This photo of Bertha and her son Gene was taken around 1922.
Bertha was a lovely and kind lady. She married Carl Ruffertshofer on August 28, 1921. Carl and Martin were brothers. The Ruffertshofer brothers married the Miller sisters. Carl and Bertha lived on a farm just down the road from Nola and Martin on land that they purchase from Carl's father. Carl was also a coal miner.
The farm kept them busy as well as their two children. Bertha had her vegetable garden and did more than a significant amount of canning. She made the best corn relish and mustard pickles. She shared her canned items with the family, with the neighbors and with the church. When she would come to visit you she came with a basket full of canned goods. She made her own sauerkraut from the cabbage she grew in her garden. She loved to bake and was the master when it came to Angel Food Cake from scratch. Aunt Bert was the one to go to for knowledge on planting a garden. She continued to have a large vegetable garden even into her eighties.
I had the honor of being asked to share a recipe with Aunt Bert. She asked if I would come to her home and show her how to make the dish. It was a pleasure for me to be asked to share a recipe with such an accomplished cook. She'd tip her head back and chuckle frequently while you were visiting.
Bertha and Nola remained close through their lives. They never lived more than a half mile from each other their whole life. After their husbands passed away, they'd do their shopping together and get their hair done together
