Russell

Russell

William John Russell, IV
Addie Day Russell

Amanda Piehler

The Oconee Hill Cemetery is only steps from the University of Georgia campus and acts as a legacy of the university’s past. While walking through the West Hill section, I came across two very familiar names on a joint gravestone for a husband and wife. (See Picture #4) The family’s surname, Russell, belongs to one of the freshman residence halls. Likewise, the husband’s mother’s maiden name, Brumby, belongs to another freshman residence hall. Curious for a connection, I started researching. Through my research, I was able to piece together the outlines of a Russell family story. The husband on the gravestone, William John Russell IV, had quiet a prominent family in Georgia. His parents, depicted on the stone, were Rebecca Harriet (Brumby) Russell and William John Russell. William was a “prosperous middle class textile manufacturer who lost all of his possessions in the civil war (1861-1865)” 1 William and Rebecca had six children, including William John Russell IV, who is laid to rest in Oconee Hill Cemetery. One of the other six children, Richard B. Russell Sr., graduated 4th in his class from UGA in 1879, and he went on to graduate law school at UGA the following year. In his lifetime, he worked in education, served on both the Georgia Court of Appeals and the state’s supreme court, and fathered fifteen children. According to the University of Georgia website, Russell hall is named after his son Richard B. Russell, Jr. 2 Not surprisingly, any biography of Rebecca Harriet (Brumby) Russell is either nonexistent or difficult to find. The Brumby family has its roots in Marietta, however, and Richard B. Russell Sr. was born in Marietta. It seems safe to infer, then, that Rebecca Harriet comes from the well-known Brumby family in Marietta, Georgia. The Brumby family moved from Mississippi to Marietta in 1861 and quickly became an influential family. The family founded the Brumby Chair Company, which is still in business today.3 Over the years, members of the family attended the University of Georgia. Most recently, Otis A. Brumby Jr. received the Distinguished Service Scroll Award from the law school’s alumni association for his dedication to the legal profession and work for free speech rights in 2010. 4 Although the university website cites no namesake for Brumby Hall, I believe that we can say with almost perfect certainty that the hall traces back to that famous family from Mississippi. Today, some decedents of these prominent families are still active at the university. With only a few steps behind the stadium, however, we can trace the historical roots of these influential families. At least once, as evidenced by this gravesite, the two families crossed over and produced children to carry on the legacy.