[1] The senior Daniel Roberts was a traveling teacher and schoolmaster who eventually settled in Manchester, Vermont, where he owned and operated a farm.

[1] The younger Daniel Roberts was raised in Manchester, tutored by Reverend Eli Meeker, and attended the academy in Chester, Vermont.

[1] After becoming licensed as an attorney, Roberts traveled west seeking business opportunities and to establish a law practice, which included time in New York, Ohio, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Illinois.

[6] Roberts practiced law in Manchester for the next twenty years, and became involved in politics as an anti-slavery[7] and temperance[8] activist, which he pursued as a member of the Liberty,[9] Free Soil,[10] and Democratic parties.

[11] While residing in Manchester, Roberts served in local offices including justice of the peace,[12] and participated in the Underground Railroad.

[14] In 1853, Roberts moved to Burlington, Vermont, where he continued his Underground Railroad activities[13] and practiced law in partnership with Lucius E.

[15] In addition to practicing law, Roberts served as a state bank commissioner from 1853 to 1854, a position in which he was responsible for inspecting and providing reports on the condition of Vermont's financial institutions.

[1] A supporter of the Union during the American Civil War, from 1865 to 1866, he was a special agent of the United States Department of the Treasury, which required him to oversee the collection of customs duties in Vermont and their submission to the federal government.