Emma Ball was baptised in St Swithins Church in the Walcot area of Bath on 8th July 1832. Her parents were John Ball, a carpenter, and his wife Mary. They lived at 29 Lmpards Buildings in Walcot. It appears that Emma had 2 older sisters and 2 younger sisters.
I am not sure what happened to her father but he disappears after the late 1830’s. I will pursue this further.
In the 1841 census we see Mary as the head of the household she is 45 and I think a Laundress although her occupation is hard to read. She is still in Lampards Buildings and has her 5 daughters with her :- Maria aged 15, Eliza aged 14, Emma aged 9, Mary aged 7 and Rosina aged 4.
In the 1851 census the family are still in Lampards Buildings but are further depleted. Mary is still head and shown now as a Charwoman. Her daughter Eliza aged 16 is a Needlewoman and there is also Mary Ann aged 14 and Rosina aged 7. There is still no sign of John, Maria has left and Emma also.
The most likley match for Emma Ball in the 1851 census is in the Walcot Penitentiary where there is a 19 year old Emma Ball who was born in Bath, although I can’t yet be certain this is her.
Emma Ball marries Jacob Rue on 30th May 1854 in the parish church in Walcot, Bath. The bride was Emma Ball, of full age, residing at 6 Viners Court, a spinster, her father is given as John Ball, a carpenter. Neither of the witnesses were family of either bride or groom.
Jacob and Emma went on to have a total of 9 children, and lived most of their lives in Pitney, Somerset.
Emma can be seen with her husband and their children in the census in the following years:- in 1861 in Pitney, she was 27, in 1871 in Pitney she was 37, in 1881 in Pitney she was 48, in 1891 in Pitney she was 61.
Jacob died in the Langport Workhouse in 1894, Emma appears not to have been there.
Emma died on twentysomething of February 1898, in Hanley, High Ham, Somerset, the death being registered by her son, Oliver Rue on 24th February. Her age was given as 68 years old, and the cause of death was Influenza 7 days and bronchitis 14 days.