402 State St.  

Lenore Sarah Kay was born 5 May 1867 in Brownsville, OR to Thomas Lister and Anne [Slingsby] Kay. In 1869 her family moved to Ashland, OR where her father took charge of the Ashland Woolen Mill. The family remained there four years before returning to Brownsville to resurrect the old Brownsville Mill property and manage it. 1880 census records for the Kay family in Brownsville show that at age 13, Lenore worked at the Brownsville Mill.  

She attended the Brownsville school along with siblings, then attended McMinnville Baptist College from 1886-1887. Then in 1899 an opportunity arose to build a woolen mill in Salem, OR. It was a family enterprise in many respects, to which each family member brought their financial resources, skills, and labor. Lenore was 22 years old, and a skilled weaver that had worked for her father in the Brownsville Mill. When the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill opened in March 1890, Lenore worked in the weaving department.  

On New Year’s Eve 1902, Lenore married Carlton T. Roberts in the home of her mother on the corner of State and 12th St. in Salem. The marriage was performed by Rev. F.W. Cliffe, pastor of the First Baptist church and was witnessed by seventy relatives and immediate friends of the couple. The local newspaper reported that the bride was “well known in this city where she has resided the greater part of her life and is esteemed for her many splendid qualities. Mr. Roberts is a former Salem boy and is manager of the Salem Woolen Mills Store in Portland. He is a most estimable young man.” After their marriage, the couple took up residence in Portland. Four children would be born to the couple, Harry Kay, Frank Kingsley, Carlisle Bishop, and Immogene (Jean) Kay. 

Carlton worked for the Bishop family in their Portland store for twenty years before retiring in 1910 due to poor health. At this point, the family purchased a large fruit orchard near Hood River, hoping that the change in job, location, and climate would bring about an improvement in his condition. They operated the orchard for fifteen years. In 1927, the couple accepted a government appointed position at the State Institute for the Blind in Portland. Carlton served as the superintendent for two years, Lenore as the matron. When Carlton was hospitalized in 1928 with pulmonary tuberculosis, Lenore managed the institute in his place. 

Carlton died 3 March 1929 after being hospitalized for 8 months in the West Hills Sanitarium in Portland. His body was cremated and interred in the Portland Crematorium. Lenore remained acting superintendent at the institute for the blind until October 1931, when a merger of the State Blind School in Salem and the Portland Adult program eliminated her position. On 2 Jan 1948, Lenore died at her home in Portland. She was cremated as well. Her children placed a headstone in River View Cemetery honoring both their parents. At the time of her death, she was the last surviving member of the original Thomas Lister Kay family. 

1890  Kay, Thomas, supt Thomas Kay Woolen Mill Co, res 205 Winter (Lenore lived in her father’s household0 

1893  Kay, Miss Lenore, weaver TKWM Co, bds State s e cor 12th 

1896  Kay, Miss Lenore, bds 402 State 

1905  Roberts, Carl T. mngr Salem Woolen Mills Store res 230 Dixon 

1913  Roberts, Carlton T (Lenore K) (Roberts & Simms), res 815 Oak, Tel 1374 The Dalles 

1915  Roberts, Carlton T (Lenore) ins h 260 E 23d, Portland 

1929  Roberts, Lenore K. (wid Carlton T) acting supt Oregon Employment Institution for the Blind h2101 E. Glisan, Portland 

1895 Marion County Census  Leonard [sic] Kay. Age: 27. Born in Oregon. Height: 5’5, Weight: 110#, Complexion light, Religion: Protestant, Gender: Female. 

1900  Leonore Kay. Age: 33. Birth Date: May 1867 in Oregon. Home in 1900: 402 State St., Salem Ward 3, Marion, OR. Single, daughter to HOH. Occupation: at school. Additional household members: A. Kay, age 62 (mother), Bertha L. Kay, age 20 (sister). 

1910  Lenore K. Roberts. Age: 39. Birth Date: 1871 in Oregon. Home in 1910: East Hood River, Hood River, OR. Married, wife to HOH. Additional household members: C.T. Roberts, age 41 (husband), Harry H. Roberts, age 5 (son), Kingley Roberts, age 4 (son), Carrie Roberts, age 1 (son). 

1920  Lenore Roberts. Age: 51. Birth Year: 1869 in Oregon. Home in 1920: Pine Grove, Hood River, OR. Married, wife to HOH. Additional household members: Carlton T. Roberts, age 51 (husband), Harry K. Roberts, age 15 (son), Frank K. Roberts, age 14 (son), Carlile Roberts, age 10 (son), Imogene Roberts, age 8 (daughter). 

1930  Lenore K. Roberts. Age: 62. Birth Year: 1868 in Oregon. Home in 1930: 2010 East Glisan, Portland, Multnomah, OR. [Blind Institution]. Widowed, HOH. Occupation: Superintendent, Blind Institution. 

1940  Lenore K. Roberts. Age: 72. Birth Year: 1868 in Oregon. Home in 1940: 1731 NE 41st, Portland, Multnomah, OR. Widowed, HOH. Additional household members: Kingsley Roberts, age 33 (son). 

Carlton Tappan Roberts Birth: 1869 in McGregor, Allamakee County, Iowa, USA. Death: 3 Mar 1929 (aged 59-60) in Washington County, Oregon, USA. Burial: River View Cemetery in Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon, USA. Plot: Section 101, Lot 86, Grave 4. Memorial ID: 99329226 

Capital Journal, 3 Jan 1948, p. 8 – Obituary Lenore K Roberts 

M3 1974-013-0005     Photo (Bertha & Lenore) 

M3 2004-002-0002     Letter (Anne Kay to Thomas B. Kay) 

M3 2004-002-0004     Letter (Anne Kay to Thomas B. Kay) 

M3 2004-002-0006     Letter (Anne Kay to Thomas B. Kay) 

M3 2004-002-0007     Letter (Anne Kay to Thomas B. Kay) 

M3 2004-002-0009     Letter (Anne Kay to Thomas B. Kay) 

M3 2004-002-0014     Letter (Oliver Perry Coshow to Thomas B. Kay) 

M3 2004-002-0015     Letter (Libbie Kay to Thomas B. Kay) 

M3 1994-016-0050     Oral History (Marjorie Huntington) 

M3 1994-016-0051     Oral History (Carlisle B. Roberts) 

The Thomas Kay Woolen Mill in Salem, Oregon, 1900-1959, Caryl Gertenrich, Masters Thesis, 1977, p 16-18.