Hello Russell Researchers!

I decided to try sending out a newsletter with some of the new Russell genealogy findings. We have made some inroads since the reunion and this seems the easiest way to disseminate the information.

The russellreunion.com website lost all my email addresses, so when you get a minute, if you'd please send me an email, I'd really appreciate it!

There has been some discussion about another reunion, I know the economy is bad and I don't want to start putting one together if no one can afford to attend. It would probably be in Bentonville, Arkansas again and probably at the same hotel or their newer sister hotel. The price of food has increased, so figure about $50.00 a ticket for the dinner and about $100.00 per night for the suites and about $75.00 a night for the single rooms. I would like to try and plan a side trip up to Fort Scott, Kansas or maybe Barry Co., Missouri if enough people are interested. Think about it and drop me a postcard, send me an email, or give me a call 707-290-8879(cell). I'd love to do it again, it was a BLAST!

I am still looking for more photos of those Russell's to put on the website, I get occasional emails from researchers from the site, even some new cousins. I also need more addresses for the missing cousins; they deserve to join the fun. Please look at your address book and send me relatives, I will send them an introduction letter and see if they are interested.

Now, for you diehard researchers:

While searching the BLM land records I found our Samuel James Russell b. 1811, a very exciting find!!! (Andrew J. Russell b. 1860, James B. Russell b.1833, Samuel James Russell b.1811)  see SamRussell'sDeed

It is a land grant from Abraham Lincoln to "Samuel J. Russell a Private (in) Captain Yokums Company, Tennessee Militia Florida War". It is for 40 acres in Missouri in 1852.

This required some serious Googling as I'd never heard of the Florida Wars. (when you live in California, you don't learn much about Florida history) It is more commonly called the Seminole War or the Second Seminole War, fought in 1842. When the U.S. purchased Florida from Spain in 1821, there were many tribes of Indians who had been living there for over a hundred years. The tribes were moved onto reservations and seemed to be adjusting but then the Alachua Creek Indians, the Cimarrones, which later became Seminole, (they think) refused to be on the same land as the other tribes, so they refused to go. (this is a very simple version of the cause) Our government decided that Indians should fight Indians, so they went to Tennessee and offered land for soldiering. There is some interesting information about Captain Henderson Yoakum on the internet but not all of his rosters survived, so no list with Samuel Russell's name. This is an exciting find as it tells me he was in the service, he was almost definitely Native American (probably Cherokee) and it give me a time and place in Missouri. There is another deed for Samuel J. Russell giving the same information about his service record but this is for 120 acres in Kansas in 1861, proving he did move and probably died there as we suspected. I've attached a copy of the Missouri deed on the next page. Not of genealogical interest but look at the bottom right of the page. The paragraph that starts with "Given under my hand..." look at the way it's dated, there are two sets of dates. One is the regular date and the other one is the number of years since the founding of the U.S. Kind of neat!

Enough about land deeds.

I checked the newly released census records for Kansas and found Samuel in Bourbon Co., where Marion Township would be in later years. He was listed in 1855, 1857, 1859 and I think he died before May of 1860 as Mary Polly Bell Russell (his wife) showed up in the 1860 Census in Wallace Township, Benton Co., Arkansas with James B., Olive Jane and baby Andrew. There are no cemeteries online for Marion, so can't check, hence the desire to visit Fort Scott. Samuel was there with other familiar names from Barry Co., Missouri, Elisha Fly, Asher Sooter, John Fly, and a Jackson Russell. I suspect that this is his brother Andrew Jackson Russell. The age is off, but who gave this information to the census taker, maybe a child, anyway the male/female children fit, so that's my guess.

If this is helpful, contact me and money permitting, I'll do another newsletter later in the year. Maybe this is something we should do 2-3 times a year as a subscription. What do you guys think? I will also be posting this stuff on the website. Please sound off.

Thanks and think about another reunion, maybe someday we can have a reunion in Tennessee and search out some more information.

Thanks folks and stay warm!

Diana

707-290-8879 (cell)