The F. Gustav Ruth Family

Bertha Rosnow Ruth, Gustav’s second wife, was in the window because she was pregnant with Esther, the last child, and she wouldn’t come out for the photo.  In the back row was her husband, F. Gustav Ruth, next to Adolph who was usually called Aud, then Marie whom they called Mayme, and Fred Ruth, the oldest son.  The front row shows Clara, Alma and Elizabeth Ruth.  The photo was taken in 1898, which was the year of Esther’s birth.

Inside the Ruth Family’s Home

Here is a rare peek inside the living room of Gustav and Bertha’s home.  Notice the high ceiling and the lovely, two-tiered lace curtain at the window.  It almost hangs the full height of the room, from ceiling to floor.  You can see how delicate and exquisite the lace was.  Two pictures can be seen hanging on the walls.  The one on the right is of Bertha and, although we can’t determine what the other one is of, the frame is the same one that was passed down to their grandson, Carl Krieser and it hung on the wall of their house for years.  The carpet has a large, figured print, so popular in that day.  Gustav sits in his favorite little rocking chair that is still in the family.  There are an abundance of large pillows.  Gustav is relaxing on one of them and it looks like a quilt on a quilt stand in the lower left-hand corner of the photo.  He is holding an elaborate pipe that he found on one of his many buying trips.

The Ruth Girls about 1907

These two photos look to be taken at Easter time.  Elizabeth is not on the photos so it was probably after her marriage in 1906.  Clara, Alma and Mayme surround little Esther, the youngest.  They are all dressed in their finest clothes with fancy Easter bonnets.  On the right photo you can see Esther’s high-button shoes and parasol.  The differences in their ages is very apparent. 

Esther, the youngest, is with her next oldest sister, Alma.  Esther looks to be about two or three on this photo.  If so, it would have been taken about 1900 or 1901.  Alma was about 8 years older than Esther, so she would have been about 10 or 11.