Note: On Willie Ruttencutter's birth certificate she is recorded as Nellie! Born Dec 18 1889 female Mason Co. father William E. Ruttencutter (31) born Pleasants Co., a merchant, Mother Sarah F. (31) born in Kanawha Co. Perhaps the doctor who informed the registrar of births got it wrong, or the registrar couldn't believe a baby girl could be called Willie!
Note: "Mrs. Ed Young of Mason City was out digging in her garden with a heavy mattock a few days ago, and sending it up in the air with unusual force when she heard a dull thud behind her, and looking around, found little Willie, daughter of W.E. Ruttencutter, who lives adjoining, on the ground, senseless. The little tot had noiselessly climbed upon the fence to watch Mrs. Young, of whom she is very fond, when the mattock struck her on the head, inflicting a very ugly wound. Mrs. Young and her household thought that the little one was dead for a few seconds, and they were the most miserable household in Mason for a time. In fact, Mrs. Young is yet almost prostrated from the nervous shock. The little girl has been quite ill, but is now out of danger."
Sent from Boston, Mass. on Nov 19 1904 at 11.30 am; received in Mason, WV on Nov 21 at 10 am. [Good service!!]
Written around the edges of the picture of the Charles River: Your new preacher is an old friend of mine. He is the man I wanted you to have a year ago. Am getting along finely. With best wishes to all-- Wm. E. Craig [?] 72 Mt Vernon St Boston Mass
Picture of a pergola, California Residence. Monrovia Cal May 1st 08
Earl was out to see S. today- she got a card from you - so I thought I'd send you one-She is very weak. I am writing to your ma - Will send you word about Sallie every few days
S.E.W. [Sarah E. Welton who is described more fully under Martha Katharine Ruttencutter.]
Amarillo, Tex Mar 31, 2009 William Jennings Bryan and Dan F. Morgan are in Amarillo today. Bryant to deliver two lectures: Morgan to buy a steam plow. Bryant is attracting more attention than Morgan
D.F. M. [Daniel Francis Morgan, Willie's cousin from Jackson,Ohio, son of Martha & Moses Morgan]
Rosebud, WVa. Oct. 9 '09 Miss Willie Ruttencutter Mason City, W.Va. Friend Willie It has been so long since I have seen or heard from you that I took this privilege of writing you. I saw in the Pomeroy paper that Katie was married, and was wondering wither you had done the same thing.
I have been in the store business since June. I see Joe Young and Icenhower every day
The way it is now is I am tied up good and proper. Can not get away any time except on Sunday
Are you and Brownie still on spooning terms? It is getting about time for him to be doing some thing or give up to some one else. Don't you think so?
Are you having good times as ever? Hope you are.
Would be pleased to hear from you some time. Yours as ever Howard Robinson
BROWN--RUTTENCUTTER One of the prettiest home weddings occured in Mason today at the home of the bride's parents at high noon when Miss Willie Ruttencutter and Mr. Miles O. Brown were united in marriage Rev. Gilmore of the Methodist church officiating. Only the immediate family and the near relatives were present. The bride was becomingly attired in white messaline and the groom conventional black. The whole affair was beautiful in simplicity and lack of ostentation. The home was tastefully and prettily decorated in native flowers, crimson ramblers and white lilies predominating. The groom, a son of Matthew Brown of Hartford city, is an energetic, wide awake businessman employ of the railroad company at Holloway, Ohio. The bride is the youngest daughter of W.E. Ruttencutter, of Mason City, and when she leaves the...she will be missed by the warm...of friends that has surrounded her from her childhood. The best wishes of the entire community go with the young people. After a trip to Richmond and other points Mr. and Mrs. Brown will reside at Holloway, Ohio. The out of town guests were: Moses Morgan and daughter Sadie and Stanley Morgan and James Jarrette, of Jackson, Ohio, Miss SarahWelton, Rockland, California, Mr. and Mrs. John Heslop and family of Point Pleasant, Mr. and Mrs. Juhling and little daughter of New Haven, Mr. and Mrs. Waters, of Gallipolis, Mrs. Will Foglesong, of Bluefield, Capt. M.D. Brown, Mrs. Alice Banks, Iva Hayden, Dr. and Mrs. C.W. Petty and daughter, and Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Guinther and children, Maud, Jennie, Alice and Martha of Hartford, Mrs. E. E. Eisenbarth and children, Agnes and Eugene, of Marrietta, E.N. Brown, Evelyn Pa...Miss Virginia Cook, of Parkersburg, Geo. Brown and daughter, of Ken...J.A. Anderson, of Holloway, and Prof. and Mrs. D.A. Alexander of Portland.
"Willie Ruttencutter washed her hair one-half hour before the wedding. I can remember her drying her hair under the grape arbor. William Jennings Bryant came to Mason that fall. Mr. Ruttencutter was very strong for him."
Note: Moses Morgan, whose wife, Aunt Dickie [Martha Jarrott], was Willie Brown's and Katie Foglesong's aunt, was keen to have a namesake. He offered to give $1,000.00 to Willie if she would name her first son Moses. She refused, even though $1,000 was a lot of money in 1911. Willie's aunt Aurilla Jarrott Heslop had named one of her twins Moses Morgan Heslop in 1896; however, the baby died in infancy. The question is, why didn't Uncle Moses and Aunt Dickie name one of their sons Moses, instead of Lemuel, James, and Daniel? Perhaps he just wanted to give them some of his largesse.
Note: This is a letter which was written to Willie Ruttencutter Brown from her mother Sadie Ruttencutter in Mason, West Virginia. It was written about one year before Sadie died of breast cancer.
Mason W.Va. August 27th 1911
Dear Willie I hope you arrived home safe and that you are all well. We have not hea[r]d from you yet mr Foglesong came yesterday after-noon he and Katie are out driving they took Evelyn with them we all went to Sunday School this morning. I went down to see Mrs. Long this afternoon. I am writing on the back porch and it is getting dusk We look for Mrs. Foglesong and Mable up tonight I expect the train will be late as it is an excursion today I know you will be surprised when I tell you Ishmael Burton is married he brought his wife to town yesterday I met her this morning at Sunday School she came from Roanoke Va. she is not good looking like Gertrude Marjorie was with them this morning
I also know you will be sorry when I tell you "Myrtle Reed" committed suicide the 17th of this month I will send you the clippings Miss Sarah sent cut out of the Waterberry paper I missed seeing it in the "Enquirer" kept the clippings I send you and we will paste them in her books I suppose Katie told you Lemmy [Ruttencutter, Sadie's son] lost the game [baseball] the day you left they put Dashner and M.F. Clintock both in to pitch, the score was 2-1 in favor of Middleport. Huntington won 2 games yesterday Lemmie pitched one they also won today Nickelson pitched
There have been crowds going over to the street Fair at Pomeroy. Rilla says there is to be a big one at Pt [Pleasant, West Virginia] next month she said they had so much fun at the last one
No letter yet. Mrs Foglesong and Mable came up this morning Katie washed and is through we have had dinner and the dishes are washed We had a letter from Lemmie this morning he pitched 3 games last week Miss Sarah said she had not had chicken & biscuit but twice since she left W.Va. she said the water did not agree with her as well as here this letter is so mixed up I think you will have a time making it out kiss Miles Harold for me don't look for a letter more than once a week May brought you a plate of doughbuts the day after you left I sent their dish home yesterday (Sunday) full of ice cream and a plate of jam cake (Katie made both)
with love to you and Miles I am as ever your loving mother Sadie Ruttencutter
Dear Willie & Miles I fully intended to write you before this but yesterday was one of my off days and i ws not able to do anything and it was Katie's [her daughter Katie Ruttencutter Foglesong] wash day she had all the work to do and washing to as she did not wash but once last week it was obliged to be done we have not suceeded in getting a girl yet--but still lilve in hopes Uncle Jimmie [Jarrott] was over Sunday his face looks bad he says he is going to a specialist if it don't get better soon. I gave him a basket of pears and some sweet-potatoes. I am sorry you did not take more sweet potatoes with you I killed three chickens for Sunday and Katie made ice cream Jimmie was so sorry you was not here but said he would come over the next time you made a visit home Lemmie is anxious for him to come over and hunt--Lemmie is going down to Frank Rayburn's the first three days in November to hunt and he says he will be sure to bring home some quails and rabbits it would be nice if you and Miles could be here the first Sundy in the month but let us know when you are coming if you have time Katie looks for Mrs Foglesong tomorrow It has been raining steady here for about 24 hours Lemmie says they will not be able to play the Reds in Hartford Thursday says if they play will have to go over to Syracuse he said he did not think they would be able to play on the Hartford ground for a week or more
Lemmis is going to play [baseball] at Ravenswood the 24 so is John Myers (against the "Reds") I know the Hartford men will hate it raining for they had to put up $50.00 whether they played or not
Alice telephoned down for me to send up some books from the church with "Beautiful Isle of somewhere" in it they wanted to sing it at Mr Stone's funeral Saturday afternoon Will (Foglesong) went up early Sunday morning and got some new books with it in and had them ready to put on the train. I went out but did not get on the other side of the track so i gave them to a man and told him to give them to the mail clerk but he was busy and did not take them so he brought them back to me. telephoned and told Mrs Sayer to tell Alice but they did not send for them I was sorry they did not get them
The Ladies Aid meets at Lewises Thursday I don't expect there will be much of a turn out I made Evelyn a little saque out of outlng last week that is all the sewing I have done Katie has not [gone] over the river yet will go after Mr. Foglesong comes. it was so cold we had to have fire last week and it is so wet I think I will have to build one when I get through writing
Gilmores are talking of moving up to Mason if they can get a house to suit them but I fear they may not get one to suit them I heard they thought the Mack house to small but they wre never in it it does look small beside those large trees
We have not got Evelyns comforts made yet but will try to get somethiing done after Mr. F comes I wish Katie could go to your house and Mrs Foglesongs and stay for about a month an take a rest she needs it bad and I am sure I could get along some way Alice is not a Bletners now she has been staying with Mrs Biddle but May said Miss Biddle was not going to keep her someone told Katie that Icy Roushes sister was staying with Mrs Siekre (?) I would like to see Miles Harold I am sure he is a sweet baby I told Jimmie what a nice baby he was it is so dark that I can hardly see to write so will close with love to all your loving mother Sadie Ruttencutter
The envelope had a 2ยข stamp on it. Willie, Miles and Miles Harold were living at Holloway, Ohio. The letter was stamped at 2pm on October 28; and was received at 8 am on the 29th! What service!
The postcard was posted at Portland, Ohio in the morning of Oct 9 and reached Mason on the same day at 3 pm.
Photograph of Williamsburg Bridge, N.Y City. Message written at bottom of photo: Willie--What are you doing with yourself? I have never heard from you. Are you going to school? Bess A.
Publication: Primary author of family histories published on shepsplace.net
Note: Grandmother used to have food allergies. The only one which I can remember for sure was strawberries. My mother, Eloise Niday Brown, said that once Grandmother had dementia, she no longer suffered from allergies. Hmmm.
Publication: Primary author of family histories published on shepsplace.net
Note: Grandmother was a great cook. I remember three of her specialities: homemade angel food cake, chicken and noodles, and Christmas cookies. My father Harold Brown said that when he was a boy, he was the delivery boy--sometimes unwilling--for his mother's angel food cakes.
At Christmas time Grandmother made hundreds of butter cookies in traditional Christmas shapes, such as trees, bells, Santa's face and stars. She decorated these cookies with icing, raisins, cherries and coconut. Santa had coconut on his beard and cap. They were beautiful and delicious. She gave these cookies in Christmas tins as gifts to many in the family and among friends. I will never forget them.
Grandmother also loved to work in the garden and to grow house plants. I remember a gardenia which she displayed in her living room. She probably mainly kept it upstairs during the winter months. My granddaddy Miles Brown, who in the winter time dressed in suits, enjoyed putting a gardenia flower in his lapel.
My mother said that Grandmother had expensive taste and didn't stint on quality when it came to household goods and gifts.
Publication: Primary author of family histories published on shepsplace.net
Note: Many times I have asked myself why anyone would name a little girl Willie, especially when her older sister had the lovely name of Martha Katharine. I suppose that her father William wanted immortality in the guise of a name, hence Willie. Alternatively, perhaps Willie was a fashionable name at that time, although I doubt it. The name on Willie's marriage certificate is "Wilhelmina," which is a gracious and substantial name; however, I have never seen it used at any other time.
Date of Birth December 18, 1889 Date of Death December 13, 1978 Date and Hour of Services Friday, December 15, 1978 - 1:30 pm. Place of Services Foglesong Funeral Home Officiating Dr. John Wildman Place of Interment Suncrest Memorial Park Surviving Son, M. Harold Brown Two grandchildren, Martha Brown Shepherd, Becky Brown Davenport Two great Grand Children
Note: Grandmother's funeral was held at Foglesong Funeral Home at 1.30pm on Dec. 15, 1978. Dr. John Wildman officiated. In his sermon he asked why did she live so long in her condition of Alzheimers, ie., what was the purpose of her extended 'suffering?' [I do not remember his conclusion, but the question has stuck with me.] The place of interment was Suncrest Memorial Park in Point Pleasant.
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