William James Rue was the first born of William Rue and Elizabeth Goodwin, he was born in Tynyeaia, Llanilid, Bridgend on 24th May
1883.
He had a brother, Goodwin, born on 18th November 1885, at which time the family were living at “New Mill” Llantrisant.
In the 1891 census, William, Eliazabeth, William (aged 8 – a speaker of both English and Welsh) and Godwin were living at 28 Loftus Terrace, Llantrisant.
Sometime in the early 1890’s the family split apart. William Senior remarried on 2nd November 1897 giving himself as a bachelor. No remarriage has been found for Elizabeth, however by 1901 she was certainly living with another man, although it is debatable whether with his name.
The two boys, William and Goodwin appear to have stayed with their mother, and there is no suggestion that they had any further contact with their father or his new family at all.
Goodwin died aged just 11 years early in 1898 in Warrington, Lancashire.
In the 1901 census of 13 Egerton Street, Warrington, we see Albert Clemson 34, Elizabeth 36 and William James Rue his stepson, who was 18 and a labourer in a corn mill. I have a photo of Egerton Street on the page for Elizabeth Goodwin.
William James Rue married Elizabeth Perdue in Warrington in 1903.
They had three daughters, all born in Warrington. Florence Iris in 1904, Mabel in 1905 and Dorothy in 1911.
Florence Iris died very young in 1904.
In 1908 trade directory, something a bit like our modern day Yellow Pages, called the “Guardian Directory of Warrington 1908” we can see
Rue William J – Engine Driver – 7 Quay Fold, Liverpool Road
Rue Mrs – Tripe Dealer – 125 Sankey Street
Clemson Albert – Wire Softener – 13 Egerton Street.
The Mrs Rue appears to be William’s wife Elizabeth nee Perdue.
In the 1911 census we see at 7 Quay Fold, Warrington, William James Rue, 28 a worker in the wire works, his wife, Elizabeth Rue, 30 and their two remaining daughters, Mabel aged 5 and Dorothy aged 1 month. It can be seen from the schedule that there had been 1 further child who no longer lived (Florence).
Mabel married Thomas Bate in 1926 in Warrington and Dorothy married Thomas Rose in 1934 also in Warrington.
Elizabeth died in 1953 and William James died in 1955 both in Warrington.