Part VI - Ruby Family
The breaking out of war between France and Spain in 1635 caused a large influx of Protestant refugees into England from Picardy, Artois, Hainault and Flanders. Amiens was the capital of the Amienois in Picardy. The Huguenots were in full force in Amiens.-+99999
Louis de Berguin, a Walloon from Artois first maintained the Reformed doctrines in 1527 and was burnt in Paris for these beliefs. In 1568, 120 Huguenots were slain in the streets of Amiens and a repetition of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre in Paris was only averted in Amiens by the Governor of Picardy.
In 1594 the citizens of Amiens acknowledged the newly turned Catholic Henry IV as their King. Shortly thereafter, the Spanish occupied the city. After the Edict of Nantes, Amiens became the centre of a flourishing trade and commerce although by 1625, Huguenot worship had been banished beyond the gates of the city. Huguenots could not meet for worship within the city walls without risking the wrath of mobs. By the Edict of Nantes only two towns were allowed for the Huguenots to build churches: Desvres in the Boulonnais and Hautcourt near St. Quentin.
By 1600 the Seigneur de Heucourt had notified the government at Amiens of his intent to have public worship for himself, his family and the inhabitants of Amiens, too far from the only allowed towns to travel there, at Hem, a suburb of Amiens where 36 years before the Protestants had built a temple. In 1611 they obtained permission to move to Salouel and build a temple there. Salouel was a small village on the Celle. There was another large church at Oisemont, a market town 12 miles south of Abbeville where the Huguenots were strong. This was 18 miles west of Amiens. One of the elders here, living at Oisemont, was David Des Marets, Sieur de Ferets and in 1625 he represented the church. By the time of the war in 1635, the enemy invaded Picardy and captured Corbie only nine miles north of Amiens. The Picards fled and their nearness to the Low Country border offered the Huguenots of Picardy a good chance of escape. Many fled through Belgium to the Netherlands; others fled by way of the Vermandois forests resting at Boahin 12 miles northeast of St. Quentin where there were many Huguenots. Calais, then the extreme northern outlet of Picardy, near the shores of England, was strongly Protestant, and a good resort for escaping refugees.
The Picards were French, but of mixed origin; descendants of both Belgae and Celtae who occupied the border between these two ancient nations, that is the district which parted the Celtae from the Nervii, the most invincible of the Belgic tribes. They had an affinity to the Walloons, whose patois theirs resembled. The narrow strip of the seaboard, twenty miles or less across, which stretched southerly from Calais to the Cauche, covered the districts of Guines and Boulonnais, two subdivisions of Picardy. Its larger part, on either side of the Somme, and extending 100 miles inland to the borders of Champagne, was the coast section called l'Onthien, reaching 30 miles up the Somme. Abbeville was the main town, then came the Amienois, Santerre, Vermandois and Thierache. These seven districts made up modern Picardy, but five others lay southerly of these: Beauvoisis, Noyonnois, Soissonnois, Laennois and Valois. They were also Picard territory as seen in the characteristics of the people, although these districts had been annexed to the Isle of France.
These sections of Picardy, except Guines and Boulonnais, were on one or more of its three principal rivers, the Somme, the Oise and the Aisne. The river Oise [Lorine's note: could this be where the surname d'Oiselle came from?] stretched westward to Guise in the same district and ran southwesterly to the Seine, parallel to the coast.
The Huguenots had long been persecuted in their homelands. Many families, in terror, fled for other lands after the fall of La Rochelle and Montauban. The West Indies, inviting because of its climate and fruitfulness, was becoming the refuge of many Huguenots for whom the cold region of Canada had no attractions. Removals to these islands had been going on under the direction of a company formed at Paris in 1626, under M. D'Enantbus, who the year before had visited the island of St. Christopher in a brigantine from Dieppe. There he planted the first colony in 1627. In 1635, Martinique was occupied by a hundred old and experienced settlers from St. Christopher, including Phillippe Casier and his wife Maria Taine. But D'Enambue died.
In 1640 Jesuit missionaries arrived at Martinique where there were almost a thousand French, "without mass, without priest." Having been reluctantly admitted by the governor and the people, the Jesuits heightened the public dissensions which broke out in the islands and which grew so violent five years later, especially in Martinique, that many of the Huguenots were glad to get back to Europe. Many of them went to the Netherlands, some of them, as the Casier. family of Calais, eventually finding safe haven at Harlem, New York.
The first Rubys to come to America were John and Edward Ruby, brothers, who came in the 1700’s. The family originally spelled its name Rhubia, and was of French Huguenot ancestry. Driven from France in the Huguenot persecution, the Rubys came to England, and thence to America. They had a family motto, “Love dieth not, and ceaseth not with death.” S. G. Ruby, when consul to Belfast, Ireland, under President Harrison’s administration, found the family recorded in a book of registry in London, England.
James Prather Ruby left the most extensive history of the family and his data is used as representing the most authentic source obtainable. William Beatty Ruby also left an account. There is a family narrative in the Winterset Madisonian, date unknown, written by W. H. Lewis, from data presumably furnished him by Isaac Ruby. All sources are quoted herein, with J. P. Ruby given as the authority in the case of conflicting data.
The Rubys were a long-lived, medium sized, rugged set of people, with large families. Some blondes, some dark blondes. They always lived in rural districts, and often on the frontier, and did not have a good chance for school.
“Some of the other relatives buried there are: Father’s brother William, sister Hester Leinard. Mother’s brother, James Smith, and sisters, Barbara Hogle and Elizabeth Ruby; my own brother William and sister Barbara, and part of their families.”
Thomas Ruby II, son of Thomas Ruby I, was born about 1720 in England, and died about 1785, in Mine Run Hundred, Baltimore County, Maryland.
He was married in 1765 in Baltimore, Maryland colony to Charity Marsh.
Notes:
Children:
John E Ruby I, son of Thomas Ruby and Charity Marsh, was born in 1750 in Alleghany County (or Baltimore County), Maryland.
He was married to Constance "Elizabeth" Beatty, There is further discrepancy in the records here, but the graves of John and Elizabeth Ruby in Harrison County, Ohio, prove the above statement to be the correct one. "John Ruby and his wife Constance were devoted members of the Methodist Church, and were leaders in all religious work during a long lifetime, and they both died of old age."
She was born between 1750 and 1760, and died between 1830 and 1834, in Harrison County, Ohio. He died in June 1834 in Franklin Township, Harrison County, Ohio.
Notes:
PROBATE: 1838, HARRISON CO., OHIO;
TAX: 1783, MINE RUN HUNDRED, BALTIMORE CO., MARYLAND; TAX: 1790, CUMBERLAND VALLEY, BEDFORD CO., PENNSYLVANIA
1790, 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830 FEDERAL CENSUS RECORDS; NEWSPAPER: "The Ruby Family", The Winterset Madisonian, 6 Sep 1928 (copy of original published article). "John Ruby and his wife Constance, the grand-father and grand-mother of Issac and William B Ruby, were devoted members of the Methodist church."
PROPERTY: HARRISON CO., OHIO LAND RECORDS; Bedford Co PA- Deeds Book Z pp 243-45 dated 9 Sept 1851 - John Ruby Senr of Alagany Co Maryland to William Ruby of Southampton twp Bedford Co PA, 4 March 1814 Wm Ruby and heirs to James Donahoe, 9 Sept 1851, Wm having died intestate and Archibald Perdue administrator of his estate a parcel of land on Flinstone Creek Southampton township Bedford Co PA; Thomas Burgess and his wife Charlotte to John Ruby both of Allegheny Co MD; 1797 Deed orig 1790; IGI: incorrect date and place of birth (1750 at Allegany, MD), correct death 1834 at Harrison, OH, ordinances bap 28 Nov 2003 JR, end cleared, sp cleared (Charity Marsh was not his mother?). There was a Thomas Ruby and Charity Marsh married 1765 in Baltimore, MD colony (she wasn't his mother).
Children:
Thomas Ruby III, son of John E Ruby and Constance Elizabeth” Beatty, was born 1770-2, in Baltimore County, Maryland.
He was married about 1800, to Nancy ____, who was born about 1786, and died before 1860.
Notes:
1850 US census, pp 174b, dist 7, Old Town, Allegheny Co, 9 Nov 1850, MD; Narch film# M432-277, "Thos Ruby" 78y male, Farmer, 6000 acres, b?: who is Cath Skofer 22y female enumerated with familiy? 1860 US Census, p 271, dist 7, Old Town, Allegheny, MD, 4 Aug 1860, "Thoma Ruby" 90y male, Farmer, $6000 land $9000 personal, b MD, can read/write: Also enumerated with him are Catherine Ruby 31f and Lydia A Ruby 10f, George Ruby 7m Samuel G Ruby 4y and Willaby Ruby 1y all b Maryland.
Children:
John E. Ruby, the son of John Ruby (1) and Constance “Elizabeth” Beatty, was born in 1777.
He was married about 1785, in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, to Elizabeth Love. Soon after they moved to Old Town, Maryland, near Baltimore and were among the first Methodists in that region.
They went to Harrison County, Ohio in 1823. They lived in the vicinity of Millersburg. They were devoted members of the Methodist Church, and were leaders, in all religious work during a long life-time. They entertained the circuit riders and offered their home for a house of worship before churches were built.
Elizabeth died 28 January 1845; John died 6 November 1849. They are buried in Rankin Cemetery, in Harrison County, Ohio.
They had 10 children. Descendants of only 3 are known. Isaac and William are listed in the “Smith Genealogical Outline.” An indication that their daughter married Wesley Johnson and/or Ben Johnson is shown in the Harrison County, Ohio, marriage records: “Wesley Johnson and Elizabeth Ruby, 30 December 1846” “William Johnson and Sarah Ruby, 3 September 1818 Could Sarah Ruby have been a sister of John E. Ruby? This would imply that other members of the Ruby family moved to Harrison County, before John E. Ruby, who went in 1823.
It appears from land records that John's 3 sons (John, Benjamin, and Samuel) acquired land in Ripley County, Indiana, in 1839.
Children:
Kesiah Ruby, daughter of Thomas and Nancy Ruby, was born about 1810, in Alleghenny County, Maryland.
She was married 10 March 1834, in Cumberland, Alleghenny, Maryland, to John Leasure (Lazier), born about 1834, in Alleghenny County.
Notes (1):
Marr: Allegheny Co. index of cumberland marriages (also in IGI) 1861 Will of Thomas Ruby of Maryland, Kesiah (Ruby) Lazier 1850 US census, pp 173, Old Town, Allegheny Co, 8 Nov 1850, MD; "Kesia Lazier" 40y female, b? 1860 US census, pp 267, dist 7, 2 Aug 1860, Old Town, Allegheny Co, MD; "Kesia Leasare" 49y female, b Maryland 1880 US Census, Southampton township, Bedford, PA, sd 8 ed 238 p 11, June 1880, LDS film 1255098 NArch T9-1098 p 329C, "Kisire Leisure" 69y female, married, MOTHER, at home, b MD f MD m PA
Citing This Record
"Pedigree Resource File", database, FamilySearch: entry for Kesiah /Ruby/.(: accessed 2013-04-19)
Children:
Edward Riley Ruby, son of John E Ruby II and Elizabeth Love, was born 26 March 1816, in Bradford, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.
He was married 22 February 1838, in Harrison, Ohio, to Rosette Haines, who was born 7 December 1819, in Harrison, Ohio.
Rosetta died 7 April 1899 Edward died 12 October 1901, both in Eagle, Cass County, Nebraska.
Children:
The name Ruby does not necessarily mean relationship with the descendants of the original John and Edward. There is a Pennsylvania branch of the Rubys who are Swiss and the family is predominately Lutheran.
Another Ruby branch, which may be related to ours, is the family of Joseph Rubery (Ruby, Rheuby), born 1768, moved from Pennsylvania in 1793, to Harrison County, Kentucky, and in 1824 to Union County, Indiana, and died there 11 September 1829. He married Ann (Nancy) Hunter, born in Pennsylvania in 1770; died 10 February 1850. Both Joseph and his wife are buried at Brownsville, Indiana. A rather extensive genealogy of this branch of the family has been prepared by J. Craig Ruby of Kansas City, Missouri. (function(){window['__CF$cv$params']={r:'6cebd236a8d15884',m:'hoYA8XmHdmctbEY1I.Z4iGfuV1wNJkhMIwnWgaYpbAo-1642383056-0-AdlIZ4K+tI3nrhRxWh5vhcc6eTpJYglu2DWte5+SB7O3oxrKX8bMQoKFQhozqU6ApgVZc8oxssNfFQO+Rz92+owrONnxMzc/4F3ffzUo9JzzMHisomeJsCwISKc65/CLCkmAl3FYw5EcXjCBnkuBd93VU35RGmjPxsKgVh7yinSA',s:[0x80f678200c,0x5621d8425c],}})();