Sussex Ruffin Origin Theory
Ruthven Origin Theory
Ruffin from Sussex
It is now thought (although not conclusively proven) that William Ruffin came from England, possibly
Sussex County. When William
arrived in Virginia, he was an eighteen-year-old commoner who
signed his name with an X.
Map of England
We are grateful to Lucy Ruffin for her diligent efforts in proving either theory.
William was
not only illiterate, but if you look at the dates, there is a skipped
generation, which everyone who staunchly believes this theory, completely ignores.
We have a christening record of William Ruffine, son of Robert Ruffine (and
wife) of Treyford in Sussex County England. It is dated 14 Oct 1618. He had an
older brother named Robert, christened 4 Sep 1615.
I have since found the will
of Robert Ruffin, dated 27 Sept 1630. I will copy Monk's translation below.
Unfortunately, the will does not give the names of his children. So, I can't
be certain that this Robert Ruffin is the father of the William who was
christened in Treyford. The will was written in Midhurst, which only means he
may have moved to Midhurst sometime before his death and after William was
born.
There is a William Ruffyn of Midhurst, (who may have been Robert's
brother) who's son William Ruffin was christened on 2 Aug. 1618. This is
another of the three Williams found in the IGI that could have been our
William. Good reason to move to Midhurst. Midhurst and Treyford are very near
each other in West Sussex.
It has always been a question to me, as to, how William could have paid his
passage to America, since he was not found to be a headright.
My theory: Assuming the christening
record is of our William, he had an older brother named Robert. And assuming
this is the will of William's father, Robert was a yeoman (my dictionary
defines yeoman as a small landowner, a servant in a noble household, an
assistant or subordinate as to a sheriff) and assuming he was a small
landowner, he probably gave his land to his namesake and oldest son, Robert,
who would have been 15 at his death. (Remember Robert(3) and brother
William(3) who were in very much the same situation when William left for NC!)
Now this brings us to his ability to pay his passage to America. He was
probably given a monetary inheritance upon reaching age 18. William would have
been 13 years when his father died.
Do you see how this theory, with all its assumptions is still no closer to the
truth than the Ruthven theory! I had not intended to send this will of Robert
Ruffin to the Ruffin List until I had some positive link to William, like "my
son in America" written somewhere. Dreaming again!
So, now, the question is.....what degree of proof do we accept? I don't know.
But what I have found so far in Sussex gives me the incentive to continue in
this direction. There are Ruffins I have found in a previous generation who
could have been the parents of Robert. There is still much to go on with what
we have. The names of Robert's friends in the will may be of help. I will continue.
Will of Robert Ruffin
In the name of God amen Robert Ruffin of Midhurst in the County of Sussex
Yeoman being sicke of body but of good and perfect minde and memory did in
the presence of William Moorey, John Locke, Richard Locke, John Chrismas and
John Poling the seaven and twentith day of September in the year of our Lord
God one thousand six hundred thirty make and declare this last will and
testament noncupative in manner and forme in effect as follows
Imprimus; Hee willed and desired John Locke, Richard Locke, John Chrismas and
John Poling to be his friends intrust to sell his goods and to pay his debts
and hee willed that yf any moneys shall remayne in his friends of trust hands
aforesaid after his debts are paid that all cash moneys should remayne to his
children. In witness hereof wee the aforesaid William Moorey, John Locke,
Richard Locke, John Chrismas and John Poling have hereunto sett our hands the
second day of October Anno Domino one thousand six hundred and thirty.
Monk gives the following note:
I have not changed any spelling or wording. The only thing I have a question
about is the name Poling, but even in the certification it appears to be
Poling.
This is a noncuparative will, meaning it was not written by Robert Ruffin, but
was dictated to three or more witnesses (as required by law) and then
testified in court as to the wishes of the deceased.
Notice that they use "y" as an "i" in two words.
Imprimis means "Let it be printed."
There was also an inventory, which was much harder to read, but Monk says it
gives no details of what the disposition of the items was.
Another way to look at this..........we now know that Robert had children, so
we can't rule him out.
Again, if anyone has documents that tell us William Ruffin(1) is a descendant
of Lord Ruthven of Scotland, I would really like to see them. Until then, I
will continue to look in Sussex County, England.
For those of you who believe like I do that we must document our sources and
fully research all _clues_, there is a very good "letter to the editor" of
RootsWeb Review, Vol. 2, No. 14.
Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2003 15:59:58 -0700
From: Barbara Mallyon
Source: KENT-ENG-L@rootsweb.com
Subject: [Kent] Researching the RUFFIN family
There is a William RUFFIN married 23 April 1604 Minster Sheppey, name of
wife not given. ref IGI
Possibly the son also called William.
William RUFFIN born 1617 Gravesend, ref IGI
When William was 18 years he sailed to America 24 July 1635 on the ship
"Assurance"
Master of the ship Isaac BROMWELL, they sailed from Gravesend.
It appears that William RUFFIN was the father of all Americans named
RUFFIN.
These appear to be my ancestors. I have got back to my 4 x great grandfather also a William RUFFIN born approx 1777 married to Ann VINTER 11 May 1799
St. Mary the Virgin Church, Dover.
There is a gap in the IGI from 1617 to 1799 if anyone has any information on the RUFFIN family I would be very pleased to hear from you.
Names that have married into the RUFFIN family at St. Mary the Virgin Church, Dover.
Francos Maria married George Edward ANDERSON 24 April 1825
John married Mary BAKER 20 April 1794
John married Ann HOPTON 4 May 1803
John married Mary KELL 9 July 1814
John Denning married Jemima GOODWIN 1 July 1827
William Henry married Sarah RICHARDS 1 July 1827
Ann married Thomas HUTCHINGS 21 December 1790
Ann married Thomas MORRIS 19 October 1801
RUTHVEN THEORY
In the past there had been much thought that all the Ruffin family in the USA began with the one William Ruthven, the fourth son of William RUTHVEN, who was Earl of Gowrie, a Scottish nobleman, executed for his enmity to Mary, Queen of Scots, when young William was only 3 years old.
It is believed that he later fled to France, and eventually to Virginia, changing his name from Ruthven to RUFFIN.
Ed Dunn had some very good suggestions for anyone interested in pursuing the
Ruthven theory. The one that I remember clearly is to make contact with the
Lord Ruthven of today (their title was restored in later years). He would most
certainly be the best source for Ruthven ancestry now. I hope someone will
take the challenge to research the Ruthvens. Maybe we can settle this once and
for all.
"Thomas Ruffin"
I just returned from London, and I'm sorry to say that my trip was not very productive so far as my Ruffin research goes. I had hoped that I would be able to find something - anything - that could help resolve the dispute as to whether we are of English or Scotch descent.
First of all, I was disappointed that I only had one day to allocate to the research. Secondly, the Family Records Centre was extremely busy - almost chaotic, mostly Americans researching their British roots. The center appears to be under-funded, and is located in a bad section of London.
In order to obtain assistance/advice, I would have to stand in a long line with other researchers - all anxious and having their own time restraints. The Brits working in the facility were always courteous, however, they tend to provide you with a simple, somewhat terse response, rather than guiding you through the process or providing any information not specifically requested. As a result, it seemed that I spent more time in the line waiting for assistance than I did in research.
The following is transcribed from my notes. If you have any further interest in any of it, or wish to discuss it, please let me know. You can E-mail me or call me on my toll-free line at: (800) 284-3579, ext. 329.
Generally, the records maintained at the center that would be applicable to the Ruffins are:
1. Wills and administrations 1383 to 1858 from the Prerogative Court of Canterbury ("PCC").
2. Many non-conformist registers 1567 to 1837.
3. Miscellaneous foreign returns of births, marriages and deaths 1627 to 1960.
4. A range of supplementary indexes and publications on family history.
My first effort was to search the indices to Wills and administrations for the years 1578 through 1636, for entries with the surname of Thornton, Ruffin, Whitehead, and Drewry. I found:
1627
John Ruffin, Portsmouth, Hants.
1631
John Thornton of Lenton, Lincs., 3/24/1630, by Edward Drewry.
Robert Whitehead of Semperington, Lincs., 5/11/1631, by Thomas Hincks.
1632
Thomas Thornton of Brockhill, Northants.
Edward Whitehead of London
1633
Mabell Ruffin of Eastrop, p. Highworth, Wilts., widow, 5/21/1633
John Thornton of Byfield, Northants., by son John
While I was at the center, I checked the British Isles version of the IGI. I found two entries for Catherine or Katherine Ruffins. (You may already be aware of these, since I know you have access to the IGI.)
Catarine Ruffin was christened 6 Aug. 1596, in Midhurst, Sussex. Her father was Robart Ruffin
Katherine Ruffin married Richard Stent on 27 Aug. 1619, St. Peter the Great, Chister, Sussex.
I found no other references to a Katherine Ruffin in any of the other resources I looked at.
The IGI also listed the following Ruffins, all in Sussex county. You probably already have this data, but I'm including it, with the spelling exactly as it appears, in case you don't.
Edward Ruffin, christened 29 Apr. 1615, Father - William Ruffin, Midhurst, Sussex
Elinor Ruffin, christened 29 Apr. 1615, Father - William Ruffin, Midhurst, Sussex (twin of Edward)
Elizabeth Ruffyn, christened Mar 1565, Father - Ric. Ruffin, Midhurst, Sussex
Elizabeth Ruffin, christened 18 Nov. 1575, Father - Ric. Ruffin, Midhurst, Sussex
Elizabeth Ruffin, christened 2 Apr. 1611, Father, Willimi Ruffin, Midhurst, Sussex
Elizabetham Ruffin m. Guillemus Morey 14 Oct. 1604, Midhurst, Sussex
George Ruffin christened 5 Sep. 1591, Father - Ric. Ruffin, Midhurst, Sussex
Jone Ruffyn christened 11 Feb. 1570, Father - Roger Ruffyn, Midhurst, Sussex
Joane Ruffin m. Edward Lane 13 May 1589, So. Bersted, Sussex
Jone Ruffin christened 16 July 1590, Father - Roberti Ruffin, Midhurst, Sussex
Jone Ruffin m. John Hanam 1 Nov. 1612
John Ruffyn christened 1570, Father - Richard Ruffin, Midhurst, Sussex
Judith Ruffin christened 26 June 1580, Father - Rogeri Ruffin, Midhurst, Sussex
Margerie Ruffin christened 29 March 1579, Father - Rici Ruffen, Midhurst, Sussex
Margerie Ruffyn, christened 9 Sep. 1582, Father - Rogeri Ruffyn, Midhurst, Sussex
Mary Ruffyn christened 3 July 1606, Father - William Ruffyn, Midhurst, Sussex
Mary Ruffin christened 2 Apr. 1613, Father - Robert Ruffyn, Midhurst, Sussex
Mercy Ruffin christened 2 Apr. 1613, Father - Robert Ruffyn, Midhurst, Sussex
Mercie Ruffin m. Arthur Lodger 5 Nov. 1640, Upmarden, Sussex
Richard Ruffin christened 20 Feb. 1587, Father - Ric. Ruffin, Midhurst, Sussex
Robert Ruffine christened 4 Sep. 1615, Father - Robert Ruffine, Treyford w. Didling, Sussex
Agnis Swan m. Roger Ruffin 12 Oct. 1567, Midhurst, Sussex
Susan Ruffin christened 18 Nov. 1604, Father - William Ruffin, Midhurst, Sussex
Thomas Ruffin m. Agnis Machyne 23 June 1566, Midhurst, Sussex
William Ruffin christened 8 Mar. 1567, Father - Richard Ruffyn, Midhurst, Sussex
William Ruffin christened 21 Aug. 1580, Father - Ric. Ruffyn, Midhurst, Sussex
William Ruffen m. Joane Knight 15 Sep. 1585, S. Bersted, Sussex
William Ruffin christened 14 Oct. 1618, Father - Robert Ruffine, Treyford with Didling, Sussex
William Ruffin christened 2 Aug. 1618 - Father - William Ruffin, Midhurst, Sussex
The only information that I left with that might have some value is the following. It was transcribed from a book indexing Wills and Administrations from Sussex County that are archived in Chichester, which is a small village in Sussex County. And you may already have these, I don't know.
Wills on file in Chichester:
Ruffin, William, West Itchenor (orig. J. 99) vol. 14, page 468, 1588.
Ruffin, Thomas, Midhurst (orig. S. 32) vol. 12, page 177, 1580
Ruffin, Roger, Midhurst, vol. 12, page 84, 1579
Ruffin, Robert, Midhurst, vol. 18, page 39, 1630
Ruffin, Elizabeth, Westdean, vol. 21, page 364, 1649
Administrations on file in Chichester:
Ruffin, Agnes, widow, Midhurst, vol. F, page 175,
1621
Ruffyn, Robert, Midhurst, vol. C, page 16, 1579
Ruffen, Robert, Midhurst, vol. B, page 60, 1588
Ruffyn, Thomas, Midhurst, vol. C, page 46, 1580
I was told that these records can be ordered by contacting the archives office in Chichester. Do you know if they have already been researched?
I have been surprised at the many variations in the spelling of the name "Ruffin", which seem to vary even in a particular entry, with father and son or daughter's surname being spelled differently. Lucy, please let me know if there is anything here that might be a basis for further research. Sorry this was all that I got.
Thom
ENGLAND - KENT
Barbara Mallyon"
I have William RUFFIN married to Ann VINTER 11 May 1799 at St. Mary the Virgin Church, Dover, Kent.
Lott Burgy Cemetery , El Dorado, AR (Union Co.)
African American
Ruffin, Will H.
b. 17 Apr 1870
d. 02 Mar 1958
age 87
Ruffin, Mollie H.
b. 21 May 1896
d. 18 Mar 1960
age 63
Ruffin, Willie Howard
b. 10 Apr 1904
d. 26 Mar 1969
age 64
Wife of Carl Ruffin
Ruffin, Aaron
b. 22 Nov 1916
d. 19 Jul 1971
age 54
Gone but not forgotten
Ruffin, Carl
b. 04 Dec 1900
d. 09 Jun 1979
age 78
Ruffin, William Edward
b. 17 Feb 1914
d. 31 Mar 1980
age 66
Blessed are the peacemakers
Ruffin, Phillip, Jr.
b. 04 Mar 1972
God's Holy Child
White, Lillie Ruffin
d. 24 Jun 1985
Reference Books
From Dr. David Alexander Ruffin
“Any new approach to the arrangement of old and new data must be carefully rechecked … the Family Chart checked against the material in Tyler’s Quarterly and all material checked against material that has been published in The Virginia Historical Register, The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Schwam’s (?) Index, Bohannan’s Old Surry, and William and Mary Quarterly. All of Boddie’s work must be checked:
Virginia Historical Genealogies (1954)
Historical Southern Families (1965), Volume 9
Historical Southern Families (1980), Volume 23
Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight (1938).
“Much material that should be added is in H.H. Daniel’s William Ruffin Family History (1977) and in Boddie’s “Ruffin of Virginia, North Carolina, Middle Tennessee, Missouri and Oklahoma” from Historical Southern Families, Volume 23 and his “Ruffin and De Loach of Virginia, North Carolina, and Mississippi” from his Historical Southern Families, Volume 9.”
Click here to send e-mail to
Virginia Crilley.