Yreka, Calif., stonecutter James B. Russell and his school teacher wife, Clara, lived a long life together.
Born just over the California-Oregon border, James accompanied his family to Yreka as a child. The family moved to Ashland for several years, but James eventually returned to Yreka and started his own business in 1881. He became a stonecutter and monument builder, following in his father and mother’s footsteps. His mother’s finely detailed, decorative stone work won the grand prize in 1893 at the Chicago World’s Fair. Yreka’s Siskiyou County Museum featured the winning piece for many years.
James became an avid collector of mineral specimens and jewel stones and frequently exhibited his collection.
Clara Russell, born Clara Millie Hovey, was a gifted writer and schoolteacher. The couple were married 60 years and raised five children. After her death, he published many of her poems.
When the Siskiyou County Museum was given an organ by Mrs. S. F. Kelby, James revealed that the organ had once belonged to his wife. Her father had bought it from a young traveling salesman who became her fiancée, but died of pneumonia before they could be married.
Source: Schrader, Isabel G. “James B. Russell: 1856-1952.” The Siskiyou Pioneer 2.3 (Spring 1953): 48-49. Print.
