Almon Ruggles
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Almon Ruggles (abt. 1771 - 1840)

Judge Almon Ruggles
Born about in New Milford, Litchfield, Connecticut, British Colonial Americamap
Ancestors ancestors
Husband of — married about 1808 (to about 1815) in Brookfield, Fairfield, Connecticut, United Statesmap
Husband of — married 14 May 1816 in Huron, Erie, Ohio, United Statesmap
Descendants descendants
Died at about age 69 in Erie County, Ohio, United Statesmap
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Profile last modified | Created 12 Mar 2020
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Biography

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Almon Ruggles has English ancestors.
Almon Ruggles is one of twins.

Almon Ruggles was the son of Ashbel Ruggles and his first wife, Rebecca Bostwick. He married (1) Annis Dibble in 1808; (2) Rhoda Sprague Case Buck on 14 May 1816 in Huron Co., Ohio.

The first commissioned Postmaster of Vermillion, Ohio was Judge Almon Ruggles

"He came to survey the " Fire-Sufferer's Lands" (i.e. the "Fire Lands") from Danbury, Connecticut in 1805. His ashes now rest in Oak Bluffs Cemetery near the place he called "Ruggles Grove" and in sight of the Lake we call Erie six miles west of Vermilion, Ohio."

"Almon Ruggles (1771-1840) came to Ohio from Connecticut in 1805 and led survey teams that divided the Firelands section of the Connecticut Western Reserve into townships. The Firelands was territory granted to Connecticut residents whose property was destroyed by the British during the Revolutionary War. Ruggles purchased a lakeshore section of this surveyed land for one dollar per acre, which is now known as Ruggles Beach. After settling permanently in Ohio in 1810, he established a farm, built gristmills, and worked for different Connecticut land proprietors. Ruggles also served in the Ohio Senate, the Ohio House, and was briefly appointed as associate judge of Huron County. Upon his death, his ashes were buried on part of his property, now known as Oak Bluff Cemetery. Shortly after Almon Ruggles settled here, the War of 1812 broke out between the United States and Great Britain. On September 10, 1813, British and American fleets fought the decisive Battle of Lake Erie. Sailors and marines killed on both sides were sewn into their hammocks and committed to the lake after the battle. Family lore holds that Ruggles discovered the body of a man in an American uniform washed ashore, and because Ruggles believed that the deceased man was killed in the battle, he "had the sailor buried with Christian ceremonies...and erected a headstone." In 1935, the Martha Pitkan Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution led efforts to replace the original headstone with a U.S. government-issue marker inscribed "Unknown U.S. Sailor 1813." This unknown sailor remains interred in Oak Bluff Cemetery." War of 1812, Cemetery Sponsors; William G. Pomeroy Foundation; Erie County Historical Society; The Ohio History Connection. SOURCE: https://remarkableohio.org/index.php?/category/1827

Biography on his memorial page :

HON. ALMON RUGGLES.

"Few, if any, of the early pioneers of this country, are more deserving a place in history, and none filled more prominent and important positions, or had more varied and interesting experiences, than did the subject of this sketch. He came to this country from Danbury, Connecticut, to survey the "Sufferer's Lands," so-called, in 1805. His first surveys were made under orders of his principal, and proved unsatisfactory to the committee, and he was then chosen by the committee as chief, and the survey was made the second time, to the satisfaction of all concerned. In this survey he called to his aid Judge Wright, of New York, who had charge of one branch of the work. In addition to his salary, he was permitted to select one mile square any where on the lake shore, within the limits of the Fire-lands, at one dollar per acre. He selected the land, - a portion of which is now owned by his only surviving son, Richard Ruggles, - on the lake shore, in the township of Berlin. The beautiful grove, known as "Ruggles' Grove," was spared by his order, and is now a fit monument to his memory, and in sight of which his ashes repose.

He was an expert swimmer. When it became necessary to cross a stream he could not ford, he would tie his wardrobe into as small a bundle as possible, cross the stream with them, and return for his compass.

His father was Ashbel Ruggles, a descendant of one of three brothers who came from Scotland [England], but just what year is not known. His mother was a Bostwick. Almon Ruggles was a twin. His brother Alfred died in infancy.

His father was in indigent circumstances when he was a boy, and he went to live with an uncle, who was a Presbyterian deacon, and very parsimonious. He refused to give young Ruggles an education, or to even give him an opportunity to acquire one. He obtained his first book by catching wood chucks, tanning the skins, and braiding them into whip-lashes for the market. As Providence helps the man who helps himself, so this young man was prospered. Six months was the sum of his school days, yet by application, he fitted himself for teaching, and taught in an academy for some time. The very obstacles to be overcome, gave him that energy and strength of character which ever after characterized his public and private life. He was a self-made man in the best sense of the word. His own early struggles with poverty, gave him active sympathies with the poor pioneers of this country. All regarded him as a friend, and many of them depended on him for support in all emergencies He had a store of general merchandise, and trusted all those who could not pay. It is said of him that he might have been very rich, had he been disposed to grind the face of poverty. He preferred to live more unselfishly, and merit the confidence and respect of his fellows. He not only encouraged the early settlers with material aid, but with cheerful looks and kind words. He was always jolly, and enjoyed fun, and all enjoyed his society. He represented this senatorial district in the State legislature in 1816-17-19, when the district consisted of the counties of Ashtabula, Geauga, Portage, Cuyahoga and Huron, and in 1820, when it consisted of Cuyahoga and Huron. He was associate judge for several years, under the old constitution. His ability, his integrity, his knowledge of the country and people, eminently qualified him for the places he filled, and it is said of him, that in all his public life, no official misconduct stained his record, or cast a shadow on his character. He was an earnest worker in the Whig party, and a personal friend of General Harrison.

He was twice married. His second wife was a widow, Mrs. Rhoda Buck nee Sprague. He has two living children: Mrs. Dr. Phillips, of Berlin Heights, and Richard Ruggles, who married Miss Eleanor E. Post, of Berlin. He lives on the homestead. Charles married Miss Mary Douglass for his first wife, and Miss Julia Mallory for his second. He was a member of no church, but was equally liberal with all, opening his dwelling for meetings and for the entertainment of the ministers. He was too large a man for wrongdoing, and too liberal and kind to treat any with incivility. Such a life never ends, so long as grateful children and grandchildren walk in its echoes. Such men can walk fearlessly and confidingly down into the great future to meet whatever awaits them there. He passed in to the "Beyond," July 11, 1840, in the sixty-ninth year of his age."

Children on his memorial page :

Rebecca Ruggles Case 1809–1856

Betsey Ruggles Phillips 1812–1882

Charles Ruggles 1819–1875

Richard Ruggles 1827–1903

Sources

Find A Grave: Memorial #44214517

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/18321287/almon-ruggles/

http://www.vermilionohio.org/vbios5.html

https://www.discoververmilion.org/vermilion-ohio-news/the-fascinating-history-of-vermilion-ohio

SECONDARY SOURCES:

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/M541-M1C

https://www.geni.com/people/Judge-Almon-Ruggles/6000000126092132026





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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Almon by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Almon:

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