V O L U M E 2 2 , I S S U E 3 , F A L L 2 0 1 9 RUFFNER ROOTS and Ramblings GREEN HILL CEMETERY PROJECT CONTINUES - NEEDS SUPPORT The Green Hill Cemetery on Main Street in Luray, Virginia was established in 1877. The most prominent memorial is the obelisk to William Staige Marye and wife Mary, daughter of Peter Ruffner, Jr. William Staige was one of the trustees to the founding of Luray in 1812. Over the years the cemetery has fallen into disrepair due to neglect and other reasons.In June 1962 a vandalism spree damaged 95 stones, including one that was dated 1842 and one that weighed more than one ton. Now, 57 years later with more than $20,000 in expenditures from generous donors, along with hundreds of volunteer hours, approximately 80% of the tombstones have been repaired. While the repairs are not complete, work continues to restore what vandalism, neglect and the ravages of time have done to this cemetery in its 142 year history. The cemetery is governed by a board of trustees and relies on donations for its ongoing maintenance. This requires approximately $10,000 per year from the public. The current trustees have instituted many activities to educate the public on the history and maintenance requirements of the cemetery. One of these activities is Sunday Strolls through the cemetery. In September Sam McNeely, current chairman of the trustees, presented a program on Ruffner ancestors buried there, along with a history of the Ruffner family and its role in settling the community since 1739. RUFFNER FAMILY ASSOCIATION M A Y 2 0 2 0 | I S S U E N O . 5 PRESIDENT MEMBERSHIP Marria Blinn, Illinois Sam McNeely P.O. Box 351, TREASURER & COO Luray, VA 22835 [email protected] Samuel H. McNeely, Virginia FACEBOOK POSTMASTER ASSISTANT TREASURER Charlotte Ruffner Bryan Wallace, Indiana [email protected] SECRETARY NEWSLETTER EDITOR Rebecca Ruffner, Arizona Kimberly McCue 207 Bryant Avenue HISTORIAN North Augusta, SC 29841 Betty Lou Gaeng, Alaska Betty [email protected] MISSION STATEMENT Chartered and incorporated in 1999 to support an association of members who will research and LIBRARIAN preserve their common heritage through the collection of Judy Henderson, Virginia artifacts and documents which form the basis for knowledge and appreciation of the historic role played by the Ruffner BOARD OF DIRECTORS descendants and their collective lines in the settlement and Betty Ann Axline, Virginia development of the American Frontier. Robert Brown, Virginia Marilyn Courtade, Washington RUFFNERFAMILY.ORG Leila Garcia, Virginia Phyllis Hershock, Pennsylvania Angela Hinzey, Virginia THANK YOU JOAN! Jim Johnson, Ohio Charlotte Ruffner, California It is with sincere gratitude that we say THANK YOU to Joan Ruffner K. Daniel Ruffner, Ohio Reid for her many years of valuable service as Editor for Ruffner Douglas Ruffner, Oklahoma Roots & Ramblings newsletter. Joan is a highly skilled editor, writer, researcher and graphic designer who preserved the Ruffner Gary Ruffner, Illinois family history through her award-winning newsletters. We will Melissa Ruffner, Arizona always Nancy Lee Ruffner Shifflett, Virginia remember her elegant touch in our newsletters and are so happy to know that Joan will continue to be an important part of the RFA DIRECTORS EMERITI serving as Director Emeritus! Hats off to you, Cousin Joan! And, Betty Lou Gaeng, AK (active) Thank You from the bottom of our hearts! Samuel H. McNeely, VA (active) Joan Ruffner Reid, OH (active) Elisabeth Ruffner, AZ (deceased) Shirley Ann Sheets, CO (deceased) Rev. Dorotha Russell, TX (deceased) Robert Newman Sheets, CO (deceased) Lester Ward Ruffner, AZ (deceased) Doris Laver Ruffner, OH (deceased) Have an announcement? Email your news and a photo to: Olive Taylor Ruffner, OH (deceased) [email protected]. The Winter issue George E. Ruffner, IL (deceased) deadline is January 9, 2020. FROM OUR PRESIDENT Here in the Midwest the temperatures have been slowly dropping, the color is fading from the trees while a few leaves here and there are debuting red and yellow colors. We are welcoming the beginning of fall. In addition to serving as President for the Ruffner Family Association, I also serve as Illinois State Historian for the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. Some of my duties consist of representing the state and 104 of its chapters to identify and mark historical sites, and Revolutionary War Patriots/Soldiers and their wives’ and daughters’ graves. As I travel our state to attend events, the conversations always include the topic genealogy. I am so proud of the Ruffner Family Association and readily share information about our great organization. People are amazed at the success that we have had with preserving our family history and maintaining our organization. I have not met another person who has a family organization such as ours, although many express, they wish they had the opportunity. We all enjoy the benefits of the RFA and to make sure it continues for generations to come, have an obligation to contribute in some way. Please consider making a donation so the RFA can continue its projects and historical preservation, serve in a board/committee position or submit information or articles to the Ruffner Roots & Ramblings and Facebook page. We are always looking for good quality items for our newsletter and Facebook page! A strong sense of thankfulness comes to mind when I think of the work our founding members and those who have maintained the RFA and its mission have invested throughout the years. Phyllis Hershock, Past President, had many years of great support from her husband, Craig Herschock. I am saddened to report that Craig passed away recently and will be dearly missed by the RFA. Please check out the RFA Facebook page to see some amazing research and information! Thank you, Charlotte, Facebook Postmaster, and other contributing members for posting this collection of truly remarkable Ruffner associated articles, photos, and information. Also, thank you to our new Editor, Kimberly McCue, for producing this edition of the Ruffner Roots & Ramblings that I know you will all enjoy! Until next time…..enjoy the autumn splendor in your part of the country! Marria Blinn RFA President [email protected] UPDATE ON RUFFNER COLLECTION AT LONGWOOD UNIVERSITY by Marria Blinn Many places across the United States have experienced a wet and humid summer. Inside of Longwood University, the dehumidifier and air conditioners have worked with these conditions to keep a perfectly balanced humidity level and temperature for the archival room where the Ruffner Family Collection is housed and other archival rooms as well. Archivist Ben Chatelain checks the temperature and humidity levels, daily, and one day, discovered that the mechanical equipment had worked a bit too hard and was no longer functioning properly. The temperature and humidity began to rise in the rooms surrounding the Ruffner Collection room. Ben and his staff immediately began moving archival materials to a new location at the university where the temperature could carefully be controlled and monitored. The Ruffner Collection was also moved as a preemptive measure. The entire move included over 2,000 boxes of archival materials and took several weeks during the summer to complete. The Ruffner Collection is currently placed in a very accessible location so the digitalizing process can continue. The University is in the process of replacing the faulty equipment and the work will complete around the end of December with the archival records moving back to their original location in January 2020. Archivist Ben Chatelain has met with the University administration and they have consented to begin a search for an intern to assist with the digitalization. The RFA is very grateful to Ben for his diligence in keeping a watchful eye over the Ruffner Collection. CELEBRATION HELD IN ARIZONA HONORS ELISABETH RUFFNER ANOTHER RUFFNER QUERY AND A STORY By Betty Lou Gaeng Opal, Virginia—ever hear of it? Unless you are familiar with Fauquier County in Virginia, you probably haven’t. Warrenton, the capital of Fauquier County, is a short 13-minute drive to the north—8.9 miles. Luray in Page County, is 46.9 miles—about an hour’s drive to the west. Opal is an unincorporated community, with a population of 692, as listed in the 2010 federal census records. The area’s most well-known business appears to be Quarles Truck Stop—a place where a long-haul trucker can park his truck with at least 74 other long-haulers, fuel up to continue his trip, get a shower, have a good meal of on-site barbequed chicken, maybe attend religious services on a Sunday, attend to paper work, and most of all, get a good rest at the motel. So, what does Opal, Virginia, have to do with another Ruffner story? Recently our COO, Sam McNeely, received a query from a lady (not of Ruffner lineage), whose mother owns a farm near Opal. She emailed: “There was a burial site on my mother’s land in Opal, VA. Do you know who, what and when?” She further stated: “When my stepfather had the land, the only remaining building was a large red barn, but we were told the Ruffner family were buried in a stand of trees on the NE portion of the land.” She also mentioned that she remembered being told they were lost in a fire.When Sam contacted me, the information provided did sound a bit familiar. Sam and I started checking and we both quickly found the connection. The answer to the query regarding the old farm appears in several records, and especially in the Peter Ruffner, Jr. 2007 book. Jesse Andrew Jackson Ruffner5 (Joshua Anderson Ruffner4, Joshua Ruffner3, Peter Ruffner Jr.2, Peter Ruffner1) and his wife, the former Emma Dora Ball (aka Emadora Ball), were once the owners of the farm in Opal, Virginia.