The Music Business

     Although we think of the Russell family running dry goods stores in Pittsburgh and Allegheny, they actually had a number of business interests over the years. One curiosity, which has been covered here before, is a music shop.

    There is sheet music for a song The Evening Prayer. It clearly states it was published by J L Russell and Son.

     

This song and its history is covered in a post here:

     https://truthhistory.blogspot.com/2018/06/evening-prayer.html

    We now know a bit more about this venture.

     In 1872 J L Russell and Son were at 83 Fifth Avenue. They also owned or rented the property at number 85. For several months they attempted to get a tenant. For example, from the Pittsburgh Weekly Gazette for 28 May 1872:

     The key point reads:

“This is a rare chance to get one of the best locations in the city. Inquire of J L RUSSELL & SON, No. 83 Fifth Avenue.”

     This notice appeared for some weeks until the property was used by the Pittsburgh Music House, run by the Russells.

     From The Pittsburgh Commercial for 11 September 1872:

“New music, music books, pianos, reed and pipe organs, drums, fifes and campaign songs, J L Russell and Son.”

     Further advertisements from succeeding weeks (16 September, 4 October) gave the 85 Fifth Avenue address, but omitted the Russell name. You could also buy:

“Elegant Celeste organ(s) on easy terms, a square Grand piano at the lowest figure – or any popular ballad or Strauss Waltz...all the new music and instruction at lowest prices...”

     They soon added music publishing to their range. From The Pittsburgh Post for 16 December 1872:

     The full story of this music (along with the score for those who want to play it) can be found in the links given above.

     The last reference as yet discovered to the Russell’s Music House enterprise involved another piece of sheet music. Now into 1873, from the Pittsburgh Weekly Gazette for 20 February 1873:

     This music survives in the Library of Congress and you can download it complete if you so wish, although the surviving library copy only carries the names of publishers in Philadelphia and Boston.

     The song was credited to JAMES GILES, but the lyrics were a poem that appeared as a filler in numerous newspapers between 1870-1883, usually anonymous but occasionally credited to JOSEPHINE POLLARD.

     The opening line gives a flavor of the work:

‘Twas milking time and the cows came up from the meadow...”

 

     It would seem that the music business didn’t flourish, and the Russells continued expanding the dry goods business, working in other areas like scrap metal, and probably most lucrative long-term, real estate.

     But that is another story.

Carnone

 

     This is one of those (to me) mysteries that I would appreciate some feedback on.

     The question is, would a long-time elder of an Irish Presbyterian Church be illiterate?

     It comes from researching CTR’s family history. CTR’s father, Joseph Lytle Russell, was one of ten children who survived to adulthood. We know that one of them, Fannie Russell, never left Ireland, and married Alexander Harper. The church where they were married was probably Carnone – which is quite near the border between Londonderry and County Donegal, which feature on grave markers and obituaries for Charles Tays and Joseph Lytle Russell. This whole area was awash with Scots immigrants at one time, and the name Russell is quite prevalent (although no tie-ins as yet to CTR’s family).

     The surviving marriage registers for Carnone start in 1836 which is too late for Alexander and Fannie. But two of their children are in the baptism register, which has survived from 1837. They are:

William James Harper (son of Alexander Harper and Fanny Russell) born on 18 June 1838.

Sarah Harper (son of Alexander Harper and Fanny Russell) born on 17 April 1843.

     Sarah is never heard of again, which strongly suggests she died young, but we can trace James Harper down through the years.

     In the disbursements of Charles TAYS Russell’s will, there is a share for William James Harper, Broxton, Donegal County, Ireland.

     In the Carnone Churchyard there is a pillar for William James Harper and his immediate family. He died in 1920 aged 82, which lines up the dates for the right person.

     His death prompted a brief story in the Belfast Telegraph for 3 March 1920.

     So he has been a ruling elder in the Carnone congregation for 38 years. It is a long family tradition – his eldest son is now an elder there, and crucially his father was “a ruling elder in that congregation for 37 years.” That would have to be Alexander Harper, formerly married to Fanny Russell, CTR’s aunt.

     This would make William Harper one of CTR’s cousins.

     When Fanny died there was a brief note in the Londonderry Sentinel for 14 June 1867:

12 June at Carnone, Mrs Alexander Harper, aged 55 years.

     On the civil registration death certificate supplied to me by the Ulster Historical Association, we note that her husband Alexander was present at the death. But note how he signed.

     Unless he had broken his arm or something, that makes him illiterate.

     And yet in his son’s obituary in 1920 Alexander is credited with being a “ruling elder” for 37 years.

     It just doesn’t sound right to me.

     What do you think?

 

Notes on why research done

     The main purpose of this line of research is part of an ongoing attempt to find out exactly where in Northern Ireland the Russell family came from. Searching for the sister who never got away was one line of enquiry. Of course, just because Fannie married Alexander and lived in the Carnone parish at one point does not mean she was born there, but in those far off pre-railway days, people often did not travel very far to meet people, marry them, and spend the rest of their lives with them. Historically, Carnone and surrounding parishes suffered a declining population during the 19^th century as many chose (or were forced) to leave the area for pastures new, including America.

Russell's Theology

Updated 

The following is found in the October 15, 1908, Watch Tower. Conflicting interpretations are found in 'the literature.' Please read it carefully. How do you understand this?

The divine purpose in the redemption provided was to bring a blessing to all the families of the earth-a release from sin and death conditions and a return to divine favor to all who would be obedient; hence our Lord's work did not end with the application of his merit to those who were accepted of the Father as members of his Body. Rather the sacrifice was allowed to continue on a larger scale-a sacrificing of the Church, the members of his Body being counted as a continuation and a completion of our Lord's own personal sacrifice. When all the members of this great mystical Body shall have suffered with him”-when he as the great antitypical High Priest shall have offered up not only himself but us, his adopted members, then justice will have all that it ever demanded and much more. It will have the one great valuable sacrifice of Jesus and additionally the sacrifice of his members-144,000 justified through faith in his blood, whose sacrifice the Apostle declares to be in God's sight holy and acceptable.”-Rom. 12:1.

Would it be right for justice to accept 144,001 sacrifices when only the one was really demanded? We answer, Yes. Justice is not hindered-divine justice would not be stopped from receiving all of those sacrifices in the manner arranged. Justice could not have demanded more, however, nor accepted less, than the one perfect life. We are to remember that none of these sacrifices was demanded nor compelled by justice merely a high reward for faithfulness was held out for the time. Our Lord was attracted thereby and For the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame.” 

As a matter of fact the divine plan through him opened the door of opportunity to others who have His spirit (disposition) during this Age, to a limited fore-ordained number, which we believe to be 144,000. Their sacrifice was not demanded. It was voluntary and because they saw riches of grace and .divine rewards which they esteemed to be their privilege to attain. Thus in the divine plan the world has been redeemed much less directly than we may have imagined, but much to our advantage, in that it has permitted us to become members of the Bride Class, members of the Body of the Great Mediator, whose work throughout the Millennial Age will be that of Intercessor and· Go-between and Mediator between God and men-the world in general. We, who now come in under this arrangement as members of the Body, members of the Seed of Abraham,” members of the Great Antitypical Mediator, Prophet, Priest, King, Judge, are as his members under his supervision yielding up our lives in sacrifice during this Age, and these sacrificed lives counted in with his constitute the blood of The Christ, which seals the New Covenant between God and the world. That New Covenant will not be sealed until all the blood of the Great Mediator has been shed. Then Head and Body, Bridegroom and Bride, we shall be presented before the Father and the blood of the Great Christ, as shown in the types of Leviticus, will then avail for the cancellation of the world's sin, even as the blood of Jesus now avails for our sins.

James Gray of the Moody Bible Institute wrote:

“It is in the extra-Scriptural teaching on the atonement that the greatest harm is done, for Millennial Dawnism makes the Church a part of the Redeemer in His redemptive work. It wrests that transcendent doctrine of the believer’s oneness with Christ, to make it appear that we are part of the ransom price for sin. ...  Roman Catholicism has never uttered greater blasphemy than his concerning Him who ‘appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.’” – J. M. Gray, The Errors of “Millennial Dawnism”

Thoughts. Was he right? 

Various

 

Some of you know that I took a bad fall. I’m still suffering the effects, sleeping more than usual and not up to working much. So, if you have a blog post you want me to consider, please send it on. Also, you may want to further Jerome’s research. It’s excellent, and adds important detail that doesn’t fit in the Separate Identity narrative.

I would appreciate your comments on this: I have many vintage anti-Watchtower booklets. Among these are many from the 1940s. As is true of most anti-Witness controversialist material they are full of poor reasoning, lies, ad hominem, and stupidity. But they are historical documents, and some add detail to the narrative. I’m considering republishing them in an annotated edition.

I hesitate to do this given their offensive nature. But they ARE part of our history. What do you think?

Now on to other things. A recent email said: “WTS has been trying to remove and cleanse their history, and it's becoming harder to find old documents.” I want to state here that this is total nonsense. One cannot expect them to oppose their own theology. But they do not buy up, erase, or otherwise hide documents. One can find every Watchtower, Awake, Consolation, Golden Age, booklet and book they ever published. Most are online; the rest are available through interlibrary loan or direct request to the institution owning the material.

No ethical academic would call Jehovah’s Witnesses a cult. Those who fear them, who cannot refute their doctrine except by repeating that they do not agree use the term to color the Witnesses in shades of black. That is the same thinking behind the Catholic Inquisition. And there ARE clergy and anti-cult writers who would gladly burn Witnesses at the stake if the law did not prevent them.

Assume personal responsibility. The person who wrote the email I’ve mentioned did not like the restrictions Witness theology places on its adherents. You cannot fornicate, steal, use illegal drugs, or misbehave in other ways. Fine. You don’t want to live under those restrictions, just don’t. No-one is forcing you to do that. 

Alexander Turney Stewart

Alexander Turney Stewart was the founder of the department store as we today know it. Born in 1803 he used a legacy to invest in Irish linens and opened a store in New York in the early 1920s. He grew to be a multi-millionaire. His story is told in Wikipedia.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Turney_Stewart

The reason he appears here on this blog is because there are connections with CTR’s family. They may go back to the old country, Ireland, or if not, to the Russell family’s early days in America.

Among CTR’s family were three Uncles who all went to America, and they all had connections with Turney Stewart.

Uncle Charles TAYS Russell’s obituary mentions Stewart.

The obituary states he received his early lessons in active business from A T Stewart. That could be anything from a tutelage to working in Stewart’s New York store.

Uncle James Russell (who bought the grave plot for the family in the Allegheny cemetery) ran a boarding school and academy in Elmwood Hill, Bloomingdale, New York for around 20 years. For most of those years his newspaper advertisements said a prospectus could be obtained from A T Stewart’s Broadway Store. (Did Stewart help with finance?)

And third – Uncle Alexander who spent most of his American life in New York and New Jersey had a daughter named Cornelia born in 1840. A family history document says she was “named for Mrs A T Stewart” – who was indeed a Cornelia

So there are at least three connections between CTR’s Uncles and the multi-millionaire Stewart. The last one about the name Cornelia suggests the link were not just business, but personal.

There is a chain from Stewart’s Irish linen store and dry goods in New York, to Charles Tays’ Russell opening something similar in Pittsburgh, to his brother Joseph Lytle joining him, to CTR taking over that type of business and selling shirts.

Unfortunately few documents from Stewart’s business empire have survived today, so it may never be possible to join all the dots.

Unless anyone out there has more information? 

James

This material is a proposed chapter for a future book on the History of the Russell family.

As with the previous extract (see post from January 28) comments are welcome, either here or send back-channel to Jerome.

The Aunt Sarah document that is the starting point for this article can be examined here in an earlier draft of this material:

https://truthhistory.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-russell-family-tree.html

    

     James was the oldest of the ten children of James Russell and Fannie Grier who survived to adulthood, and was born c.1796. His register of death from 1847 simply states that he came from Ireland. He will have been one of the first to go to America if not THE first, paving the way for others. His history, as given by Aunt Sarah, suggests a possible trail-blazer, a patriarch of the family, but he ended up in Pittsburgh and died comparatively young, five years before CTR was born. Aunt Sarah tells us that James married Sarah Ann Risk. We learn elsewhere in the document that the Risk family were Episcopalians in Faun, Ireland (which is most likely Fahan in County Donegal), and father George Risk (married to a Sarah) was an excise officer. We also note from the history of Alexander Russell, who we will come to later, but who married Sarah Ann’s sister, Margaret, that James and Sarah were already a married couple in America in Elmwood Hill, New York, by 1832.

     James’ history gives a field for more research. Quoting directly from Aunt Sarah:

“James was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, conducted his Collegiate and Commercial Institute at Elmwood Hill, Bloomingdale, N.Y. now included in Central Park near West 103^rd Street.”

     So he started his education in Dublin but then “conducted” an institute in New York.

     Trinity College, Dublin, was founded in 1592. Famous alumni include James Ussher (he of Bible chronology), literary figures like Jonathan Swift, Oliver Goldsmith and later Oscar Wilde, philosophers like Edmund Burke, and statesmen like Eamon de Valera. it was specifically founded as an educational institution for Protestants who supported the established church. That meant Anglicans; non-conformists like Presbyterians would have issues.  However, James was to take the faith of his wife and her family and become Episcopalian. As for Roman Catholics, they were basically barred by a required oath until 1793. Matters were then relaxed somewhat and religious tests were abolished by Act of Parliament in 1873, at which point the Irish Catholic Bishops banned their flock from enrolling. The matter was not finally resolved until 1970.

     By the time James enrolled Protestants of all shapes and sizes could attend. The original emphasis on theology gradually broadened to include a whole range of subjects, including mathematics, medicine, law, science and engineering.

     The enrolment records for Trinity have survived. Examining lists of those who enrolled between 1803 and 1829 (which are in two volumes covering 1803-1814, 1815-1829) there are twenty Russells in total on the books – but only one James.

     This solitary James was entered for enrolment on 3 November 1823 and “put on the books” as the register puts it, on 22 November 1823. His tutor is listed as W. Harte.

     At this time, if this was OUR James he would have been in his late twenties. One might expect the James Russell in Aunt Sarah’s account to have attended college a little earlier in life. However, this is the only James found in extant enrolment records for Trinity College, and they do appear to be very comprehensive. It seems likely that James returned to Ireland from America for a short while for some of his education. As we will see when discussing Alexander Turney Stewart in the chapter on Charles Tays Russell, some people did travel back and forth across the Atlantic at this time if they had good enough reason to do so.

     According to Aunt Sarah the institute that James was involved with was called the Collegiate and Commercial Institute at Elmwood Hill, Bloomingdale, New York. There were some name changes over two decades but always with James G Russell at the helm.

     The New York papers, particularly The Evening Post ran a prospectus and advertisement for this for a good number of years. On the next page is one example, taken from the paper for 10 September 1835. As the reproduction is quite small, the details will be reviewed on following pages.

     The school had been established at its present location for the past eight years. That would take us back to around 1827.

     It was a boarding school for young boys. There were four classes covering four years, and the wide range of subjects included: Spelling, Reading, Writing, Mathematics (including book-keeping), Geography, Elocution, Mythology, Astronomy, and History (particularly of the United States). If a young person stayed to the final year they could enjoy:

 “Logic, Belle Lettres, Natural and Moral Philosophy, Chymistry (sic), Political Economy, with an explanation of the Constitution of the United States, and of the State of New York.”

     There were extra charges for those who needed Greek, Latin, French, Spanish and Drawing. The terms per annum were not cheap but did include “Board, Tuition, Washing and Mending.”

     To offer these services for four classes, which one assumes ran concurrently, would require the hiring of staff.

     The principal (James G Russell of Elmwood Hill) explained the regime:

“It is exclusively a Boarding School; and no pupils are admitted but such as will board and reside in the family, and under the constant supervision of the principal, and pursue the prescribed course under his immediate direction. The discipline of the school is mild and parental, but sufficiently energetick (sic) to secure the performance of the prescribed duties; but it has been a favourite object to dispense with corporeal punishment, and substitute the incentive of emulation, a sense of honour, duty and propriety. Principles of piety and morality are constantly inculcated without interfering with the tenets of any particular sect. The family of the principal, and the pupils, attend the Episcopal Church.”

     It noted in passing that “a small item is charged for pew rent.”

     One trusts that this was a step-up from Dotheboys Hall in Charles Dickens’ Nicholas Nickleby.

     Of particular interest is the announcement that ran at the end of the advertisement for many years that those who wanted a prospectus or more information could obtain such from Messrs. A.T. Stewart and Co., 257 Broadway. We will see when discussing Charles Tays Russell that his obituary has him working either with or for Stewart when he came to America. There was obviously a long connection between Alexander Turney Stewart and some of the Russell family, even if we can’t join all the dots today.

     The advertisements for a New York boarding school featuring James G Russell go right back to 1820. James would have been about 25 years old at the time.

     The first known appearance of James was in The Evening Post for 9 June 1820.

     The heading was ACADEMY AT STATEN ISLAND and it announced its opening. It offered the usual subjects and noted that:

“A limited number of young gentlemen, not exceeding 12 years of age, can be accommodated with boarding, washing and mending in the family of the teacher.”

     The location was on the northeast side of Staten Island. James’ hype concluded:

The local situation of the academy, in point of beauty, convenience, and salubrity of air, is surpassed by none. The subscriber flatters himself that the above advantages, joined to his own exertions, to promote the improvement and regulate the morals of those committed to his care, shall entitle him to a share of the public patronage.”

     It was signed JAMES G. RUSSELL and had references from a Naval Officer and two Health Officers.

     It looked very much like a start-up operation. However, the date does suggest that James was the first of his generation to travel to America, therefore able to help younger family members when they arrived. Charles Tays Russell, for example, was only about 16 years old when he made the trip in 1822.

     By 1824 James’s Academy had moved to the “rear of the Dutch Church” and was advertised as a “Boarding School at Bloomingdale.” (The Evening Post for 7 May 1924; unless otherwise indicated, all further references to James’ school will be from this paper).

     In 1825 (9 May 1825) it was “J. G. Russell’s Boarding School” which was “now open for the accommodation of six or eight young Gentlemen.”

     The advertisements then disappeared for nearly two years, which may supports the assumption that James went back to the old country to do courses at Trinity College, Dublin.

    When James reappeared in 1827 (3 April 1827) he announced a relocation of his Boarding school, and revealed his “object is to establish a s  elect school, exclusively for boarders, the number of whom is limited to 20.”

     The idea of the school being “select” – with a specific class of clientele as a target – comes over in the promise:

“French and Spanish are taught by a highly approved teacher, who is detained as a permanent resident in the family, with a view to render the French, as much as practicable, the language of the family.”

     Again, it sounds very much like a start-up venture, or a re-start-up. It ties in with his 1935 announcement (already reviewed) that the school had operated in its present form for the past eight years.

     By 1930 (27 November 1830) it had become ELMWOOD HILL JUVENILE INSTITUTE  with James G, Russell as principal, and was now linked to Mr A T Stewart’s premises at 257 Broadway.

   The 1931 advertisement (28 May 1831) show the number accommodated to have risen to about 40, with extensive enlargements underway to expand further. By now it sounds like a success story.

    In 1932 (21 September 1832) the name changed again Now it was ELMWOOD HILL BOARDING SCHOOL (Six miles from City Hall, New York). James noted for prospective new clients:

“The number of pupils and limited and select, and none are admitted but such as reside with the family of the principal, with whom they fare at a common board, and by whom they are treated in all respects as children in a well regulated and Christian family.”

     By 1834 (6 August 1834), yet more improvements to the buildings made it possible to expand the business and accommodate additional pupils. Circulars with more information were still available from A T Stewart’s emporium.

     The 1835 advertisement has already been reproduced in full and discussed above. By now the name Aunt Sarah remembered, ELMWOOD HILL COLLEGIATE AND COMMERCIAL INSTITUTE was featured and remained in place (with just one slight tweak) for the rest of its history.

     So James G  Russell’s Collegiate and Commerical Institute was a success story, pitching its services to the wealthier classes who could afford the ever increasing fees.

     As noted earlier, Aunt Sarah’s source document gave a brief snapshot for James in 1832. He is well established in America, married to his own Sarah and living in Elmwood Hill, New York. Aunt Sarah records that:

“James and Sarah having no children ‘adopted’ Thomas Russell, son of (his brother) Alexander.”

     This Thomas Russell was born in 1833.

     It would appear that young Thomas joined the family of boarders at the Elmwood Hill School.

     James’ history leaves a number of questions for which we may never have the answers. Why did he start a Boarding school in 1920? Why was it in New York? Once the school was up and running it should have been quite profitable, but how was he able to fund such a venture initially?

     It all seems to have come to an abrupt end in 1840. The advertisements for the Elmwood establishment suddenly disappeared in May 1840, never to return.

     The final advertisement had a slight change of title:

     The reference to “the last ten years” suggests yet another change of venue from back in 1830. As always, more information was available from A T Stewart’s.

     But for all its appearance of a flourishing going concern, that was it.

     What happened next we do not know. We assume this might be when James and Sarah moved from New York to Pittsburgh, to join his younger brother, Charles Tays. We don’t know why they moved and we don’t know what they did when they got there. Was the master plan to start another school, or did James just work for his brother? We do know that he and Sarah returned to New York at one point but both were to die in the Pittsburgh area.

     As far as Pittsburgh was concerned, the first fairly positive sighting of James was in 1843.

     On Monday, 16 October 1843 The Pittsburgh Daily Post newspaper published a list of letters waiting at the Post Office for collection. It was a new feature of the newspaper that, regrettably for researchers, had only started that year.

     In the paper for 16 October, and repeated over the next two days, there was a letter waiting for James.

     We can reasonably assume this is the James who is married to Sarah. Next to him in the list, also with a letter to collect, is his brother, Joceph (sic) L(ytle) Russell. A few weeks later in the issue for 18 November 1843 the list included Charles T(ays) Russell, so it appears that all three brothers were in Pittsburgh together by 1843. We will return to Joseph and Charles later.

     James evidently intended Pittsburgh to be became a permanent home because in 1846 he bought one of the first grave plots to go on the market in the new Allegheny Cemetery. He obviously had sufficient funds to do this. He and his extended family were going to stay there. Forever. Literally.

     However, before this happened, there was one final try back in New York. From The Evening Post for 2 October 1845.

     James called himself “a graduate of a distinguished University” and offered accommodation for six boys in his own home at 227 Fulton Street, Brooklyn. It was almost a repeat of his first advertisement back in 1820. And the contact for more information was still A T Stewart and Co., Broadway, NY.

     It may be that declining health for both James and Sarah was why this last try was short lived. Within a little over a year Sarah would be dead, and in a little over two years, so would James. They would die in the Pittsburgh area and be buried in the plot James had bought in 1846 at the Allegheny Cemetery.

Insert material on the Allegheny cemetery and the Russell family plot. Adapted from:

https://truthhistory.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-russells-and-allegheny-cemetery.html

     The Allegheny Cemetery charter laid down strict legal provisions for inheritance of family plots. They would first go to children (James and Sarah did not have any) then to parents (who are assumed to be long dead in the old country), and then to brothers and sisters. Over the years ownership of the plot would pass first to James’ brother Charles, and then to his brother Joseph and finally to his son, CTR.

     In summary: of Thomas and Fanny Russell’s ten children who lived to adulthood, James appears as the oldest, the firstborn. He may have been a pioneer, perhaps the first of the family to travel to America, specifically to New York. By Aunt Sarah’s account he was well educated. By his own testimony he was “a graduate of a distinguished University.” What might he have accomplished had he lived? But sadly, he was to die comparatively young, several years before CTR was born. Hence, he was to be forgotten by history.

IMPORTANT ADDENDA TO POST ON JAMES RUSSELL

Since posting the above a significant alteration needs to be made. When and if this is incorporated into a book on the Russell Family History, the chapter will be rewritten to reflect the latest information.

I asked Trinity College if they had more information on James Russell who studied there. They have come back to me with full information on the James Russell who was admitted as a student in 1823. The problem is that this James is 15 years old and checking his history has no connection to our story.

This is the only James in the register for the relevant period. So although Aunt Sarah said “James was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland,” there is no primary documentation to support that. Trinity College (Dublin) records are quite comprehensive, and it would seem that James Grier Russell is not there. In the New York Evening Post for 2 October 1845 James described himself as “graduate of a distinguished University, and long known in New York as an efficient teacher.”

The type of education offered by his boarding school suggests he would need that level of education unless he just employed qualified teachers of the day. He doesn’t say which university he graduated from and, on reflection, I suspect that if it had been as prestigious as Trinity College, Dublin, he might have said so.

So what happened? Did someone exaggerate along the way? Or did Aunt Sarah, writing over half a century after the events, just assume something from second and third-hand comments and get it wrong?

There is a lesson to never take anything for granted. And my thanks to Trinity College for eventually looking up the fuller picture and taking the time to get back to me.

It is a disappointment, but as far as is humanly possible, what we write has to be accurate.

 

Can we identify date and place

 This is an undated convention photo. It appears to be a UK convention, late 1930s or early 1940s. Can you identify it further?

An extract...

 ...from a potential future book on the Russell’s Family History.

     The aim of this extract is to very briefly trace why a family like the Russells ended up in America as they did.

     Comments welcome on whether it all makes sense (or not) and whether the narrative –as far as it goes – accurately describes the passage of history.

     Leave a comment here or send back-channel to Jerome.

 

THE ROAD TO PITTSBURGH

     To be Presbyterian and Scottish-Irish in 19^th century America meant that your family would have followed a certain well-trodden (and somewhat nomadic) path in history.

     We will start in Ireland – specifically what is now known as Northern Ireland.

     Historically, Russell – whether as a forename or a surname – goes back to the Norman Conquest and may be linked to a place in Calvados, Normandy, called Rosel or Rozel. It also may be derived from an Anglo-Norman nickname from Old French for red-haired. As we will see later, in Irish history it is recognised as a Protestant name. There were many Russells in what is today known as Northern Ireland at the start of the 19^th century. Other common names in the region at the time were Lytle (sometimes spelled as Lytel and which is thought to comes originally from Little) and Tay or Tays (possibly named after the Scottish River Tay). As an alternative explanation the Ulster Historical Foundation has suggested that the surname “Tease” which was common in the area (perhaps from the River Tees in England’s Durham and Yorkshire region) could sound like “Tays” when said with a strong Ulster accent.

    It was common for surnames, perhaps of mothers, to be preserved as the middle name for a new generation. This helps explain names like Joseph Lytle Russell and Charles Tays Russell with its variant spelling Charles Taze. This can also assist in tracing a family tree backwards. It was also common, as it is today, for forenames to be repeated in families down the generations. Of course, when people had large families, they soon ran out of repeatable forenames.

     As noted above, the Russell family were of Scots or Scottish-Irish ancestry; early records using the term Scotch-Irish ancestry. We will try and standardise our usage hereafter with the older expression Scotch-Irish, simply because that was the term in general use during CTR’s lifetime.

     This links this Irish population with Scotland if you go further back in history. It also links them with the Presbyterian Church.

     The Reformation was never a clear-cut affair. While England broke away from the Catholic Church in the time of Henry VIII and the Church of England formed in 1534, in places like Scotland their reformation began in 1560 with the influence of John Calvin and the local John Knox.

     The Scottish model became Presbyterian, referring particularly to how the church was controlled and how much the civil authorities were involved in governance. In the Church of England the State was involved with church appointments, but at one point the Scottish church abolished the position of bishop and threw out the Church of England’s prayer book.

     As events played out, there was a lot of pressure on Presbyterians to join the Church of England, and this caused some from the Scottish Lowlands and also Northern England to emigrate from the 17^th century onward. In addition, the Highland Clearances of the 18^th century forced many others in Scotland to leave their homes. The British Government was keen to encourage these people to move to Ireland with land grants like the Plantations of Ulster from the early 17th century onward. Of course, land grants for an incoming population would result in the displacing of some of the existing population.

     Short-term it met two objectives. On the one hand it damped down tensions and poverty in Scotland and the Borders, and on the other a Protestant and English speaking settler community would help dilute both the language and Catholic faith of the native Irish in the area. Other events would shape the intervening years, but long-term it would contribute to a civil war and the country partitioned. Today we have the north loyal to the British Crown and the south independent. The political consequences of those 17^th and 18^th century decisions still rumble on today.

     The Protestant communities that subsequently developed in the north of Ireland were Presbyterian for the most part from their Scottish roots. As economic conditions became difficult in this new homeland a number decided to move on again. For many, the “promised land” was America. The term Scotch-Irish eventually came to be used in America to identify this wave of Protestant immigrants. It distinguished them from the large numbers who came from Ireland a little later because of the potato famine. The latter were predominantly Roman Catholic.

     It is very easy to merge all those who emigrated into one group, but that would be wrong. Zydek’s book Charles Taze Russell, The Man and His Message, paints a vivid picture of the coffin ships that brought hundreds of thousands of starving Irish to America. It is well written, but Zydek assumes that this is how Charles TAYS Russell reached America as the first of his clan to make the journey, and gives the date as 1838.

     However, both the timing and the geography are wrong. We will see that the first known wave of Russells to hit American shores came around 1820, and the really vast crowd of starving Irish refugees arrived over twenty years later. Although there would be overlap, generally they were from different parts of Ireland. As already noted, the Russells were from the north of the country. The potato famine that overwhelmed the country started in 1845 and was particularly disastrous for the rural poor who were mainly in the west and south – and Catholic.

     Population growth, absentee landlords, tenant farmers having to split their land into thousands of smallholdings, all meant that subsistence farming had to rely on potatoes. It was the only crop that could just about feed a family off the land. It was a disaster waiting to happen. When the crop failed due to potato blight, it is estimated that a million died from starvation. Over a ten-year period more than two million left the country, many going to America.

     Those who were part of the earlier diaspora like the Russells may have come originally from Scotland, or they may simply have been lumped into that catch-all Scotch-Irish title. Either way, they were Protestants – Presbyterians – who lived in the region of County Donegal (from Charles Tays Russell’s grave marker) and Londonderry (from Joseph Lytle Russell’s newspaper obituary). Donegal and Londonderry border on each other. Today Donegal is the northernmost county in the Republic of Ireland, and Londonderry (often shortened to Derry) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland.

     A key industry in what we now call Northern Ireland was the production of Irish linen. The climate and soil were suitable for the growing of flax, and French Huguenot refugees brought their weaving skills to the country in the late 17^th century. It became a huge cottage industry, especially when the British opposed the Irish woollen industry as a commercial threat. But in the early part of the 19^th century hand-spinning production faced severe competition from factory machine-spinning as the industrial revolution trampled all before it. Even so, prior to the First World War, Belfast in the north was still the largest linen-producing area in the whole world, and had the nickname, “Linenopolis.” But changing times and uncertainties of the 19^th century would cause some in the industry to look to America, both for markets and a home. So we have Charles Tays Russell, who reportedly came to America to work with Irish-born Alexander Turney Stewart. Stewart founded a dry goods empire which included importing Irish fabrics, before later cleaning up making uniforms for the Union side in the American Civil War. There will be more about Charles Tays later. One step further on from importing and selling linen we have Charles Tays’ one-time business partner – his brother Joseph Lytle Russell, establishing a dry goods store – a business that was expanded in due course with his son, CTR. The location of Pittsburgh, with its grime and industry, made the selling of shirts a reasonable commercial prospect.

Record of Christian Work, May 1919, page 316. (For Comment)

"Russellism has a wide advertisement in the South. It takes away the Christ of Scripture, denies salvation by faith, and encourages men to live in sin. That it makes headway is a reflection on the intelligence of the South and  the adequacy of the teaching in our pulpits."  

UPDATED. 

Comments on the significance of these quotations for Watch Tower history are wanted.

Christian Evidence Society Report, 1922 

Birmingham Diocese 

Our Diocesan Hon. Sec., Rev. F. Mellows, M.A., writes: 

As last year, our Diocesan Evangelistic Council has undertaken the responsibility of keeping an eye on any Atheistic propaganda, and has organised services in several of the Parks. 'Russellism' has gained some adherents, and the supporters of this heresy have spent a good deal of money in propaganda. I have given several lectures on the subject, and spoken about it at meetings. I have also written a pamphlet, ' Russellism-The Latest Blasphemy' (published by C. J. Thynne, Whitefriars' Street, E.C. 4). 

Just now we are having a course of lectures on open-air work, which are being very well attended." – Page 26 

Chelmsford Diocese 

A course of lectures has been given at the Parish Church, Pitsea, by the Rector, on "Christianity as Opposed to Modern isms"Christian Science, Spiritualism, Russellism, Theosophy, Christadelphianism, Mormonism, and Modernism (of the left Wing)showing their errors with regard to the Nature of God, Divinity of Jesus, Personality of the Spirit, Sin and Atonement. These have been greatly appreciated. 

The Chapter Meeting of West Ham Rural Deanery has now formed an Evidence Committee, to perpetuate the work of the Secretary, around that Deanery. He (the Secretary) deeply regrets having to give up speaking at Hyde Park and Highbury Corner, for the Central Society owing to the distance at which he is now living and the unsatisfactory state of the train service, but he is using every opportunity of bringing the work of the Society before the Orset and Grays Deanery. 

E. W. GREVATT, Secretary for the Diocese. – Page 43

Alton Bay 1876 or 1878

 Can we identify these men?

November 1916

     

A snapshot from the time of CTR’s funeral has recently come to light. The picture below comes from Mike C. On the back of photo it reads: “Gone Home – Pastor Russell’s grave.”

Brian K has flattened the picture to get the best possible result.

     Leroy has then used AI to present a colorized version. Obviously with AI there is some guesswork about the colors, but it brings the picture more to life.

     So when was this picture, with its absence of people, taken?

     The picture shows the flower arrangements which include the inscription “Holy Bible” and also “2 Tim 4:7,8.” The whole arrangement is no longer in the best of condition.

     This indicates that the picture most likely dates from the day AFTER the official funeral service on 6 November 1916, which would be 7 November 1916.

     The actual graveside funeral service took place at sundown. The known photographs of the casket arriving at the graveside with a heavily veiled Maria Russell walking behind are dark and also a little blurred. This is because they would need to place a camera on a tripod or a secure flat surface and use a long exposure (anything from one to five seconds) to get an image.

     The above photograph is obviously taken in daylight, and would have been an “instantaneous” photo of about 1/25 to 1/60 second duration. Consumer cameras of the day did not have setting for shutter speed. They were either “bulb” or “instantaneous.” (With thanks to Brian K for the information).

     So what happened? By the time the graveside service ended it would have been dark. There may have been safety concerns about lowering a coffin into the grave in these circumstances. Perhaps more to the point, the details in the St Paul Enterprise show that the casket was buried in its packing case (which is what I believe we see in the photograph) and the whole was encased in a strong layer of concrete. This work was performed by John Adam Bohnet. To do this would have taken some time and would need daylight.

     So it appears that after the funeral service, the mourners eventually left, and with a guard posted the casket remained above ground until the next morning, when the photograph of the wilting flower arrangements was taken.

     There is one photograph which supports this. The photo below shows the gravesite on what we assume is the following morning.

     This picture was reproduced in the St Paul Enterprise, but the print quality is poor and is not helped by the material only now being available on microfilm. But AI and colorization can help us a bit.

     Again with thanks to Leroy for the improved picture.

     We are looking down the hillside to the gravesite. Behind is the Wible/Wiebel farmhouse which was then the home of John Adam Bonhet and the office of the cemetery company.

     The cluster of white grave markers at the bottom of the hill is missing today. However, it appears these were not markers for actual burials, but merchandise sold by the United Cemeteries Company. Only two small areas were reserved for Bible Students, the bulk of the cemetery was sold for general use and like most cemeteries it provided a full service.

     For more information on the United Cemeteries including more on the funeral of CTR, see this post.

     https://truthhistory.blogspot.com/2024/12/grave-matters.html

With grateful thanks to those who provided the pictures and much of the information for this article.