William Whitmel Ruffin was born about 1808 in Bertie Co, North Carolina. He was one of four sons of James and Margaret Veale Ruffin who came with them to GA around 1820.
We believe that the father, James, died right after 1820 census in Jones Co. Thomas, the older brother, as well as "orphans of James Ruffin" --we believe this is James J and William Whitmel who were under age at the time ---participated in the Lottery Drawings, and they did win....but we have never established if they actually followed through with the land.
In 1830, Margaret as a widow returned to Bertie County, NC and is enumerated on the Census there. We think that the male (20-30) is William W. and the male (15-20) is James who we know was born in 1814. Margaret probably had returned to settle business affairs in her inheritance from her mother, Elizabeth Carney Veale, who had deeded her brother, Stephen Carney's land, as well as Bertie County land (25 May 1829) to her 4 children.
William W. lived most of his life in Talbot or Upson County and is found on the 1840 Census living with his mother, Margaret. (page 214 Talbot Co) as the male (30-40) He married, Mary A. Ammons on 7 Aug 1841 in Talbot County, GA. Later census indicate that Mary was born around 1826, making her 15 on her marriage to William who was probably 33.
I have not located them on the 1850 GA Census. 16 Jan 1851 James Johnson Ruffin and William Whitmell (brothers) purchase 150 acres of land for $100 in 15th District (formerly Monroe) now Upson County. (Deed Book G, pag 458)
This land is the same land that is later divided among William's children, and is the proof of the connection.
By 1860, William has died, and his widow and children are enumerated in Upson County Census. The census taker uses initials but by using the 1870 and 1880 Upson County Census we are able to match them.
WILLIAM WHITMEL RUFFIN
BORN: Abt 1808 PLACE:Bertie Co, NC
DIED: Abt 1859 PLACE: Talbot Co, GA
BUR.: PLACE: Talbot Co GA
MARR: 7 Aug 1841 PLACE: GA
FATHER: James RUFFIN
MOTHER: Margaret Veale
WIFE Mary AMMONS
BORN: Abt 1828 PLACE: ?
DIED: Sept 23, 1889 PLACE: Upson Co, GA
BUR.: PLACE:
FATHER:
MOTHER:
CHILDREN
1. NAME: JAMES JOHNSON RUFFIN (See below)
born: June 12, 1847 GA (on grave marker)Talbot Co GA
married: June 3, 1866 Al to Elizabeth Francis Busby
died: Jan 18, 1931 buried Rush Springs, OK 84 years old
Photo of James Johnson Ruffin
Tombstone Photo Grady Cemetery.
2. NAME: Elizabeth E.M. RUFFIN
----- BORN: April 1852 ? PLACE: Talbot?, GA
DIED: Aug 17, 1923/8 pneumonia PLACE: Troup Co, GA
BUR.: Wehadkee Bapt Church PLACE: LaGrange (Troup)GA
SPOUSE: M.W. PITTS MARR:29 Oct 1871 PLACE:Upson Co, GA
BORN: July 1, 1852 DIED: Feb 2, 1915
5 foot upright granite marker
"Happy is he whose hope is in the Lord"
Children: Gus, Ed, Jim, Ella, ? (son)
Edgar Apul Pitts b-14 Sep 1881 in rural Chambers Co, AL
d-25 Apr 1927 prob. in SC
married 26 Aug 1900 in Troup Co, GA
Hattie Camilla Tingle b-18 Jan 1883 in rural Chambers Co, AL
d-20 Jan 1970 in Anderson, SC
buried in Honea Path,
My grandmother tells me that Miles was extremely rich and had a lot of land. They lived in Chambers Co., AL and there was a hill on the property, which I think was just north of Lanett, and when you stood on top and looked in all directions, Miles owned the land as far as you could see. In his later years he went a little nuts and literally burned his money in the fireplace. I think they grew tobacco. When my grandfather was little he used to follow Miles around the farm and beg for chew. He also used to sneak off behind the barn with the homemade liquor, which made Miles really angry. Miles' mother was named Martha and she was believed to be a full blooded Cherokee. His father was possibly named William. Miles's son Edgar (my great-grandfather) & wife had a store or they worked in a mill, I haven't been able to get that straight yet. The mill spanned the AL/GA border (and the river) and when my grandfather got in trouble in one state (he was quite the little juvenile delinquent) he would run to the other side of the mill to escape the cops.
Miles - born July 1, 1852 in Upson Co., GA, died Feb 2, 1915 in Troup Co., GA. Elizabeth - born April 1847 in Talbot Co., GA , died Aug 17, 1928 of pneumonia.
He & Eliza married Nov 5, 1871 in Upson Co., GA. They are both buried in Wehadkee Baptist Church Cemetary in La Grange, GA along with Jeanett, an infant daughter of their son James. From all the info I've seen on the 'net Miles & Eliza had 4 children-
Gus - buried in West Point, GA, married and had 2 sons, one named Watson.
James William Washington - b. July 4, year unknown. Married Anna Hadaway, had 16 children
Edgar - married Hattie Camilla Tingle on Aug 27, 1900 in Troup Co., GA, had Hattie, Rosa, Ruth, William b- July 1, 1903 in Lanett, AL died Sept 12, 1975 in Long Beach, WA(my grandfather).
Ella - married A.B. Culberson and had one daughter, according to the census. I have a 4 page letter, that I will send along with the pics, that says she had a son who died young. They then adopted a boy and girl.
However, my grandmother was sure that there were either 6 kids or 6 boys in the family. She was also sure that there was an Ella. In the 1900 census for Fredonia, AL Eliza Pitts is listed as being the mother of 7 children, 6 of whom are living (or were in 1900), so that ties in with my grandmother's recollections. The 4 children listed above were the ones still alive at the time of her death.
Researcher: Lorette Grier grandpa@pacifier.com
3. NAME: William Whitmel RUFFIN
---- BORN: 20 Oct 1854 PLACE: Talbot?, GA
DIED: 12 Jun 1936 PLACE: Cottondale, Fl
BUR: Cottondale Methodist Church PLACE: Jackson Co, Fl
SPOUSE:Mary Ann Waldrop
MARR: Jan 8, 1869 PLACE: Upson Co
Children:
Ida Ruffin b. ?
Charley Ruffin b. July 5, 1883
RESEARCHER: Diane Watkins (WatkinsCrazyDidi@aol.com)
4. NAME: Mary Francis RUFFIN
---- BORN: Abt 1853 PLACE: Upson Co/Talbot GA
DIED: PLACE:
BUR.: PLACE: GA
SPOUSE: William Waldrop
MARR: Jan 9, 1872 PLACE: Upson Co GA
5. NAME: Margaret M. Ruffin
---- BORN: Abt 1854 PLACE: Upson Co, GA
DIED: PLACE:
BUR:
SPOUSE: Henry J. McHarge (License says McCard. Deed says McHarge)
MARR: Aug 30, 1884 PLACE: ,?Upson,GA
6. NAME: GEORGE WASHINGTON RUFFIN
BORN: 22 Sep 1859 PLACE: Upson Co, GA
DIED: 4 Oct 1932 PLACE: Chambers Co, AL
BURIED: Oakwood Cemetery, Lanett, AL
Spouse: Nancy Elizabeth (Bettie) Ledford
Married: 27 Sept 1885 PLACE: Upson Co, GA
I, the undersigned child of William Ruffin deceased, being of full age and having in interest in said estate as distributed thereof, hereby select J.S. King, Clerk Superior Court as my choice to administer upon the estate of said deceased.
William Ruffin
Mary Francis Waldrop
Sept 6, 1890
James Johnson Ruffin born: June 12, 1847 GA (on grave marker) married: June 3, 1866 Al to Elizabeth Francis Busby died: Jan 18, 1931 buried Rush Springs, OK 84 years old Elizabeth Francis Busby born: Mar 12, 1851 Carroll Co, GA died: April 30, 1931 Rush Springs, OK Children: 1) Tercoral Ruffin (female) known as Cora born: July 1, 1869 MS married: James Moore Sept 30, 1885 in Van Zandt County, Texas died: February 18, 1908, Burial Riverside Cemetery (information comes from Hubert Moore, a grandson) Dortha Chase dorthachase@charter.net researcher for this line. Cora's Children Photo of Cora and Cora's tombstone available: J8day@cs.com Researcher: Lavern Moore-Osburn losburn@lcc.net 2) Cornelious Eugene Ruffin More on Cornelious born: Feb 28, 1874 TX married Jan 1, 1899 to Lona Hickey died: May 22, 1924 Ralls, TX Researcher: J8day@cs.com Janet 3)Lula E. Ruffin Born in 1878 and married Thomas Self from Johnson County Texas. Their marriage took place in Lamar county Texas. Researcher: Jeanne Ruffin ruffinj@infionline.net 4)M. (Martin) Pierce Ruffin Born: November 7,1887 in Texas lived in Wellington, TX ( he was in the census in Boswell Ok about 1920) Died January 22, 1955 in Los Angeles California. Researcher: Jeanne Ruffin ruffinj@infionline.net 5) Tebe Ruffin (male) James E. Ruffin ( Tebe) was born August 23, 1880 in Boswell OK. He died July 8, 1956. Buried in Boswell Ok along with his wife Beulah Leora Ruffin nee Harris.
[Tebe was a sherriff in Boswell for some years and was one of the few white men in town that spoke fluent Cherokee - so the merchants would call on him to interpret when the Indians came shopping. He had a big cattle operation just south of Boswell - was known all over the Indian Territory as a shrewed "horse trader". The original rock house he built for Beulah and the kids still stands in town - she didn't like the feed lot - so moved to town so the girls - Odessa and later Bobbie - could be more refined. ]
Researchers: Jeanne Ruffin ruffinj@infionline.net
Vicky Cupit vicky@ras147.com
6) Effie Ruffin (female) probably died at age 12 or 13 Researcher: J8day@cs.com JanetI'm trying to solve a family mystery and I need all the help I can get. When my grandparents married in Wood Cty Tx. on December 25 1898, my grandfather was 39 years old and my grandmother was 18 years old. They were 1st cousins, which I didn't know until I started my research 2 years ago. Since then I have found out that my father has some half siblings that he never knew anything about.....at least not to our knowledge, and our father, William Henry Moore died in 1980. I believe that my grandfather, Henry Levi Moore, was married to a lady named Lucinda. They lived in Indian Territory for a while until my grandfathers brother, Bomar Moore, was killed in September 1895. They then came back to Eastland County Texas and my grandfather left to go back to Oklahoma to find the man that killed Bomar. Sometime about 1896 or 1897 Lucinda either lived with or was married to Cornelious Ruffin, son of James Johnson Ruffin, because she thought my grandfather was dead. Cornelious was with her to take care of her and work the land because she was dying and was worried about her children. She died sometime before the end of 1898 and Cornelious married my grandfathers neice, Lona Hickey on January 1, 1899. I am told that one of the sons name was Perry Moore b, abt 1882 and I'd like to get in touch with any of his descendants. I don't believe Grandfather's first family knows anything about his second family and there were five children born to my grandparents. If this story is familiar to anyone, please get in touch with me. You can e-mail me at losburn@lcc.net. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Lavern Moore-Osburn
losburn@lcc.netWalter Augustine b. 7/29/1886, married Ida Anderson, 4/30/1905. Lizzie Ionous b. 3/6/1889, married Ira L. Chase 1906. Barbara Eugenie b 4/2/1891, died 11/23/1900. Missie Pearl, b 2/23/1893, married Ben Wilson 1/25/1909. . Harvie Clinton, b. 3/18/1895, died 2/8/1896. Lula Lee, B. 3/7/1897, Married Frank Summers 12/16/1923. Bertha Mae, b 1/14/1899 Married Roscoe Arbuckle. Auffie Ethridge b. 2/5/1905 in Boswell Okla. Married Millie Lucille Fox 4/1/1923. Irvin Freeman b 1/21/1907.Click here to send an e-mail message to Virginia Crilley
Return to Ruffin family page
Return to Homepage