Description:
Knife with rounded steel mount and blade is marked " J. RUSSELL & CO. / GREEN RIVER WORKS." John Russell (1767-1839) was born in Deerfield and served an apprenticeship with Isaac Parker (1749-1805) before Parker returned to Boston in 1788. Russell moved to Greenfield in 1792 and worked there in partnership with Daniel Ripley (1768-1836) before moving back to Northampton in 1794. By 1803 Russell was back in Greenfield when he advertised for an apprentice in the "Greenfield Gazette." Russell's accounts with William Stoddard Williams indicate the extent of his business. He charged Williams for making and repairing watches, making teaspoons, soldering a gold ring, mending spectacles, a cane, and even a syringe. Most of his production was confined to flatware. John Russell Sr. trained his son John Russell, Jr. (1797-1874) to follow him in the craft. After successfully speculating in cotton in Georgia, John, Jr. returned to Greenfield about 1832 and entered the cutlery business with his brother Francis (1806-1850), establishing the "Green River Works" along the Green River in Greenfield in March 1834, which was later renamed the John Russell Cutlery. They were joined by their brother, Nathaniel Russell (1799-1884), about 1839. The company's Green River factory operated until 1868 when it moved to an expensive new plant on the Connecticut River in the new town of Turners Falls; the Green River plant employed more than 400 employees at the time of its move.
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