Roberts of Newborough

Jack and Alexander are linked to the Robertses via their grandmother, RITA MARGARET UNWIN (1917-2000), the granddaughter of MARGARET ROBERTS (1859-1919). Direct ancestors are shown in red.

The Roberts family history is below. Click here for the Williams line

My Robertses have links to Newborough and Holyhead

The furthest we can get back with this line is the boys' gt gt gt grandfather John Roberts, born inNewborough in 1832. He was a mariner, and we are making inquiries as to which port he would have sailed from. At the moment, we don't think Newborough had a fleet of its own, although there would have been fishing boats. It is interesting to note, however, that John's neighbours also included mariners. Would they have sailed from nearby Malltraeth?

John Roberts and Ellen had 11 children in total, with gt gt grandmother Margaret the eldest.

Taking the family through the censuses:

1861 - Church St, Newborough.
John Roberts, 29, mariner, b Newborough
Ellen, 23, wife, b Newborough
Margaret, 2, scholar, b Newborough
Ellen, 5mths, b Newborough

1871 census - 2 Church Street, Newborough
John Roberts, Head, 39, Mariner
Ellenor, wife, 34, Matmaker
Margaret, 11, matmaker
Ellen, 9, matmaker
Mary 8 matmaker,
Elizabeth, 6, matmaker,
John 5
Hugh 2

One of the neighbours in '71 was Hugh Roberts, also a mariner, with wife Catherine and children Owen, Elizabeth and Evan. Is it possible he was John's brother?

1881 - Rallgwta, Newborough St Peter
John Roberts, 49, sailor, b Newborough
Ellen, 43, wife, b Newborough
Elizabeth, 16, mat maker, b Newborough
John, 13, gen lab, b Newborough
Thomas, 9, scholar, b Newborough
Richard, 5, b Newborough
William, 3, b Newborough

1891 - Rallt Gwta, St Peter, Newborough
John Roberts, 59, seaman merchant service, b Newborough
Ellen, 51, wife, b Newborough
Hugh, 21, son, rabbit catcher, b Newborough
William, 13, son, b Newborough
Owen, 10, son, b Newborough
Jane, 4, daughter, b Newborough

Note that William (in 1881 and 1891 censuses) was living in Liverpool with eldest sister Margaret in 1891.

At some stage, Margaret married a man with the surname of Williams, and they have a son, John H, in 1885. She was widowed at some stage before 1891.

She then married gt gt grandfather Robert Williams (b Conway, 1845). Robert was a widower whose wife Laura died in 1890. In the 1891 census, Robert was living in Greenfield Terrace, Holyhead, with Margaret Williams as his housekeeper. They married at Bangor Cathedral on Nov 11, 1891. Why Bangor Cathedral? There could be two reasons: Margaret by this stage was heavily pregnant and did not wish to be seen to be married in her local community; however, why the cathedral rather than an ordinary church or register office? Could it be that the family link (still to be worked out) with Sir John Prichard Jones, allowed her to be married there?

Gt grandmother, Ann Ellen Williams, was born on Jan 12, 1892, in Holyhead.

Robert and Margaret, together with Ann Ellen moved back to Newborough before relocating to Liverpool. Robert and Margaret's second daughter, Eliza Jane, was born in Newborough in 1897/98.

By 1901, the family had followed thousands of other Welsh people and moved to the Walton district of Liverpool.

Anne married George Laurence Unwin. (For more information see the Unwin family tree).

1901 Census - 31 Bardsay Road, Walton on the Hill, Liverpool
Robert Williams 56 b Conway, railway foreman
Margaret Williams, 41, b Newborough
John H Williams, son, 16, born Holyhead, Errand boy
Ann E Williams, 9, b Holyhead
Eliza J Williams, 3, b Newborough
William Roberts, brother in law to Robert Williams, single, 23, carpenter, joiner, born Anglesey.

Back in Anglesey, Margaret's father John had died some time between 1891 and 1901.

1901 Census, Ralltgwtta, Newborough
Ellen Roberts, head, widow, age 62
Jane Roberts, daughter, age 19
Griffith  Evans, grandson- age 17
Evan Roberts, grandson- age 10
Robert Evans  grandson  age 1