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- Malone Evening Telegram, Monday, October 11, 1920
NO AUTO FOR HER AT 102
Mrs. Jane Russel Walks and Works and Will Not Vote
Mrs. Jane Russell, of 47 102 Oread street is 102 years old, and would rather walk several miles than ride in an automobile, if there is no good old fashioned horse and carriage to give her a lift. There are few Worcester people, young or old, who have never ridden in a machine, fewer who would not like to ride in one if they could, and fewer who enjoy a walk of several miles at the age of 102. Mrs. Jane Russel lays claim to all of these distinctions.
Mrs. Jane Russell, since she has been making her home with her son, William Russell, of Oread street, walks, not infrequently, to visit her son, Nelson Russell, and her ten grandchildren, who live at 26 Lunelle St., and back home again although she has ridden and driven horses all her life. Mrs. Russell is unwilling to ride in an automobile. There are not many women in the city at any age who are more active or who perform more of their household duties than this woman of 102. All of the mending for herself and her son’s family is done by Mrs. Russell’s expert needle and she does not wear glasses to aid her eyes, either. She has unusually keen hearing, even for a woman of half her age; and often detects noises which other members of the family do not hear.
Every week Mrs. Russell does the family washing and instead of grumbling at its size, admits often that she would like to “take in” washings again, to prove her mettle and ability in this line. Nor is there any new fashioned electric washing machine in use in the Russell home. “Our grandmother’s way” is the method favored by the follower of the old school, an good hard rubbing over the tub is the only style tolerated by her.
In these days of much advertised, attractively put up soap, there are few women who make their own bars of soap and soap powder, but since Mrs. Russell came to live at Oread street home, not a cake of soap has been bought. The real old way of using left over grease for soap is the means, Mrs. Russell employes, and it is the best ever.
Scrubbing floors is a task which tires most young housewives, but the floors at 47 1-2 Oread street are white and shining as the result of the home made soap and hard scrubbing of a woman who has lived more than half a century. And Mrs. Russell says she enjoys keeping the house immaculate and the labor does not tire her over much.
Mrs. Russell was born in Canada of French-Canadian parentage, but lived there only three years. The greater part of her life, has been spend in Malone, N.Y., where she was married and raised a family of 12 children. (She resided on a small farm on what is known as Bear Hill.)
What do you attribute your long life to is the natural question to ask of those of us who attain the century mark. In answer, Mrs. Russell would say that, in the first place, she comes from a family noted for its longevity. Her mother lived to be 98 years old, and her father was 104 years old when he died. Added to that, she has lived much in the open with a great deal of hard, healthful exercise to strengthen her muscles and add to her powers of endurance.
Living on a farm in Malone far from modern luxuries which make people “soft and lazy”. Mrs. Russell has chopped her own firewood from the forest, drawn the water for household uses from the streams and springs about her home, and has worked long hours cultivating her protentions garden. Chopping wood and hoeing in a garden all day long are tasks which Mrs. Russell is proud of. And there in Worcester, although she is not as young as she was in Malone, when she had 12 hungry mouths to provide for she planted and taken care of a little garden plot this year, and if firewood is needed in the morning she will chop a supply.
Another task which Mrs. Russell pursued in her New York home, was that of taping her own maple trees and making the sugar to sell in small cakes. She says she always enjoyed making the sugar and sold her product for a shilling a pound. But a wholly different piece of work from the toothsome boiling of maple sap and of which she boasts nearly as much, is that of white washing ceilings. Not many women have the steady heads or strong arms to stand high on a ladder and wield the brush overhead. Although Mrs. Russell has not whitewashed any ceilings for some time, she says she could do it today as well as ever.
Four of her children are living in New York state now. Mrs. Elizabeth Russell Putraw, only daughter, aged 62, who still does washing a week, besides household duties. She resides on Constable street (Route 3). Peter and Edward Russell, also of Malone; Alex, of Tupper Lake. Three of Mrs. Russell’s sons are residents of Worcester. They are William of Oread street, with whom the mother makes her home; Frank Russell, of 3 Upland Street, and Nelson of Lunelle street. Mrs. Russell has 29 grandchildren, 24 great grandchildren. She is not a woman suffragist and although she has engaged in many of the forms of work usually designated as men’s work, she declares that women, should not vote. When urged to register in Worcester recently, she flatly refused, saying she considered she had already done her part in this world without any voting, and she did not care to start now.
Mrs. Jane (Lebeouf) Russell, one of the oldest, if not the oldest person in Worcester, died yesterday afternoon at the house of her son, Frank, Southold, aged 105 years.
for the past nine years since she came to worcester to make her home with her son, Mrs. Russell has been oneof the unique characters of the south end of the city. Despite her age, she actiely performed her houshold duties util the past few months, while her eyesight has been so remarkable, that she did all the family mending without the aid of glasses. Members of the family say that she insisted in doing the family washing. She was born in Canada of French-Canadian parents. when she was 3 years old, her family moved to Malone, NY where she grew up and was married, living there until she came to Worcester. She was the mother of 12 children, seven of whom survive. She also leaves 29 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren. The surviving children are sons nelson, william and Frank of Worcester, Peter, Alexander and Adward, Malone, NY and one daughter, Mrs. Libby Poitrau, Malone.
Mrs Russell attributed her long life primarily to the fact that she came of a family famous for their longetivity. her father lived to be 104 years old while her mother was 98 years old when she died. Added to that, however, Mrs Russell gave the credit of her remarkable age and health to the hardships of pioneer life in Northern New York where she and her husband carved their home out of the wilderness.
Even after coming to Worcester, she refused to use "store soap" and instisted on making her own.
She steadfastly declined to ride in an automoblie, although she well knew how to drive a horse. She took pleasure in walking and up to the past two or three years would walk several miles to visit her children and grandchildren who live in various parts of the city.
The body will be sent to Malone, NY where burial will be in St. Helen Cemetery.
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1820 - 1924 (104 years)
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