Patrick William Bruffy, Company I, 31st Virginia Infantry

Patrick William Bruffy, 31st Virginia Infantry

Patrick William Bruffy, Co. I, 31st Virginia Infantry

Name:  First Lieutenant Patrick William Bruffy, 31st Virginia Infantry

Date:  ca. 1902

Image Number:  PWB01cdPWB01

Comments:   Patrick William Bruffy was born on April 30, 1840, in Bath, Virginia, and was the son of James W. Bruffy (1816-1902) and Margaret (Hartman) Bruffy (1819-1817). Patrick enlisted in the 31st Virginia Infantry, Ewell's Division, on June 15, 1861, at Laurel Hill, Virginia. He was wounded on Dec. 13, 1861, at the Battle of Camp Allegheny in Pocohontas County, VA (now WVa). Patrick was reported to be sick with typhoid fever at the CSA Hospital at Mt. Jackson, VA (now WVA), in June 1862. He was present in Mt. Jackson through August 1862.

Patrick was appointed 2nd Lieutenant in Company I, 31st Virginia Infantry, on August 11, 1862. He was wounded at Manassas on August 29, 1862, and absent on the company rolls from September through November 1862. Patrick appeared on the 31st Virginia Infantry's receipt rolls for issue of clothing in February 1963.

Patrick was promoted to full Lieutenant on February 15, 1864, at Sommerville Ford on the Rapidan River in Pocahontas County, WVA. However, Bruffy family records indicate that Patrick did not trust or respect his superior officer and resigned his commission on April 5, 1864. Patrick requested placement back in the ranks as a private soldier and was mustered out on April 15, 1864 at Sommerville Ford.

After the Civil War, Patrick married Merceline Mary Bennett (1846-1890) on November 10, 1868, in Lewis, New York. Patrick and Merceline returned to West Virginia where they became the parents of seven children:

                    Albert Sidney Bruffy (1869-1958)
                    Laura Margaret Bruffy (1871- )
                    Homer Hansen Bruffy (1772-1965)
                    Emma Jane Bruffy (1874 - 1953)
                    Charles Frank Bruffy (1877 - 1957)
                    Etta Bell Bruffy (1878 - 1939)
                    Avis Bruffy (1886-1912)

In 1880, Patrick and Merceline Bruffy and family lived in Murphy, Ritchie County, West Virginia. Merceline (Bennett) Bruffy died in 1890 in Tanner, West Virginia.

In 1891, Patrick William Bruffy married his second wife, Mary Ellen Devers (1858-1932), in Bath, Virginia. Patrick and Mary were the parents of six children:

                    Mattie B. Bruffy (1889 - )
                    John Hoke Bruffy (1892 - 1892)
                    Hoke Percy Bruffy (1893 - 1972)
                    William Thomas Bruffy (1896 - 1974)
                    Zilah Edith Bruffy (1896 - 1991)
                    James H. Bruffy (1898 - )

In the 1900 U.S. Census, Patrick William and Mary E. Bruffy were living with their children and his 84-yr. old father, James Bruffy, in the Collins Settlement Magisterial District, Lewis County, West Virginia. Patrick's occupation was listed as farmer.

In the 1910 U.S. Census, Patrick and Mary Bruffy were residing with three of their children (Hoke, Zilah, and William) in Scottsville, Albemarle County, Virginia. Patrick's occupation was again listed as farmer, and his two sons, Hoke and William, were identified as laborers on the farm.

Patrick William Bruffy passed away on December 3, 1918, from the effects of old age and tuberculosis, and his certificate of death is signed by Dr. Percy Harris of Scottsville. Patrick William Bruffy is buried at Scottsville Cemetery.

Patrick W. Bruffy death certificate, 1918

Death Certificate for Patrick William Bruffy dated 03 Dec. 1918, Scottsville, VA

Gravestone of Patrick W. Bruffy, Scottsville Cemetery, VA

Patrick William's military gravestone in Scottsville Cemetery was ordered by his granddaughter, Mrs. Mattie Kerry of Detroit, Michigan, on Oct. 1, 1956. This gravestone was installed on Patrick's gravesite in Scottsville Cemetery by March 19, 1957.

Mary Ellen (Devers) Bruffy lived in the Scottsville area until the early 1930's when she returned to Webster County, West Virginia, where she passed away on May 20, 1932.

References:

1) Patrick W. Bruffy Photo, ca. 1902, Lewis County, WVa; Source: tomcalla62, Ancestry.com.

2) Patrick W. Bruffy Civil War record, National Park Service, U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-186 (database online), Provo, UT, USA; Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007.

3) Patrick W. Bruffy Civil War Service Record, Source; Suzanne DeVier, 19 June 2011; Ancestry.com.

4) 1900 U.S. Federal Census for Patrick Bruffy, Collins Settlement, Lewis County, WVa, ED 57, Sheet 1, 15 June 1900

5) 1910 U.S. Federal Census for Patrick W. Bruffy, Scottsville, Albemarle County, VA, District 14, Sheet 31A.

6) 1860 U.S. Federal Census for Patrick Bruffy, Lewis Co., VA, p. 87; 29 June 1860.

7) Certificate of Death for Patrick Wm Bruffy, 3 Dec. 1918, Scottsville, Albemarle Co., VA; Registration District No: 14; File No: 1238204, 3 Dec. 1918.

8) U.S. Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, Patrick W. Bruffy, Enlisted: June 7, 1861; Discharged: April 18, 1864; dated 1 Oct. 1956; approved 19 Mar. 1957.

Copyright © 2020 by Scottsville Museum

1902 Image of Patrick William Bruffy:  Capturing Our Heritage, CDPWB01
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Image of the 1918 Death Certificate for Patrick W. Bruffy;  Capturing Our Heritage, CDPWB01
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Image of the Scottsville Cemetery Gravestone for Patrick W. Bruffy  Capturing Our Heritage, CDPWB01
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