Jane was born in 1862 in Catcott near Bridgewater in Somerset. Her parents were James Pole and Ann nee Hucker. She was the 8th child of 11 (or possibly 12 but only 11 survived) born to the couple. She had 3 older brothers, 4 older sisters, 2 younger brothers and 1 younger sister.
In 1851 her father James was 21 and a butcher, in 1861 he was an agricultural labourer and had 7 children, in 1871 he was a Calf-dealer and a further 4 (or 5 as there is some doubt over Elizabeth shown as aged 1 in 1861 and as aged 7 in 1881!! It could be that the firat Elizabeth died and another Elizabeth was born?) children had been born including Jane who is shown as aged 5 a scholar.
In 1881 cenus Jane was 16 and a servant although still living at home with her parents & some siblings. Her father James is now a Turf-Dealer.
Throughout all this time the family lived in Catcott.
I have further information on Jane’s family including her father and a couple of her siblings but won’t go into it in detail here.
On 14th June 1887 Jane Pole married Walter John Rue in Pitney, Somerset. The witnesses were his brother Oliver Rue and her sister Lucy Pole. Neither of the Rue’s were literate enough to be able to sign their names, however both Jane and Lucy could and did. On the marriage certificate Jane’s father James Pole is described as a cattle dealer.
Walter was from Pitney but had started to make moves towards living in South Wales. The main employment in Somerset had always been agricultural and advances in machinery were making work in this area scarce. The growth of industry in South Wales made that a viable alternative for young families.
On 25th August 1889 Walter and Jane baptised their first child, a daughter called Emma Anne. She was baptised in Llanharry but the family resided in, and she was born in, Llansannor in Glamorgan.
Their first son was born on 3rd October 1890 in Tynant, Llanharry and was baptised, Arthur, on 28th December 1890 in Llanharry.
The 1891 census shows Walter Rue, aged 24 a “mason labourer” (? Ithink?), his wife Jane aged 27 and their two children the 1 year old Emma and the 6 month old Arthur. They were all living at Ty Nant, Llanharry.
Further sons were born : George on 18th May 1892 and Albert on 20th September 1893. Both were born in Llanharry and although George was baptised there on 7th August 1892 it appears that for some unkown reason, Albert was not baptised until 1895.
Walter was involved in an accident whilst at work at Merios Colliery in Llanharan Glamorgan on 8th January 1895. He later died from those injuries on 31st July 1895, in Llanharry. He was just 28 years old.
Jane found herself widowed aged just 32 and with a young family of 1 daughter aged just 6, 3 sons aged 5, 3 and 2 and heavily pregant with twins.
Jane had twin boys born on 7th September 1895, born at 6.45am in Llanharry, they were called Walter and Wallace. I would assume that they must have been conceived just before Walter’s fatal accident. It is worth noting that their birth certificates show their father as Walter Rue, a Collier, and make no mention of him being deceased.
Jane had her 3 youngest sons baptised in Llanharry on 6th October 1895, this being the 2 year old Albert and the twins, Walter and Wallace. The baby Wallace must have died soon after, he was buried in Llanharry on 11th October 1895.
It appears that Jane then “gets together” with a Thomas Edwards who was also a miner. It is possible that they have a child, Sarah Ann towards the end of 1896, although this is not yet certain I have ordered the birth certificate. It seems a bit soon after the death of Walter however it does seem that Jane having come from a big family, wanted a big family of her own and at 32 was certainly still in the prime of life.
It is likley that they then had a Alfred John (known as Johnny) in 1898.
What is certain as I have the brith certificate is that Jane nee Pole and Thomas Edwards a coal miner had a son, William Edwards on 30th July 1900 in Nantybar, Glyncorrwg, Ystradfellte.
In the 1901 census at “Nut Lletty Lloyd” in the district of Neath we see Thomas Edwards aged 41 a coal hewer, his wife (!) Jane Edwards aged 33 with his step children Emma A aged 12, Arthur also 12, George 10, Oby (poss should say Albie?) 7, Walter 5 and his own children Sarah A aged also 5, Johnny 2 and the 5 month old William.
It appears that Jane and Thomas went on to have a further 2 children, James Henry and Lily May.
They actually got married on 22nd July 1909 in Swansea register office. They had been living together as husband and wife for some time by then. On their marriage certificate we see Thomas Edwards aged 34 a bachelor dock labourer and Jane Rue a 36 year old widow. They were both residing at 15 Orchard Street Swansea.
The ages are funny and I believe quite wrong, he probably around 49-50 and she was actually 47.
In the 1911 census they are all living at Hendregymen Farm in Crynant Neath. Thomas Edwards a 51 year old farmer, his wife, Jane 54 a house keeper. It shows that had been married for 34 years! and had had 11 children of which 10 had survived and 1 died – this would have been Wallace Rue. Also living in the farm were Emma Ann who was 23 and married although her husband appears not to be with them, Arthur aged 21 a coal hewer, George 19 a coal hewer, Albert a 17 year old labourer in the colliery, Walter aged 16 a labourer in the colliery, Sarah Ann aged 15 a scholar, Alfred John 13, William 10, James Henry 8 and Lily May aged 6. They had a visitor who was 45 year old Charles Price a married coal hewer from Cardiff – I don’t know what his connection to the family was, and also there was a 10 month old Nellie Tripp who is shown as the niece of Thomas Edwards – she was actally the daughter of Emma Ann.
The family remained in the Neath area and I believe that Thomas Edwards died in about 1922. Jane Edwards died in Neath in 1946 and was buried in the cemetery in Neath.