I have been doing research on the town of Ruff, Washington. My family’s farm was just northeast of this once thriving little town that is located in Grant County, Washington. My father’s birth certificate actually lists Ruff as his birthplace and I wanted to research what I could find about the community.
Many of the early settlers including my grandparents were Bessarabia Germans as they came to America from Bessarabia, Russia which is known as Moldova today. My great grandparents on my father’s side came to American in 1891 when my grandfather was 5 years old. It was interesting to find that my grandmother was also from Bessarabia and came to America later and married my grandfather in Washington state. They eventually homesteaded near Ruff Washington and were dry land wheat farmers.
I believe the town of Ruff was established around 1900 and had several businesses and at least one church the Ruff Evangelical Church. Here are a few photos that I found in my father’s old photo album.
