Born and raised in Stone County, Ruth Asher is peerless when it comes to county history, and the families who settled there.  In 1835 her great-grandfather Zachariah Henson homesteaded the farm where Ruth was born.
   In the mid-1940's Ruth and her husband Ernest built a home, and took up residence on the farm in Cane Bottom where they grew strawberries and vegetables, and did threshing for other farmers in the Cape Fair area.  Eight children were born to Ruth and Ernest.
   Ruth is a dynamic lady who plays piano with a group called "Mae's Band" which entertains at area functions.  She is a member of several groups including The White River Valley Historical Society, Cape Fair Homemakers Extension Club, County Line Club, and Daughters of the American Revolution.  She does quilting weekly at Elm Branch Church, Aurora, Missouri, and attends the Cape Fair Baptist Church.  In addition to her other activities she also organizes the Cedar Bluff Reunion once a year, and writes a weekly column for the Crane Chronicle/Stone County Republican newspaper called "Cane Bottom News".
   Her enthusiasm for genealogy is renowned, and she is always eager to assist "out of towners" in locating old home places, and cemeteries.  Ruth is one of Stone County's finest jewels.