Lewis Ruffner
Encyclopedia
Lewis Ruffner was a salt manufacturer from Malden
in Kanawha County
in the area near what is now Charleston, West Virginia
. He was a community leader and a member of the Virginia General Assembly
in the years before the American Civil War
. He served in the West Virginia House of Delegates
and was commissioned in the local militia by the new state as a Major General. In the years after the War, for a time, General Ruffner was in charge of the Lock and Dam Improvement Project of the U.S. Government on the Kanawha River
. . He died in 1883 after falling from a horse while extremely drunk.
Ruffner's daughter, Patti Ruffner Jacobs
, became a prominent suffragist
in Birmingham, Alabama
.
(1820–1904), a schoolteacher
whom he married in 1843, are remembered for employing a young Booker T. Washington
as a houseboy
in the years shortly after Emancipation. Mrs. Ruffner inspired Washington to seek an education and the couple and famous African American
educator became lifelong friends.
Young Booker came to Malden, West Virginia
with his mother Jane after Emanicipation in late 1865. Following other jobs of manual labor including working in the salt wells, he served as the Ruffner family's houseboy
. He lived there until 1872, when he left to attend Hampton Institute
at the age of sixteen.
According to the first of his autobiographies, Up From Slavery
, Mrs. Ruffner had a harsh reputation for her rigid and strict manner, was feared by her servants and could only keep temporary employees due to her demands and expectations. She was a conservative and hardworking person who valued education, cleanliness, promptness, and honesty above all else. She taught Washington the value of a dollar, and encouraged him to further his schooling, allowing him to attend school for an hour each day. Washington expresses his extreme respect and utmost regard for Ruffner, calling her "one of the best friends I ever had."
Viola and Lewis Ruffner remained key benefactors of Washington's political and civil efforts, with Viola and Booker T. Washington continuing their strong friendship after the General died in 1883 until her death 21 years later.
In modern times, the Ruffner and Washington families are still good friends, and had a reunion in Charleston, West Virginia
in 2002. It is also noted that the Ruffners attend the Washington family reunion at Hampton
annually, and both families still contribute to causes for the growth of society.
Malden, West Virginia
Malden is an unincorporated community in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States, within the Charleston metro area. The ZIP code for Malden is 25306 and the area code is 304. Malden is set in the Eastern Standard Time Zone.-History:...
in Kanawha County
Kanawha County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 200,073 people, 86,226 households, and 55,960 families residing in the county. The population density was 222 people per square mile . There were 93,788 housing units at an average density of 104 per square mile...
in the area near what is now Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
. He was a community leader and a member of the Virginia General Assembly
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
in the years before the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He served in the West Virginia House of Delegates
West Virginia House of Delegates
The West Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the West Virginia Legislature. Only three states—Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia—refer to their lower house as the House of Delegates.-Historical:-Current:-District organization:...
and was commissioned in the local militia by the new state as a Major General. In the years after the War, for a time, General Ruffner was in charge of the Lock and Dam Improvement Project of the U.S. Government on the Kanawha River
Kanawha River
The Kanawha River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 mi long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The largest inland waterway in West Virginia, it has formed a significant industrial region of the state since the middle of the 19th century.It is formed at the town of Gauley...
. . He died in 1883 after falling from a horse while extremely drunk.
Ruffner's daughter, Patti Ruffner Jacobs
Patti Ruffner Jacobs
Pattie Ruffner Jacobs was an American women's suffragist from Birmingham, Alabama.Pattie Ruffner was born in 1875 in West Virginia, the daughter of salt merchant Lewis Ruffner...
, became a prominent suffragist
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
.
Booker T. Washington
General Ruffner became widowed and he and his second wife Viola (née Knapp) RuffnerViola Ruffner
Viola Knapp Ruffner was a schoolteacher and became the second wife of General Lewis Ruffner, a salt and coal mine owner and community leader in Kanawha County, West Virginia. She played a role in the personal development of Booker T. Washington, who worked in their household as a teenager after...
(1820–1904), a schoolteacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
whom he married in 1843, are remembered for employing a young Booker T. Washington
Booker T. Washington
Booker Taliaferro Washington was an American educator, author, orator, and political leader. He was the dominant figure in the African-American community in the United States from 1890 to 1915...
as a houseboy
Domestic worker
A domestic worker is a man, woman or child who works within the employer's household. Domestic workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from providing care for children and elderly dependents to cleaning and household maintenance, known as housekeeping...
in the years shortly after Emancipation. Mrs. Ruffner inspired Washington to seek an education and the couple and famous African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
educator became lifelong friends.
Young Booker came to Malden, West Virginia
Malden, West Virginia
Malden is an unincorporated community in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States, within the Charleston metro area. The ZIP code for Malden is 25306 and the area code is 304. Malden is set in the Eastern Standard Time Zone.-History:...
with his mother Jane after Emanicipation in late 1865. Following other jobs of manual labor including working in the salt wells, he served as the Ruffner family's houseboy
Domestic worker
A domestic worker is a man, woman or child who works within the employer's household. Domestic workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from providing care for children and elderly dependents to cleaning and household maintenance, known as housekeeping...
. He lived there until 1872, when he left to attend Hampton Institute
Hampton University
Hampton University is a historically black university located in Hampton, Virginia, United States. It was founded by black and white leaders of the American Missionary Association after the American Civil War to provide education to freedmen.-History:...
at the age of sixteen.
According to the first of his autobiographies, Up From Slavery
Up From Slavery
Up from Slavery is the 1901 autobiography of Booker T. Washington detailing his slow and steady rise from a slave child during the Civil War, to the difficulties and obstacles he overcame to get an education at the new Hampton University, to his work establishing vocational schools—most notably the...
, Mrs. Ruffner had a harsh reputation for her rigid and strict manner, was feared by her servants and could only keep temporary employees due to her demands and expectations. She was a conservative and hardworking person who valued education, cleanliness, promptness, and honesty above all else. She taught Washington the value of a dollar, and encouraged him to further his schooling, allowing him to attend school for an hour each day. Washington expresses his extreme respect and utmost regard for Ruffner, calling her "one of the best friends I ever had."
Viola and Lewis Ruffner remained key benefactors of Washington's political and civil efforts, with Viola and Booker T. Washington continuing their strong friendship after the General died in 1883 until her death 21 years later.
In modern times, the Ruffner and Washington families are still good friends, and had a reunion in Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
in 2002. It is also noted that the Ruffners attend the Washington family reunion at Hampton
Hampton, Virginia
Hampton is an independent city that is not part of any county in Southeast Virginia. Its population is 137,436. As one of the seven major cities that compose the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, it is on the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula. Located on the Hampton Roads Beltway, it hosts...
annually, and both families still contribute to causes for the growth of society.