Early Life

Ruth Ann Musick was born in Kirksville, Missouri on September 17, 1897. Musick had a younger brother, Archie Musick, who grew up to become a very talented artist. Her parents were Levi and Zada Musick. After growing up in Kirksville, Musick attended Kirksville State Teacher's College and earned her B.S. in education. From there, she went on to teach at several high schools until ultimately returning to school to earn her Master's in mathematics from the State University of Iowa. Musick then went back to teaching high school mathematics until she returned to school one last time to earn her PhD in English. It was during this time that she found her passion for writing and she became interested in folklore. Musick's years of education and experience prompted her to become an extremely talented author and write some of the greatest folklore pieces of all time.