  S.D.
Russell was born in August 1858 in the state of Mississippi, the native
state of both of his parents. His family consisted of his wife,
Hattie F., born October 1867 in Louisiana, whom he had married
1893; her parents were both born in Georgia. She was the mother
of 8 children, 7 of whom were living in 1910:
Steven, born July 1883 in Texas, aged 16 Richard, born July 1885 in Texas, aged 14 Theodore, born May 1887 in Texas, aged 13 Hanable, born 1889 in Texas, aged 11 Pearlie, born June 1898 in Oklahoma, aged 6 Marcus, born November 1895 in Oklahoma, aged 4 Etolia, born June 1898 in Oklahoma, aged 2 (1900 Guthrie, Oklahoma census) S.D. Russell, editor of the Denison Reformer, and E.H. Garland, pastor of Hopewell Baptist Church, began publication of the Living Age, an illustrated monthly journal that was devoted to the interest of the colored people in the Texas, as well as the southern states. The price for a subscription was $1 per year. It was expected that his new publication would be as successful as the Denison Reformer. (The Sunday Gazetteer, August 23, 1891) The Sunday Gazetteer of April 3, 1892 stated that Stephen D. Russell was editor of the Living Age and the Texas Reformer, the newspapers of the colored people of north Texas. He had just returned from a trip to Memphis, Tennessee in the spring of 1892. His opinion of the Presidential race in 1892 was expressed at that the colored poeple would nominated Fred Douglass in first place and Richard K. Bruce of Mississippi in second place on a ticket in the Presidential election. Russell endorsed the move by his people as a "rebuke to the white Republicans" whom he felt ignored the colored people when places of salaried public offices were needing to be filled. He believed that such a Presidential ticket would be unanimously supported by the colored people. (The Sunday Gazetteer, April 3, 1892, pg. 4) S.D. Russell of Langstone was elected Secretary of the Inter-Territorial Negro League for the year of 1907 at the annual meeting of the League in the fall of 1906. ("Territory Notes", The Denison Daily Herald, Saturday, September 15, 1906) In 1907 Mr. Russell was living in Oklahoma and was editor of the Langston Age. He was once again taking an active and prominent rold in the politics of Oklahoma, being at the head of a movement of the Negroes population to the Democratic Party of Oklahoma instead of the Republican Party. In his editorial for the week of October 26, Mr. Russell stated: "Oklahoma is democratic by at least 30,000 majority. Out of 21 district judges elected, 19 are Democrats and 2 are Republicans." He went on to say that no only were the courts run by Democrats but the Oklahoma Supreme court and the Legislature as well. He urged his "brethern in black" to use common sense and cultivate the friendship of the people in positions of power in the government and judicial system. (The Wichita Daily Eagle, Wichita, Kansas, Sunday, October 27, 1907, pg. 10) The Muskogee Times-Democrat noted in the spring of 1909 that S.D. Russell was editor of the Western Age, a Negro paper organized in 1904 and published at Langston, Oklahoma, which was an early all-black town. He visited Muskogee in preparation to taking over the Superintendency of the Negro home for the dear, dumb and blind at Taft, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Legislature had appropriated $35,000 for the maintenance of the home for 2 years and plans were made to erect a 3-story brick building as soon as possible. (Muskogee Times-Democrat, Saturday, March 20, 1909, pg. 1) After five years as Superintendent of the State Negro Orphanage at Taft, the Muskogee Time-Democrat again reported in summer of 1914 that S. Douglass Russell, editor and educator , had not returned to the orphanage after being away on leave for several weeks. During that time a report on shortages in funds at the orphanage were allegedly traced back to Russell, who was expected to be place before the State Board of Education at Oklahoma City in the next day or two. Dr. F.B. Fite, a member of the State Board of Education, was instructed by the Board to take charge of the orphanage and appoint a man as Superintendent. It was expected that Dr. Fite would either close the case against Mr. Russell or possibly take action by Tuesday, the following day. The Assistant Superintendent, Mr. Johnson, under Mr. Russell was put in charge of the school after Mr. Russell left. He stated that no one at the school in Taft had heard from Mr. Russell except for one letter to Mr. Johnson telling him that he (Russell) had gone to Mississippi. He had made known before he left on his leave that he was going to Mississippi to raise funds to make what money was allegedly taken by him. The examination of the school records conducted by Dr. Fite and representatives of the State Auditor's offce after Mr. Russell left on his leave to Mississippi resulted in the evidence of a shortage of hundreds of dollars in warrangs issued to take up old bills. Seveal salary warrangs were alleged to have not been delivered to the faculty and staff. (Muskogee Times-Democrat, Muskogee, Oklahoma, Monday, June 15, 1914, pg.2)  Biography Index African American Biography Index Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |