Russell's Store Centennial

It was 100 years ago today that Cecil Russell began his long ownership and operation of Russell's Store. He had purchased the store from his cousin, Andrew T. Doig, in November 1918. Over the almost ten years of this blog, I have written about the store and the Russell family several times.

Here's are three entries specific to the store and family:

SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 2009, Russell's Store - one of my earliest entries about the store - https://bovinanyhistory.blogspot.com/2009/06/russells-store.html

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2012, Russell's Store, Thanksgiving 1978 - this entry was mainly photographs taken forty years ago by Steve Pelletier - https://bovinanyhistory.blogspot.com/2012/11/russells-store-thanksgiving-1978.html

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013, Russell's General Store Fifty Years Ago and Beyond- this entry shared an article from the Walton Reporter from May 1963 about Russell's -  https://bovinanyhistory.blogspot.com/2013/05/russells-general-store-fifty-years-ago.html

Happy Birthday Marjorie Russell

Marjorie Russell was born 100 years ago tomorrow, on April 29, 1918, at the home of her recently widowed grandmother, Elizabeth Richardson Irvine, on Coulter Brook Road (this later became the Elms Farm, run by Cliff and Gert Hall). Later that year, Mrs. Richardson sold the farm and bought a house at the end of Maple Avenue in Bovina Center. Cecil, Isabell and infant Marjorie moved with her. When Marjorie was barely eight months old, her father opened Russell’s Store. The store would stay in the family until Marjorie’s passing in 2000.

Marjorie grew up in Bovina, attending the District 4 schoolhouse on Maple Avenue. She attended high school in Delhi at Delaware Academy, graduating in 1936. 

Marjorie in her high school graduation robes, 1936

Marjorie in her college graduation robes, 1941

After completing a one-year program at what is now SUNY Delhi in homemaking, in the fall of 1937, she started attending school at Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio. She was there for four years, graduating in June 1941. For the occasion, Cecil and Isabell made one of the few trips they ever took out of New York to attend the graduation ceremony. A month later, Marjorie signed a one-year contract to teach home economics at a school in Madison, OH. Her parents helped her move to Madison in September. The following June, Cecil and Isabell again traveled to Ohio to move their daughter back to Bovina.

Marjorie spent the rest of her life in Bovina and most of that time working along side her parents in the store, taking over as they aged. She had an extensive circle of friends in and around Bovina. She and her parents kept their travels much more local but they enjoyed taking Sunday afternoon drives and eating at local restaurants. Marjorie also was active in community organizations. She was involved with the creation of the Bovina Historical Society’s cookbook in 1975.

Marjorie in 1955

Marjorie with her parents at their 50th wedding anniversary, September 1966

Cecil passed away in early 1982 at the age of 90. Isabell was 88 at her somewhat unexpected death in November 1985.

Marjorie with a Russell cousin at her 70th birthday, April 1988

Marjorie at Christmas 1998 with Megan Marie, the daughter of Lynne Barnhart Board, who was one of Marjorie's caregivers.

Marjorie continued working in the store until November 1997 when her health prevented her from working. Marjorie died New Year’s Day 2000 at the age of 81.

Undated photo or Marjorie, probably in the 1980s

Pearl Harbor and Bovina

Seventy four years today, on December 7, 1941, "A date which will live in infamy..." the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and plunged the United States into World War II. I wanted to find any references in records to the immediate reaction in Bovina. Unfortunately, I didn't have a lot to go on, but did find a couple of items in the records of the Cecil Russell family.

Isabell Russell kept a diary off and on for many years. Interestingly, she had a five year diary that included 1941 but much of 1941 and early 1942 are blank. For what reason I do not know. There were scattered entries for 1941 up to September 24, then they were blank until December 7, when she recorded the attack on Pearl Harbor: "Nice today. We went to church. Word came over radio tonight that Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor." There was one more entry for 1941 toward the end of the year but otherwise there were no follow-up posts to the news about the attack. You'll see that the rest of the entries that would have covered 1941-45 are blank. I've noticed in this diary that the latter part of each year tends to have less in it than the early part. In later life, Isabell tended to write more in her diaries.

Here's Isabell's diary entry for December 7, 1941. 

When the attack happened, Isabell's daughter Marjorie was teaching in Madison, Ohio. Her good friend Celia Coulter wrote to Marjorie a few days after the attack on December 11. That was the day that Hitler declared war on the United States. Most of the letter was about different things going on in Bovina and was not heavily focused on the war, but she did say "We certainly get a grim set of facts from the news these days, don't we? I've just been knitting some on Auntie's sweater, while listening to the 'March of Time.'" Celia also noted that the U.P. Church's minister, Rev. McClellan, was leaving - "It looks as if 'the dominie' is really going to depart soon." Dominie was an old Church of Scotland term for schoolmaster but also a Dutch term for pastor. McClellan's departure was a direct result of the U.S. going to war. He had wanted to leave a few months before because he wanted to become a Naval chaplin, but the church talked him out of it.  With the U.S. actually at war, the elders felt in good conscience that they couldn't refuse him. Celia noted that McClellan "expects to be at the Naval Hospital in Brooklyn...."

Here's the beginning of Celia's December 11, 1941 letter to Marjorie.

She concluded the letter hoping she hadn't bored her too much and noting that between her various chores "I listen to the news. Hope it takes a turn for the better soon."

And here's the closing of the letter.

Here's the envelope - note the Christmas seal.

Portraits of Marjorie

I've been reviewing some pictures from the Cecil Russell family and have come across some portaits of Marjorie from the 1930s and 40s that I thought would be fun to share.  Marjorie was born in 1919 in Bovina and lived there most of her life - the exception being the period from 1937 to 1942 when she went to Muskingham College in Ohio and taught in a school in Ohio for a year after graduating.  She came back to Bovina in the summer of 1942.

These three images are portraits taken of Marjorie during her time attending Delaware Academy.  

Marjorie in 1933

Marjorie in 1935

Marjorie in 1936, her senior year

Marjorie studied home economics at Muskingham College in New Concord, Ohio.  Two years behind her was a gentleman named John Glenn - yes, THE John Glenn, who was the first American to orbit the earth and later became a senator from Ohio. I understand that she was at least acquainted with Glenn while in college and that she was friends with Glenn's future wife, Anna, who was only a year behind Marjorie. Here is Marjorie's senior portrait from Muskingham college.

For people who remember what a skinny little thing she was, these pictures of a somewhat plump Marjorie will be a surprise.  

I found a later series of portraits that were taken after Marjorie's return to Bovina.  I suspect they were taken in the late 1940s for she looks slimmer. This photo below appears to be the pose she chose. I think it comes closer to the Marjorie I remember for she's smiling broadly here, which she was not in the previous images. Maybe she was trying to look more serious and grown up in the earlier pictures!

To close this entry out, here are eight other shots taken at the same photo shoot.  I think they demonstrate that fun side to Marjorie that many of us remember.  

Christmas 75 Years Ago

In among some of the Russell Family papers that I received from Marjorie's executor, Ann Morris, were many many holiday cards.  Here's a sample of cards she received in 75 years ago in 1937 - all from people in Bovina.

These first four images are from a card Marjorie received from someone in Bovina, Vera Fletcher Storie (1891-1967).

These next three images are from another Bovina card sent to Marjorie from Marjorie Ormiston (1908-1994).  Miss Ormiston was a teacher of Marjorie's.  She would later marry Ronald Walley. 

These final images show yet another card sent to Marjorie from someone in Bovina.  This card came from Mrs. J.W. McCune.  Mrs. McCune was born Ida McNair in 1871 and lived until 1953.  Her husband was John W. McCune (1866-1942).

Russell's Store, Thanksgiving 1978

During the Thanksgiving break in 1978 from his studies at Syracuse University, Bovina native Steve Pelletier carried out a homework assignment for his photojournalism course.  His choice was to photograph a long established Bovina institution, Russell's store. He took about 100 pictures.  Fortunately, he held on to the negatives after completing the assignment.  In May of this year, he sent the negatives along to me so I could scan them.  I was thrilled to see these, both for the history of Bovina and for my personal history.  I worked at Russell's from 1968 to the late summer of 1978, when I moved to Washington, DC.  These photographs show what the store looked like just after I had worked there, so they brought back a flood of memories.  Thanks to the Winston cigaratte calendar that Russells used for years, we can date these photographs to Saturday, November 25, 1978.  Here are 25 of the photographs for you to enjoy. 

Exterior shots

  

I think this is Jay Renner coming out of the store.

Interior Views

Inside the backroom.

Another view of the interior - this is where they kept the Jello

This is the account register - Russells allowed customer to buy on credit.

The dry cleaning - people brought in cleaning and it was picked up and delivered twice a week from a cleaner in Margaretville.

Canned goods behind the main counter.

This was a coal burning stove.

Cecil's radio.

The front window display.

General view of the interior, looking toward the back.

The candy case.

The center aisle.

Another view of the candy case.

Behind the desk.

Isabell and Marjorie

Marjorie at her desk.

Marjorie taking an order.

Marjorie behind the counter.  You can just see the calendar that was behind the counter and can see the number '25.'  That's how I determined the date the photos were taken. 

Isabell removing her boots.  This was how I always remembered her doing this.  This picture really struck a chord with me.

Isabell waiting on a customer.

Another shot of Isabell behind the counter.

Marjorie and her mother Isabell packing a box for a customer.

I cannot thank Steve enough for sharing these wonderful 'snapshots' of Bovina's history.