Teresa Roberson  

Oh, so that was before Carmenta.

Roventa Smith  

I was still a "Roberson" then. Yeah, that was before I came to Hampton.

Teresa Roberson  

I didn't know that. I couldn't tell by the pictures. I knew you were older than my two sisters.

My two older sisters are Etzetta Renee and Carla Mae.

Roventa Smith  

See, I'm not that much older than, how old is Renee?

Teresa Roberson  

Renee is 64.

Roventa Smith  

Okay, so I'm what? Eight years older than Renee? Not that much because I just turned 72 in July.

Teresa Roberson  

And Renee is eight years older than me.

Roventa Smith  

Carmenta is like 12 years older than me. So, when I was in the first grade, Carmenta was graduating from high school. Earl had just graduated from high school. Back then they didn't have kindergarten. You went right into first grade.

Teresa Roberson  

Well, any final words that you would like to say? This is not going to be our last interview, but I believe this is a very good start. 

Roventa Smith  

Well, I just wanted to say that you know sometimes we get it confused about our history because as Black people, we don't know our history because everything was so private, and you didn't ask questions, and sometimes they didn't give you truthful answers because everybody was trying to save face. What happens in this house stays in this house. Then, you leave a whole generation of people not knowing where they come from, not knowing who they are related to. I feel like my son and my grandchildren don't know their cousins, and definitely their children don't know their cousins or whatever. We need to do better. We need to do better as a family. So, I feel like this: Teresa, if you made it, I made it because you are my blood. And I'm happy for you. And if it's anything that I can do to support you, then I will be there for you. So, I think that we need to do better with that.

Teresa Roberson  

Well, you are definitely a woman of your word because you told me, "Yes. I will sit down and interview with you," and you are on time and on point, and I greatly appreciate that, Aunt Roventa.

Roventa Smith  

Oh, no problem, because I want you to know. I want you to be as confused as I am. But if and when I get my name straight, I will definitely let you know.

Teresa Roberson  

Thank you. I appreciate that.