Elizabeth was born in about the early 1860’s in Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan. Her father was James Goodwin a labourer.
She became a Rue after marrying William Rue in Cardiff register office on 15th August 1882.
Elizabeth and William had two sons, William James Rue, born in Tynycaia, Llanilid on 24th May 1883 and Goodwin Rue born in New Mill, Llantrissant on 18th November 1885.
In the 1891 census, Elizabeth 28 is with her husband, the 28 year old William Rue and their sons William James, 8, and Goodwin, 5.
Elizabeth is shown as being a Welsh speaker, whereas her sons are “both”, which I understand means that she couldn’t speak much English?!
Sometime between 1891 and 1897, Elizabeth and William appear to have seperated, and she moved, with their 2 sons, away to Warrington with a man called Albert Clemson. It would appear that they didn’t actually marry. William remarried on 2nd November 1897.
By the 1901 census she can be seen as Elizabeth aged 36 with her “husband”, Albert Clemson in Warrington Lancashire. They lived at 13 Egerton Street.
What is interesting is that she is shown as the wife of Albert Clemson but has no surname shown, further supporting that they did not marry.
Her first son, William James Rue, a 18 year old labourer in the corn mill is with her in 1901 and went on to have a family in the Warrington
area.
Her second son, Goodwin Rue died on 28th January 1898 at 13 Egerton Street from Chronic Brights Disease (kidney disease). The death was registered as Goodwin Clemson aged just 11 years old, by his “father” Albert Clemson a wire works labourer. It would have been unlikley that Elizabeth would have registered an event such as this as a woman, however also bear in mind that records suggest she may not have been a fluent English speaker. If this was true then life for her in Warrington would have been quite difficult.
I do not know what took them to Warrington. Albert Clemson was born in Wellington in Shropshire so it wasn’t a case of him going back home. I have found him in the 1891 census, a 23 year old warehouseman living in Llantrissant, which is not far away from where Elizabeth was at that time with her husband and young sons. That is likely where they met.
In a 1908 trade directory of Warrington we can find Albert Clemson as a Wire Softener, he was still living at 13 Egerton Street.
Elizabeth’s only surviving son William had married in 1903 and went on to have 3 daughters, 2 of whom grew to adulthood and had children of their own.
In the 1911 census of 13 Egerton Street, Warrington, we have Albert Clemson, a 43 year old Annealler in the wire works with is wife Elizabeth Clemson a 45 year old from Bridgend Glamorgan. It suggests they have been married for 22 years (22 years earlier she had just married William Rue) and shows that they had no children from their marriage.
I have been to Egerton Street and the odd numbered side of the road has been demolished long ago. The following photo shows the even side of the road – from number 2 to 18 and gives and idea as what number 13 would have looked like.
I have found a possible death for Elizabeth – an Elizabeth A Clemson died in Warrington early in 1928 aged 63, although I have yet followed this up to prove whether it is our Elizabeth or not.