Charles Russell Leffingwell

Charles Russell Leffingwell, the son of George Washington Leffingwell and Mary Ann (Van Loan) Leffingwell, was born at Athens, N. Y., Nov. 4, 1840, and was living in 1897 at Yonkers, N. Y. In 1854, he began business life as a clerk. In 1857, he went to Kansas, and there remained during the exciting struggle for freedom in that territory. While there he became acquainted with John Brown and many others prominent in the early history of Kansas. Coming into contact with the Indians, he acquired their language, and was able to speak the dialect of the Shawnees and Delawares, and to act as interpreter in business relations with other tribes. His health becoming impaired, he returned East, became connected with a New York bank, and subsequently entered into business as banker and broker in connection with the New York Stock Exchange, where he remained until 1887. Since then he has been in the iron business in New York City.

Mr. Leffingwell spent the summer of 1872 in traveling in Europe. In earlier life he was a member of the Seventh Regiment, N.Y. He married, Feb. 4, 1875, Mary Elizabeth Cornell, daughter of John Black Cornell, Esq., a prominent iron merchant of New York.

(Source: The Leffingwell Record)