Mary Jane, Emma, Matthew and William were Russell siblings. I have not found out who their parents are. The only elder Russell I recall meeting was Mary Jane. We called her "Great Aunt Mary Jane" and she lived to be at least 105. As far as I my research has determined all four siblings moved from Kentucky to Butler County Ohio in the early 1900s.
Mary Jane Russell was born between 1860 and 1870 in Kentucky. She married Thomas H South II (~1864-04/05/1942) around 1898 in Kentucky. They moved to Ohio between 1910 and 1920. She died around 1973.
I found newspaper article about Mary Jane reaching her 100th birthday in Middletown, Ohio. It was how I learned about her nephew Joseph and another relative Odessa T Johnson (10/25/1921-10/1984) of Central Avenue in Middletown. I remember visiting her when I was a child.
Great Aunt Mary Jane isn't a DNA ancestor, but I have recently researched the Russell family to write a story about my step-grandfather "Grandpa Jerome". She lived at 830 9th Avenue. Her brothers Matthew and William also lived at 820 9th Avenue; they died when I was very young so I don't remember them. Matthew's sons Jerome and Robert lived there too. Robert had a restaurant next to their home. Jerome called the 800 block of 9th Avenue in Middletown, Ohio "Russellville".
So when we visited my grandmother in Middletown (on 19th Avenue) we always had to go over to “Russellville” to visit Grandpa Jerome's family, especially Great-aunt Mary Jane who my mother loved dearly. I believe she was a few years older than her husband Thomas H. South, but I never met him as he died way before I was born. I have not found any children for the couple and I have not heard that they had any. (Maybe the grand-children of Robert may remember, but I haven't been to Middletown since my grandmother died.) Great Aunt Mary Jane was already very old when I visited her. I don't think anyone knew when she was actually born, but knew she was probably born sometime before 1870. I don't think there were very good records in Kentucky before the 1900s. I have not found a birth certificate/record online. And the census records were never very accurate, but within a year or two. The 1930 census says she was 63 and had gotten married at 25. The 1910 census says she was 42, had been married for 12 years and had had no children.
One of Great Aunt Mary Jane’s nephews, Jerome, married my maternal grandmother in 1937; she had four children. (My grandmother was Emma Lee Cooper. Her first husband died in a tragic accident in 1932.) Jerome took on the whole family. I do not believe Jerome had any children even though he was briefly married twice before marrying my grandmother. I was named for him. (“If it’s a boy name it Jerome; if it’s a girl name it Jerrie” were the orders he sent when he was informed of my birth. I worshiped him! We were very best friends. He called me “Dirty Thumb Sucking Lil” which I hated as a child.
Joseph Talton Strong is not a real relative of mine either. But I uncovered him when I was researching the only “grandfather” I ever knew (Jerome Russell was my step-grandfather). Jerome Russell was the son of Matthew Russell. Joseph Strong was the son of Emma Russell (1877-) and Edward Harry Strong; and he was Grandpa Jerome’s first cousin. He attended Wilberforce University. I am a huge baseball fan and especially interested in the Negro Leagues. So imagine my surprise when I discovered Joseph actually played in the Negro Leagues and was a very successful pitcher!
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