William Henry Ruttan

WILLIAM HENRY RUTTAN has an interesting career and business experience and has been identified with Western Kansas as a homesteader and as a merchant for a number of years and is now the leading hardware merchant at Grainfield.

Mr. Ruttan was born at Cresco, Iowa, June 20, 1873. His ancestry is especially noteworthy. His grandfather, Dr. Henry Ruttan, was a native of France and of a prominent family, and was a first cousin to the famous Empress Eugenie, widow of the late French monarch. Leaving his native land, Doctor Rattan went to Canada, later came to the United States and located in Virginia, but died at Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1882, at the age of sixty-four. For many years he practiced his profession. He married Jane Kirkpatrick, of Scotch descent, connected with the Royal Clan of Kirkpatrick.

H. K. Ruttan, son of Doctor Ruttan and father of the Grainfield merchant, was born at Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1849. He grew up there and became a wagon maker. In following his trade he lived in various localities; for a time at Owego, New York, where he married, was also at Cresco, Iowa, at Freeport, Illinois, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and in 1876 came to Kansas and followed his trade for several years at Holton. In 1881 he moved to Leavenworth, and was in the real estate business there until his death in 1887. He was a republican in politics and a member of the Presbyterian Church. The maiden name of his wife was Gertrude Veleria Rubble. She was born at Owego, New York, in 1855, and is now living at St. Joseph, Missouri. William Henry Ruttan is the oldest of her three children: Frances May, wife of H. W. Sandusky, a retired farmer living at St. Joseph, Missouri, is the second and Grace LaPet, wife of O. H. Schrey, a farmer at Leavenworth, Kansas, is the youngest.

William Henry Ruttan received most of his education in the public schools of Leavenworth. He was at home with his mother to the age of twenty-three and for twelve years conducted an ice business at Leavenworth and also farmed near there for three years. On November 11, 1905, he arrived in Wallace County, Kansas, and the homestead of 160 acres which he took up is still among his property possessions. He was also in the hardware and implement business at Wallace until May, 1913, then moved his stock to Brookville, and in 1917 came to Grainfield, where he has a large store, well equipped and stocked with hardware and implements. He also owns a local garage and is local agent for the Ford cars. He is a director in the Brookville State Bank.

While in Brookville he served as mayor of the town. He is an independent republican and a member of the Presbyterian Church. Fraternally he is a past master of Wallace Lodge of Masons, No. 318, belongs to the Grainfield Lodge of Odd Fellows, and served as Noble Grand of the Sharon Springs Lodge in 1906 and is a member of the Court of Honor.

By his first marriage Mr. Ruttan has two sons: William Earl, who trained three months in Camp Funston and was then discharged, and Francis Ervin, connected with the Lee Hardware Company at Salina and a graduate of the Brookville High School. In 1903, at Leavenworth, Mr. Ruttan married Miss Ida May Sacks, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Sacks. Her mother is now living in Atchison County, Kansas. Mr. and Mrs. Ruttan have four children: Gertrude May, a junior in the Grainfield High School; Russell E., a freshman in the high school; Miles Henry and Wilma May, both in the grade schools.

Pages 2145-2146.