Stutsman County ND Archives Biographies.....Russell, Benjamin Stillman 1822 - 1906 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nd/ndfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 July 14, 2008, 10:35 pm Author: Joseph Carhart BENJAMIN STILLMAN RUSSELL. By Joseph Carhart. Mr. Benjamin Stillman Russell died at his home in Jamestown, North Dakota, on Sunday, September 10, 1906. The History of the Great Northwest and its Men of Progress, published by the Minneapolis Journal in 1901, contains the following sketch of Mr. Russell. "Among the men of New England lineage who have exerted a powerful influence in moulding the institutions of the great northwest, Benjamin S. Russell stands almost without a peer. Coining to the territory of Dakota in 1879, ten years before it was a state; controlling a large body of land; having a wide experience in a multiplicity of affairs; well informed in history; thoroughly imbued with religious and educational instincts; gen erous almost to a fault, and abounding in energy, he could not fail to be an animating force in any inchoate community. Mr. Russell's ancestors were very early emigrants to New England from Great Britain. The first settler of the family was William Russell, who landed at Quinebaug, now New Haven, Conn., Aug. 23, 1638. His son, Noadiah, was a minister of the Congregational church. In his house the first steps were taken toward founding Yale college, and the first gift toward the institution was his donation of books. Both he and his son, William Russell, were pastors of what is now the First Congregational church of Middletown, Conn., the father serving fifty-five years and the son twenty-five. Benjamin's father, Hamlin Russell, was a farmer, born in Connecticut in 1781, and moved to Erie county, Pennsylvania in 1802. He settled on a farm on which he lived until he died in 1852. It is now in possession of his grandson. He was a man of great influence in his day. He served as quartermaster to the .troops during the building of Commodore Perry's fleet on Lake Erie, during the war of 1812. His wife, Benjamin's mother, was Sarah Norcross, of Scotch-Irish descent. She was married to Hamlin Russell in 1810 and died in 1831. She was a woman of strong character, an excellent wife and mother, and left an abiding influence on her children. Benjamin S. Russell was born in Erie county, Pennsylvania, in 1822. His early education was obtained in a primitive school organized by the neighborhood before the Pennsylvania "Common school law" was passed. The books were few and there were lio paraphernalia common to modern schools. But that the instructions were thorough and efficient is evident from the scholarship and literary ability shown by Mr. Russell, who completed his course when only fourteen years of age, and has had no other scholastic training. In 183G he left home, went to Philadelphia and secured employment in a wholesale hardware store. The "hard times" following the panic of 1837 cut short his term of office after four years. He then obtained employment as a clerk in various occupations until 1843, when he secured a position as teller and bookkeeper in a Harrisburg bank, holding this place until September, 1850, when he moved to Towanda, Pa., and formed a partnership for a bank of his own. When the war broke out in 1861, although prevented from enlisting by crippled arms, Mr. Russell took an active part in every movement for the support of the government. He was appointed a fiscal agent for the government under Salmon P. Chase, the secretary of the treasury, and sold the securities issued to support the bonds, selling many hundreds of thousands of dollars worth where government securities had never before been bought. Failing health compelled him to make a change. In 1868 he sold out his business and moved to Philadelphia, taking a general agency of a life insurance company with the banking house of E. W. Clark and Co., where he remained until 1871, when he removed to Duluth, Minn., as a partner of a branch house of that firm and a director of the Lake Superior and Mississippi—now St. Paul and Duluth —railroad. The business was continued with success until the great panic of 1873 shook the financial world. Mr. Russell struggled with his affairs for two years longer, then succumbed with the rest. In 1873 Mr. Russell was appointed one of the commissioners, by Governor Austin of Minnesota, under an act of the legislature to settle the controversy existing between the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota concerning the entrance of the bay of Superior, the jurisdiction of which had been in dispute and litigation in the United States court for five years, at a cost of more than one hundred thousand dollars to the city of Duluth, one of the parties to the controversy. The commission met at Washington. There were nine men present at the meeting, including the commissioners: Governor Washburn, Timothy O. Howe, Senator Philetus Sawyer—then member of the lower house and on the committee of commerce having in charge the rivers and harbors— Jerry Rusk, member of congress, Senators Alexander Ramsey and William Windom and the commissioners. Sidney Luce, mayor of Duluth, Ex-mayor Joshua B. Culver and B. S. Russell. This array of noted men indicates the importance of the subject under consideration, and the public interest in the results of the deliberations of the conference. Of the nine men present only two survive—[1] Governor Ramsey and Mr. Russell. The commission was successful in devising a plan of settlement. It was, to stop all controversy over the entrances by making them all equally available for commercial purposes. This could be done by an appropriation from the government to improve them. The modest sum of one hundred thousand dollars was asked for this purpose, and it was granted. Governor Washburn then predicted that the harbor of Duluth would be "the best on the lakes." This has come to pass through the munificence of the general government, which has already expended two million of dollars in improving the harber, and has appropriated two millions [2] more for contracts extending over five years. It is justly a matter of pride to Mr. Russell that he was identified with this magnificent enterprise and contributed to bring about the result. The reverse at Duluth would have overwhelmed most men of Mr. Russell's years. But he, buoyant by nature, and with courage undaunted, again resumed his business activities. After skirmishing some time in Philadelphia, he secured control of a large body of land in Dakota—now the state of North Dakota—and in 1879 went there to dispose of it. He settled first at Spiritwood. He sold the land within two years and removed to Jamestown, where he now resides. Mr. Russell in politics was a Whig until 1854, a supporter of David Wilmot, of "Wilmot Proviso" fame, and one of the promoters of the republican party. vHe voted for John C. Fremont in 1856, and has voted for every republican presidential nominee since. He has never sought office nor accepted a nomination when offered, but he lias chosen to be identified with the educational institutions of the state, and with the advancement of religious interests. He is a trustee of the normal schools of North Dakota, and a member of the board of management of the school at Mayville. He is an active Episcopalian and the beautiful, noble church at Jamestown is one of the evidences of his zeal. Mr. Russell was married to Mary Gaskill at Philadelphia in 1847. She died in 1891. Five children survive her, four sons and one daughter, and four preceded their mother to the grave. The sons are all well settled in busienss. The daughter was married to Samuel Bucknell, in 1882, and resides at East St. Louis. Notwithstanding his business activity, Mr. Russell has found time to cultivate his mental powers. He has a remarkable memory and has made good use of it. He is a man of scholarly attainments and among his friends is regarded as an authority in history, sacred and profane, ancient and modern. The impress of his forceful character will be retained in that growing state for generations to come, and men will bless the day when the panic of 1873 sent him to live among them." [1] Governor Ramsey died April 22, 1903, and Mr. Russell was for three and a third years the sole survivor of this group of notable men. [2] Mr. Russell lived to see the improvements made by the expenditure of the additional two millions. At the time the above sketch was published Mr. Russell's eventful career was practically closed. About that time he gave up active business and devoted himself to the interests of his church and to education, especially to the State Normal School at Mayville, to whose welfare he was ardently devoted. He attended a meeting of the board of management of that institution on August 14th and took an active part in the discussions of the board relating to the improvement of the institution. While he showed the physical infirmities of age his mind was clear and his views commanded the respect of his associates. In the fall of 1903 Mr. Russell was an elector on the republican ticket and his associates selected him to be the bearer of the electoral vote of this state to the electoral callege at Washington which declared the election of President Roosevelt. A lifetime republican and an enthusiastic admirer of President Roosevelt, he greatly appreciated the honor of representing in the electoral college a state in the union whose every county gave a majority for the candidate of his choice. In 1906 his oldest son, Hamlin Russell, died at Newark, New Jersey. This bereavement was a severe shock to Mr. Russell and did much to hasten his own death. On September 1st he was confined to his bed. On the following day he became fully aware that the release from bodily infirmities, to which he had looked forward with calm an serene anticipation, was approaching. He announced to his son, Mr. Edward G. Russell, his belief that "this is the end of earth," and expressed the hope that he would not become violent and cause his friends trouble. He had his wish. He soon fell into a semi-conscious, painless condition and so remained until the end, which approached so gently that the affectionate watchers at his bedside hardly knew when it came. On Tuesday, September 18th, an impressive funeral service was conducted by Bishop Mann, assisted by Rector Burleson and several visiting clergymen, in the beautiful church which Mr. Russell's zeal and liberality were largely instrumental in erecting. Immediately following the service at Jamestown, the remains, accompanied by his son, Mr. Edward G. Russell and wife, were taken to Towanda, Pa., and buried beside the grave of his wife, who died about fifteen years ago, in a plot of ground which the deceased himself selected early in the fifties as his last resting place. Additional Comments: Extracted from: COLLECTIONS OF THE State Historical Society OF NORTH DAKOTA VOL. I BEING FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF NORTH DAKOTA TO THE GOVERNOR OF NORTH DAKOTA FOR YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1906. BISMARCK, N. D. TRIBUNE, STATE PRINTERS AND BINDERS 1906 Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/nd/stutsman/photos/bios/russell4nbs.jpg File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nd/stutsman/bios/russell4nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/ndfiles/ File size: 11.6 Kb