Ruthie Ellen (Gaines) White (1835 - 1911)

Born 10 May 1835 in Franklin County, Tennessee, USA

Ancestors

Wife of Francis Marion White — married 6 Aug 1865 in Calhoun County, Alabama, USA

Descendants

Died 8 Jun 1911 at age 76 in Marion County, Alabama, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Eddie Gorham [send private message]

Biography

There has been much speculation regarding the disappearance of Ruthie after the 1910 census and the subsequent move by Francis from Marshall County, Alabama to Decatur County, Georgia. It has been rumoured by members of the family that Francis was a miner of gold, and that he was quite vocal about the success which he had achieved in the acquisition of the commodity. It is also rumoured that Ruthie took the liberty of relieving Francis of some of his wealth and then leaving him. There are rumours that nephews of Francis lit out after Ruthie, found her with the booty, and struck her dead.

I have several problems with these rumours. First, for Francis to have been such a successful gold miner, court records in regard to the William F Gaines estate suggests that Francis was more of a miser. He sued the estate of William (essentially his mother-in-law Elizabeth) for work around the house which he was purported to have carried out for which he was never recompensed.

During the sale of household items from William's estate, Francis made purchase of several 'nickel and dime' items, while others in the family made more substantial purchases.

It is worthwhile to note that Ruthie was named as an heir in her father's estate, and that William's real and personal property was to be divided equally among his 13 children and grandchildren after the death of his widow. It may be noted that at the time of the 1870 non-population census, William's holdings were substantial, and Elizabeth only outlived William by four years.

Second, no certificate of death, nor a burial site for Ruthie has ever been located. There is no way to know where she died, nor the cause of death until these can be ascertained by a legal source. Indeed, and lacking both, it would seem that an inquiry into her disappearance would have been launched, at the very least in the case of a suspicious death, but to date neither has been found.

Without proof to the contrary, I'm about ready to relegate the whole story of stolen gold and murder to the trash heap. ^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ Entered by Eddie Gorham, 28 Feb 2018

• https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YBR-SQJ?mode=g&i=6&cc=1473181

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Eddie Gorham & Dona Whitehead for starting this profile.