Ruger, Besse Jane 'Bessie'

1899 - 1998  (98 years)

• Name	Ruger, Besse Jane 'Bessie'
  Birth	5 Sep 1899	Clay County, Illinois   [1, 2]
  Gender	Female
  Census		1940 Census, Ingraham, Clay County, Illinois, page 09a 1940 United States Federal Census, Ingraham, Clay County, Illinois, District 13-18, image 17, page 09a
  Reference Number	RUGE.B001
  _FGRAVE	20432431
  Death	12 Jan 1998	Flora Healthcare Center, Flora, Clay County, Illinois   [2]
  Burial	Kneff Cemetery, Clay City, Clay County, Illinois   [2]
  		Headstone, Knowles, Besse and John
  Person ID	I42186	Carl Wayne Gray Research
  Last Modified	12 Jan 2024

  
  

  Family	Knowles, John,   b. 30 Jan 1901, Illinois d. 19 Apr 1964 (Age 63 years)
  Marriage	1923  [1, 2]
  Age at Marriage	She : ~ 23 years and 3 months - He : ~ 21 years and 11 months.
  Children	+ 1. Knowles, Billy H.,   b. 18 Aug 1926, Illinois d. 27 Mar 2004 (Age 77 years) > 2. Knowles, Leonard C.,   b. 8 Nov 1927, Clay County, Illinois d. 5 Aug 2016, Deaconess Hospital, Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana (Age 88 years) + 3. Knowles, James Earl 'Jim',   b. 28 Dec 1934, Ingraham, Clay County, Illinois d. 1 Feb 2006 (Age 71 years)
  Family ID	F9803	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	24 Oct 2026

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 5 Sep 1899 - Clay County, Illinois Death - 12 Jan 1998 - Flora Healthcare Center, Flora, Clay County, Illinois Burial - - Kneff Cemetery, Clay City, Clay County, Illinois  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Notes

  Bessie Jane Knowles, 98, of Flora, died Monday, January 12, 1998, at the Flora Health Care Center, Flora. Mrs. Knowles was born September 5, 1899, in Clay County, the daughter of Charles and Rose Cisne Ruger. She married John Knowles in 1923, he died in 1964. She was a past country grade school teacher, and a member of Mt. Zion United Brethern Church. Surviving are three son and daughters-in-law, Billy and Irma Knowles of Sailor Springs, Leonard and Doris Knowles of Mt. Carmel, James and Wilma Knowles of Mt. Juliet, TN; a sister, Dorothea Dunigan of Flora; four grandchildren; six great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, two brothers, and two sisters. Funeral services were held at Frank and Bright Funeral Home in Flora. Burial was in the Kneff Cemetery, rural Flora. Ron Hostettler officiated the services. (Advocate-Press obituary published January 14, 1998)

  
  

• Sources

  [S2319] Ancestry.com, 1940 United States Federal Census, Pixley Township, Clay County, Illinois, District 13-18, image 17, page 9a, (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2442/M-T0627-00769-00441?backurl=https%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.com%2fsearch%2fdb.as) (Reliability: 2). [S15790] https://www.findagrave.com, Headstone, Knowles, Besse and John, (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/20432437/john-knowles), none. (Reliability: 2).