Francis Hanford Russel was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on July 11, 1825. In January of 1849 he sailed from Philadelphia with nine others from Lancaster on the 'Brig Osceola' bound for California via Cape Horn. Upon his arrival, Russel left San Francisco for Sacramento, bound from there for the mines. By 1852, he was established in the town of Nicolaus in Sutter County where he served as Postmaster. The following year, 1853, he also served as Treasurer for Sutter County. In 1854, he returned to Lancaster and was married to Justine E. Danner. The Russels immediately returned to California, sailing from New York via Panama. They had four children: Marge, Carrie, Mary and Benjamin. Francis farmed and was later established as a druggist in Sacramento where he also continued in public service, serving as a Public Administrator for the County of Sacramento in 1885. Francis died in Sacramento on August 22, 1898.
From the description of Gold rush letters, 1849. (California State Library). WorldCat record id: 58951445
