Sunday, August 22, 2010
Early Watch Tower Question
Most information gives Ann Eliza (Birney) Russell's, the mother of Charles Taze Russell, age at time of death as 29 in 1861. A copy of an Allegheny census lists her age as 26 in 1850. The new video produced by the Watchtower, Bible, and Tract Society mentions Joseph and Eliza immigrated to America in 1845. If she was 29 when she died, she would only be 13 in 1845. A little young to be married. Does anyone have any information that seems to substantiate the 1850 census that she was actually born in 1824 instead of 1832? Thanks for your help.
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The obit of Ann Eliza in the paper said she died aged 36 which makes more sense and fits in with the other dates. The statement that she and Joseph Lytle immigrated in 1845 comes from Joseph's obit in the paper in 1897 which says he came to America "about 1845" but of course he wasn't around to ask. He must have come to America earlier than that because his naturalization papers from 1848 have him swearing a statement that he had been in the country for at least five years. Ann Eliza had a brother, Thomas Birney, living in Pittsburgh, so it would seem probably that she and Joseph met and married in America rather than coming to the country as a married couple.
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