There must have been a backstory to this well-preserved photograph, carefully staged in Russell 120 years ago --- most likely during early 1897. That, however, has been lost to time. But the image does have a few other tales to tell if we look a little deeper and carry the story forward.
The photo came into the Lucas County Historical Society collection after the 1975 death of its owner, Estella Ruth Marshall (born in Russell during 1892). Estella, an only child, devoted herself to the care of her father, William J. "Doc" Marshall (1858-1947), held various deputy posts in the Lucas County Courthouse and from 1932 until retirement in 1957 was employed by the Brown Shoe Fit Co.
That's Estella's father in the dentist's chair. Some years later, during 1922, he moved his wife and daughter from Russell to Chariton when elected county auditor, then for the remainder of his working life served as a justice of the peace at a time when that could be a full-time job. He died in 1947 at the age of 88.
The dentist is Dr. Frederick P. Wells, whose time in Russell was short. A native of Fairfield, he had moved on to Clarinda by 1900 where he married, then continued west to Colorado Springs and Denver where he continued to practice for many years.
The gentleman holding Doc Marshall down is Dr. Herbert H. "Harry" Nelson, whose time in Russell also was relatively short. He moved on to Brooklyn (Iowa), where he practiced medicine for a number of years, eventually gave it up to work in a hardware store and died during 1939 at the age of 72.
In the foreground are Frank W. Roach (left), editor and publisher of The Russell Union until later on during 1897 when he sold out to Henry Gittinger, and Ira Cole, at 16 or 17 older than he looks here. Ira was Roach's printers devil in the Union shop.
Ira, whose parents were Sylvester and and Savilla (Durham) Cole, went on to make a profession in the printing field --- as a linotype operator in Memphis, Tennessee. He died during 1950 at age 71 and is buried there.
Frank Roach (not related to the Russell Roach family) could never quite bring himself to settle down and after selling out to Gittinger and leaving Russell with his young family later on during 1897, headed for the Pacific Northwest, then back to Des Moines, then to Montana, then to Idaho and finally during the early 1920s to California.
While editing a newspaper in Calexico, California, during 1922 he landed a plum appointment as postmaster --- and a new wife who, at 20, was less than half his age.
Then he made a major tactical error and embezzled some $7,000 in government funds from the post office --- and went on the lam with his new wife in tow. Apprehended in Colorado some weeks later, he was tried in California and sentenced to five years in the Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary.
The remainder of his working life after release was spent as a reporter for various California newspapers. He died at age 82 in San Bernardino during 1954 --- having outlived all the other men in this photograph.
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