Draft:John Robert Hughes

John Hugh Roberts (1828–1917) arrived in Vancouver in 1885. He was a house builder and was involved in purchasing city lots for development and re sale. "Roberts' family included his wife Anne, two daughters, and a son. His son was Vancouver artist Tomhu (Tomtu) Huron Roberts."[1] Much can be learned from research into his life from the 60 years of his dairies from this life.He culminated his lives work in the "Druid Manuscripts" and "The Stone Book of Knowledge".[2]

"John Hugh Roberts was an Early Canadian Welsh immigrant who wrote very detailed diaries of his life in Wales along with him and his family lives in Canada and covered their live in early Toronto in the early 1850s, their return to Wales"[3]There was then their reimmigration to Toronto, the travels across Canada with extended stay in Winnipeg in 1883 and their homesteading in Vancouver in 1884 at what is now 10th Ave and Quebec.He (John Hugh's son Tomhu Huron Roberts ) "must  have seen the fire first hand, for the Roberts family came to the city in1885. He did a painting called "Vancouver before the Fire"[3]"(Great Vancouver Fire) In finding out whose hands the diaries came into we read in Dictionary of Canadian Artists "In 1978 , Mrs Mary Bertrand inherited some of the artist's paintings, sketches, 27 pages of his sketchbook, and diaries kept by his father J.H. Roberts from the Charles Steele estate",[4] Mrs Bertrand son, Dale Bertrand undertook research in 1979."

John Hugh's legacy:Over 55 years of diaries of early Canadian life in detail and his mystical writings (mysticism) in papers, he titled *The Last Recorder of the Druids". . "He cumulated these writings in his last nine years of working on a book called "The Stone Book of Knowledge" – "which he said contained, "All the arts, and sciences and secrets of the earth and aspects of the heavens."[5]

He initially was working as a tailor, and they built several houses at Sherbourne and Queen. "In 1882 he and his wife Anne Roberts picked up their family, Tomhu, Mississippi and Sarah and travelled across Canada via San Francisco".[6] There were a lot of firsts in John Hugh's family..Tomhu ( John Hugh's son) was the first person in Vancouver to be registered in the Henderson directory as an artist. He taught, even in Toronto, "one student of note a young Timothy Eaton, the man who founded the Eaton's Department Store. In 1966 Russell Harper claims that "H Tomtu Roberts (1858–1938) arrived in Vancouver about 1886"and "dared to advertise himself as an artist".[7] Another first for John Hugh Roberts was being the grandfather to "the first child that was born and registered born after the City of Vancouver was incorporated"[8] "Charles Steele was born August 6, 1886" – registered in Oct 20th- Charles Frederick Hector"

When John Hugh was young child in Wales "he was taught by his grandmother and two friends and they took him under their wings, he was taught ancient writings and languages, Runes, Oghama, Egyptian Hieroglyphics, Cuneiform and other arcane languages. He writes that he was one of the Hereditary Druid"[9] ....and that " he inherited a certain right or privilege, under the covenant, to certain ordinances.".One was the right of reading these wonderful records of nearly 73 hundred years."[3] In working as a writer wrote stories,  wrote out the 140 page of the Druid Manuscripts and then took 9 years to create the  Stones Book of Knowledge.

"In 1978 Dale Bertrand came into a collection of writing on yellowish parchment paper – over 140 pages of manuscripts written by John Hugh Roberts which was given to his mother Mary Bertrand by John Hugh Roberts grandson Charles Steele. " With these individual pages came five diaries covering approximately 60 years of this man's life which included travels across Wales, Britain, Canada, United States, all of these travels taking place between 1844 and 1912".[3]

"Artist Leo Del Pasqua from Ottawa illuminated 140 pages of four of the manuscripts written by John Hugh. Dale Bertrand through his publishing company Azatlan has produced these illuminations in four published books: The Three Mermaids, Chief Festival of the Druids and Nennius and the "Galcerth of Halloween".[10] The Gaelcerth of Halloween was published also in 1991 in the Celtic Connection newspaper.

John Hugh stated "For the last nine years I devoted all my time to the study and translation, of these ancient Secrets of Inspiration and Revelation."[3] which became the Stone Book of Knowledge). Dale Bertrand with the Roberts Heritage Foundation has produced the "Stone Book of Knowledge" with 254 pages of original images of the writings by hand by John Hugh Roberts.

Publications:

edit

Druidical Quest[11]–excerpts from John Hugh writings  ISBN 978-0969561170

Three Mermaids – Author - John Hugh Roberts  I[12] ISBN-978-0987830272

Chief Festival of the Druids – Author - John Hugh Roberts[4] ISBN 978-0987830296

Gaelcerth of Halloween[13]- Author John Hugh Roberts ISBN 978-0987830289 https://books.google.com/books?id=lRUsygEACAAJ&hl=en

Nennius– Author John Hugh Roberts[14] ISBN 978-1927825006

Stone Book of Knowledge[15]– Author - John Hugh Roberts..Dale Bertrand ISBN 978-0987830258

References

edit

1. Vancouver Archives[16] 2. John Hugh Roberts: Last Record of the Druids[3] Celtic Connection Book Review p22 -June/ September 2005 -  Issue 139

3. Artist Overland –Burnaby Art Gallery [17] 1980– Berenice Gilmoure

4. Vancouver CanadiAntiquer  April 1983 https://www.tomhuhuronroberts.com

5. John Hugh Roberts: Mystical Writing of a Cymric Soul – Issue 137[3]Celtic Connection p22        6. Dictionary of Canadian Artists[18]

7. British Columbia Artists - Early Painters and Engravers in Canada[19] -J. Russell Harper U of T   Press. ISBN 0-8020-1630-8 P 204, 205 also  p 268 . British Columbia Artists

8. British Columbia Artists[20]Charles Steele

9. John Hugh Roberts : Mystical Writing of a Cymric Soul- Celtic Connection' [3]'June  2005- Issue       137 – Book Review

10.John Hugh Roberts :Last Recorder of the Druids[3]Celtic Connection September 2005.

11. John Hugh Roberts: Last Recorder of the Druids" – Celtic Connection September 2005[3]

12. John Hugh Roberts: Last Recorder of the Druids"[21] – Celtic Connection September 2005

13. John Hugh Roberts: Last Recorder of the Druids[21]" – Celtic Connection September 2005

14.John Hugh Roberts: Last Recorder of the Druids" – Celtic Connection October Issue 140 2005- Story of the Gaelcerth of Halloween[3]

15. John Hugh Roberts: Last Recorder of the Druids" – Celtic Connection September 2005[3]

External Links:

edit

Vancouver Archives[16]- https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/roberts-john-hugh

Reproducer of Architectural Plans[22] Kitsilano District

Story of the Research for Roberts Project[23] IIlluminations – illustrated by Leo Del Pasqua[24] for Books -

Researching Robert's Family History[25]-

Druid Manuscripts[26]

British Columbia Artists[20]

Research on Tomhu[6]

Robert's Family History[27]

Video First Days in Vancouver[28]

Video - Druids Alive -[28]

Roberts Heritage Foundation Booklet[29]

Diary John Hugh Robert 1887 – 1890 [30]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Roberts, John Hugh - City of Vancouver Archives". searcharchives.vancouver.ca. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  2. ^ "Tomtu Huron Roberts".
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "The Celtic Connection | Past Issue Highlights". Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  4. ^ a b "Dictionary of Canadian Artist McKendry, Harper, Vol7 p2180". Dictionary of Canadian Artist McKendry, Harper, Vol7 p2180. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  5. ^ "The Celtic Connection | Past Issue Highlights September 2005". Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  6. ^ a b "BC ARTISTS: Tomhu Huron Roberts". www.sim-publishing.com. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  7. ^ "BC ARTISTS: BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF ARTISTS IN CANADA". www.sim-publishing.com. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  8. ^ "British Columbia Artist".
  9. ^ "The Celtic Connection | Past Issue Highlights June 2005". Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  10. ^ "The Celtic Connection | Past Issue Highlights October 2005". Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  11. ^ Bertrand, Dale (May 2008). Druidical Quest. Azatlan Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9695611-7-0.
  12. ^ Roberts, John Hugh (2014-01-06). Three Mermaids. Azatlan Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9878302-7-2.
  13. ^ Gaelcerth of Halloween. Azatlan. 6 January 2014. ISBN 978-0-9878302-8-9.
  14. ^ "Nennius".
  15. ^ Roberts, John Hugh (2014-12-20). The Stone Book of Knowledge. Azatlan Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9878302-5-8.
  16. ^ a b "Roberts, John Hugh - City of Vancouver Archives". searcharchives.vancouver.ca.
  17. ^ "BC ARTISTS: ARTISTS OVERLAND". www.sim-publishing.com. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  18. ^ "Canadian Painters S - Peintres canadiens S". www.lareau-law.ca.
  19. ^ "BC ARTISTS: EARLY PAINTERS AND ENGRAVERS IN CANADA". www.sim-publishing.com. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  20. ^ a b "BC ARTISTS: Tomhu Huron Roberts". www.sim-publishing.com.
  21. ^ a b "The Celtic Connection | Past Issue Highlights".
  22. ^ "Plan of subdivision of part of D.L. 526, New Westminster District, B.C., Kitsilano, City of Vancouver - City of Vancouver Archives". searcharchives.vancouver.ca. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  23. ^ "Azatlan". www.azatlan.com. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  24. ^ "Azatlan". azatlan.com. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  25. ^ "Azatlan". azatlan.com. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  26. ^ "Azatlan". azatlan.com.
  27. ^ "Layout 31". www.tomhuhuronroberts.com. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  28. ^ a b "Vancouver- First Days- Historical Glimpse 1884-1917". March 16, 2010 – via YouTube.
  29. ^ Vancouver- First Days- Historical Glimpse 1884-1917. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  30. ^ "John Roberts fonds : 1887-1890 - City of Vancouver Archives". searcharchives.vancouver.ca. Retrieved 2024-07-21.