Sarah Ann Russell (maiden name: Burkholder) was born on February 13, 1842, in Pennsylvania to Henry and Maria Burkholder. Her father was a tanner. Sarah grew up and attended school in Derry, Pennsylvania, and her parents both died there in the mid-1850s. By 1860, Sarah was living in Hamilton, Illinois, and working as a servant on the farm of William and Sarah Walker. She married Francis James Russell on January 28, 1862, and they had at least two children: Nellie, born around 1866; and Edward, born around 1877. The family lived in Hamilton, and Francis worked as a retail grocer. By 1870, they owned $1,000 of real estate and $1,500 of personal property. They moved to Monte Belle, Illinois, sometime in the 1870s. Her husband died in Hancock County on February 18, 1900, and she followed on November 8, 1902.

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