Loyalist, Zachariah Roberts, the son of Ezekial Roberts (b. 1722) and Sarah Scofield (1725-1769) was born in Bedford Westchester County, New York, in 1756. In 1783, at the end of the American Revolutionary War, he arrived in New Brunswick, as a refugee, and settled on the St. John River at Queenstown, Hampstead Parish, Queens County. He married Elizabeth Bishop (1765-1848) on 23 March 1779, and they had 11 children, namely, David (b. ca. 1780-1838, m. Ann Vincent), Elizabeth (b. ca. 1794, m. Michael Berry), Ezekiel (b. ca. 1794), Hannah (b. ca. 1794, m. Nathaniel Adams), Mary (b. ca. 1794, m. Edward Jones), Sarah (b. ca. 1794, m. Josiah Adams), Scofield (1800-1841, m. Sarah Golding), Ann (b. ca. 1795, m. John Vincent), John (b. ca. 1798, m. Elizabeth Vincent), Thomas (b. 1802), and Sibyl (b. 1806, m. John Jackson Mays). Zachariah Robert died, in Queens County, on 25 December 1832, aged 77 years.

Zachariah Roberts's son, David Roberts married Ann Vincent (1788-1879), on 9 February 1820, and they had several children, including 2 sons, David Vincent Roberts (1821-1898) and George W. Roberts. David Roberts died in Portland Parish, St. John County, in late January 1838, aged 52 years. His sons, David V. Roberts and George W. Roberts were successful businessmen, earning their income from the timber trade, shipping, sawmilling, and shipbuilding. The first vessel they constructed was named the "S.L. Tilley," a 785 vessel that was launched in 1856. Other vessels under their control were the "Asiana", "Astracana", "Americana", Adriana" and Africana". While David V. Roberts remained in Saint John, George W. Roberts moved to Liverpool, England, about 1864, where he represented their interests until his death, on 8 December 1888, aged 67 years. David V. Roberts died on 29 March 1898 at Saint John, and was buried in Fernill Cemetery.

Sources: familysearch.org; Daniel F. Johnson's Vital Statistics from New Brunswick Newspapers on-line; and RS315A Saint John Burial Permits.