Stephen Russell (1765 - 1847)

Born 28 Jan 1765 in Ashford, Windham, Connecticut Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Sharpe — married 12 Feb 1800 in Pomfret, Windham, Connecticut, United States

Died 5 Mar 1847 at age 82 in Burlington, Chittenden, Vermont, United States

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Biography

STEPHEN RUSSELL, b. at Ashford, 28 Jan 1765 son of Benjamin Russell and Phebe Smith;^[1] d. at Burlington, VT, 5 Mar 1847;^[2] m. at Pomfret, 12 Feb 1800,^[3] MARY SHARP, b. at Pomfret, 14 Feb 1776^[4] daughter of Robert and Sarah (Davis) Sharp;^[5] Mary d. at Burlington, 18 Dec 1844.^[6]

Stephen and Mary’s son G. T. Russell of Bluffville, Illinois contributed a biography of his father to the Vermont Historical Magazine.^[7] G. T. related that at age fifteen, his father was determined to enlist in the war and his brother locked him up to prevent that. Stephen nevertheless managed to enlist and served three years. After marrying Mary Sharpe of 12 February 1800, Stephen and Mary went to Burlington, Vermont where they were first settlers. Stephen held town offices such as tax collector and constable. The family lived in the village of Burlington for a time until locating on a farm about one and one-half miles from the Court House Square. He kept the farm about twenty years before selling part of the farm and building a new house just north of the farm. “His treasures were not in this world, but that which is to come. It is not known as he had an enemy in the world.”

Stephen provided at statement for application for a pension on 15 April 1818. He enlisted in June 1781 in the company of Capt. John. K. Smith in the 6th Massachusetts regiment and served a term of three years. He was discharged when peace was declared in 1783 after serving twenty-one months. He received pension 27 October 1819 but was stricken from the pension rolls under the act of 1 May 1820 because of the amount of his property. On 26 June 1820, Stephen, aged fifty-five and resident of Burlington, provided a statement related to his pension. He valued his personal estate at $240. He reported owing $250 and that he had no real estate. He worked on a farm. In 1820, his household consisted of himself, his wife aged 45, and five children who were dependent on him for support. The children were Davis aged 17 who was crippled in both legs, Eliza aged 11, George aged 7, Sarah aged 4, and Stephen aged 2. His pension was later reinstated, and he received payment of $71.21 per annum.^[8]

Children

There are records of seven children born/recorded at Burlington, Vermont, the birth of the oldest child recorded as two months before the marriage.^[9] An eighth child (George T.) can be confirmed due to his authorship of an article about his father. A ninth child (Sarah) is identified from pension records.

i SOPHIA RUSSELL, b. 13 Dec 1799; d. at Claremont, NH, 24 Dec 1876;^[10] m. JAMES HENRY PLATT, b. at Salem, NY, 19 Aug 1799;^[11] James d. at Hartford, VT, 7 Apr 1876.

ii DAVIS SMITH RUSSELL, b. 26 Jan 1802; d. at Springfield, MA, 4 Nov 1874; m. at Burlington, VT, 19 Jan 1832, MARY E. POWERS, b. in Canada, about 1809 daughter of Robert Powers; Mary d. at Springfield, 20 Feb 1878.

iii CHARLES SHARP RUSSELL, b. 2 Mar 1805; d. 31 Jan 1807.

iv MARY ELIZA RUSSELL, b. 25 Apr 1807

v CHARLES S. RUSSELL, b. 1808; d. 28 Jan 1808.

vi SARAH M. RUSSELL, b. 1811; d. 28 Jul 1811.

vii GEORGE T. RUSSELL, b. about 1812; d. at Whiteside County, IL, about 1875 (probate Oct 1878 but wife had remarried before this date); m. 1st at Charlotte, VT, 28 Oct 1852, ELIZA RICH, b. at Charlotte, about 1825 daughter of Everett and Lydia (Chase) Rich;^[12] Eliza d. at Charlotte, 1856. George m. 2nd at Carroll County, IL, 16 Mar 1858, ELIZABETH KENT (widow of Henry Cosner), b. in NJ, about 1812 possible daughter of Jacob and Nancy (Blackford) Kent; Elizabeth d. after 1880 when living at Morrison, IL. Elizabeth Kent married third Hiel Chamberlain before 1878 when Elizabeth and Hiel were administrators of George T. Russell’s estate. George Russell and Eliza Rich had one daughter Maria born at Charlotte, VT in 1856. Maria lived with her grandmother Lydia after the death of her mother.

viii SARAH RUSSELL, b. about 1816

ix STEPHEN H. RUSSELL, b. 11 Apr 1820; d. at Burlington, 2 Sep 1876; m. at Burlington, 14 Nov 1849, MARIA WARNER, b. at Burlington, 23 Jan 1820 daughter of Isaac Warner; Maria d. at Burlington, 9 Jan 1893.

Sources and Footnotes

1. ↑ "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F74R-1QH : 7 January 2020), Stephen Russell, 1765.
2. ↑ "Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V8MT-NMQ : 19 February 2021), Stephen Russell, 1847.
3. ↑ Connecticut, U.S., Church Record Abstracts, 1630-1920, volume 090, Pomfret, p 88; Stephen Russell of Burlington, VT and Mary Sharp of Pomfret
4. ↑ "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F7WG-DLZ : 7 January 2020), Mary Sharpe, 1776.
5. ↑ Davis, Samuel Davis of Oxford, Mass., p 142
6. ↑ "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK1N-LVBY : 1 August 2020), Mary Sharp Russell, ; Burial, Burlington, Chittenden, Vermont, United States of America, Elmwood Cemetery; citing record ID 138871126, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
7. ↑ Russell, G. T., “Stephen Russell, Esq.” in Hemenway, Vermont Historical Gazetteer, p 592
8. ↑ U. S. Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Application Files, Case S18583
9. ↑ Vermont, Vital Records, 1720-1908
10. ↑ New Hampshire, Death and Burial Records Index, 1654-1949; Sophia’s place of birth as Burlington, VT and parents as Stephen and Mary Russell are given on her death record.
11. ↑ James’s date of birth is on his gravestone and place of birth on death record. Findagrave ID: 79097749
12. ↑ The will of Everett Rich of Charlotte, VT written 24 Feb 1857 includes a bequest to his granddaughter Maria Russell daughter of Eliza who is deceased.

• Davis, George L. 1884. Samuel Davis, of Oxford, Mass., and Joseph Davis of Dudley, Mass. and Their Descendants. North Andover, MA: George L. Davis.

• Hemenway, Abby Maria (Ed.). 1867. The Vermont Historical Gazetteer: A Magazine Embracing the History of Each Town. Burlington, VT: Miss A. M. Hemenway.