Maria Anderson Roberto

Maria Anderson Roberto (born 1880) was a chaperone for the Native Nurses program in Guam from 1914 to 1924 during the US Naval occupation of the island.

Early life Roberto was born in 1880 on Guam.

Career

In 1914, Roberto was hired by the US navy as a chaperone for the Native Nurses program. In CHamoru culture, unmarried women were always accompanied by a chaperone, who was typically an older woman or close male relative. In Della Knight's 1922 tribute, which was published in the American Journal of Nursing, she stated that Roberto held "together the fabric of the work built up by the Navy nurses." Roberto's deportation caused mass community outrage and grief throughout the island.

Her fate after deportation is unknown. It is assumed she died on the island.