The RUFFNER FAMILY ASSOCIATION
[Chartered - 1999]

        The Ruffner Family Association’s Purpose: ‘... is to maintain a society of members who will research and preserve their common heritage through the collection of historical artifacts and documents that form the basis for knowledge and appreciation of the historical role played by the Ruffner descendants and their collateral lines in the settlement of the American Frontier’.

        Who We Are: In June of 1999, the Ruffner Family Association [RFA] was chartered as a not-for-profit organization by the unanimous endorsement of the family members assembled for their Reunion at Lancaster, OH. They had been meeting at their reunions for the preceding eight years. This family organization came into being in response to the numerous expressions by family members for a formal organization to lead the way in family undertakings. Of special concern was organizing and sponsoring the biennial reunions, which had been initiated in 1991 by the late Lester W. ‘Budge’ Ruffner of AZ, and his cousin George Ruffner of OK. Both men are descendants of Benjamin Ruffner and his first wife, Catherine Burner.
        The RFA is mainly composed of persons who trace their ancestry back to one couple - the first of our Ruffner ancestors in America:

Peter Ruffner [c1713 – 1778] and Mary Steinman [1714 – 1798]

        These ancestors married in 1739 and went in that year to settle on the Hawksbill Patent’, where they built their home and raised their children. They were the parents of the following eight children. We describe the Branches of our Family Tree by the first name of each of these children, except Tobias who died at age 15 and Catherine who remains a mystery.

First Generation Children:
Joseph [1740 – 1803]; Benjamin [1742 – 1807]; Catherine [1744 - ?];
Peter, Jr [1746 – 1852]; Reuben [1748 – 1822]; Tobias [1752 – 1767];
Elizabeth [1755 – c1818]; Emanuel [1757 – 1848]

        Other members of the RFA are from Ruffner families whose ancestors immigrated to America at a different time than did Peter - 1732. The RFA accepts the possibility of our being related to most of these families.
        There are also a number of members who are ‘Friends’ of our Ruffner family and the RFA.

RFA’s Organization:

    1. Officers and Board of Directors - The various positions, as either an RFA Officer or member of the Board of Directors, are filled by members elected to guide and oversee the Association’s operation and activities.
    2. Publications Committee - These Committee members are presently working to update and publish the genealogy and history of the Peter and Mary (Steinman) Ruffner family through the present generations. Their tasks are to locate and survey the presently living family members, compile and organize the submitted information, publish the up-dated volumes of the genealogy and history, and archive all submitted materials. RFA membership is not required for a person to take part in the Publications Committee’s Survey. Your participation in the Survey is welcome, membership or not.
    3. Ruffner Roots & Ramblings - The RFA’s quarterly newsletter reports the family news, activities, and announcements along with special features. Through its pictures, stories, and reproductions of historical documents each issue presents an interesting collage of the past, as well as the present. The quality of this publication is unsurpassed by any other publication of this type. Every issue is superb!
    4. Family Events - Each event sponsored by the RFA offers excellent opportunities to make new friends or renew an acquaintance, to learn about the historical significance of the location, and to hear about the role our family member(s) played in the location’s development and history. They are held at geographic locations, which have a significant association with the family’s history, and tours are taken to many sites where a family member lived or some historic event took place.
    5. Endowment Fund - Inaugurated in June 2001, this endeavor calls for the Fund Trustees to coordinate and oversee the RFA’s efforts to initiate, promote, and support the following: Family Memorials, preservation and restoration of Family Burial Sites, establishment of a Family Archive, and associated Historical and Educational Projects. The Fund’s purpose is: ‘... to provide a collective, continuing, and self-perpetuating means for family members, friends and interested parties to support each program as designated by the RFA’.
    6. RuffnerFamily Website - You are presently viewing a part of the RFA’s efforts to use the internet to provide historical and educational information to the public. Thru periodic updates to this site, we will keep you informed about the RFA and its programs.

RFA’s Membership Information:

        Memberships are available in several categories to meet the needs of the individual, the student, and the family groups.
        All memberships are annual memberships and they are renewable in January of each year, except for the Life membership with its onetime payment.
        All persons related to the Ruffner family of Peter and Mary; the descendants from all other Ruffner émigré lines; and all friends of our Family are invited to become a member of RFA and take an active part in the Association’s many activities.
        We welcome you - One and All!

The RFA’s Membership Categories and Costs are:

Single: $20.00/yr.	Family: $30.00/yr.  [Family in a single household.]
Life: $500.00/onetime	Student: $10.00/yr.  [Living away from home.]

        To Apply for Membership: The RFA Membership Form is available in the Printable Forms section of this website. You may print it out to a single sheet of paper and use it to submit your membership information. Please enclose your check to cover your membership category. We would appreciate you attaching a listing of your family’s generational lineage - your connections to the Ruffner family - to the Membership Application Form.

Or,

        You may address your questions about the Ruffner family or get further information about the RFA by writing:

Ruffner Family Association
P.O. Box 351
Luray, VA 22835

        We thank you for taking the time and interest to read about our Ruffner Family Association. We would love to hear from you. It is always exciting to meet or hear from new relatives and friends. Consider joining us as we explore and celebrate our Ruffner family’s American heritage - a legacy paid for by the lives and deeds of our ancestors. Please share this information with each of your own family members and relatives.

Sincerely,
The Ruffner Family Association

Go to:

RFA Membership Form

RFA Information Request