Brief Life History of Ruth
When Ruth Russell was born on 15 January 1775, in Westport, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States, her father, Prince Russell, was 35 and her mother, Sophia Howland, was 31. She married Perry Gifford on 8 March 1795, in Westport, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 3 daughters. She died on 6 September 1857, at the age of 82.
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Family Time Line
Sources (13)
- Ruth Gifford, "Massachusetts State Census, 1855"
- Ruth Gifford, "Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915"
- Ruth Russell in entry for Terry Gifford, "Massachusetts Marriages, 1695-1910"
Spouse and Children
Children (7)
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Parents and Siblings
Siblings (7)
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World Events (7)
1776
Thomas Jefferson's American Declaration of Independence endorsed by Congress. Colonies declare independence.
1776 · The Declaration to the King
"At the end of the Second Continental Congress the 13 colonies came together to petition independence from King George III. With no opposing votes, the Declaration of Independence was drafted and ready for all delegates to sign on the Fourth of July 1776. While many think the Declaration was to tell the King that they were becoming independent, its true purpose was to be a formal explanation of why the Congress voted together to declare their independence from Britain. The Declaration also is home to one of the best-known sentences in the English language, stating, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."""
1800 · Movement to Washington D.C.
While the growth of the new nation was exponential, the United States didn’t have permanent location to house the Government. The First capital was temporary in New York City but by the second term of George Washington the Capital moved to Philadelphia for the following 10 years. Ultimately during the Presidency of John Adams, the Capital found a permanent home in the District of Columbia.
Name Meaning
English, Scottish, and Irish: of Norman origin, from Old French and Anglo-Norman French r(o)ussel, a diminutive of Old French rous(e) ‘red, reddish’, used either as a nickname for someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion, or as a personal name. Compare Rouse . This Norman name has been established in Ireland since the 12th century. It has been reinforced in Britain and Ireland by Huguenot bearers of the name Roussel, of the same Old French origin.
English: habitational name from any of several places called Rushall (Norfolk, Staffordshire, Wiltshire) or possibly sometimes from Rusthall in Speldhurst (Kent). Rushall in Staffordshire derives from Old English rysc ‘rush, rushes’ + halh ‘nook, corner of land’. Rushall in Norfolk derives from an uncertain first element + Old English halh. Rushall in Wiltshire derives from an Old English personal name Rust (genitive Rustes) + halh. Rusthall in Speldhurst (Kent) probably derives from Old English rust ‘rust, rust color’ + wella ‘well, spring, stream’, but with a change in the final element due to influence from Middle English, Old English hall ‘hall, residence’, perhaps referring to a nearby building.
Americanized form of German Rüssel, from a pet form of any of various personal names formed with the element hrōd ‘fame, renown’.
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
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