Robert Earl Blackett

Born in the pioneer town of Springville, the son of John William Blackett and Elizabeth Jane Averett (daughter of the Mormon Battalion veteran). Father of Fern, Jerry's mother. The Blackett middle name Jerry carries traces directly to him.

At a Glance Has open questions

Born: 1886, Springville, Utah
Died: 1937 (age 51), buried in the Historic Springville Cemetery, alongside his parents
Parents: John William Blackett & Elizabeth Jane Averett
Spouse: Edna Mary Knudson (married November 19, 1913)
Children: Robert Dean (1914), Fern (1918), Ned K. (1921), Julia Carol (1924), Shirley (1926), Joyce (1930), and Jimmy Dale (1933)
Family line: Blackett · Averett · Stephens line (Jerry's mother's side)
Relation to Jerry: Jerry's maternal grandfather — father of Fern Blackett

How sure are we? Documented; buried in the Historic Springville Cemetery beside his parents. (Noted birth-year discrepancy resolved in favor of 1886.)

Still to find out

Birth year: family handwritten notes record 1880, but multiple independent records (death certificate, cemetery, Social Security) show 1886 — almost certainly correct.

Read about Robert in…

The Name You Carry · From London to the Frontier · The Family Tree

Sources for this page

Springville, Utah cemetery records
Cemetery record

Robert Earl Blackett, John William Blackett, and Elizabeth Jane Averett Blackett are buried in Springville. Springville has two historic cemeteries (Historic Springville and Evergreen); the exact one for Robert Earl is not yet confirmed.
Family handwritten notes passed down to Jerry's father
Primary source — family papers

The handwritten notes preserved in the family, including the account of General William Stephens's death aboard the prison ship Forshay and the (likely erroneous) 1880 birth year for Robert Earl Blackett.

Notes from the family

Remember something about Robert? A story, a photo, a correction, a date? Even a messy note helps. Just open the plain-text file research-notes/robert-earl-blackett-notes.md and type it in — or tell Scott (or Claude Code) “add this to Robert’s page,” and it will be woven in properly, with the source recorded.