JAMES MILLER RUSSELL

RUSSELL

Posted By: Jake Tornholm (email)
Date: 4/20/2020 at 20:03:02

JAMES MILLER RUSSELL, one of the representative citizens of Quincy township, was born in Windham county, Vermont, November 24, 1832. When he was eight years of age his father, Alvin J. Russell, emigrated from the State of Vermont to Morgan county, Ohio, and thence to Wyandot county, in the same State. When the family emigrated to Ohio it consisted of the parents and two sons, James M. and Alvin Chandler. A third son, George W., was born in the State of Ohio. In 1854 James M. Russell, then a young man of twenty-two years, came to Iowa. He remained in Polk county during the summer of that year, when he returned to Ohio. He was much pleased with Iowa - in fact made so favorable a report of the country that his father decided to emigrate hither with his family. A gentleman living near the home of Mr. Russell, in Ohio, owned quite a large tract of land in Adams county, and Mr. Russell, Sr., entered into negotiation with this gentleman, whose name was Anthony Beery, for a portion of this tract of land. The negotiation resulted in Mr. Russell exchanging his farm in Ohio for 200 acres on section 13, Quincy township, Adams county. Accordingly, the following year, the entire family of Mr. Russell, Sr., consisting of parents, their three sons and an adopted daughter named Ann Katch, came to Iowa and settled on this land. They made the journey with teams, bringing also by the same conveyance their household goods, etc. No improvements had been made on the land when the family located thereon. During the first winter of their sojourn in Adams county the family occupied a log cabin with a sod roof, which was located on the stream known as Hatton branch, that being the only available shelter they were able to secure, and this was situated some distance from the land they had secured for a future home. In the spring of 1856 the father and sons began breaking up the land, and built thereon a small plank house, into which the family moved. They continued to work together improving the farm, and ultimately added largely to their first possession, becoming the owners of 840 acres. The first of the family to remove from the homestead was Alvin Chandler, who married and settled in Washington township, Adams county. In 1871 he removed to Oregon and resided in Umatilla county. The youngest of the three brothers married, and engaged in merchandising in the village of Quincy, then the county seat of Adams county. Later he engaged in the same business in Corning, where he continued for a number of years when he removed to Indian Territory, and died in the fall of 1886, leaving a family of six children. The father and mother of the Russell family lived at the homestead until death. The former was born in Vermont, February 26, 1803, and died April 26, 1876. The mother, whose maiden name was Nancy Miller, was born February 26, 1804, and died November 12, 1882.

James Miller Russell, the eldest child, as already stated, was the first of the family to come to Iowa. He was married, March 3, 1859, to Miss Mary Elizabeth Howard, daughter of Charles Howard, of Wapello county, Iowa. Mrs. Russell was born in Morgan county, Ohio, in 1838. She lost her mother by death when she was but twelve years of age. Her father remarried, and in 1850 emigrated with his family to Iowa. He lived in Wapello county for twenty-five years, and then removed to Missouri. He was killed a number of years ago by being run over by a wagon. Mrs. Russell was the eldest of five children.

James M. Russell continued to live at the homestead until his death, which occurred very suddenly July 29, 1889. He had been in usual health and partook of his dinner as usual, soon after which he went to the well, which was at some distance from his barn where men were engaged in threshing, to obtain water for the threshers. Having been absent much longer that was deemed necessary, his son, James M., went in search of him and found his father lying dead beside the spring, having, as was supposed, died from an affection of the heart. The sudden death of the husband and father was a crushing blow to his family. Mr. Russell was an upright, respected citizen, and during his long residence in Adams county had ever the confidence and esteem of his fellow-citizens. He was ever prominent in whatever tended to promote the best interests of the community in which he lived. He was for many years connected with the School Board, and did much to promote the growth of education in his district.

In his political views he was a Republican.

Mr. Russell and wife were the parents of ten children: Charles A., the eldest, born January 29, 1860, died at the age of three years; Colonel Warren Russell, the eldest surviving child, was born January 28, 1861. He married Miss Cora A. Jones, and lives of a portion of the homestead. George Howard, the second son, a prominent teacher, was born December 5, 1862; James A., was born December 18, 1864; Nancy, September 20, 1866; she is one of the prominent teachers of Adams county, and has taught the home school for ten terms; Mary Lucretia, born September 12, 1868, married Charles Van Houten; Abbie Oddesson, was born April 27, 1870; Ralph, March 21, 1872; Frank, December 12, 1874, and John Edward, March 17, 1881. Mrs. Russell, with her children, reside at the old homestead, around which are associated pleasant memories of the days gone by, when she and her lamented husband labored in unison to improve and beautify their Iowa home.