William Hepburn Russell Sr (1812 - 1872)

Born 31 Jan 1812 in Burlington, Chittenden, Vermont, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Harriet E (Warder) Russell — married 9 Jun 1835 in Lafayette, Missouri

Descendants

Died 10 Sep 1872 at age 60 in Palmyra, Marion, Missouri, United States

Biography

William Russell Sr is Notable.

William was a son of William Eaton Russell and Betsy Ann (or Myrtilla) (Hepburn) Russell.

In 1835 he married Harriet Elliot Warder, whose social standing helped his.[4]

He moved to Lexington, Missouri, where he operated a trading and freighting business over the Santa Fe trail, contracting with the United States Army in addition to civilian customers.

"He, William H Russell was a partner, along with Alexander Majors and William B. Waddell, in the freighting firm Russell, Majors, and Waddell and the stagecoach company the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company which was the parent company of the

Pony Express.

The express mail business called the Pony Express which began operations on April 3, 1860- October 1861, 18 months; losing a $1,000 a day. But other companies they operated were successful.

The Pony Express struck the hearts of the West so strongly that dozens of movies were made about it or included in many Western films. Pony Express] starring: Charlton Heston

His public life is one of numerous business ventures, some successful and some failed. While Russell, described as a good-looking man, lived the majority of his life on the edge on the western frontier, he was always more at home in the upper-class settings of the East coast.[1]

Monument has the "Pony Riders Oath"

Burial: Greenwood Cemetery, Palmyra, Missouri

Sources

1. wikipedia.com
2. Connelley, William Elsey "Doniphan's Expedition" p.601 (1907) published by Crane & Company of Topeka, Kansas
3. Find A Grave: Memorial #10152 Greenwood Cemetery, Palmyra, Missouri