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history
This original spelling is Routh, but was changed to Ruth in early 1800's. Not all of the family took to this change and some maintained the original spelling. I have documented evidence written by my father's grandfather and great aunt of persons and their spouses and children since as far back as 1770. I have been piecing this information together with other evidence such as census records beginning in January 2011 through ancestry.com. I also traced the families name (from passages written by my g-grandfather) putting the family in Alsace Lorraine area before immigrating to America in 1770. The family resided around the Randolph Co. area of North Carolina. I also have a copper luster pitcher that has been past through the maternal line on my father's mother's side. It is said to have come into ownership around 1770's at the time which they immigrated, but I have yet to verify this. I have been able to place this particular pottery being made and imported from Staffordshire, England around the late 1700's and into the 1800's. This does somewhat validate what has been told both in my g-grandfather's and g-aunt's writings.
in antiquity
From "Routh Family Revisited" compiled & edited by Ross H. Routh (2405 McKinley; El Paso TX 79930) is the following: "The Dalbreudius (or Dalriada, or Dalreuda) clan (after Rheuda, their general) were descendants of the Milesian Kings who went from Spain and France, 200 or 300 years before Christ to Ireland, and who left Ireland during the lifetime of St. Patrick (around 450 AD) and settled in Yorkshire. They spread themselves over a considerable area of what is now known as the East Riding and established their headquarters in Holderness, calling it Rheuda, which became in Domesday times variously known as Ruda, Rute, and later Routh. First known ancestor of the family of Routh was Norman Knight, Richard de Surdeval, whose name is given in the battle Abbey Roll and who accompanied William the Conqueror to England in the train of the Earl of Martain. This Richard, born about 1030, was a cadet of the House of Verdun and bore the family name of Le Moigne. A direct descendant of Richard, Sir Robert de Serdeval, married a daughter of Robert de Stuteville, lord of the senior Manor of Routh, County York, and also acquired for himself the ownership of the junior Manor of Routh from the Collegiate Church of St. John of Beverly in about 1153. Thereafter, he styled himself de Rue, or de Ruda, or de Routh. Later generations dropped the "de" and the family has been known as Routh since about the 13th century. In many ancient records, the family name Routh has been variously spelled Rue, Ruda, Rudel, Rute, Routhe, Rowth, Rowthe, Rooth, Ruth, Rothe, Roughe, or Roughte at different periods during the last 800 years. And, while most of the members of the family in England pronounce the name to rhyme with "South" most of those in America have chosen to pronounce it to rhyme with "Youth." The village of Routh, a tiny hamlet of less than 300 people, still exists about 4 miles northeast of Beverly in the East Riding of Yorkshire, and Routh Church, which was built about 1200 still stands there and is in daily use. Many members of the family of Routh are buried in Routh Church and churchyard, but there are no persons named Routh who live there. The Routh family is one of the few families in England which can prove unbroken descent from the time of the Norman conquest to the present day."