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Ruffner Roots & Ramblings
Published quarterly by the Ruffner Family Association
Volume 17, Issue 2, Summer 2014
To all our Ruffner Cousins
Who were in Denver for the 2014 Annual Meeting Shirley Ann and I want to thank you for honoring us by your
presence in our home.
What more validation does one need to know what family is than to have them come through the door.
Enjoy the words to Shenandoah.
Love you all,
Shirley Ann and Bob
Photo courtesy of Marilyn Courtade
Ruffner Roots & Ramblings
GREAT reasons to begin receiving the Ruffner Roots & Ramblings by email:
You will receive your issue while the others are being printed and mailed.
You can save your newsletters on your computer as a digital collection for future reference.
The Ruffner Family Association would save much needed money.
If you would like to receive Ruffner Roots & Ramblings via email, please contact Sam McNeely at
RFA Board members at Sheets Home, Denver
LETTERS
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
We would like to thank the Ruffner Family Association for the beautiful Maple
tree. It will be enjoyed for generations to come.
Marjorie Rowles and Family
From the Desk of RFA Historian Betty Gaeng
Records of Indentures and Guardianships in Shenandoah County, Virginia – 1772-
1831.
Extracted from the Minutes of the Circuit Court of Shenandoah County, Virginia.
26 August 1777 – Lewis Long, son of Peter Long, is to be bound by the
Churchwardens to Peter Ruffner for seven years and the said Ruffner is to teach
him the trade of weaver. Lewis Long is seven years old.
Shenandoah County, Virginia Minute Book – 1810-1916
14 November 1815 – Overseer of Poor to bind Isaac Johnson, a free boy of color to Jonas Ruffner to learn
farming.
Visiting History
On the way from their homes in Washington State to the 2014 RFA
Annual Meeting in Denver, Betty Gaeng and her daughter Marilyn
Courtade stopped in Echo, Oregon to visit the grave site of David R.
Koontz.
The story Betty wrote about David and the Wapello Wagon Train
appeared in the Spring 2014 Issue of RR&R.
Betty Gaeng at David R. Koontz Grave (photo by Marilyn Courtade)
A DAY OF SUNSHINE
O Gift of God! O perfect day;
Whereon shall no man work, but play;
Whereon it is enough for me,
Not to be doing, but to be!
Through every fibre of my brain,
Through every nerve, through every vein
I feel the electric thrill, the touch
Of life, that seems almost too much.
I hear the wind among the trees
Playing celestial symphonies,
I see the branches downward bent,
Like keys of some great instrument.
And over me unrolls on high
The splendid scenery of the sky,
Where through a sapphire sea the sun
Sails like a golden galleon.
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Mission of the Ruffner Family Association
Chartered and incorporated in 1999, to support an association of members who will research and preserve their common
heritage through the collection of artifacts and documents which form the basis for knowledge and appreciation of the
historic role played by the Ruffner Descendants and their collateral lines in the settlement and development of the
American Frontier.
RUFFNER FAMILY ASSOCIATION
PRESIDENT
Phyllis Hershock, Pennsylvania
TREASURER & COO
Samuel H. McNeely, Virginia
SECRETARY
Marria Blinn, Illinois
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Betty Ann Axline, Virginia
Robert Brown, Virginia
Marilyn Courtade, Washington
Betty Gaeng, Washington
Judy Henderson, Virginia
Philip Johnson, Ohio
Joan Ruffner Reid, Ohio
K. Daniel Ruffner, Ohio
Douglas Ruffner, Oklahoma
Elisabeth Ruffner, Arizona
Frederick G. Ruffner, Michigan
Gary Ruffner, Illinois
Melissa Ruffner, Arizona
Nancy Lee Ruffner Shifflett, Virginia
DIRECTORS EMERITI
Robert Newman Sheets, CO (Active)
Shirley Ann Sheets, Colorado (Active)
Dorotha Russell, Texas (Active)
Lester Ward Ruffner, Arizona (deceased)
Doris (Laver) Ruffner, Ohio (deceased)
Olive (Taylor) Ruffner, Ohio (deceased)
George Ruffner, Illinois (deceased)
HISTORIAN
Betty Lou Gaeng, Washington
MEMBERSHIP
Sam McNeely, PO Box 351
Luray, VA 22835
RR&R EDITOR
Joan Ruffner Reid, 4705 Wenham Park,
Columbus, OH 43230 / 614-775-0254
A Letter from our President
We had a wonderful gathering of Ruffner cousins in Denver for the 2014 RFA Annual
Board Meeting. Bob and Shirley Sheets opened their hearts and home for us to enjoy
some sites of the mile high city. At the meeting, a major topic we discussed was the
association's sustainability and ways to enable the organization to continue through the
coming years. It is essential to have greater participation from our membership to
continue our reunions and efforts to keep the Ruffner name alive and well through
endeavors such as the Ruffner Archives at Longwood University. More about that
will be coming in the Fall newsletter.
Our COO, Sam McNeely, presented the Treasurer's Report and we are
fiscally sound. Our financial status will further improve if the membership numbers
remain consistent and payment of annual dues with an increase to $25.00 in 2015. A
form or address to send your dues is available on our website –
http://www.ruffnerfamily.org. On page 2 of this issue, you can read how to receive future issues of the
newsletter electronically and save our cost of printing and mailing.
Sharon Hastings ([email protected]) is polishing her work on the Benjamin book and hopes to have it
ready for publication before the end of this year. Attention Benjamin descendants: Please consider sending
her photos or stories that will add to your family's history. When completed, it will join the other books we
have already placed in the Longwood University Ruffner Archives. After our visit to Longwood this spring, we
feel very confident that Ruffner materials housed there will be safe and available for those who would like to
review them in the coming years.
Marria Blinn ([email protected]) is still at work on a booklet about Ruffner sites across the
country. This will provide more information about places you may want to visit as you travel throughout our
great country. Marria would like to hear from you about site recommendations.
Four members of the RFA recently attended the Booker T. Washington reunion hospitality gathering
where three authors presented their books about our “friend of the family.” Finding a way to share the
Ruffner story through some publication is also a goal we are now investigating. More on that in the next
issue of RR&R.
Lastly, we are eagerly looking for many of our members to “step up” to offer assistance in many
capacities. With our reunion in Charleston, WV next year, there are responsibilities that must be completed
for a successful gathering. Adding more “youth” and ideas to the RFA board and officers is essential if we
hope to continue offering reunions and continue projects meaningful for you as members as well as the general
public. Please consider joining our merry band. Contact Sam ([email protected]) to be placed in
nomination for the board or me if you can help with our next reunion. I look forward to hearing from
many of you.
Phyllis Hershock
RFA President
717-755-6574
Road Trip Report from Phyllis Hershock
It's those two words that keep the Ruffner
family members traveling the country to meet
with each other and now to establish the
archives at Longwood University. On June
12th
, Sam and Jim McNeely, Craig and Phyl
Hershock, and Nancy Lee Shifflett drove to
Farmville, Virginia to meet with the
professionals who will be working with our
Ruffner materials and to view the repository
for ourselves. William Henry Ruffner had been
the president there in the late 1880s, after his
tenure as the first superintendent of schools for
the state of Virginia. In the photo, I am
pointing to William Henry's name on the wall
of Longwood Presidents. Ruffner Hall had
been one of the landmark buildings on campus and was recently rebuilt after a devastating fire in 2001. You can
view this beautiful building at: http://www.longwood.edu/admissions/virtualtour/ruffner.htp.
We met first with Amanda Hartman who is the
Head of Special Collections and Digital Initiatives.
She was proud to show us the location where our
materials will be housed after they are reviewed for
condition, checked for duplicates, catalogued, con-
served and placed on shelves. The opposite photo
is of Amanda showing Jim and Sam McNeely our
reserved space. The space is ready and Amanda is
hoping to work directly with individuals who wish
to donate letters, photos, other documents and
special items (such as family Bibles) by starting
with an agreement that is signed by you and the
Longwood facility. Her contact information is
included here for those of you who would like to
begin the process: Amanda Hartman – Head of
Special Collections and Digital Initiatives – Longwood University – 201 High Street, Farmville, VA 23909 –
Tel: 434-395-2443 – email: [email protected].
Our group was impressed with the enthusiasm Longwood shared about the alliance between the Ruffner family
and their facility, and the care every item will receive. Currently they have copies of our individual family
publications and the research papers compiled by Doris and Olive Ruffner together with their volume on the
family genealogy. Please make contact with Amanda to discuss adding your documents to our Ruffner
archives. (Photos courtesy of Craig Hershock.)
How I Connected with My Other Ruffner FamilyBy Joan Ruffner Reid
My sister Barbara told me about the book, Peter Ruffner and His Descendants, in 1967. Knowing very little about
Ruffner family history, I ordered a copy. When the book arrived, I was astonished by the size of my ancestry. I was
already from a rather large family - my grandparents, Hiram Clay and Mamie (Hupp) Ruffner, had twelve children and
most of them had children. After a quick read, I finally learned why people were always asking me if I was related to the
people who owned the Ruffner Hotel in Charleston – I was! I then sent the book to my brother Norman in Tacoma,
Washington who was well on his way to equaling my grandfather's perpetuation of the Ruffner name with eight children
(eventually 10).
I forgot about Ruffner family history until 1995 when I received a phone call from my first cousin Roberta
(Ruffner) Kirwin. She told me about a Ruffner Family Reunion taking place in Charleston, WV celebrating two hundred
years in the Historic Kanawha Valley. Recalling some of the things I had read in the Ruffner book, I asked Roberta to
send me the information. When I received the reunion packet (excellently done by Shirley Sheets) I decided I really did
want to know more about my other Ruffner family. After convincing my husband Ken why we should make the trip, I sent
in the registration form.
After a leisurely drive on Friday, June 2, 1995 through Southern Ohio, we arrived in Charleston and headed for
the Holiday Inn. Unfortunately, there was more than one Holiday Inn in Charleston and we had picked the wrong one
(Hey! This was before GPS!). While we were having a long discussion with the rooming clerk – these two smiling ladies
came over and said, “you must be Ruffners!” After exchange of a few good witticisms (at which Wanda and Ken
excelled) and much laughter, we discovered we weren't the only people who went to the wrong hotel for they were sisters
Wanda (Ruffner) Pugh and Rhea (Ruffner) Witt.
Finally arriving at the Charleston House Holiday Inn, we made our way to the Hospitality Suite and were warmly
welcomed by Shirley Ann and Bob Sheets, who made us feel like visiting celebrities. The room was filled with friendly
faces and we first met Doris Laver Ruffner, one of the authors of “the book” and her daughter Sara Lytle. There were
tables filled with family relics including bibles. Not having a family bible, nor relics of any sort, it was an enlightening
experience. We also met the rest of Wanda and Rhea's siblings – all just as friendly as they were.
The next day we went on a walking
and motor tour of Ruffner Historic Sites. I
could not believe how much Ruffner history
had been preserved in this beautiful capital
city of West Virginia. One of the most
memorable parts of the day was a tour of
Holly Grove Mansion where we posed for
group pictures to commemorate the event.
That night, we all gathered in a private dining
room at the Charleston House for a dinner to
honor Doris Laver Ruffner.
On Sunday, we traveled to nearby
Malden, former location of the Ruffner Salt
Works, for a family service at the historic
Kanawha Salines Presbyterian Church founded
by Dr. Henry Ruffner in 1819 and a family
picnic at the historic John Hale House. Before
we left Malden, we voted to meet again in
1997 at Luray, Virginia – the homestead of Peter & Mary Steinman Ruffner.
I returned home so happy I had attended this reunion – so pleased to have met my new kin – and so proud to be
part of a family who cherished their heritage and preserved its history for future generations.
We would love to publish a story about how you connected to your “Other Ruffner Family.” Send to Joan Ruffner
Reid, 4705 Wenham Park, Columbus, OH 43230 or via email, [email protected]. Thanks!
The Ruffner Reunion Group - Holly Grove Mansion -
June 3, 1995 (RR&R File Photo)
WILLIAM V. BAKER and his “Peruna Connections” by Joan Ruffner Reid
In 1886, twenty-four year old William V. Baker entered into an agreement with Dr. Samuel Brubaker
Hartman to serve as the business manager of The Peruna Company, which manufactured one of the most
popular “patent medicines” of the time. It was a position he would hold for twenty-three of this product's most
successful years.
Patent medicines first appeared in England in the 1600s. To qualify for a patent, the “medicine” only had
to be original with no proof of its effect or safety. Whether patented or not, all these nostrums became known as
“patent medicines” and they promised astonishing cures for a great number of maladies.
William was the son of Emanuel Ruffner Peter Baker [Magdalene2 Ruffner Baker, Emanuel
1Ruffner]
and Eliza Jane Stonebarger. He was born on his family's farm in Perry County, Ohio, November 16, 1862. In
addition to farming, his father studied law in Lancaster, Ohio; later went into the drug business in Thornville,
Ohio and was a member of the Ohio Legislature for two terms. A story about William's brother, General
Chauncey B. Baker, appeared in the Spring 2011 issue of this newsletter.
William received his early education in the common school system and during his youth worked on the
family farm, assisting in plowing, planting and harvesting. He spent two years in The Ohio State University,
where he remained until 1879, after which he taught school. In the meantime, he read law and was admitted to
the bar in 1885. For a year or two, he practiced law and became assistant city solicitor to James Caren in
Columbus, Ohio.
In the late 1800s, the popularity of patent
medicines had reached a phenomenal level. In
1870, Dr. Hartman, after losing his savings due
to unwise investments, launched a twenty year
career as a physician and surgeon. He moved
from city to city across the country treating
patients recruited by advertising. He specialized
in ear and eye afflictions, chronic catarrh
(inflammation of the respiratory tract), and
orthopedics, especially club feet. His average
annual income he estimated at $50,000.
His favorite prescription was a “neutralizing mixture” for the treatment of catarrh he had begun to use in
his practice for which he later coined the name “Pe-Ru-Na,” a term that had no meaning, but was easy to
remember. Due to his continuous modification of the ingredients, pharmacists could not properly fill the
prescription. So in 1877, he began manufacturing the medicine in a small plant in Osborn, Ohio, managed by a
brother.
In 1883, Hartman built a huge facility for the manufacture of Peruna which covered two blocks close to
the center of Columbus and a spacious administration building (pictured above). PE-RU-NA was comprised of
up to 28% alcohol, water, burnt sugar for coloring and cubeb (a tropical southeast Asian shrubby vine, Piper
Cubeba, having spicy, berrylike fruits used for flavoring). Most purchasers of this and similar “tonics” had no
idea they could cause chronic alcoholism.
Page 7
An example of this unconscious
drunkenness was recorded by the
Journal of the American Medical
Association: “A respected clergyman fell
ill and the family physician was called.
After examining the patient carefully, the
doctor asked for a private interview with
the patient's adult son. 'I am sorry to tell
you that your father undoubtedly is
suffering from chronic alcoholism,' said
the physician. 'Chronic alcoholism! Why,
that's ridiculous! Father never drank a
drop of liquor in his life, and we know
all there is to know about his habits.'
'Well, my boy it's chronic alcoholism,
nevertheless, and at this present moment
your father is drunk.' ' Why, for some six months, I should say father has often complained of feeling unusually
tired. A few months ago a friend of his recommended Peruna to him, assuring him that it would build him up.
Since then he has taken many bottles of it, and I am quite sure that he has taken nothing else.”
Despite the questionable medicinal value of its product, the Peruna Company continued to succeed and
grow. In its time, it was recognized as one of the most extensive commercial concerns in Columbus and its
product the largest selling proprietary medicine in the United States. It was sold all over the world, even as
far away as New South Wales. Baker's sound judgment, wisdom and management contributed greatly to the
growth of the business.
As a Mason, member of the Mystic Shrine, and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, William
was well known in social organizations. He was also a member of the Columbus Board of Trade, interested in
the continuing welfare and growth of Columbus. As a bachelor and man about town, he was recognized by his
friends for his generosity, kindness and genial disposition. He belonged to the Columbus Club, the Arlington
Country Club, the Columbus Country Club and the Ohio Club.
Baker was also a lover of fast horses and owned
a number that were frequently seen in the races at the
Driving Park, a large equine racing complex for horses
and eventually automobiles during the 19th
and early 20th
centuries. Located in the Livingston Avenue corridor of
early Columbus, the nationally known track attracted
many Columbus residents to its exciting races. When
autos came into fruition during the 1900s, the track was
converted to allow for auto racing. The area became one
of the chief recreational areas of Columbus. Before
becoming a World War I flying ace, Eddie Rickenbacker,
aka “Fast Eddie,” who grew up in the area, thrilled
crowds with his skillful auto racing.
Page 8
Driving Park Race Track, Columbus, ca. 1874
The sales of Peruna would expand greatly when Frederick W. Schumacher of Waco, Texas, entered the
picture. After completing a degree in pharmacology and earning a good living as a druggist, Schumacher found
more success selling Peruna wherever gold fields popped up across the West. Prospectors in mining camps
where liquor was banned clamored for the “medicine.” An order for 600 cases of Peruna brought him to the
attention of Dr. Hartman, who put his staff on overtime to fill the huge purchase. Wanting to meet this
marketing genius, Hartman accompanied the order to Texas. He was immediately impressed by the young man,
hired him to create a new advertising strategy and eventually made him vice president of the firm. Schumacher
was an innovative promoter pioneering the use of testimonials by celebrities to sell Peruna. The media blitz he
engineered covered 12,000 newspapers, 8,000 billboards and 45,000 pamphlets in the United States with
another 1,000 newspapers overseas carrying advertisements.
Although Peruna was promoted to cure only catarrh, millions of brochures issued by the company and
extensive newspaper advertising defined catarrh as encompassing all ailments known to humanity. By the new
century, Peruna was the most widely advertised, at a million dollars a year, and
bestselling patent medicine in the nation. Fees were paid to local dignitaries and to national celebrities to praise
the prowess of Peruna. These included former Union and Confederate generals, such stage
stars as Julia Marlowe, and fifty members of the national Senate and House of Representatives. “Indeed,”
chided a skeptical member, “Peruna seems to be the favorite Congressional drink.”
In the muckraking of patent medicine at the start of the new century, Peruna had became a prime target.
Journalist Samuel Hopkins Adams termed it “the most conspicuous of all medical frauds.” It was denied status
as a medicine by the American Medical Association and deemed just a secret liquor with its 27 to 30 percent
alcohol content. The “Peruna jag,” a slight intoxication from drinking it, became so common, especially in
areas dry by Prohibition laws, that druggists had trouble keeping it in stock.
Carrie Nation, the famous reformer, came to Northwest Arkansas in February 1906, and spoke in several
towns. A newspaper account at the time quipped, “There were no saloons in this section for her to smash but it
is claimed several druggists hid their Peruna bottles under the counter until she was safely out of town.
Government policy sided with Peruna's critics. In 1905, the Office of Indian Affairs banned Peruna from
reservations. That same year the Internal Revenue Service said inasmuch as Hartman's nostrum was not truly a
medicine, all retailers who sold it must possess a liquor license. The next year the Food and Drugs Act required
the amount of alcohol in patent medicine must be stated on the label. Henceforth, drinkers of Peruna could not
keep a secret from themselves.
Mainly due to Peruna's phenomenal success, Dr.
Hartman was deemed the wealthiest man in Columbus. He
practiced with other physicians in an elaborate Surgical Hotel
he built in 1890, extended and renamed the Hartman
Sanitarium. In 1902, he added an adjunct, the Hartman Hotel.
The result was a gigantic building much like Battle Creek,
Michigan's Kellogg Institute.
He spent most of his declining years at his elegant
5,000-acre establishment south of Columbus, which was
stocked with fancy breeds of cattle, horses, and poultry. At one
time, it was the largest functioning farm in the world. Known as Hartman Farms, the huge estate became a well-
known tourist destination. In 1912, at the age of 82, Hartman contracted pneumonia while inspecting his farm
fields in the snow. He died in his apartment on the third floor of the Hartman Hotel. Page 9
After Hartman's death, Schumacher assumed control of the Peruna enterprise, but as times changed, the
The Hartman Sanitarium/Hotel
product despite experiencing a brief revival between 1912 and 1916, never regained its status as the nation's top
seller.
When Peruna sales dropped, Schumacher
moved on. He had already invested in silver mining in
northern Ontario, so when gold strikes were reported at
Timmins in northern Ontario in 1909, unlike other
American investors, he decided to see for himself.
Three big mines were already established there, but he
sent in two of his own geologists to survey the region
before he made any investment decisions. The fields
were so rich that miners said the gold was “as thick as
hair on a dog's back.” By 1912, he began buying
properties and subdividing surface rights for a town
that officially became Schumacher, Ontario on March
1, 1912.
The town grew and prospered, partly due to Schumacher's generosity. One claim to fame was an
Olympic training complex where athletes from the United States and Canada came to perfect their skills.
Education was important in Schumacher. Parents were determined their children would not work in the mines.
Even after Frederick sold his mine for $2 million, he continued to be involved in the lives of the townsfolk and
their children.
One of Columbus' richest men, he helped establish the Columbus Museum of Art and contributed greatly
to Capital University's art collection. Capital University would later name its collection in his honor, The
Schumacher Gallery, which contains art treasures from
across the centuries and from around the world.
William Baker died suddenly November 11,
1917 in Columbus as the result of a stroke. He was
buried in Lutheran Reform Cemetery in Perry County.
At the time of his death, he was President of the
Market Exchange Bank and the Guarantee Title and
Trust Company. His estate was valued at $115,000,
with $100,000 in personal property. He directed in his
will that his aunt, Mattie J. Stonebarger, and his sister,
Lunette Baker, were to each receive $25 a month for
the remainder of their lives.
Frederick Schumacher died in 1957, at the age
of 93, in his much admired “Greenstone Mansion” in
Columbus, Ohio where he had lived for over 50 years.
Notice of his death stated “His interests were world wide and so were his generosities.”
Although William V. Baker was not rewarded with the riches and fame of Hartman and Schumacher,
before his early demise he achieved a wealth of accomplishments. No fancy homes or farms for him. Despite
his successful professional life and social stature, his living arrangements appeared to be rather modest. The
1910 U.S. Census reported he was living as a lodger with a family named Boington.
Page 10
In today's liberal society, perhaps the fervor of negativity caused by the manufacture and marketing of
Peruna would be met with kinder critiques. Even possible consideration given to the hope that many of the
profits from this enterprise were put to good use through the philanthropic activities, civic-minded generosity
and entrepreneurship of three very imaginative men.
Each person's life is a history!
Sources:
Zoominfo – Mr. William V. Baker, Board Member, Columbus Board of Trade
The Descendants of Emanuel Ruffner & Magdalene Grove (Barbara Rowles, RFA, June 2009)
Hartman, Samuel Brubaker [1830-1918], physician and proprietary medicine manufacturer (From American National Biography,
published by Oxford University Press, Inc., copyright 1999 American Council of Learned Societies.)
The Great American Fraud by Samuel Hopkins Adams (Collier's for October 7, 1905).
Peruna and the Bracers (reprinted from Collier's Weekly, Oct. 28, 1905).
Mrs. Carrie Nation Invades Rogers, Rogers Democrat (2-14-1906).
The Hartman Hotel (www.forgottenoh.com)
Hartman Farms & Peruna (www.ohioexploration.com)
Schumacher Legacy Still Shines for Gallery, Town by John Matuszak, Eastside Messenger, June 28, 2004.
Schumacher, Ontario (http://en.wikipedia.org)
Timmins' Founding Fathers (www.city.timmins.on.ca
Driving Park History, http://en.wikipedia and The Turf, New York Times, July 2, 1874.
The Peruna Story: Strumming That Old Catarrh by Jack Sullivan
MEMORIALS
GLEN E. RUFFNER, 101, of Sebring, Florida
(Descendant of Benjamin Ruffner, Sr.)
died Monday, June 16, 2014 at Somers Hospice House. A native of
Mason, IL, he had lived in Florida since 1971. He was born to Ed
and Macey (Anderson) Ruffner on March 5, 1913. He was a
farmer. In Florida, he was proud of his grapefruit and orange trees
and made many gallons of juice over the years.
He did not die of natural causes. On Friday, June 13, Glen fell and
sustained a head injury. He was preceded in death by his wife,
Louise (Logan) in 1976, his wife Kathleen (Brown) in 2000 and his
daughter, Nancy Millican. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy,
whom he has been married to for 13 years, grandson Lance; and
several nieces and nephews. He was laid to rest at Lakeview
Memorial Gardens, Avon Park, Florida. Glen and Dorothy Ruffner
MEMORIALS
BETTY (KENNEDY) JONES-DUVALL
(Descendant of Emanuel)
Beloved wife of James “Jim” Duvall and the late Andrew Jones; Devoted mother of Dennis (Janet) Jones, Larry
(Jenny) Jones and the late Cynthia O'Connor; Loving sister of Peggy (Dave) Phillips; Dear grandmother of 10
and great grandmother of 15; Also survived by several nieces, nephews and step-children; Preceded in death by
her parents Robert and Mary (Harman) Kennedy; She was born on March 11, 1921 and passed away April 8,
2014; Age 93; Resident of Lebanon, Ohio.
ROGER RUFFNER, 70, of Columbus, Ohio
(Descendant of Emanuel)
passed away at his residence on May 26, 2014. Born on September 4, 1943 to the late Roderick and Virginia
(Schotts) Ruffner in Columbus, Ohio. Survived by children, Rob (Andrea) Ruffner, Chris (Lorie) Ruffner and
Natalie Fulmer; many loving grandchildren; sister, Diane (Tim) Lind. Preceded in death by wife of 42 years,
Linda Ruffner, son-in-law Mathew Fulmer, four sisters: Roberta Kirwin, Doris Bryant, Arlene Ruffner and
Donna Gillilan, mother and father-in-law Ginny and Robert “Bob” Frakes.
Roger Ruffner
FAIREST OF THE FAIR SIERAH PAISHENCE RUFFNER
was crowned Miss Fayette County Fair Queen
in Illinois for 2014.
She is the oldest child of Jesse Ruffner and grandchild of Jerry and Carol Ruffner (Clare Anderson Ruffner –
Edward White Ruffner – Harrison Newton Ruffner – Andrew Harrison Ruffner – Benjamin Ruffner Jr. -
Benjamin Ruffner Sr.)
THE RUFFNER FAMILY ASSOCIATION
is a non-profit organization dedicated to education and the preservation of Ruffner Family history and its role in
the settlement and development of the American Frontier.
Membership is open to all.
We look forward to having you join us!
DUES INFORMATION PER YEAR
Student $10.00
Individual $25.00
Family $30.00
Life Time Membership One time fee - $500.00
Ruffner Family Association
P.O. Box 351, Luray, VA 22835
