Mrs Mary Roberts was born as Mary Kezia Humphreys 1 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England on 19 October 1870.
She was the daughter of Welsh parents Hugh Humphreys (1838-1899), a joiner, and Elizabeth Williams (b. 1846), both Anglesey-natives who had married in Liverpool in 1868. She had six known siblings: Catherine Jane (b. 1869), Robert Richard (b. 1872), Hugh John (b. 1874), William M. Edward (b. 1879), Angharad Lloyd (b. 1881) and Gladys Elizabeth (b. 1883).
Mary first appears on the 1871 census and at that time she and her family were living at 31 Hunt Street, Everton, Liverpool. For unknown reasons, Mary is not listed with her family on the 1881 and 1891 census returns; at those times her parents and siblings were listed as living at 55 Bulwer Street, West Derby and 1 Hemer Place, Bootle, respectively. The whereabouts of Mary at this time is not certain.
Mary was married in Shardlow, Derbyshire on 2 December 1896 to Scotsman, David Roberts (3 June 1875 in Dundee, Scotland) who worked as an electrical engineer. They lived at different times in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, settling in the latter, and they went on to have five children: Frank (b. 1899-1985), Kathleen (b. 1899-1986) Kezia Norah (1901-1984), Daisy Bell (1906-2003) and Jean (b. 1907-2000).
The 1901 census shows Mary and her family living at 3 Huston (?) Street in Derby, Derbyshire and the following 1911 census has the family at 9 Chestnut Grove, West Bridgford in Nottingham. No profession was stated for Mary on either record but she reportedly worked for the White Star Line for a number of years prior to the Titanic. Her husband reportedly ran the West Bridgford Motor Company.
When she signed-on to the Titanic on 6 April 1912, Mary gave her address as 9 Chestnut Grove, Nottingham. Her last ship had been the Adriatic. As a stewardess she received monthly wages of £3, 10s.
On the Titanic one of the passengers she served was Edith Rosenbaum, who recalled that they had been together on a previous voyage.
Mary was rescued from the sinking together with fellow stewardess Miss Gregson in lifeboat 11. A letter from Edith Rosenbaum (later Russell) stated that Miss Roberts took care of youngster Frank Philip Aks who had become separated from his mother.
WEST BRIDGFORD LADY SAFE
Mr. Roberts of 9 Chestnut Grove, West Bridgford, whose wife was a stewardess on the Titanic, has received a cablegram announcing that she is safe.
A NOTTINGHAM STEWARDESS
Mrs. M. K. Roberts, one of the stewardesses, is the wife of the principal of the West Bridgford Motor Company, 9, Chestnut Grove, West Bridgford, and has been in the service of the White Star Line for some years. She was recently transferred to the Titanic and was at home with her husband and family only a few weeks ago for a brief stay prior to proceeding to Southampton.
It is understood that Mr. Roberts has not yet received any official communication in regard to the matter. He has, of course, despatched messages in request of information, but it is not probable that any definite reply will be obtained before Friday.
The case is rendered all the more painful by the fact that there are five children, the oldest of whom is 13 and the youngest three years of age.
After surviving the Titanic Mary Roberts continued her life at sea on the Majestic for the rest of 1912.
During the First World War Mary served aboard the hospital ship HMHS Rohilla. In late October 1914 that ship departed from the Orkney Islands; on 30 October Rohilla was sailing in the North Sea off the coast of Whitby in North Yorkshire when in gale conditions she struck rocks only a couple of hundred yards from Whitby's cliffs. Despite the poor conditions (Whitby's lifeboat had severe difficulties getting deployed) a rescue operation lasting nearly fifty hours was mounted and Mary was one of around 140 survivors.
Mary Roberts continued to work at sea up until the late 1920s, latterly serving on the SS Rajputan in 1929. She and her family later settled in Epsom, Surrey where she died in the Cottage Hospital on 2 January 1933. She is buried with her husband (who died in December of the same year in a motorcycle accident) in the church of St Mary the Virgin Church, London Road, Ewell, Epsom, Surrey. Her grave wrongly gives the year as 1932.
Courtesy of Mary Griffiths
Comment and discuss
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Reference Mary Keziah Roberts Stewardess. She was on the HMHS ROHILLA which went down off Whitby in October29 1914. Your reference to the ROHILLA is incorrect. The ship was not sunk by Germany, it did run aground off Whitby and 84 were lost.
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hello,i have been told by my father that this lady was my great great aunt, and have learnt that in her later life even though fairly well off financialy she chose to become a bag lady ,or tramp whichever term you prefer, i just thought it may be of some interest,thankyou for reading.
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I am looking for information relating to Mary Roberts and would welcome anything other than her address and family. I would really like to locate a source of a photograph. I am in contact with her descendants and am hoping to share something new with them.
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Hello Colin - I can add a bit - I hope that it helps? Cheers Brian ROBERTS, Mrs. MARY KEZIAH. Saved in Lifeboat D. Lived at 9 Chestnut Grove, Nottingham. Occupation - Stewardess. 31 years old. (Born in Liverpool). RMS Adriatic. Died 2nd January 1933, from Ewell Epsom, Surrey, Parish Church. Husband died through motor cycle accident. Is buried with her husband in the St Mary the Virgin Church, London Road, Ewell, Epsom, Surrey. From The Nottingham Daily Express, Thursday, April 18th 1912, page 7). A NOTTINGHAM STEWARDESS Mrs. M. K. Roberts, one of the stewardesses, is the wife of the principal of the West Bridgford Motor Company, 9, Chestnut Grove, West Bridgford, and has been in the service of the White Star Line for some years. She was recently transferred to the Titanic and was at home with her husband and family only a few weeks ago for a brief stay prior to proceeding to Southampton. It is understood that Mr. Roberts has not yet received any official...
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Hello Brian, Thank you for responding to my request for help. With help from Mary Roberts family I am in a far better position and have learnt quite a bit more now and would initially like to add the following; Born in 1870, Mary Roberts would have been 42 when the Titanic was lost. A memorial in the church of St Mary the Virgin Church, Epsom lists “In memory of Mary Keziah Roberts 1870 — 1932,” passing away aged 62 just one year before her husband. They left behind five children, Keziah, Daisy, Frank, Kathleen and Mary. One thing that is confusing is the lifeboat she was on, I can only assume that the confusion comes from the many lists that might have been published. I am in the process of putting together a small article on Ms. Roberts and hope to add it here soon.
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Sorry that was wrong it should have read four children: Frank (Francis) 1896 Keziah Norah Matthews (nee Roberts) Daisy Bell Roberts Kathleen
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Hi, I am the great granddaughter of Mary Keziah Dooley Humphry Roberts. You have her name written with 2x z. It is infact Keziah. I have a photo of her and the other stewardesses that were with her on the Titanic and the telegram telling my great grandfather that she survived. I was lead to believe she was the Chief 1st Class Stewardess. I also have a weight made for her by one of the engine boys to help her alarm clock to stay upright as she was always late for work. I was also told she was also on the Lucitaina She was married 2nd December 1896 ( PAS. 13417/64 collum 100) Baptist Church St James' Terrace Stapleford, Sawley District Shardlow Leicester, to David Roberts and inventor of the electric scooter exhibited in the crystal palace exhibtion. She actually died in 1932 not 1933 (PAS. 26029/64) Her Father Invented Sunlight Soap
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The ship Mary served on during WW1 The Rohilla was not sunk by Germans but wrecked in a storm off Whitby
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I'm Fiona's cousin and was told the same by our grandmother Jean and was also shown the same. The family was also to do with Roberts radios
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Hello, I am trying to contact any relatives of Mary as her story may be incorporated into a...
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Hello and welcome to the ET Message Board, The member you are responding to hasn't been seen on the message board, since they posted. But if you hover your mouse or click on the member's profile, you'll be able to send a message to them which they should receive by e-mail.
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Jason, Thank you for your response. Unfortunately, when I click onto the profile of each of the relevant members it tells me that their profiles are unavailable.
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Antony, I'm not quite sure what's happening at your end. But I will message you privately, to try and assist you further.
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