Catherine Ann Roberts
The second of Isabel and John Robert’s children was Isabella's sister, Catherine Ann Roberts. She was born on 12 November 1854 [Newtown 1854 4th qt] in Great Oak Street, Llanidloes, probably at the home of James and Susannah. At the time of the 1861 census Catherine was staying with her grandparents, James and Susannah, in Montgomery. Her sister, Isabel, and mother, still a dressmaker, were living at No 10 Menloves Row, Domgay, in the parish of Llandysilio but Isabel’s husband was not with the family. In the 1871 census Catherine, 16, was with her mother's sister, Sarah Ann Shelby, and her family, living at Evans Row, Ruthin Road, Bersham; her occupation was entered as "NK" (not known) which might suggest Catherine was not available to give the information when the enumerator called or that she had not lived there for any great length of time.Catherine was a witness at the marriage of her aunt, Jemima Owen, on Saturday, 1 October 1870 at Llanidloes Parish Church; at that time Catherine's mother was living in Llanidloes, having married for a second time in Llanidloes on 9 July 1870. Catherine was also present at the death of her grandfather, James Owen, in May 1886 when she was "of the Royal Infirmary, Manchester" so she might have been a nurse. I have been unable to discover what became of her. There was a Catherine Ann Roberts, aged thirty-six, whose death was registered in 1891 [Llanwrst 1891, 3rd qt].
If Catherine spent some time in the Manchester/ Liverpool area, perhaps this was the reason her mother left Wales and took her younger children with her to Birkenhead.
The Montgomery County Times and Shropshire and Mid-Wales Advertiser, 7 Jan 1899 described a Christmas party at the National School, Llanidloes, in which (John) Oswald Owen, eldest surviving son of the second marriage Catherine's grandfather, James Owen, was very much involved. Amongst those who attended were four or five of Oswald's cousins from James's first marriage, two of whom had travelled some distance to be there, and a 'nurse Roberts'; might that have been Catherine?