Jackson County OR Archives Obituaries.....Russell, William January 30, 1900 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/or/orfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Elizabeth C jaxsearch@hotmail.com April 30, 2006, 1:29 am Medford (Oregon) Mail, Friday, 2 Feb 1900, City Happenings, p. 7, c. 4 Wm. Russell, aged seventy-two years, four months and nineteen days, died in Medford on Tuesday of this week of kidney trouble. Deceased came here a couple of years ago from Drain, Oregon, with his son, D. B. Russell and has since been an honored, respected resident of our city. Funeral services were held at the M. E. Church yesterday afternoon, Rev. Moore officiating. The services were conducted by members of Medford lodge, No. 83, I.O.O.F., of which order he had been a member for a great many years. Medford (Oregon) Mail, 9 Feb 1900, p. 6, c. 2: Obituary–Russell. Last week The Mail printed a brief mention of the death of Wm. Russell, which occurred in this city on January 30, 1900. We had not data at hand at that time from which to write even a brief history of this noble man’s life. This has since been given us and it is herewith put in type: William Russell was born in Ohio September 11, 1827. His parents moved to Knox County, Illinois, while he was a small child. At the age of 21 he crossed the plains, driving an ox team the entire distance, taking six months, and reaching the Willamette valley in the fall of 1848, where he located on Howell prairie, in what is now Marion County. In 1849 the excitement of California drew him to San Francisco, and for three years and thereafter he made annual overland trips to those gold fields. On one of those trips, while returning with a party of 11 men, he had a battle with Indians, near where Grants Pass is now located, in which he nearly lost his life by a wound from a poisoned arrow. After that he remained on the farm near Lorane until the fall of 1889, then moved to Drain, and operated a flour mill, which he owned. In 1898 he came to Medford. His rugged physique, aggressive and hopeful spirit as well as his excellent knowledge of the Indian language, fitted him for frontier life, which he loved; but he was none the less active in civic affairs, having been honored with several places of trust. He was a member of the Odd Fellows lodge and the burial services were conducted by Medford lodge of that order. He was a pillar in the Methodist Church, of which he was a member 61 years. A widow and five children–Mrs. O. Q. Cartwright, of Eugene; Mrs. L. E. Ward and C. E. Russell, of Lorane; Mrs. Robert Green, of Dawson, N. w. T., and D. B. Russell, of Medford–remain to honor the memory of this early pioneer. File at:http://www.usgwarchives.net/or/jackson/obits/r/russell1410gob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/orfiles/ File size: 3.0 Kb