Ada Bell was the last of six daughters born to David and Eliza Jane Russell on November 11, 1878 in Chico, Butte County, California. This birth location is cited in an affidavit made by her older sister, Ella Boysen. The day after Ada was born, the family  returned to the Ione area, about 100 miles south, as that is the town in which father David registered to vote on November 12, 1878. Ada's mother, Eliza Jane died a year later in 1879. Shortly after Eliza's death, Ada was adopted at the age of 14 months on January 14, 1880 by the Norman and Elizabeth Gillis family of  Ione, California. In December of 1880, Ada's next older sister, Mary Jane, was also adopted by this family. These events appear in a note written by Elizabeth Gillis. 
      
   In June of 1894 Norman and Elizabeth along with Ada Bell and Mary Jane, moved from Ione to Victoria, B.C., Canada to start a new life. After arriving in Victoria, Ada met and married Tom Jacklin, a man born in Kansas, also of Victoria. Tom and Ada then had five children, two boys, Alfred and Charles, and three girls, Elizabeth, Alma, and Margorie. Alma was the mother of Bobby Lee and Margorie was the mother of Marie Marrs. (Bobby and Marie were significant contributors of information and pictures to this Russell family history project). Following the birth of the children, Tom and Ada moved to Port Angeles, Washington. Tom took a job as a moulder/caster in a steel foundry in Port Angeles. The couple owned a home fairly close to Tom's work site and also owned a cabin on Lake Sutherland that is about 12 miles west of Port Angeles. The Jacklin and Boysen families were very close, and even though living geographically far apart, many reciprocal visits were made between Washington and California. In particular both families enjoyed time at the lake. While on a visit to Seattle, Ada was taken to a hospital where she died of heart problems and Tom died about 2 years later in Port Angeles. They are both buried at Mount Angeles Cemetery in Port Angeles.