Thanks again for your help. With some idea where to look, I did find the marriage record in an index of Alabama marriage records.

There is a James Jefferson, age 40-50, in Pickens County in 1830 with one female 30-40 in the household. It is probably the James Jefferson who patented land in Pickens County in 1834. My assumption is this is probably the James Jefferson who married Ruth in 1836: their first known child was born in 1837.

I haven't been able to locate James with Ruth and their two sons in 1840. Tennessee seems very likely since the two oldest sons where born in Tennessee according to census records in 1850 and 1860 when James and then Ruth was head of the household.

Is there any indication who Ruth's parents might have been?