Born in 1808, Thomas Asbury Roberts represented Roane County in the 2nd Wheeling Convention in 1861 and voted in favor of a new state despite the pro-Southern views of his constituents. Arrested by Confederates upon his return home, he was sent to Libby Prison in Richmond. Freed in November 1861, he raised Union troops in Roane County and served as adjutant of the llth WV Infantry. Roberts died in 1888.