Viola Knapp Ruffner (1812–1903) was a schoolteacher and became the second wife of General

Lewis Ruffner Lewis Ruffner (October 1, 1797 – November 19, 1883) was an American merchant, magistrate, slaveowner and politician who helped found the state of West Virginia. Originally a salt manufacturer in the Kanawha Salines (renamed Malden), Ruffn ...

, a salt and coal mine owner and community leader in

Kanawha County, West Virginia Kanawha County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 180,745, making it West Virginia's most populous county. The county seat is Charleston, which is also the state capital. Kanawha Coun ...

. She played a role in the personal development of

Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...

, who worked in their household as a teenager after Emancipation. He credited her with teaching him the essentials of the Puritan ethic. She and the General supported his causes and they became lifelong friends. In his autobiography, Dr. Washington described Mrs. Ruffner as "one of the best friends I ever had."

Childhood, education, early career

She was born in

Arlington, Vermont Arlington is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,457 at the 2020 census. History The town of Arlington was chartered July 28, 1761, by New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth, as part of the New Hampshire ...

, and attended Bennington Academy, in Bennington, Vermont. Educated as a schoolteacher, she taught in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

and

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. She started her own school, but had to give the work up during an illness. While recuperating, she applied for a job as a governess for General Lewis Ruffner (1797-1883), a widower who was member of the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 161 ...

and community leader in the area which is now

Charleston, West Virginia Charleston is the capital and List of cities in West Virginia, most populous city of West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Elk River (West Virginia), Elk and Kanawha River, Kanawha rivers, the city had a population of 48,864 at the 20 ...

. She married the General in 1843.

Booker T. Washington

Young Booker came to

Malden, West Virginia Malden — originally called Kanawha Salines — is an unincorporated community in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States, within the Charleston metro area. History The Kanawha Saline(s) post office was established in 1814 and discontinued ...

with his mother Jane after the Emancipation in late 1865. Following other jobs of

manual labor Manual labour (in Commonwealth English, manual labor in American English) or manual work is physical work done by humans, in contrast to labour by machines and working animals. It is most literally work done with the hands (the word ''manual'' ...

including working in the salt mines, he served as the Ruffner family's

houseboy A houseboy (alternatively spelled as ''houseboi'') was a term which referred to a typically male domestic worker or personal assistant who performed cleaning and other forms of personal chores. The term has a record of being used in the British ...

. 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. A

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

-trained school teacher, 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 20 years later. In modern times, the Ruffner and Washington families are still good friends, and had a reunion in

in 2002. The Ruffners attend the Washington family reunion at Hampton annually, and both families still contribute to causes for the growth of society.

References

*Washington, Booker T. (1901). ''Up From Slavery: An Autobiography'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruffner, Viola Knapp People from Malden, West Virginia 1812 births 1903 deaths People from Arlington, Vermont Schoolteachers from Vermont 19th-century American women educators 19th-century American educators Ruffner family