My Genealogy Hound

D. W. Ruffin, an able attorney at Covington, Tenn., was one of a family of four children born to William and Sallic (White) Ruffin. The father was born in Hardeman County, Tenn., May 4, 1834, is a graduate of Oxford, Miss., also of the university of Virginia, is a man of fine literary attainments, and a lawyer by profession, practicing a short time, when he was elected secretary of the Memphis Gaslight Company, of which his grandfather, a very wealthy financier, was a charter member, and for many years its president. On his death William Ruffin was elected to the same position and for some years controlled the States of Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas, in the interest of the Missouri Valley Life Insurance Company. He has now retired from business and is residing at Courtland, Miss. Our subject’s mother was born in Georgia, April 2, 1838; she was granddaughter of ex-Gov. Rucker, of Georgia, who was founder of the first cotton-mills of that State, also a great capitalist. Her father was born about 1815, and died in 1859. He was a graduate in the same class with Alexander H. Stephens, and was valedictorian. He was one of the largest stockholders of the Mississippi & Tennessee Railroad, and was offered the position of president of the company, but declined in favor of his cousin, F. M. White. Mrs. Ruffin departed this life April 16, 1864. Our subject was born at Memphis, November 1, 1858, and received his literary education mostly at the University of Tennessee, situated at Knoxville; he afterward received private instruction under Prof. W. Caldwell, and in February, 1879, began studying law at Memphis, with Taylor & Carroll, and also took lectures there. He was admitted to the bar, in May, 1880, and in October of the same year, he came to Covington, and began the practice of law. In June, 1880, he was united in marriage to Olie, daughter of Banyan and Nancy Payne. This marriage resulted in the birth of two children: Julius B. and William Carroll. Mr. Ruffin is an active and enterprising man and has built up a good practice in law, but for the past two years has been obliged to devote much time to other business, owning considerable real estate in and near Covington. He is a Democrat in politics, and he and his wife are members of the Presbyterian Church.