William | Robert 2 |William3 |Nathaniel 4

Stephen 5 Ruffin Family

Born: ? 1795
Married: married ?Rachel 
Died: ?(by 1816) Parents: Nathaniel 4 and Hannah ? RUFFIN
Census

State of South Carolina
Pursuant to a warrant from Josiah Courtner commissioner of locations in the District of Darlington dated the 15th of October 1816, I have measured and laid out unto JAMES HOOTEN a Tract of land containing two hundred and seventy (270) acres situated in said District on the North Side of Sparrow Swamp bounded by lines running NE on said HOOTEN SE on the ESTATE OF Thomas HICKSON SW on James Morris NW on JOHN Ruffian and the Estate of STEPHEN RUFFIAN lands and hath such form and marks as the above plat represents.
Surveyed this 4th Day of November Domini 1816
by Daniel Dubous Dep. Surv.

Hooten's wife, is the sister of John KIDD who married Sally Sheppard Ruffin as his second wife.

The item is a letter from JAMES ALEXANDER KIDD to his son, J.L.J. KIDD written Mar 5, 1893
Mr. Kidd states:
My father, John Kidd  b 1799  d 1866
My mother, Sarah Ruffin b 1802  d 1880
My mother's father - Stephen Ruffin
My father's mother - Susan Powers
My father's father - Mose Kidd of Virginia
My wife - Lettishia Thompson b 1835.  (Her father- Parish Thompson)
My wife's mother - Mary Freeland daughter of Louis Freeland.

Mr. Kidd lived in Newell ALA  and his son in Huntsville.

Contributed by Marion Moore



JPK2932@aol.com John Paul Kidd
Stephen Ruffin was in the Cheraws District of South Carolina on the 1790 Census. The Cheraws District was composed of the counties of Chesterfield, Darlington and Marlboro. He was most likely living in the Darlington County portion of the Cheraws District, since he was listed in Darlington County on subsequent censuses.

Stephen Ruffin had a daughter named Sarah Sheppard. This daughter married John Kidd in Darlington County in 1826. John Kidd was my great great great grandfather. He was born in Chatham County, North Carolina in 1799 to Moses and Cary Powers Kidd.

Before John Kidd married Sarah Sheppard Ruffin, he had a son in 1819 named Gilliam Kidd by a woman whose name is still unknown. This lady may have been John's first wife or, possibly, she was never married to John. Proof is lacking. We do know that Gilliam was born in North Carolina.

Research has revealed that John Kidd was still in Moore County, North Crolina in 1825, when he served on a jury. There is a report without any proof that John Kidd had two more children by his mystery first wife. A daughter was presumably born in 1821 and another daughter was born in 1825. Unfortunately, there is no factual evidence regarding either of these daughters.

Living next door to Stephen Ruffin in Darlington County, South Carolina was a man named James Hooten, son of Littleton Hooten. This James Hooten married Susannah Kidd, sister of John Kidd, in 1811 or 1812. James and Susannah Hooten lived in Darlington County until 1825 or 1826, when they moved to Henry County, Georgia.

I have surmised that possibly John Kidd was married a first time about 1818. He and his first wife had Gilliam (my great great grandfather) and the two daughters mentioned above. Then in 1825, John's first wife died, possibly in childbirth. Possibly, the second daughter also died at birth or soon after. Following this trauma, John Kidd desired to leave North Carolina behind. He contacted his sister in South Carolina. His sister, Susannah Hooten, told him she had a next door neighbor that John might be interested in. That neighbor was Sarah Sheppard Ruffin, age 23. Sometime in 1826, John and Sarah were married. They moved to Georgia before the birth of a son named John Kidd. Jr. in 1827. The exact whereabouts in Georgia of John and Sarah between 1827 and 1832 is unknown. However, by 1832 we know that they were in Coweta County, Georgia.

The Will of Rachel Ruffin of Darlington County, South Carolina lists numerous heirs, including Sarah Sheppard Ruffin and a H______ Hannah Ruffin. The first name of this second lady is impossible to make out. Some have said the name is "Hesse". However, I think the name HOPE is much more likely, since Faith, Hope and Charity are well linked to females in this branch of the Ruffin family.

I have been away for a long time from studying the Ruffin family genealogy. However, I recall that some of you were in doubt that Rachel Ruffin was actually Stephen Ruffin's wife, but, rather, his sister. What do you now think?

Apparently, the lady named H_____ Hannah Ruffin married a man named James Story. My Kidd family line became intermarried with the Story (Storey) family in Georgia starting about 1840. I am curious about this man named James Story who married Hannah Ruffin. Does anyone have more information about him, or them?


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