John Jacob Rugh was born on February 15, 1761, in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, the son of Johann Michael Rugh, Sr. and Anna Franzina (Merkel) Rugh.

He was a pioneer farmer and early settler of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. At age 11, he came with his family, in 1772, to the wilderness, just south of the present city of Greensburg. He acquired 196 acres in Hempfield Township, part of his father's original homestead.

In the Revolutionary War, he served as a Private in Col. Christopher Truby's (Memorial #14439611) Company of the Westmoreland County Rangers.

In 1778 or 1779, he married Sybilla Mechling in Westmoreland County.

Later, he was a representative in the Pennsylvania Legislature for several terms, belonging to the Whig Party. He was very literate and owned an extensive personal library.

John Jacob Rugh passed away on February 6, 1845, in Hempfield Township, just outside of Greensburg, Pennsylvania. He was orginally buried in the Old German Cemetery in Greensburg, but later moved to Hillview Cemetery.

The Old Union Cemetery is also called the Old German Graveyard, the Old German Burying Ground, or the German Lutheran Cemetery. The cemetery was moved by city ordinance in 1890. The bodies that were claimed were moved by the funeral directors in 1949 as the area was being paved over for a parking lot in front of City Hall. The original site now lies beneath the parking lot of Midtown Plaza at 450 South Main Street, Greensburg.

At Hillview Cemetery, his original gravesite is unknown. In 1989, Phil Knox, Member #46804759, found Jacob's tombstone, face down and covered with leaves, in a wooded area alongside the cemetery. He contacted a Rev. Paul Miller Ruff, who returned it to the grounds. It is now propped up against one of the Rugh cenotaphs, and has a United States flag and Revolutionary War medallion.

Submitted by Angela, 5-great-granddaughter of John Jacob's brother, Johann Peter Rugh, Sr., and Member #48520699.