DR. WILLIAM LAMBERT RUSSELL, was my 2 great grandfather (GEORGE WASHINGTON RUSSELL's oldest brother). All five children were b. Carlisle, MA at the RUSSELL homestead on RUSSELL street. ======================================= Middletown, N.Y. Sept. 6, 1898 DR. WILLIAM L. RUSSELL, Barre Mass. Dear Sir: - - In the New York Sun of monday Sept. 5, I came across the following item, which as you will see, is copied from an Athol paper: MASSACHUSETTS MONAGENARIANS ON A LARK. From the Athol Transcript. JAMES RUSSELL of Lowell, aged 91, has been visiting his brother, DR. WILLIAM L. RUSSELL, aged 99, in Barre, and it is said that the boys had a great lark while together. They had a rollicking game of croquet, then took a round or two at whist. Then for livelier diversion they scampered off to the old "sopsy" apple yard tree in the orchard, the same of many a youthful depredation in the past, raced up the wide-spreading branches, and filled their pockets with the red streaked fruit. After that they concluded that a swim in the brook down on the meadow would be about the thing, and after a lively gambol in the sparkling waters, they strolled up to the barn for a frolic in the sweet smelling haymow. A tramp of about four miles after the cows, during which the boys picked ten quarts of blackberries, a corn roast in the evening, followed by a good old-fashioned shakedown in the kitchen and another round of whist, filled out a day long to be remembered by the RUSSELL boys. It leads me to ask you a few questions as to your genealogy. My grandfather, SIMEON RUSSELL, was born at Rindge, N. H., and died at Mount Upton, N.Y., 1872, at the age of 88 years. But his people went to New Hampshire from Massachusetts, the exact place I am unable to ascertain. Can you give me some facts about your ancestry, and if there ever was a SIMEON amongst your connections? I am sure that there are a great many RUSSELLs in your state. My uncle, DR. DWIGHT RUSSELL, practiced medicine for many years in Milford, Mass., and died there March 14, 1894. My father, ENOS RUSSELL, died at Brookfield, N.Y., Sept.16, 1893. My uncle, NEWTON RUSSELL, died at Lebanon, Oregon, April , 1891. These three sons were all the children of my grandfather. Before I close permit me to congratulate you on having attained the great age with which you are credited, and on having retained such a remarkable degree of physical and mental strength. Also I notice one chief characteristic which marks my RUSSELLs and that is an apparent fondness for the game of whist. Is is my own chief solace and amusement. Any facts which you may wish to furnish me will, I assure you, dear DR. RUSSELL, be gratefully received by Yours faithfully, /s/ ALEXANDER W. RUSSELL Box 1453, Middletown, N.Y. Item was sent to me by the: BARRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY P.S. Alas, there was no SIMEON RUSSELL in the RUSSELL boy's line. I am sure DR. RUSSELL's brother JAMES would have responded to this letter because he had done extensive RUSSELL research for years.