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Note: George was missing the middle finger of his left hand. When the grand kids would ask him what happened to it he would always say "a cow bit it off". However, it was generally assumed that he lost it in a train coupling accident during his years with the railroads; a common injury which affected a high percentage of RR workers prior to the advent of automatic coupling systems. This is also the way his brother Charles lost his left arm.
George was a member of the Knights of Pythias, a fraternal order whose motto included the words: "Fraternity, Charity, Benevolence", or F.C.B. Don Ross Russell (b. 1945) has inherited G-Grandfather George's ceremonial sword, with these letters emblazoned on the pommel. -RDR 10/02
George Washington Russell was a life-long Democrat. He refused to speak to his younger brother Thomas, who was a Republican. He also claimed that his brother Thomas was older than he was (which wasn't true, George was two years older.) But, I think that this was his way of making a joke - Thomas was born on the 17th of December (1867) while George was born on the 30th of December (1865). I can imagine my great grandfather George saying something like: "Of course Thomas is older! After all, he was born on the 17th of December, and I wasn't born until the 30th!" -RDR 10/02
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