Middletown Is Historical Part X

THE HOUSE IS REALLY THE SAMUEL RUSSELL HOUSE. MANY DATA BASES SHOW THAT HIS MIDDLE NAME WAS WADSWORTH, BUT RESEARCH FROM THE RUSSELL FAMILY TELLS US THE MIDDLE NAME WADSWORTH WAS THE SON OF SAMUEL’S MIDDLE NAME. Thank you Augie DeFrance, treasurer of the Indian Hill Cemetery Association for the updated information.

About The Russell Company: “Crossing from the last named works to south Farms, a village about fifteen minutes’ walk from the post office, we find located on the Sanseer stream the three factories of the RUSSELL Manufacturing Company, who have an invested capital of $100,000, and employ about 200 operatives in the manufacture of India rubber suspenders, cotton and worsted webbing, of which they make at the present time the amount of from $150,000 to $200,000 a year. On the same stream stands the machine shop of the Sanseer Manufacturing Company, where are made various kinds of machinery, by some 16 workmen. This company have considerable repute for the excellence and cheapness of their work; more particularly is this true o their machinery for making fine ivory combs.” From The History of Middlesex County 1635-1885, J. H. Beers & Co., 36 Vesey Street, New York 1884

Samuel Russell, born in Middletown, Connecticut, founded Russiell & Co., the first American firm in Canton, in 1824. His firm prospered from trade in silk, tea, and opium through the 19th century. Russell returned to the U.S. and built a mansion in Middletown, filling it with gifts from the hong merchant Howqua and many other Chinese artworks. From: Massachusetts Institute of Technology © 2009 Visualizing Cultures

Russell & Company was the largest and most important American trading house in Qing dynasty China from 1842 to its closing in 1891. Samuel Russell founded Russell & Company in Canton, China, in 1824. Dealing mostly in silks, teas and opium, Russell & Company prospered, and by 1842, it had become the largest American trading house in China. It kept its dominance until its closing in 1891. Russell withdrew from the company in 1836 and returned to the United States. From: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Samuel Is At Rest In Indian Hill Cemetry:
THE RUSSELL HOUSE TODAY:

The Book Can Be Purchased At The Middlesex County Historical Society!

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