Russell Waterbury, Sr. was born October 6, 1885 in Smiths Mill, Minnesota. His father, Thomas, was from Canada and his mother, Zulina, from New York. THe family farmed and by the time Russell was 14 years old he was finished with his schooling and working as a laborer on the farm. His mother died in 1906 when he was just twenty years old. He continued to live with his father for a number of years and was working out as a laborer on other farms, earning a wage.
By 1918, Russell’s dad was living in Seattle and Russell was living in Wrangell, Alaska where he registered for the US Military draft for WWI. He listed his occupation then as Marine Fireman, and he worked on the US Osprey for the Bureau of Fisheries. He apparently never became a member of the US Military.
In 1930 Russell and his wife, Marie, also from Minnesota, were living in Seldovia and he was a fisherman. Marie died between 1934 and 1938.
On September 3 1938 Russell married Anna SOROKOVIKOFF in Seldovia. He adopted her daughter Marion WATERURY Collier, who took Waterbury as her last name.
At the time of registration for the WWII draft, Russell (age 56) was still in Seldovia.
He died October 1965 in Seldovia, and is buried in the Seldovia City Cemetery in Plot #196.