Thomas Russell

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Husband Thomas Russell ^{1 2}

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           Born: 
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         Buried: 

       Marriage: 

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Wife

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Children

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1 M Alexander Russell ^{1 2}

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           Born: 25 Apr 1796 - Huntingdon Co, PA 1
     Christened: 
           Died: 1883 2
         Buried: 

         Spouse: Elizabeth Dunn (      -Abt 1867) 2

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General Notes: Husband - Thomas Russell

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He was the first of the well-known Russell family to settle in Venango County, Pennsylvania. He came from Huntingdon County about 1800, and settled on French creek about one mile above Utica. His son Alexander, then a small boy, accompanied his father to the new country and bore his share of the many trials and hardships incident to a life in the backwoods. The following incident is related: On one occasion after the family had been without flour several days, and tiring of corn meal and potatoes as a substitute for bread, young Alexander was sent on horseback with a bag of wheat to the mill at Franklin. Getting his grist he started homeward in the afternoon, and on reaching "Hanna's gap" a large black bear came out into the road and deliberately stopped in front of the horse. Badly frightened the boy hastily dropped the sack of flour, and applying the switch to his horse, was soon out of the reach of danger. On reaching home the badly frightened boy related his thrilling experience and the father, arming himself, went back to the scene of the incident, where he found the sack of flour untouched. Bruin was not visible. [HVC 1890, 564]

1 J. H. Newton, History of Venango County, Pennsylvania (Columbus, OH: J. A. Caldwell Publishers, 1879), Pg 595.

2 —, History of Venango County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: Brown, Runk, & Co., Publishers, 1890), Pg 1024.