Before Skull & Bones

Jonathan Russell, the Ammidons, and Russell & Co. - the Mendon connection

Jonathan Russell (1771-1832) was appointed U.S. chargé d'affaires in Paris in 1810 by President James Madison, and in London in 1811. He was U.S. Minister to Sweden and Norway from 1814 to 1818. He was one of the negotiators of the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812, along with former President Adams' son and future president John Quincy Adams, James A. Bayard, Henry Clay and Albert Gallatin. Russell was a US Congressman from Massachusetts from 1821-23. (Russell, Jonathan. From Martha Mitchell’s Encyclopedia Brunoniana.) James Asheton Bayard Sr. (1767-1815) was a Congressman from Delaware from 1897 to 1812, and the ancestor of Thomas F. Bayard, S&B 1890.

His father, Jonathan Russell (? ~1742-1788), was a merchant in English and India goods (The Providence Gazette, and Country Journal, Dec. 10, 1768;5(257);4; Feb. 26, 1774;11(529):3.) His mother was Abigail Russell, the daughter of James Russell of Holliston. His uncles, William Russell (1739-1825) and Joseph Russell (1732-1792) were partners in Joseph and William Russell, shipowners and merchants of English goods. (Died. Rhode Island American, Feb. 11, 1825; Died. The Newport Mercury, May 28, 1792.) William Russell was a trustee of Brown University, and a member of the committee for its fund-raising lottery, along with John Brown, Esq. and Thomas P. Ives. (Rhode Island College Lottery. The Providence Gazette, Mar. 17, 1798.) William Russell served under the Marquis de Lafayette during the Revolutionary War, and Lafayette was still active in French politics when Jonathan Russell was chargé d'affaires.

Jonathan Russell graduated from Rhode Island College (now Brown University) in 1791. He studied law at his hometown of Mendon, Mass. for a year, then went into the commission business in New York with his brother-in-law, Otis Ammidon, for three to four years, "and then failed for debts to an immense amount. Immediately prior to their failure, Mr. R. formed some kind of connection with Robert Murray & Co. then merchants of New-York, in consequence of which he proceeded (in 1796) to Charleston (S.C.) with a view to make speculations in Carolina produce. Carrying with him letters in credit, or introduction, from some gentlemen known in Charleston; he made speculations [in] the amount, as it afterwards appeared, of more than eighty thousand pounds sterling, or nearly four hundred thousand dollars. These speculations proved abortive, and Mr. R. of course failed. He then went to Europe with his family and resided some time in France. Returning again to America he retired to Canada to avoid the persecution of creditors. But as a more effectual remedy for this evil Mr. R. soon left his retreat, and came into Providence, in this state, for the purpose of obtaining the benefit of our insolvent act. As it may appear extraordinary to people in this part of the state, that strangers from other states should expect, by moving a short time into this, to be absolved by our government from all obligations elesewhere, it is proper to observe, that in the northern part of the state adjacent to Massachusetts and Connecticut, no practice has been more common. A few weeks residence in Providence is considered as sufficient to warrant a stranger to petition here for the insolvent act; and more or less of such petitions are presented at almost every session of the Assembly." To obtain his residence status, Russell studied law again and was admitted to the bar in 1799. He practiced for about a year, then joined the "compting-house" of John I. Clarke, Esq., as his clerk. Thanks to "great exertions being made in his favor and his creditors living in other states, his petition was carried through at the October session of 1800. This insolvent act, however, would only secure Mr. R. from his creditors while he remained in this state. The United States bankrupt law, which had then been passed, was much more efficacious; by that law, such debtors as should obtain a certificate of discharge in conformity to it, were relieved from all their debts whenever and wherever contracted. But this law extended only to those who had been traders subsequent to the first day of June 1800, and Mr. R. had not been a trader since his failure in 1796, and was now only a lawyer, or a clerk to a merchant. Mr. R. however soon became a trader agreeably to the intent and meaning of the bankrupt law, by giving his note for 1090 Dollars, to his friends Messrs. ____ __ ____ merchants in Providence, who took out a commission in bankruptcy against their friend Jonathan Russell, under which he was regularly declared a bankrupt trader, and the necessary process being gone through, Messrs. ____ __ ____ appeared, and signed the proper certificates; declaring their assent to his discharge from all his debts, and he was accordingly discharged." His friends, the unnamed Messrs., were the only creditors involved in this proceeding, and they reportedly received all their money back. "If this was a mere fictitious demand raised for the purpose of releasing Jonathan Russell from the bona fide debts on his real creditors, it was certainly a very wicked transaction on all hands; but there is one circumstance I had nearly forgotten, which renders it impossible the transaction should have been fraudulent. Mr. Russell made an oath that it was not fraudulent. And perhaps the suspicion, and indeed the certain belief then entertained, of the fraud of this transaction may have arisen unjustly, from a general prejudice then prevailing against bankrupts, and which was produced by numerous frauds of this nature, at that time practiced by many of these persons to such a degree, that the bankrupt law, instead of giving security to creditors, or checking extravagance and fraud in bankrupts, had directly the contrary tendency, and was made by many a mere cover for the grossest swindling and dishonesty.... These shameful practices in others may very possibly have excited some very unjust prejudices against Mr. R. who is now estimated at Providence to be worth 50 or 60,000 dollars, which perhaps he acquired in two successful voyages at sea, as supercargo in the employment of Mr. Clark." Also, "While this gentleman resided in New York, he attracted the notice of Col. Burr, and so good an opinion had the Colonel of Mr. Russell that some time before the explosion of the western plot, he wrote repeated letters to this town containing urgent inquiries respecting Mr. Russell wishing to know, if he was not here, where he could be found. And when informed that Mr. Russell was at sea, he wrote again soon afterwards inquiring whether Mr. R. had returned, and if not when expected." (Communication. The Newport Mercury. Aug. 20, 1808;(2419):3.) Jonathan Russell was a director of the Roger Williams Bank and of the Hope Insurance Company, located just above it. (The Providence Gazette, Mar. 31, 1804 and Mar. 8, 1806.) "The Roger Williams Bank was incorporated in Providence in 1803, through the influence of Thomas Jefferson, who wanted to place government deposits in a Republican-controlled bank. The bulk of the United States deposits in Rhode Island remained there until 1817. The bank continued until 1865, when it was reorganized as Roger Williams National Bank; it was absorbed by the Industrial Trust Company in 1900." (Roger Williams Bank Records. Rhode Island Historical Society, 3/1995.)

The swindle was followed by a lawsuit: U.S. Supreme Court. RUSSELL v. CLARK'S EX'RS, 11 U.S. 69 (1812). Nathaniel Russell v. John I. Clark's Executors, and others, Feb. 17, 1812. Clark & Nightingale and Joseph and William Russell were two of three main colonial merchant firms in Providence. The third was Nicholas Brown and Co., which was heavily involved in the slave trade. Nathaniel Russell (1738-1820), the plaintiff, was born in Bristol, R.I. and was sent to Charleston in 1765 as the agent for Providence merchants.

(Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of the State of Massachusetts. By William Richard Cutter, William Frederick Adams. Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1910. Russell, pp. 130-134.)

The Ammidons

In 1794, Jonathan Russell married Otis Ammidon's sister Sylvia, who died at age 38. (Died. The Rhode Island American and General Advertiser, Jul. 12, 1811). His second wife was Lydia Smith, the daughter of Barney Smith, Esq. (Columbian Centinel, Apr. 7, 1817; Deaths. Christian Inquirer, Dec. 31, 1859.) Otis Ammidon was married to Jonathan Russell's sister Abigail. The Ammidons were the children of Col. Philip Ammidon of Mendon, Mass. (Classified Ad [Otis and Stephen Ammidon sell the late Col. Ammidon's farm at Mendon.] The Providence Phenix, Jan. 21, 1804.) Otis Ammidon was president and a director of the Providence Insurance Company (Classified Ads. The Providence Gazette, Dec. 26, 1807; The Rhode Island American, Jan. 5, 1810; Jan. 8, 1811); cashier of the Providence Bank (The Providence Gazette, Apr. 6, 1811); a partner of Gilman & Ammidon of Philadelphia, with Benjamin Ives Gilman, who were affiliated with Brown & Ives of Providence (Providence Patriot & Columbian Phenix, Mar. 12, 1814); and of Coffin & Ammidon of Philadelphia, with Hector Coffin, who were associated with B. & T.C. Hoppin (Classified Ad. Rhode Island American, Dec. 21, 1824.) Jonathan Russell's brother-in-law, Philip Ammidon, advertised his services prior to "embarking for Canton, with the intention of residing there," and cited as references Samuel G. Perkins & Co. of Boston; Brown & Ives of Providence; Le Roy, Bayard & M'Evers of New York, and Gilman & Ammidon of Philadelphia (Classified Ad. Boston Gazette, May 19, 1814; Boston Daily Advertiser, Jun. 3, 1814); and "The subscriber, embarking for Canton, (in China) where he will reside for a considerable time, offers his services to the public for the transaction of the usual business of that place," with references to Israel Thorndike and Richard D. Tucker & Co. of Boston; Brown & Ives of Providence; Le Roy, Bayard & Co. and Lebbeus Loomis, Esq. of New York; Gilman & Ammidon of Philadelphia; and Henry Payson & Co., Baltimore. (Classified Ads. Commercial Advertiser, Jul. 8, 1818; Boston Daily Advertiser, Jul. 15, 1818.) Philip Ammidon founded Russell & Company with Samuel Wadsworth Russell in Canton, China, in 1824. "Evidently Ammidon made some successful deals with the Parsi opium growers in India, for the partnership was renewed for another four years in November 1826, well in advance of the starting date, January 1, 1828, to allow Russell to return home.... Unable to return in 1828, Ammidon provided Russell with William H. Low, a very capable replacement with business connections in Philadelphia and Salem. In 1830, when Arnmidon was still unable to return to Canton, another replacement Augustine Heard of Boston, was recommended. Both Low and Russell accepted Heard and Arnmidon was terminated from the partnership." (Samuel Wadsworth Russell House, US National Park Service.) Low was the uncle of Abiel Abbot Low of the New York Guaranty & Indemnity Company.

"George Russell, son of Jonathan, graduated at Brown University, studied law with the distinguished John Sergeant of Philadelphia, but later turned to commerce and founded the house of Russell & Sturgis in Manila. Returning thence, after eleven years, with a comfortable fortune, he married Sarah (Parkman) Shaw, daughter of Robert G. Shaw." His son, Henry Sturgis Russell, named after his partner, was born in 1838, and graduated from Harvard in 1860. In 1864, he married Mary Hathaway Forbes, the daughter of John M. Forbes, for whose company he worked for three years after leaving the Army. He died in 1905. (Henry Sturgis Russell, 1838-1905. By John T. Morse, Jr. In: Sons of the Puritans: A Group of Biographies. By Francis Cabot, et al.). Henry Sturgis Russell was president and a trustee of the Boston Homeopathic Medical Society from at least 1872 to 1895; and his father-in-law, John Murray Forbes, the head of J.M. Forbes & Co., was a trustee in 1872. (Homeopathic Medical Society. Boston Daily Globe, Oct. 10, 1872; Mass. Homeopathic Hospital. Boston Daily Advertiser, Jan. 18, 1877; Homepathic Hospital Work. Boston Daily Globe, Jan. 23, 1895.)

Samuel Wadsworth Russell (1789-1862), co-founder of Russell & Co. with Philip Ammidon, was the uncle of William Huntington Russell, a co-founder of the Russell Trust (Skull & Bones) in 1833. Samuel Wadsworth Russell joined the firm of Hull & Griswold in New York in 1810. John Griswold and Samuel Wetmore (who was the guardian of his younger siblings) were his partners in the first Russell & Co. of Middletown, Conn. When his contract with Hull & Griswold ended, Wetmore got him a position as supercargo on a ship owned by Hoppins & Co. and Edward Carrington & Co., and eventually he went to Canton in 1819 "under arrangements made by Edward Carrington and several leading merchants of Providence." He operated under their instructions for the first five years. He made friends with John Perkins Cushing, a cousin of James and Thomas H. Perkins, who was left in charge of their Canton office at age 16 after Ephraim Bumstead died. "As early as 1818 Cushing began to turn over the company's commission business to other Canton associates that included James P. Sturgis & Company, the Wilcocks representatives, and Russell & Company. This included Cushing's opium shipments. In 1820 Cushing brought on his cousin Thomas Tunno Forbes to train for the business. Forbes, however, died in 1827 before assuming control of the firm. Cushing, eager for retirement and lacking another suitable heir, made arrangements to dissolve the firm. Honoring a sealed letter left by Forbes requesting that Russell take over all the business and with the knowledge that his cousin and Russell had had a successful dealings in the past, Perkins & Company was absorbed by Russell & Company. With the concurrence of the Perkins management, Russell, who had expected to leave China in 1830 delayed his departure to set up the management structure of the combined companies, still under the name of Russell & Company." Ammidon was replaced by Augustine Heard, who represented the Perkins interests; Robert Bennet Forbes was given charge of the Russell & Company storeship business on the Lintin station and John Murray Forbes was placed with the firm as an assistant in line for partnership. Russell retired from the company in 1836. (Samuel Wadsworth Russell House, US National Park Service.)

William Huntington Russell, Skull & Bones 1833, graduated from the Yale School of Medicine in 1838. His sons, Talcott H. Russell (1847-1917) and Edward Hubbard Russell (1855-1928), were officers of the Russell Process Company, which licensed patents for metallurgy. At least five sons and five grandsons graduated from Yale, and a grandson, Philip G. Russell, was Skull & Bones 1876. (Guide to the Russell Process Company Records. Compiled by Janet Elaine Gertz, Aug. 1982. Yale University, 2006.)

The Forbes Family

"Francis "Frank" Blackwell Forbes (1839-1908) was the son of clergyman John Murray Forbes (1807-1885), the grandson of James Grant Forbes, and the great-grandson of Rev. John Forbes. He had a brother named John Murray Forbes, Jr. (1844-1921) and a sister named Adelaide Forbes Carmichael. In 1857, after a secondary-school education at the Columbia College Grammar School in New York, Francis Blackwell Forbes went to China, where he became a partner in Russell & Co. He was also active in the Shanghai Steam Navigation Company, which operated a fleet of flat-bottomed steamers up and down the Yangtze River. In 1867, he married Isabel Clarke, and they had three sons: Francis Murray Forbes (1874-1961), who lived with James Murray Forbes while he was in school and starting off in business; Charles Stuart Forbes (1877-1949); and James Grant Forbes (1878-1955). Their daughter Isobel Forbes married Albert de Mimont.... Francis Blackwell Forbes's uncle, Paul Siemen Forbes (1808-1886), also lived in China during the same period. He had three sons: William Howell Forbes (1837-1896), Henry De Courcy Forbes (1849-1920), and Paul Revere Forbes (1860-1940)." (Biographical Sketch. Forbes Family Papers 1732-1931. Massachusetts Historical Society.)

Mendon, Massachusetts

Skull & Bones co-founder Alphonso Taft's father, Peter Rawson Taft (1785-1867), who immigrated to Cincinnati via Vermont, was born in Uxbridge, a wealthy area near Mendon, Massachusetts, and the Tafts have held family reunions there since at least as far back as 1874 (The Taft Family. Port Jervis, NY, Evening Gazette, Aug. 22, 1874.) "Ninety-six years ago Alphonso Taft called them 'kindred' and 'tribe.' Today the politically famous Taft family has clans in 22 states. Representatives will gather Aug. 15-16, as they have every year since 1874, at the family's place of origin, Mendon, Mass." Annual reunions are also held in "numerous states." "Alphonso was the guiding spirit behind the Taft family gatherings, calling them together for the first time in 1874." (Taft Family Gathers for Clan Reunion. AP. Ada, Oklahoma Evening News, July 30, 1970.) Alphonso Taft was one of the leading trustees of Antioch College, which "designs to devote particular attentions to the study of the laws of health, and every effort will be made to prevent, on the part of the student, any conduct of life that shall violate those laws." (Horace Mann's Antioch College. New York Daily Times, Aug. 10, 1853.) Alphonso Taft died in 1891. (Obituary Record of Graduates of Yale University Deceased during the Academical Year ending in June 1891, pp. 17-18.) Charles Phelps Taft, Yale 1864, Alphonso's son by his first wife, was editor of the Cincinnati Times and the Times-Star, the foundation of the Taft media empire, from 1879 until his death. (Bulletin of Yale University. Obituary Record of Graduates of Yale University Deceased during the Year 1929-1930, pp. 11-14.)

Alphonso Taft. In: Cincinnati, the Queen City, 1788-1912. By S.J. Clarke Publishing, 1912, p. 800.

Alphonso Taft moved to Cincinnati in 1840, where he was a crony of James Handasyd Perkins, whose grandson, James H. Perkins, was chairman of the board of the National City Bank and president of the Farmers Loan and Trust. During the 1920s, Farmers became a major stockholder in the American Tobacco Company, and James H. Perkins was on American Tobacco's board of directors between 1926 and 1929. Perkins maintained the family ties with the Taft family as a crony of Alphonso's son, Henry Waters Taft (S&B 1880) was on the advisory committee of Yale's Institute of Human Relations. His brother, Thomas Nelson Perkins, was a Fellow of the Harvard Corporation, which runs Harvard University. In 1922, the Office of Cancer Investigations of the US Public Health Service at Harvard University (which was subsequently merged into the National Cancer Institute), was established at Harvard by Assistant Surgeon General Joseph W. Schereschewsky, who was a member of the Hygiene Reference Board of the Life Extension Institute. Former President William H. Taft (S&B 1878) was chairman of the board of the Life Extension Institute, which was formed in the boardroom of the Guaranty Trust in 1913. Its driving force was anti-smoker Irving Fisher (S&B 1888), and its purpose was to recruit the most powerful businessmen in the country into a conspiracy to impose health fascist tyranny on America.

Taft descendant Emily Taft was married to Sen. Paul H. Douglas (D-IL), who in 1965 was one of four US Senators who urged President Johnson to veto the Cigarette Advertising and Labelling Act because of its provision postponing the Federal Trade Commission's rule requiring health hazard warnings in cigarette advertising; while their son, Paul W. Douglas, became a director of Philip Morris from 1980-95. And Pres. George W. Bush has more than twenty ancestors who hailed from the Mendon, Massachusetts area in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Members of The Order have played key roles on both sides of the anti-smoking movement, and the first thing they did was take over the tobacco companies. This is how they engineer the Hegelian false alternatives they inflict on the people!

From the Brown Brothers to the Morgan Guaranty Trust

The Brown Brothers

The first Brown Brother to immigrate from Ireland to Baltimore was Alexander Brown's younger brother, Stewart. Alexander Brown's wife was his cousin Grace Davison, and her sister, Ann Davison, the wife of Dr. George Brown (who is said to have been "no blood relation"), was there also. Alexander Brown's oldest son William, 15, accompanied them, while the others were left at boarding school in Yorkshire, England. Alexander Brown had been a linen merchant in Ballymena, and he was back in business in Baltimore before the end of December 1800. William returned to Liverpool in 1808 and founded Brown, Shipley & Co. (The Browns of Brown, Shipley and Company, Merchant Bankers of Liverpool and London; Letters Home to Lisburn; Davison and Brown Families. By Jimmy Irvine. Lisburn.com). "William's friends dispatched their correspondence through William Brown and Company of Liverpool, a means Mary repeatedly asked her family also to use. That letters were thus able to come through in time of war, demonstrates the strength of the Brown family establishment." Notes, Letter No. 17.) William Cumming of Petersburg, Virginia, purchased tobacco for "Mr. Brown and Mr. Oliver in Baltimore." (Letter No. 23, Mar. 9, 1814. By Jimmy Irvine. Lisburn.com) John Brown of Baltimore married "Isabella, daughter of John Patrick of Ballymena, who was both a doctor and linen merchany." (Notes, Letter No. 24, June 4, 1814. By Jimmy Irvine. Lisburn.com)

Dr. George Brown and his wife had immigrated in 1783. (Notes, Letter No. 5. By Jimmy Irvine. Lisburn.com) Their daughter Grace married Alexander Brown's son John A. Brown (1788-1873), and their daughter Ann married Robert Dickey, an Irish merchant in New York City. (Dr. George Brown's Family. By Jimmy Irvine. Lisburn.com.) Dr. Brown died in 1822 aged 67. (Deaths. Boston Recorder, Sep. 7, 1822.)

Robert Dickey of New-York City

"Robert Dickey was a native of Ballymena. The family originally came from Ayrshire and settled in Ballymena under William Adair as early as 1620. Later they lived at Leighmore, Ballymena. James Dickey of Crumlin was a United Irishman who played a minor role during the later stages of the '98 rising in Ballymena, for which he forfeited his life on the gallows. Like the Browns and many other Irishmen who left the country far America after the '98 uprising, Robert Dickey prospered over there and became immensely rich. He married a daughter of Dr. Brown of Baltimore." (Letters 1 - 8. By Jimmy Irvine. Lisburn.com.)

"COFFEE. Four hundred and fifty thousand lbs of St. Domingo COFFEE, deliverable in Baltimore (where it can be shipped free of commercial charge, by a house of the first respectability) for sale by ROBERT DICKEY." (New-York Commercial Advertiser, Oct. 16, 1804.) Capt. George Dickey of No. 6 Harman-street, and Mrs. Elizabeth Dickey, widow of Capt. George Dickey, died in New York (New York Commercial Advertiser Aug. 3, 1804; New York Weekly Museum, July 8, 1815); "In North Street, Belfast (Ireland), on the 2d December last, of typhus fever, Mr. Robert Dickey." (New York Commercial Advertiser, Mar. 14, 1818.) Since at least 1809, Robert Dickey lived in "the most fashionable neighborhood for New York’s social elite and wealthy merchant class." In 1821, he sold his property at Nos. 71 and 73 Greenwich Street to Charles Denston, after whom several of his descendants have been named (who include three partners of Brown Brothers, a partner of J.P. Morgan & Co. and a chairman of the Morgan Guaranty Trust), for $10. (Robert and Anne Dickey House. By Jay Shockley. New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, June 28, 2005.)

Robert Dickey's daughter, Ann Thompson Dickey (1809-1893) married Israel Thorndike Jr. in New York in 1832. (Married. New-York Spectator, Jan. 31, 1832; Marriages. Christian Register, Feb. 4, 1832.) She died in Baltimore. (Died. New York Times, Nov. 21, 1893.) "In 1789, vessels were sent from Boston to the East Indies, and to China, and soon became a very profitable commercial enterprise. In proportion to its population, Salem took the lead of Boston in the East, as it had done in the West Indian trade. Teas, silks, nankins and other cotton cloths, sugar, coffee, and spices, were imported; and cargoes of East India products were, by the enterprising merchants of Salem and Boston, exported to ports in the north of Europe. Ginseng formed part of the cargoes shipped to the East Indies, but specie, generally silver current coin, was sent to a large amount to Canton and Calcutta, &c, &c. The merchants who first engaged in the East Indies trade at Salem, were Derby, Gray, Cabot, Thorndike, and Crowninshield." (Commercial Sketch of Boston. Anonymous. The Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review, Aug. 1839.)

Robert Dickey's son, John G. Dickey, died in Philadelphia at age 24. (Died. North American and Daily Advertiser, Jan. 24, 1840; New-York Spectator, Jan. 27, 1840.) His daughter, Mary Dickey, died at age 19 at the home of her uncle, John A. Brown, in Philadelphia. (North American and Daily Advertiser, Apr. 10, 1840.) His son, George Dickey, died in Baden-Baden, Germany in 1860. (Died. New-York Times, Sep. 18, 1860.) Robert Dickey's daughter, Jane Brown Dickey, died in Baltimore. (Died. New York Times, Feb. 10, 1892.)

Robert Dickey's daughter Elizabeth never married. "She was born in 1816, and was a daughter of the late Robert Dickey, of New York, who married Miss Brown, daughter of Dr. George Brown, celebrated as a physician in Baltimore during the last part of the eighteenth century. She was a relative of the late John A. Brown, once head of the banking firm of Brown Brothers & Co. of Philadelphia, and at one time lived at his residence, on Rittenhouse square, in Philadelphia." (Maryland Obituary. Washington Post, Apr. 26, 1907.)

Robert Dickey's son, Judge Hugh T. Dickey of Chicago, graduated from Columbia University in 1830. His classmates included Hamilton Fish, John M. Forbes, and Lewis C. Gunn. (Commencement of Columbia College. New-York Morning Herald, Aug. 5, 1830.) He married [Frances] Anne Russell De Koven, the youngest daughter of the late Henry L. De Koven. Her brother, Rev. Henry De Koven, performed the ceremony in Middletown, Conn. (Marriages. Boston Daily Atlas, Apr. 24, 1850; Marriages. Christian Inquirer, Apr. 27, 1850.) Hugh T. Dickey petitioned for the estate of John G. Dickey of Philadelphia to be probated in Milwaukee County Court. John A. Brown was the executor. (State of Wisc., Milwaukee Co. Court, in Probate. Milwaukee Daily Free Democrat, Apr. 4, 1856.) He was a director of the Chicago and Galena Railroad (Financial and Commercial. New York Herald, Aug. 31, 1856), and the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. (The Reportorial Racket. Milwaukee Daily Sentinel, Jun. 9, 1879.) He died in New York City at age 80; at his death, he was a director of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad. His wife and a daughter, the wife of Rev. Charles Douglass of Washington, D.C., survived him. (Obituary. New York Times, June 3, 1892.) "Mrs. Dickey was Miss Frances Russell De Koven of Chicago. Her husband, Mr. Hugh T. Dickey, was for many years a partner of Brown Brothers & Co. He died some years ago, and his place in that concern has been taken by his son, Charles D. Dickey, who married Miss Louise L. Whitney of New Haven." (Death List of A Day. New York Times, Oct. 13, 1900.) Hugh T. Dickey Jr. was actually the first to marry Louise Lawrence Whitney, daughter of Stephen Whitney of Boston, who left a fortune of $14 million. The ushers were Francis Hillhouse of New Haven, Edward Morrell of Philadelphia, Newbold Edgar of New-York, and Charles Dickey, a brother of the groom. George B. McClellan was best man. The wedding haul was estimated at $30,000. (Dickey - Whitney. New York Times, Apr. 4, 1888; In Flashing Diamonds. Boston Daily Globe, Apr. 4, 1888.) A few years later, Louise married Charles D. Dickey Jr., "a cousin of her late husband," at Grace Church, whose seating capacity was "taxed to its utmost." Norton Goddard and Lawrence Whitney were ushers, and Benjamin R. Kittredge was best man. (Yesterday's Weddings. New York Times, Mar. 15, 1893; [Lawrence Whitney ex-'96 S. died at Yale] Stephen Whitney, Ph.B. 1908. Bulletin of Yale University, Obituary Record of Graduates of Yale University Deceased during the Year 1929-1930, p 292-294.)

Robert Dickey's son, Charles D. Dickey of Mobile, became a partner of Brown Brothers & Co. in 1859. (Copartnership Notices. New York Herald, Oct. 25, 1859; Financial and Commercial. New York Herald, Oct. 27, 1859.) He was believed to be first admission into the house since the death of Samuel Nickinson. (Correspondence of the Courier. Charleston Courier, Tri-Weekly, Nov. 19, 1859.) He died in Islip, L.I. in his 79th year. (Boston Daily Advertiser, Aug. 16, 1897.) Charles Denston Dickey Jr., husband of Louise L. Whitney, whose mother was Mary Witherspoon, died at age 59. He was born in Mobile, Alabama, and became the head of Brown Brothers thirty years previously. "He was also interested in the United States Mortgage and Trust Company, the Bank of Manhattan, the Commercial Trust Company of New Jersey, the Ocean Accident and Guarantee Company, the Northern Insurance Company, the Greenwich Savings Bank, and the Northern Assurance Company." (Died; and: Charles D. Dickey, Banker. New York Times, Feb. 5, 1919.) Charles D. Dickey Jr. replaced Hugh T. Dickey as a director of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. (Has Thirteen Members. Milwaukee Sentinel, Sep. 22, 1892.) His son, the next Charles Denston Dickey, was a partner of Brown Brothers also, then a partner of J.P. Morgan & Co. and Chairman of Trust Matters of the Morgan Guaranty Trust.

The De Kovens of Middletown, Connecticut and Chicago

Capt. Henry De Koven was the son of Elizabeth Sebor and John Lewis DeKoven, a "foreigner" born in 1748. They married in 1781. And Henry L. De Koven married Margaret T. Sebor. (Former Diplomat Wins New Laurels as Sculptor. By Marie McNair. Washington Post, Sep 14, 1950; Middletown Vital Records from Barbour, 1668-1852 - SABIN to SMITH. Transcribed by Coralynn Brown.) "Taken off a British transport by a colonial privateer and brought in to be interned at Middletown, Connecticut was an officer in the Hanoverian auxiliaries of the British forces, John Lewis DeKoven. He must have been an enthusiastic Mason, and a persuasive fellow, as soon after his arrival in 1783 the lodge at Middletown was resuscitated from its war time dormancy, and DeKoven took the initiative in organizing a 'Grand' Royal Arch Chapter, that is, that is, a chapter which was self constituted and independent, although it was formed under sanction of the local lodge. This was an unusual thing to do in Connecticut, and St. Johns Lodge in Middletown is the only one, and there were a dozen in the state at that time, to lend its sanction to a Royal Arch chapter. It almost looks as though it was revived for that purpose.... DeKoven's enthusiasm was not confined to Masonry. Although he contracted a perfectly respectable marriage, apparently his European gallantry did not fit into the mores of the Land of Steady Habits. He began to wander from the straight and narrow path, and when he was caught chasing a neighbor's wife, the irate husband chased him out of town. On the way out, he sold his mark, the anchor of hope, and he is said to have fled to Canada." (American Masonic Roots in British Military Lodges. WBro. James R. Case, Master, American Lodge of Research, New York City; Researched and Edited by: WBro. Antonio M. Ligaya, PM. In: Cable-Tow, 2006 July;65(2):16-22.) "Wanted Immediately, A Large Sum in Final Settlements, Continental Loan Office Certificates, Interest for Certificates, and Soldiers' Notes, for which CASH and a generous Price will be given, by Elizabeth De Koven, who has just received a New Supply of Excellent Bohea TEA." (Middlesex Gazette, Middletown, Conn. Aug. 22, 1789, p. 4.)

In March 1822: "Soon after my arrival at Callao, the ship America, Captain De Koven, of New-York, arrived with a full cargo of flour. I believe he brought about 3500 barrels, which were sold at a very great profit. To Capt. De Koven I sold my quicksilver at invoice price, which amounted to about $3500. As all communication was cut off between Lima and the interior, I was unable to dispose of the quicksilver at any price, except to Capt. De Koven. He was bound to Canton, and took the article at invoice price to dispose of it in China. I subsequently lent him $11,500 in dollars (which, together with the quicksilver, amounted to $15,000). and took his bill on the owners of the America, in New-York, for the amount at sixty days sight. The owners of the ship were Messrs. Hoyt and Tom, Elisha Tibbets, and Stephen Whitney." (Voyages to various parts of the world, made between the years 1799 and 1844. By George Coggeshall. Appleton & Co., 1851.) De Koven also mastered the America from Cadiz, Spain (Independent American, Sep. 4, 1816), the ship Clyde, from Cadiz (New York. Farmer's Cabinet, Nov. 20, 1804), the ship Minerva, for Havanna [sic] (New-York Price-Current, Mar. 16, 1805), the Bengal, from Buenos Aires (New-York Price-Current, Nov. 29, 1806), the Culladen, from Montevideo (New York Commercial Advertiser, Aug. 17, 1807), the ship Whampoa, from Spain (Latest News From Spain. Connecticut Journal, Jan. 18, 1810), the Donna Emilia, from New York to Goa, India (Ming's New-York Price Current, Feb. 24, 1810), the Donna Emilia, from New York to Calcutta via Isle of France (Baltimore Price Current, May 18, 1811), and the Sea Nymph between Lisboa and New York, 1823.

In 1824, De Koven was among a group of US citizens residing or transacting business in Lima, Peru, who thanked Commodore Charles Stewart, the commander of U.S. Naval forces in the Pacific, for protecting their interests against the revolutionary governments of Peru and Chile. (Letter from William H. Conckling, et al., to Commodore Charles Stewart, May 2, 1824. In: American State Papers [Naval Affairs: Volume 2].)

"This paper argues for a revision of the traditional view of the global silver trade with China in the late 18th and early 19th century. Section 1 showed that the existing historiography tended to ignore that silver imports into China continued for longer and at increased levels up to the 1820s. It provided new evidence showing that the structure of the silver trade changed substantially with US merchants becoming the central intermediaries between Latin American silver producers and Chinese ‘consumers’. It also demonstrated that Chinese imports of silver consisted increasingly of Spanish American coins, the so-called pillar and bust dollars." (A Trojan Horse in 19th century China? The global consequences of the breakdown of the Spanish Silver Peso standard. By Maria Alejandra Irigoin.)

In 1831, Henry L. DeKoven was one of the incorporators of Wesleyan University. (The Charter of Wesleyan University. Wesleyan University.) He was founder, president and a director of the Middlesex County National Bank from 1830 to 1835. Samuel Russell succeeded him as president from 1835 to 1840, and 1841 to 1846; and DeKoven's relative, Charles R. Sebor, from 1846 to 1878. (Town and City of Middletown. By Henry Wittemore; transcribed by Janece Streig. In: The History of Middlesex County 1635-1885. J. H. Beers & Co., 1884.) On June 25, 1835, Henry L. DeKoven obtained title to land in the heart of Austin, Illinois, which was annexed by Chicago in 1899. The tracks of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad tracks are on its northern boundary. Austin Community Collection 1860-1981, Chicago Public Library.) The town was named for Henry Austin Sr., an Illinois legislator who helped create and pass the Illinois Temperance Act in 1872 to ban the sale of alcohol, and founded a temperance community there. Samuel Russell also owned very valuable property in Chicago, Lot 9 in Block 28 of the Original Town of Chicago, which his daughter Frances Ann Russell inherited. (A Venerable Claim. Chicago Daily Tribune, Oct. 24, 1883.) His land at South Water St. and N. Fifth Avenue was leased out by Mary A. Lewis of New York and Cornelia Russell Green of London, England. "The land was purchased in 1833 by Samuel Russell of Middletown, Conn., grandfather of the lessors, from Thomas Hartzell, who obtained it from the government, and Mr. Russell is said to have been much pleased that for each of the two stores in the building he then erected he was able to secure a rent of $700 a year." (South Water St. Gets Long Lease. Chicago Daily Tribune, Apr. 2, 1912.)

Capt. De Koven's son, Rev. Dr. Henry De Koven, married Charlotte, a daughter of Jacob R. Le Roy. (Died. New York Times, Oct. 20, 1885.) Jacob Le Roy was the son of Herman Leroy, who founded Le Roy, Bayard & Co., and was one of the five brothers of Mrs. Daniel Webster. (Married. New-York Spectator, December 18, 1829; Funeral of Daniel Webster. New York Times, Nov. 1, 1852; Daniel Webster's Widow. New York Times, Feb. 28, 1882.) His son, the opera composer Reginald De Koven, was married in Chicago to Annie Farwell, the daughter of Sen. Charles B. Farwell. Hugh T. Dickey Jr. was his best man. Mr. and Mrs. J.V. Farwell and Mr. and Mrs. Franklin MacVeagh (S&B 1862) were among the guests. The newlyweds left immediately for Florence, Italy. (Notable Nuptials. St. Louis Globe-Democrat, May 2, 1884.) "Reginald De Koven was born in Middletown, Conn. in 1861, the son of an Episcopalian clergyman who was descended from an English Army Captain of Colonial Times. His father took up his residence in England in 1872 and sent his son to Oxford." (Reginald De Koven Dies At A Dance. New York Times, Jan. 17, 1920.)

Capt. De Koven's daughter Margaret married Dr. William B. Casey, one of the founders of the state insane asylum. (Mrs. Margaret De Koven Casey. New York Times, Mar. 25, 1900.) His daughter Elizabeth married Chicago pioneer Elijah Kent Hubbard, one of the builders of the Galena and Chicago Union railroad. His son of the same name was the president of the Russell Manufacturing Co. of Middletown, Conn. (Aged Chicago Native Dies. Chicago Daily Tribune, Jun. 27, 1915.)

Capt. De Koven's daughter, Cornelia, married Julius Wadsworth, born in Middletown, Conn. "His father was a prosperous merchant and left to his sons a fortune of nearly half a million. Young Wadsworth, the eldest of several brothers, received a good education in the ordinary English branches, and in his father's stores obtained what was of the greatest advantage to him - a good business education. In 1836, at the age of 22, Mr. Wadsworth came West." He and his brother, E.S. Wadsworth, bought real estate in Chicago, and started the Wadsworth Bros. wholesale dry goods house, later Wadsworth, Dyer & Chapin, and eventually acquired by John V. Farwell. In 1848, Wadsworth and Dyer built a packing house, most of whose beef was shipped to Great Britain. His fortune was estimated at $2 to 3 million, including a large block of the preferred stock and bonds of the Milwaukee Road. He died at age 73. (A Business-Man's Career. Chicago Daily Tribune, Jun. 5, 1887.) He left $80,000 to brothers in Middletown, then half the remainder to his wife, and the other half to his son, Clarence Seymour Wadsworth, with Elijah Hubbard of Middletown and Lucien G. Hoe of Chicago as trustees. (Julius Wadsworth's Will. New York Times, Jun. 19, 1887.) Their grandson, Julius Wadsworth, was vice consul to China, who married Cleome Carroll Miner, a descendant of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Md. (Couple Engaged in China Plan Bridal at Home. Washington Post, Aug. 23, 1934; Vice-Consul Will Wed. New York Times, Sep. 30, 1934.) He was a director of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Co. (Railroad Matters. New York Times, Jun. 6, 1876) and its vice president. David Dows and Jeremiah Milbank were also directors, and Alexander Mitchell was president. (Financial. New York Times, Mar. 7, 1877; The Railroads. Chicago Tribune, Jun. 9, 1878.) Hugh T. Dickey became a director in 1880. (Milwaukee & St. Paul. Chicago Tribune, June 6, 1880.) Wadsworth resigned in 1886, citing ill health. (Resigned His Office. New York Times, Jun. 29, 1886.)

Capt. De Koven's son James was the President of Racine College in Wisconsin. De Koven and his close friend and classmate, George F. Seymour, were embroiled in a church controversy over ritual; in succession a few months apart, both were elected Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Illinois, but were denied confirmation. (Bishop George F. Seymour. In: Past and Present of the City of Springfield and Sangamon County Illinois. By Joseph Wallace. The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago, 1904.) He made some remarks about liberty which certain laymen wished to suppress: "A Little Dialogue - Dr. Gregg - I have a word to say in private to these reporters. Dr. McMurdy - Say what you have to say right here. I don't know of anything very secret and dreadful that you should object to having read. Dr. Gregg - I secured this room previously, and wish to speak to these reporters. The Rev. Dr. McMurdy, who is a little fiery, rose 'in a huff,' and cleared out of the room. The reporters of THE TRIBUNE, Times and Inter-Ocean were left alone with the confiding and innocent Dr. Gregg, who held some astonishingly new greenbacks in his left hand, while he oratorically gesticulated with his right. He said: 'A layman has suggested to me the propriety of making you a presentation, so that you may be recompensed for any additional trouble you may have with your reports. We want you to get up a nice report, - to do it in good style, you know. Allow me to offer you each $5 --' TRIBUNE reporter - Do I understand you as offering us money to fix up our reports, Dr. Gregg? Dr. Gregg - Not at all, only, as I have said, to recompense you for extra trouble. TRIBUNE reporter - We are not in that line of business, so far as I am concerned. THE TRIBUNE can afford to pay its employees for 'extra trouble.' Our reporters are not in the habit of accepting gratuities from any source. Times reporter - I think the same way. Our papers cannot be bought at that figure - or at any figure. Inter-Ocean reporter - I think the proposition is d--d cheeky, to say the least of it. Dr. Gregg - I did not mean to offend you, and the suggestion did not come from me. Reporters - Well, that's an end of it now. Dr. Gregg grew very red in the face, and retired looking uncomfortable. At this point, Mr. John De Koven, brother of the Bishop-elect, entered the room, and asked the reporters to have dinner. The journalists, however, felt stung by the insult just offered, and refused the invitation. They left the College, refusing a sleigh which Mr. De Koven had kindly offered to take them down-town, and walked to Congress-Hall, where they made out their reports, and where they were not bored by patronizing churchmen." (The New Bishop. Chicago Daily Times, Feb. 7, 1875.) He died suddenly at age 47, about six weeks after slipping on an icy sidewalk in Chicago and breaking his leg. (Rev. James De Koven, D.D. New York Times, Mar. 20, 1879.) He never married, and two sisters, Mrs. Casey and Mrs. Doyle, kept house for him. (Dr. De Koven. Chicago Daily Tribune, Mar. 20, 1879.) He imitated practices of the Roman Catholic Church, including a confessional where the boys would visit every two or three weeks. (A High Churchman. Some of the Peculiarities of the Late Rev. Dr. De Koven. Chicago Daily Tribune, Mar. 23, 1879.)

Capt. De Koven's son John was born in Middletown in 1833, and came to Chicago when he was about 19. He went to work as a clerk for the Galena road. "A little later, through influence of friends, he secured a place as teller in the private banking house of I.H. Birch & Co." He was later an executor of Birch's estate. He was cashier at the Stock-Yards Bank, then the Northwestern National, then the Merchants' National Bank, "which was the last official place other than director's positions that he held." He married Louise Hadduck, daughter of E.H. Hadduck of Chicago, and they had one daughter. At the time of his death he was a director in the Merchant's Loan and Trust Co., the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railways, the Title Guarantee and Trust Co., the Chicago Telephone Co., and the American Surety Co. He always stayed at the Union League Club on his frequent visits to New York City. (John De Koven Dead. Chicago Daily Tribune, May 1, 1898.) He was one of the founding stockholders of the Knickerbocker Trust Co. in New York, whose other stockholders included J.Pierpont Morgan. (A New Trust Company Up Town. New York Times, Jul. 12, 1884.) His wife, Helen H. De Koven, left $10,000 to St. Luke's Hospital, Chicago, and half of her estate, estimated at $600,000, mostly in real estate, to her daughter, Louise H. De Koven. (Chicago Daily Tibune, Mar. 31, 1886.)

Louise De Koven Bowen was a daughter of John De Koven, whose estate was valued at $750,000. Francis and Louise Dickey of New York were among those who received bequests. (Will of John De Koven Filed. Chicago Daily Tribune, May 11, 1898.) She was executrix of the $2,000,000 estate of Louisa Hadduck, which left a bequest of $25,000 to St. Luke's Hospital, Chicago. Former trustee John De Koven received fees of $41,925. (Reports on the Hadduck Estate. Chicago Daily Tribune, Apr. 20, 1895.) After her husband's death, she lived for much of her life with Jane Addams, the founder of Hull House, one of her major philanthropic interests. (Roses For Miss Addams. New York Times, Apr. 13, 1916; Jane Addams Dies In Her 75th Year. New York Times, May 22, 1935; Mrs. J.T. Bowen, 94, Leader In Welfare. New York Times, Nov. 10, 1953; Estate Worth $2 Million Left By Mrs. Bowen. Chicago Daily Tribune, Feb. 17, 1955.) Mrs. Bowen was a member of the Republican National Committee National Women's Camapign for Hughes in 1916, and a member of the RNC. (Willcox Has Women Aides. New York Times, Sep. 16, 1916; Mrs. Bowen Takes Republican Post. New York Times, Jul. 18, 1923.) Mrs. Bowen succeeded Addams as president until 1944, and was the treasurer of Hull House for about sixty years, until 1953. (Mrs. Bowen Reaches 81. New York Times, Feb. 27, 1940.)

Her husband, Joseph Tilton Bowen, was Secretary and Cashier of the newly-founded Northern Trust Company of Chicago. Directors were A.C. Bartlett of Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co.; J. Harley Bradley of David Bradley Mfg Co.; H.N. Higinbotham of Marshall Field & Co.; Marvin Hughitt, President of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad; Charles L. Hutchinson, President of the Corn Exchange Bank, vice president; A.O. Slaughter; Martin A. Ryerson of Martin Ryerson & Co.; Albert A. Sprague of Sprague, Warner & Co.; and Byron L. Smith, President. (Display Ad 6. Chicago Daily Tribune, Sep. 23, 1889.) Bowen was elected to honorary membership in the Hull House Woman's Club. (Woman's Club Awes Man Chicago Daily Tribune, Mar. 6, 1902.) Joseph Tilton Bowen was born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1854. He was educated in the public schools, and married Louise Hadduck De Koven on June 1, 1880. He was in the silk manufacturing business until 1890. After leaving the Northern Trust (?1892), he was resident vice president and manager of the City Trust, Safety Deposit and Surety Company of Philadelphia. (Joseph Tilton Bowen. Chicago Daily Tribune, Mar. 30, 1911.)

Their son, John De Koven Bowen, married Elizabeth Winthrop Stevens, daughter of Ledyard Stevens. His brother, Joseph T. Bowen Jr., was best man, and Carl A. Lohmann, S&B 1910, was an usher. (Society at Home and Abroad. New York Times, May 29, 1910 and Jun 19, 1910.) John DeK. Bowen was secretary and treasurer of the Sanitary Steel Couch Co. in Chicago, a salesman for William A. Read & Co., Chicago bankers; and for Lage Brothers in New York City until 1924, but had not engaged in any occupation from then until his death from "status lymphaticus." (John De K. Bowen Dies Suddenly in Hospital in N.Y. Chicago Daily Tribune, Nov. 23, 1927; Bulletin of Yale University. Obituary Record of Yale Graduates 1927-1928, pp. 175-177.) Joseph T. Bowen Jr. was busted by a theater guard who said that Bowen molested him as they sat side by side in the Clark theater. [He subsequently moved to La Jolla, Cal.] (J.T. Bowen Jr. Arrested By Theater Guard. Chicago Daily Tribune, Feb. 24, 1945; Continue Lewd Behavior Charge Against Ex-Broker. Chicago Daily Tribune, Feb. 25, 1945.) Their daughter, Helen, married William McCormick Blair, S&B 1907, who founded the Chicago investment banking firm of William Blair & Company. Richard Ely Danielson, S&B 1907, was his best man. (Miss Bowen to Wed Wm. McC. Blair. New York Times, Jun. 3, 1911; The Blair-Bowen Wedding. In Town & Country, Feb. 24, 1912.) Mrs. William McCormick Blair Jr. was Vice President of the Lasker Foundation.

George A. Butler, a Black Partner of Russell & Company

Around 1876, Russell & Co. sold their boats and other property to the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company. After a period of mismanagement, George A. Butler was appointed manager of the company. "Mr. Butler as a colored man and an American merits some attention. He was the son of a colored clergyman in Washington, and was sent to France and Germany to be educated, where he improved his time so well that he became a master of French, German, and Italian. He also acquired a general knowledge of several other tongues. He attracted the attention of Anson Burlingame, who brought him to China as his private secretary. He remained in China after Mr. Burlingame's return and went into the employ of Russell & Co., where he remained til 1879, holding a position of importance and greatly respected; while Superintendant of the China Merchants' Company he had almost sole control under Tong King Sing, Chief Executive. After he went with his chief to Europe the company fell into the hands of natives, by whom it was brought to the verge of bankruptcy. They visited Brazil to further a scheme the company had of building several steamers of 4,000 tons burden, which should go round the Cape of Good Hope to Brazil, stopping at Mauritius and Senegal on the way. They were to take emigrants from China to Brazil, a cargo of Brazilian products from Rio de Janeiro to New York, and return thence by Suez, bringing such lading as suited the Chinese market. While in Portugal news came of disasters to the company, and the two envoys hastened home." Butler negotiated the sale back to Russell & Co. for $7,000,000. As for Russell & Co., after Samuel Russell retired, "it passed principally into the hands of Paul S. Forbes, who retired some eight years ago and is now living in the American colony in Paris. There are now several partners, of whom the three principal are William Forbes, Decourcy Forbes, and C.N. Smith." (The Flowery Kingdom. Chicago Tribune, Nov. 12, 1884.)

"George A. Butler, the son of a colored clergyman of Washington, was educated in Europe, and went to China as the private secretary of Anson Burlingame. Mr. Butler remained in China after the retirement of Minister Burlingame, and prospered in business. He is now the possessor of great wealth, and is the trusted advisor of Chinese statesmen and business men. Just now he is in New York." (One Thing and Another. New York Evangelist, Dec. 9, 1886.) Henry Hannah, assignee, filed suit against unknown heirs of George Augustus Butler to recover $4,206.69 by the sale of lot 7 of square 80 in Washington: "Mr. Butler, though a citizen of the United States, lived for many years abroad, representing the firm of Russell & Co., and died recently at Hong Kong, China, leaving a widow, whom the plaintiff thinks resides in England. In the year 1890 he obtained loans of Russell & Co., to whom he handed the title deeds to secure the loans. The firm then took steps to obtain a deed of trust, and while they were corresponding with him he died." (Suit Against George A. Butler's Heirs. Washington Post, Dec. 22, 1891.) Richard V. Hartnett & Co. sold 58 "claims, judgements, and demands of Russell & Co. of China, against persons, firms, Governments, associations and corporations. The sale was by order of the Atlantic Trust Company, substituted assignee, in Supreme Court proceedings, and the amount realized was $85. Of the claims, one was against the estate of the late George A. Butler for $9,789.58. Another, against the Chinese Government, was for $366,485.84." (Russell & Co. Claims Sale. New York Times, Jun. 9, 1898.)

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