[Broderbund WFT Vol. 18, Ed. 1, Tree #0478, Date of Import: Nov 18, 1998] RUSSELL GENEALOGY (This typewritten document was found among the papers of Spencer Lyman Dawes, son of Elizabeth Russell (b. 12 Oct. 1829); the author is unknown.) LUDWIG ROESSELL (German, Roessell- English, Russell.) The founder of the Russell family in Ulster County, New York was born in Weickersheim, in the Kingdom of Wurtemberg, Germany on or about May 1, 1741. He was the son of Johannes Nicholas Roessell and Maria Magdalena _________, his wife; and was christened Johannes Ludwig Eberherd Roessell. At the age of nineteen, through the strategy of recruiting agents of the French government, he was forced on board a French ship and sent to Canada for service in the French army against the English. Feeling highly incensed against the French for the deception practiced upon him, he decided to take "French Leave" at the earliest possible date and seek protection in the English line. In company with a comrade, this was effected. Later, he was given a commission in the English Army and served throughout the war. At the close of the French and English way, he took up a permanent residence at West Camp, New York. He purchased a large tract of land in what is now Asbury, Town of Saugerties, New York and erected a stone dwelling. As early as 1768, Ludwig Roessell wrote his name, John Lewis Russell. During that year, he compiled a Manuscript of Arithmetic, complete in form, beautifully executed and illustrated with pen and ink drawings. This arithmetic was presented with an interesting letter written by Ludwig Roessell in 1778, to the State Library at Albany, New York in 1923, by Frederick T. Russell, a great grandson. Ludwig Russell was a teacher before the Revolution; he was a man of culture and a devoted and ardent member of the Lutheran Church. During the Revolution, he went forth in battle for American Independence and saw active service until the close of the war. (Revolutionary service: Ulster County Militia, First Regiment. Col. Johannes Snyder. "Robert's New York in the Revolution" page 190. Signer of the Articles of Association. Sylvester's History of Ulster County, Part 1, page 72, column 4. Brink's Early History of Saugerties, page 124.) On October 13, 1772, Ludwig Russell married Catharine Fiero baptized at Katsbaan, N. Y., April 15, 1752, daughter of Johannes Fiero and Margreita Elig (Elich). Seven children blessed this union: William, Sophia, Nicholas, Elisha, Jeremiah, Catherine and Maria. Ludwig Russell died at Asbury, in the town of Saugerties, N. Y. on May 15, 1795 aged 54 years and 15 days. He was buried beside his two daughters who died in infancy, on the brow of a wooded hill on his farm and the graves marked with field stones. Search during the summer of 1923 revealed the fact that ruthless hands had removed the stones on this little burial plot, hence all trace of the graves is lost. Only one stone was found, that of the daughter Catharine who died in 1794. This stone was placed in the Mountain View Cemetery at Saugerties, New York on the William Fiero Russell plot; In 1940, two other stones were found in a woods on the farm of Clarence S. Lasher where they had evidently been thrown from an adjoining field once part of the Russell farm. These stones proved to be those of Ludwig Russell and his daughter Maria. They have also been placed in the William F. Russell plot, Mountain View Cemetery, Saugerties, New York. On December 17, 1801, his widow, Catharine Fiero Russell married Adam Baer of West Camp. She survived her second husband and died December 14, 1842. She is buried in an ancient burial ground on the banks of the Hudson River at West Camp, New York. ************************************************************************ ************ The Romance of a Palatine Luedwig Roessell (Russell) by Dr. Spencer Lyman Dawes (1864-1945) [excerpt] It is my privilege, no more, it is my duty as well as my pleasure to paint for you a picture, however inadequate it may be of a single Palatine (the subject of my little story) of all of those who left their home land either willingly to escape persecution or as did my ancestor, the hero of this paper unwillingly, Luedwig, who to me was one of the most prominent of all of those unfortunate emigrants who are called Palatines and the one who was instrumental in the determination of the history of a continent, the wresting of the domination of North America from the French by the British- I am positive that had our humble Luedwig not been kidnaped, Canada might have now been French rather than British. Let us then proceed to the only really original part of my short paper, The Romance of a Palatine, the story of Luedwig whose name was originally Johannes Luedwig Eberhard Roessell, a fugitive from the French who had made of him a mere conscript, less than an individual and yet the one who might, could, would and did, become the humble instrument which took from them the proud ownership of what we now call Canada. Among the most prosperous and respected burghers of the City of Wickersheim, in the Kingdom of Wurtemburg, Germany, was one Johannes Nickolaus Roessell; to him and his wife Maria Magdalena was born on May 1st, 1741 a son, christened Johannes Luedwig Eberhard. This boy at an early age showed great fondness for mathematics and he was given a considerable training in that direction, not only at home but in the not far distant City of Heidelberg with a view to fitting him for a teaching career. At the age of nineteen, having been furnished by his parents with a small amount of money, he started forth to visit foreign parts, first going to Strasbourg in Alsace. As he sat in an inn drinking a glass of Rhine wine, two attractive Frenchmen asked permission to sit at his table and at once invited him to further libations at their expense which he returned in kind. Suddenly one of them raised a great outcry, that he had been robbed of his purse, accusing, not Luedwig, but his own comrade; the landlord proceeded to search the accused man but found nothing- not to be outdone, the innocent Luedwig, callow youth, offered his person to inspection and to, to his horror, the missing purse was found in his pocket- protests were unavailable and as the landlord prepared to send for the police the supposedly robbed man, really a recruiting agent, as you may have imagined, suggested that if Luedwig would go through the form of enlistment in the French army he would be immune; hoping to escape the disgrace of arrest as a pick pocket he promptly consented and soon found himself together with other conscripts on board a French ship bound for Nova Scotia, being lost for many years to his friends and family. From Nova Scotia he was sent to the mainland of Canada, Quebec, and made to serve in the French and Indian War. His resentment at the deception of the French burned deep and while stationed in the Citadel at Quebec he escaped having first made a map of the Heights of Abraham and the Citadel itself, as well as a list of the troops and their disposition, all of which he concealed in the sole of his shoe. Bound south for the British lines he made his devious way guided only by the sun and stars through the almost primeval forest, over twisting animal trails, over rotting logs on into the magnificent stands of awe inspiring pine and black browed hemlock, marveling at the lovely lady of the forest, the white birch, the towering beech and maple, and so on day after endless days fortunately meeting no Indians and unmolested by wild animals, crossing brawling brooks and surging rivers, finally reaching the British lines whence he was passed with their help on down into New England proper. Because of the maps and the date which he furnished the British he was given a commission in the British army and acted as a guide later when, under Wolfe they took the Heights of Abraham, the Citadel and made Canada theirs. By this time he wrote his name Luedwig Russell, omitting the Johannes and the Eberhard. At the end of the campaign, he sought others of the Palatines and proceeded to West Camp where in 1772 he married Catherine Fiero by whom he had four sons and three daughters. When the Colonists took up arms against the British he was one of the first to enlist in the regiment of Ulster County under Colonel Johannes Snyder, serving through the war. In 1776 he wrote a curious and interesting letter from Fort Washington near New York and addressed to Capt. Matthew Dederick of West Camp. I have a photostatic copy of this letter obtained from the State Library in Albany: One Mile by North of Fort Washington, Sept 1th, 1776 Dear Sir: I will now acquaint you of all Operations of our Army. On the 22nd of last Month, we have had an alarm, but it proved a false one, yet a Detachment of 60 Men of each Regt. was sent out to Fort Washington, but they returned again that Evening. On the 27th we had another alarm, when the aforesaid party was sent out, of which John Brink was one, but Joh? Miller went in his place. About an Hour after 3 more parties was sent out, of which lot Peter Post Cornelius Brink and several others of our Company amounting to the number of 12 men, myself was one of them, under the command of Capt. Kortreght. We set out from King's Bridge that afternoon, and arrived at Fort Washington near Evening. There we remained till night, when orders came that we should return to our first station at the Bridge of which we was all glad, but we were soon stopped, and ordered down towards Harlem but we could not perform it because we had no provisions so we marched a little better than a mile, from the Fort, and have remained there till this morning. At four of the clock, we marched to the Fort, there we received orders to march to the place above said. I expected to be by tomorrow at my old quarters again at the Bridge. On Tuesday evening we was informed of the Regulars being landed on Long Island. We heard a mighty great cannonading all that night, and twas three days continually. On the 28 we had news that the Regulars had lost above 2,000 men and our loss amounting to 11 or 1,200 men. All things seemed to go very well, but very sudden we had notice that two of our Generals were taken which proved to be very true, viz. Sullivan and Earl of Sterling. On Thursday I sent to the Bridge to get some things I wanted, for all our baggage was yet there. I stayed at the Bridge all that night and part of the next day. Constantly busy with writing. Near Noon I went away, and just as I was going, Pawling Regt. was alarmed, however I kept to my journey to join my Detachment a mile south of Fort Washington, on my way I was informed that our army had abandoned Long Island, and left it to the entire possession of the Ministry Troops. What it means, or what the reason of it is hardly can be found out. Our men beat the Regulars 3:4: times, but everyone conjectures that too much treachery is going forward in and about our army and what the consequences of it will be, God above only knows. I do not wonder if our army can not prosper, for I was surprised on my arrival at Washington Fort, to see so much wickedness going on, drinking, stealing, cursing and other naughty doings. We expected it should go better after the 3 Pennsylvania Regts. had gone to York and took most of their women followers with them, but yesterday I have seen them 3 Regts. returned to the Fort, but when I came to the Fort this morning Lieut. Post who was on guard at the Fort, told me that the Pennsylvanians was called to Kingsbridge last night. I am now betwixt the Fort and the Bridge. My Dear friend it is a horrid sight to see the people from York moving, some in all sorts of carriages, others on horseback & a great many women, men and children on foot, it is here and for certain reported that Lord Howe has demanded the City and in case Washington would (not?) surrender, the City should be set on fire by the ships, but it is the general opinion of all ranks that our people will set it on fire themselves, pray sir write to me if you please and inform me how things go at home, especially with my family. I have expected a letter from home long ago, but in vain, pray look if all things go well at my house, and inform me if it does not. Remember my kind Lord to my wife and every one of my neighbors and their families, and be you so good and accept of the remembering of my Love to you and all at your house. No more for the present for he grows tired who calls himself Sir Your very Hbl. Servt Ludwigh Russell Sept 4th Kingsbridge Sr. Things go better now, as when I wrote you, fear not Capt. we will do well yet through the help of God. Amen- Amen- After the war he returned to West Camp, builded himself a stone house, bought a farm and taught school. Among the valuable manuscripts in the State Library is a manual of arithmetic which he compiled in 1768 which was given to the library by my cousin Frederick T. Russell; so valuable is this considered that it is kept under lock and key. It looks like a fine steel engraving yet was done entirely in pen and ink and is really a work of art- the pages are rich with illustrations, the languages used being Latin- all branches of arithmetic are covered even to Geometrical progressions with page after page of example while at the bottom of the pages appears such sentiments in Latin, as Soli Deo Gloria, Deo Soli Gloria, alus et honor Lewis Russell, or Principio coelum terra Moque Jehova Creavit. With this arithmetic is an original letter in German written to a cousin which while of interest to the antiquarian is of no particular historical value. His name appears in historical documents as follows: "Ludwigh Russel listed in the first regiment of Ulster County militia under Colonel Johannes Snyder."- New York in the Revolution as Colony and State, v 1, p 190, 202 "Certificate #46268 for 8s 4d issued Oct. 17, 1778 to Lodewick Russell for services as private in Cpt. Mattw Dedrick's company of Colonel Johannis Snyder's first or northern regiment of Ulster County militia."- Certificates of Treasurer (manuscript record) v. 10, p. 15. "Lodewick Roessell one of the Associators at Kingston, Ulster County, May and June, 1775."- Calendar of Historical Manuscripts relating to the War of the Revolution v. 1, p. 31. "Ludwigh Roessell, one of the petitioners to Governor Clinton for guard for frontier of northern Ulster County, May 15, 1779."- Public Papers of George Clinton, v. 4, p. 819. Luedwig was a man of education, culture and refinement; a devoted member of the Lutheran Church, one of the most prominent and respected members of the community where he lived. It is said that his initials appear on one of the stones of this Katsbaan Church in the rear wall. He died at Asbury May 15, 1795 and was buried on his own farm but all traces of his resting place have been lost.