~Early Generations
The Descendants
of
Peter Ruffner and Mary Steinman
~
THE FIRST GENERATION
~Children of Peter Ruffner and Mary Steinman
The children of Peter
Ruffner [1713 – 1778] and Mary Steinman [1714 – 1798] were the first Ruffner
children of our family to be America-born. Most of them lived to see the days of
the American Revolution, the formation of a new nation of states - our United
States of America, and the expansion of this new nation along its western
frontier - especially the Northwest Territory. Many of them took part in one or
more of these happenings. We are proud of the part they played in these events,
and we are grateful for the sacrifices and contributions they made to help
assure the many opportunities we, and each of our fellow citizens, enjoy today.
Each of these 8 children of Peter and Mary was born at the
Ruffner Homestead, which is located in what is now the town of Luray in Page
County, Virginia. Herein we give you a brief account of these children and list
the children of their marriage(s).
The dates we have included are based on the information
stated by Doris [Laver] Ruffner and Olive [Taylor] Ruffner in their 1966
publication of ‘Peter Ruffner and His Descendants’, and the
1969 Supplement edition of the same title. The dates we show as missing will be
corrected when they have been found and are documented.
For information about our present efforts to find and
document the complete story of our Ruffner/Steinman family in America, please go
to the Publications Committee part of this site.
The first generation children were:
~
Joseph Ruffner
The first child was born on
September 25, 1740. He married Ann Hiestand [or
Heistand] on May 22, 1764. Ann was born on October 15, 1742, a daughter of Henry
Hiestand.
Joseph and Ann settled and lived at what is now Mundellsville,
close to Luray. At this location, Joseph built and owned the first mill on this
site. The original Willow Grove Mills was destroyed by fire. Today on this site
there is a mill of the same name, which was constructed in the 19th
century.
Various accounts tell us Joseph was a very successful farmer
and businessman who traveled far and wide buying and selling. Original receipts
indicate he did a lot of trading in Fredericksburg, which required him to go
east over the Blue Ridge Mountains with his wagonloads of goods. These same
receipts indicate he dealt on numerous occasions in very large quantities of
trade goods and money. For thirty years he and his family prospered as he
pursued his farming, raising his livestock, and crossing the countryside with
his wagons filled for trading.
About 1794 after a fire destroyed a barn containing much
grain and many of his animals, Joseph set out on a journey along the upper James
River in search of iron ore. On this fateful journey, he met and traveled for a
time with Colonel Dickerson from Point Pleasant. After hearing the Colonel talk
so glowingly about the buffalo salt licks on the Kanawha River and the prospects
of producing salt on the western frontier, Joseph bought the Colonel’s land
containing the salt licks without seeing it. For the 502 acres of land, he paid
500 pounds plus future considerations if producing the salt proved to be
profitable.
In the spring of 1795, Joseph made a journey by horseback to
inspect the land he had bought. Upon his arrival in the Kanawha Valley, he was
so impressed by the lands of the river bottom he bought all he could obtain. The
thousand or so acres he acquired included the log structures of Fort Lee, all of
the unsold lots of the young town, and all the bottomland surrounding the Fort.
This land covered most of what is today known as Charleston, West Virginia.
Upon his return to the Shenandoah Valley, he sold all his
lands there and in the latter part of 1795 moved his entire family to the
Kanawha Valley. He left his eldest son behind to settle his affairs. A year
later, the son and his family followed Joseph to Kanawha.
Joseph’s initial interest in the potential of the salt was
quickly replaced by his enthusiasm for farming the rich bottomland he had
acquired. He would continue to acquire huge amounts of land in this new
territory.
He did not live to see the development of the salt industry.
But, in his will he specified his sons were to either utilize the salt resources
or sell the land and divide the proceeds. Joseph’s fateful directive led to
the Kanawha area becoming the leading salt producer on the western frontier. His
sons did devise and develop the method of drilling and extracting the brine from
a depth, which provided a higher concentration and quality brine. They then
began to produce and market the
prized commodity - Salt.
Joseph and Ann were the parents of 8 children. They were:
Esther [1765 – 1783]; David [1767 – 1843]; Joseph,
Jr. [1769 – 1837];
Tobias [1770 – 1834]; Samuel [1773 – 18--]; Eve [1775
– 1821];
Daniel [1779 – 1865]; Abraham [1781 – 1854].
Joseph and Ann both died in Charleston, Kanawha County, Virginia - now WV. Joseph died on March 23, 1803 and Ann followed on August 19, 1820. They are buried at Charleston beneath the towering trees in the quiet beauty of Ruffner Hollow, which is known today as Rifleman’s Memorial Park.
~
Benjamin Ruffner
The second child and son was born on
August 14,1742 at the Ruffner homestead on the Hawksbill Creek. His first
marriage was to Catherine Burner. Catherine [or
Ann] was a daughter of Jacob Burner of Page County and a sister to Elizabeth,
the wife of Benjamin’s brother Peter, Jr.
Benjamin grew up on his parent’s farm where he learned the
art of husbandry from his father. He would acquire 640 prime acres of farmland
from his father when he came of age. This farm, located just one mile south of
his brother Joseph's farm at Mundellsville, is where he brought his new wife
Catherine and where they would rear their six children before her death.
He was wed a second time to Elizabeth Heistand, who was born
in 1756. Together they reared seven more children.
Benjamin, like his brothers, was a tall and burley man of
unusual strength who served in the local Militia, Michael Rader's Company,
during the American Revolution. He saw duty along with his brother at Fort Pitt
[Pittsburgh], in 1775.
Upon his death he left an extensive will and estate inventory
indicating a certain amount of financial success. His will was written on May 9,
1806, and he died shortly after, the will being proved in court July 7, 1806. He
left his farm to his second wife Elizabeth who before 1812 migrated to Ohio with
her son Michael, age 13. When Benjamin signed his will he knew his oldest son
Peter had died in Ohio. He did not mention this son’s widow or know the names
of his two grandchildren by this son, but he did provide for these grandchildren
in the distribution. All of Benjamin's children would eventually migrate to
Ohio, except Reuben, Elizabeth, and Catherine.
The old home place of Benjamin and his two wives still stands
today a short distance from Luray. This house is one of the best preserved of
Page County's early dwellings. Originally a two-story log home built on a stone
foundation, much like his parent's original house, it has an added third story
and extensions. The major portion of the ground floor is dug into the hillside.
The original log walls are encased in the current exterior walls.
Not long before Elizabeth and her son Michael followed the
other children who had gone to Ohio, the Samuel Forrer family acquired
Benjamin's farm. Abram Kendrick later owned the house and property, and then his
son Timothy obtained possession. Both of these Kendrick men are buried in the
Benjamin Ruffner Burial Ground. Later, the house passed to the Moyer family, and
then to the Frank family who added the third story. In 1956 the Frank family
sold the farm, which over the passing years had been reduced to 75 acres.
The six children of Benjamin and Catherine were:
Peter [ - ]; Benjamin, Jr. [ - ]; Mary [
- ];
Regina [ - ]; Martin [ - ]; Ann [ - ].
The seven children of Benjamin and Elizabeth were:
Emanuel [ - ]; Reuben [ - ]; Abraham [ - ];
Barbara [ - ]; Michael [ - ]; Elizabeth [ - ];
Catherine [ - ].
Benjamin died in 1806, and both he and his first wife Catherine, whose dates of birth and death are unknown, are buried in the family burial ground on his Page County farm. Benjamin’s second wife Elizabeth died January 20, 1820, in Fairfield County, Ohio and is buried on her brother-in-law Emanuel's farm in the Ruffner-Friend Family Cemetery.
~
The third child was born on May 13, 1744.
There are 2 theories as to Catherine’s fate. We will
withhold further comment about Catherine for the present time, but simply state
each theory briefly. Should more information be documented later, we will add
it.
Early family writings simply state, ‘Catherine died young’.
But, some persons contend Catherine lived a long life, married a man named Clem,
and together they raised a large family.
~
The fourth child was born on December 13,
1746. He married Elizabeth Burner.
Peter, Jr. was given the family homestead by direction of his
father’s will in 1778. His mother Mary continued to reside at the homestead, a
gift from her father Joseph Steinman, until her death in 1798. Peter, Jr and his
family continued to live there until his death.
The children of Peter, Jr. and Elizabeth were:
Isaac [ - 1820]; Elizabeth [ - ]; Jonas [ca.
1781 - ];
Joshua [ca. 1782 - ]; Christina [ca. 1783 - ]; Esther [ -
];
Mary [1785 - ]; Nancy [ca. 1788 - ]; John [ - ];
Barbara [ - ]; Catherine [ - ].
Peter, Jr. is known to have died on 20 May, 1811, but Elizabeth’s date of death is unknown. Both are presumed to be buried in the family cemetery located on the homestead.
~
The fifth child was born on October 20,
1748. He married Catherine Dager on April 10, 1775
in Virginia. The true identity of Catherine is not known as no clues to her
identity have been found in the marriage records.
Reuben and his family lived on the Big Hawksbill creek and
their log cabin is still standing near a much later built brick home.
Thankfully, the property owners have preserved the cabin through the intervening
years.
In the late 1780s, Reuben moved his wife and their small
family to Lincoln County, KY. Although we have no certain date for the family’s
departure from Virginia, a deed to Reuben Ruffner in Lincoln County, KY bears
the date of 15 June, 1789. His name appears on tax lists thereafter and he was
an appraiser of an estate in 1792.
Eight children, four daughters and four sons, were born into
this branch of the family according to the names found in Reuben’s will.
The children of Reuben and Catherine were:
Barbara [1778 - 1850]; Henry [1781 - 1863]; Nancy
[1785 - after 1860];
Elizabeth [1787/8 - ]; David [179- - ]; Emanuel [179- - ];
Samuel [1796 - ]; Catherine [1797 - 1864].
Reuben died in 1822 and Catherine died after 1830, both of them in Lincoln County, KY. It is supposed they were buried on their own property since the cemetery and burial records in Lincoln County have revealed no information about this couple.
~
The sixth child was born on August 4,
1752. He did not live to adulthood, nor marry.
Only a little is known about Tobias. Family writings simply
say he died as a result of a logging accident on the Homestead at the age of 15
years.
This grim reminder of the hardships, sacrifices, and tragic
events these early pioneers and their families faced and had to endure to make a
frontier wilderness into a home is something we should never forget.
Tobias died in 1767 and was probably buried at the Ruffner
Homestead.
~
Elizabeth Ruffner
The seventh child was born on March 4,
1755. She married Jacob Stover, who was born about
1753 in Frederick County, VA.
Elizabeth and Jacob lived at Stovertown, now Strasburg, and
raised a family of 8 children. Most of what is known about this couple comes
from Jacob’s will in 1816. Elizabeth is not mentioned in Jacob’s will, so it
is presumed she died before Jacob wrote it. The will mentions the division of
monies, land, slaves, and gives directions for the custodial care and
guardianship of one of the daughters.
The children of Elizabeth and Jacob were:
Mary [ - ]; Barbara [ca. 1778 - ]; Catherine
[ 1781 - 1867];
Frainey [ca. 1783 - 1822]; John [ca. 1789 - ]; Joseph [1790
- 1864];
Anna [1797 - 1866]; Elizabeth [ca. 1806 - ].
Jacob died in 1816 and Elizabeth probably died before that time. They are buried somewhere in the vicinity of Strasburg, but the exact location is presently not known.
~
Emanuel Ruffner
The eighth child was born on March 31, 1757.
He married first Magdalene Grove, who was born
November 12, 1757 in Virginia to Christian Grove and Anna Roads. She was a
granddaughter of Rev. John Roads, a Mennonite minister, and his wife Eve
Albright.
Emanuel and Magdalene lived on a farm near where Blackford's
Furnace stood. Later they sold this farm and bought another on the Big
Hawksbill.
In 1803, Emanuel traveled to the Ohio country and purchased a
section (690 acres) of land. A short time later, Emanuel and his entire family,
except for one married daughter, left Virginia and moved to what is now
Fairfield County, Ohio. This married daughter, Barbara, and her husband David
Pence [Bentz, or Pentz] moved to Ohio a couple of years later.
Emanuel and Magdalene were original members of the
Predestinarian Baptist Church of Pleasant Run, which was organized in 1806.
Other members of the congregation also came from the same area of Virginia. This
Baptist church was formed on anti-slavery.
Emanuel later purchased 3 more sections and an additional 220
acres of land in Fairfield County. Two of the sections of land were sold shortly
after being purchased. Emanuel divided his original section, the other section,
and the 220 acres between his living heirs before his death. The 220 acres has
remained in Emanuel's family, even to this day.
Emanuel was said to have been a giant in size and strength, 6
feet 3 inches tall with arms as large as an ordinary man's leg. Many of his
children were often described in the same manner.
Emanuel and Magdalene were the parents of eleven (11) children:
Jacob - [1781 - 1839]; Barbara - [1782 - 1831]; John
- [1785 - 1863];
Henry - [1789 - 1806]; Anna - [1790 - 1863]; Elizabeth -
[1794 - 1860];
Magdalene - [1796 - 1876]; Joseph - [1796 - 1871];
Emanuel, II
- [1798 - 1852]; Susanna - [1801 - 1885];
Mary Ann - [1802 - 1828].
Perhaps there were additional children.
Emanuel's obituary states he was the father of 14 children. And, a great-great
granddaughter of Emanuel's wrote of another child - Joshua - who never came to
Ohio.
Magdalene died November 20, 1822 and was buried next to her
son Henry who had died before her. Emanuel married Elizabeth Whitman in 1824 in
Fairfield County, Ohio. Elizabeth died December 1, 1842 and Emanuel died June 4,
1848. All are buried in the Ruffner-Friend Cemetery, which is still under the
care of one of Emanuel's descendants.
~
Thus ends the First Generation!
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Ancestors: Peter Ruffner & Mary Steinman |
The Early Generations |
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