Nancy Roberts (1924–2008) was often described as the "First Lady of American Folklore." She not only a best selling author but a superb storyteller, presenting storytelling programs and lectures on creative writing at clubs, public libraries, schools and universities. The author of over two dozen books, Roberts began her career in Charlotte, North Carolina writing ghost stories for the Charlotte Observer. Carl Sandburg encouraged her to publish her stories as a book. In 1958 she followed Sandburg's advice and her books have sold over one million copies earning her national recognition including a nomination for the Great Western Writers Spur Award and a certificate of commendation from the American Association for State and Local History.
Southern Living magazine described her as the "custodian of the twilight zone."
Nancy Roberts was married to photographer, Bruce Roberts, from 1958 until the early 1980s. In addition to numerous books, the marriage produced two children, Nancy Lee and David. Her book, titled "David," chronicled Roberts' experiences raising a child with Down Syndrome. After Nancy's divorce from Bruce Roberts, she married Jim Brown. Married 30 years, the two enjoyed traveling together,often finding story material for her books. She was also a superb photographer in her own right. Nancy had a strong Christian faith you could see in her smile, and also became an ordained minister. Roberts continued writing books and stories until a few months before her death July 1, 2008. No doubt, if she were alive today, she would also be blogging. Roberts is survived by her husband, Jim Brown, her two children from her marriage to Bruce Roberts, and a grandson. Her daughter, Nancy Lee Roberts, is an attorney in South Carolina. Her final resting place is at Sharon Memorial Cemetery, Charlotte, North Carolina.
America's Most Haunted Places by Bruce Roberts, Nancy Roberts (Garden City, N.Y. : Doubleday, 1976) ISBN 0-385-09964-9, OCLC: 1531988Animal Ghost Stories by Nancy Roberts (Little Rock, Arkansas : August House, 1995) ISBN 0-87483-401-5, OCLC: 32311899Blackbeard and Other Pirates of the Atlantic Coast by Nancy Roberts (Winston-Salem, NC : J.F. Blair, ©1993) ISBN 0-89587-098-3, OCLC: 27725606Blackbeard's Cat, ISBN 1-886391-40-8, Library of Congress Card Catalog Number 98-068229Civil War Ghost Stories and Legends by Nancy Roberts (Columbia, S.C. : University of South Carolina Press, ©1992) ISBN 0-87249-851-4, OCLC: 25628262David by Nancy Roberts, Bruce Roberts (Richmond, Virginia : John Knox Press [1968]) OCLC: 437075The Faces of South Carolina by Nancy Roberts (Garden City, N.Y. : Doubleday, 1976) ISBN 0-385-07752-1, OCLC: 2121061Georgia Ghosts by Nancy Roberts (Winston-Salem N.C. : John F. Blair, Publisher, ©1997) ISBN 0-89587-172-6, OCLC: 36807527Ghosts and Specters: ten supernatural stories by Bruce Roberts, Nancy Roberts (Garden City, N.Y. : Doubleday [1974]) ISBN 0-385-07231-7, OCLC: 802872Ghosts from the Coast by Nancy Roberts (Chapel Hill, North Carolina : University of North Carolina Press, ©2001) ISBN 0-8078-2665-0, OCLC: 46634396Ghosts of the Carolinas by Nancy Roberts (Columbia, S.C. : University of South Carolina Press, ©1988) ISBN 0-87249-586-8, OCLC: 18351912Ghosts of the Southern Mountains and Appalachia by Nancy Roberts (Columbia, South Carolina : University of South Carolina Press, ©1988) ISBN 0-87249-597-3, OCLC: 18380668Ghosts of the Wild West by Nancy Roberts (Columbia : University of South Carolina Press, ©2008) ISBN 978-1-57003-731-3, OCLC: 183879290The Gold Seekers : gold, ghosts, and legends from Carolina to California by Nancy Roberts (Columbia, S.C. : University of South Carolina Press, ©1989) ISBN 0-87249-658-9, OCLC: 20264555Goodliest Land by Nancy Roberts, Bruce Roberts (Garden City, New York : Doubleday, 1973) ISBN 0-385-04302-3, OCLC: 707066The Governor by Nancy Roberts, Bruce Roberts (Charlotte [N.C.] McNally and Loftin, 1972) OCLC: 417067Haunted houses : tales from 30 American homes by Nancy Roberts (Chester, Conn.: Globe Pequot Press, ©1988) ISBN 0-87106-775-7, OCLC: 16466049The Haunted South by Nancy Roberts (New York : Barnes & Noble, Inc., by arrangement with Univ. of South Carolina Press, 1996) ISBN 0760703671, OCLC: 37104698North Carolina Ghosts and Legends by Nancy Roberts (Columbia, South Carolina : University of South Carolina Press, ©1991) ISBN 0-87249-764-X, OCLC: 23462085South Carolina ghosts : from the coast to the mountains by Nancy Roberts (Columbia, S.C. : University of South Carolina Press, ©1983) ISBN 0872494284, OCLC: 10752542Southern Ghosts by Nancy Roberts, Bruce Roberts (Garden City, New York : Doubleday, ©1979) ISBN 0-385-12813-4, OCLC: 4884172Pirates of the Carolinas by Nancy Roberts Southeastern Filmstrips, Inc.; Nancy Roberts Southern Collection (Charlotte, NC : Nancy Roberts Southern Collection, Ltd., ©1980), OCLC: 26245369