How did you celebrate Independence Day? Actor and veteran Kurt Russell marked the nation’s birthday Friday with a visit to his ancestral home in Arlington, Massachusetts, where he learned about his forebear — a militiaman standing up against the British — who was killed 250 years ago by British soldiers on the first day of fighting in the Revolutionary War.
Jason Russell — the actor’s great-grandfather eight times removed — fell in combat on April 19, 1775, as the English were retreating from Lexington and Concord. He fought in Menotomy — now the town of Arlington, about nine miles northwest of Boston — in the bloodiest battle of the day, which began with the famous “shot heard round the world.”
“He was shot twice and bayonetted at least 11 times,” Kurt Russell said during a tour of the Jason Russell House and Museum. “He was 59 with a lame leg, yet he defended his home. He died on the doorstep, yelling things at the British you can’t print. He was a badass dude, and I’m digging it!”
Star of such films as “Tombstone,” “Escape from New York,” “The Thing,” “Miracle” and “The Hateful Eight,” Kurt Russell only learned of his ancestor’s fate a few months ago. He was contacted by Arlington 250, a group promoting the town’s involvement in the Revolutionary War, which asked if he knew he was related to Jason Russell. He didn’t.
“I was stunned by [the news],” recalled the actor, who served with the 146th Tactical Airlift Wing in the California Air National Guard from 1969 to 1975. “I don’t know why, but this was never talked about in our family.”
He added, “About the same time, my sons Boston and Wyatt were researching our ancestry and stumbled across him.”
Boston Russell, who toured the house with his father, said he and his brother were headed in different directions with their research.
“I was looking at one branch of the family while Wyatt’s search took him to Jason Russell,” he said. “He was right and I was wrong.”
When Kurt Russell was first contacted, museum staff hoped to invite the Hollywood star to the 250th anniversary commemoration on April 19, 2025. The actor was unavailable then, but later agreed to the July Fourth visit. This was the first time he had toured the house built and lived in by his ancestors.
“The bizarre thing is we have a family photo of me when I was three with my father, grandfather and great-grandfather, Edwin Oliver Russell, who actually lived in this house,” he said.
The actor does not think his military service compares with that of his great-grandfather eight times removed. He was an airman stationed at Van Nuys Air National Guard Base in California who had other interests at the time.
“My connection is minuscule at best,” he said. “I did my part.”
Kurt Russell, who was pursuing a career in professional baseball until a shoulder injury sidelined him, added with a laugh, “I played baseball [in the National Guard]. We had a great team. Never lost a game in six years.”
When the Revolutionary War erupted at Lexington and Concord 250 years ago, Jason Russell was crippled and nearing 60, which exempted him from the active-duty roster. After Paul Revere rode through Menotomy warning the British were on the march, Jason Russell moved his wife, Elizabeth, and youngest son, Noah, to safety. He then returned to the house to defend it as English troops retreated to Boston.
At the homestead, Jason Russell was joined by scores of militiamen from Needham, Dedham, Danvers and other towns, who built barricades made from bundles of wooden shingles intended for repairs to the house. They planned to open fire on the column of British troops as it marched past the property on Concord Road (now Massachusetts Avenue).
Caught off guard by flanking parties, the militiamen ran for the back door. Jason Russell never made it, likely because of his leg. He was shot twice and fell at the doorstep. Some accounts claim he was still alive as British light infantry rushed into the home after the others. He was bayonetted repeatedly as enemy soldiers entered the building.
“As a soldier, you’re trained to thrust the bayonet into the heart,” the actor said. “They didn’t want to kill him; they wanted to hurt him. He was stabbed anywhere from 11 to 27 times. That’s a hate crime. The British were pissed off because they were being shot at.”
After heavy fighting, British troops eventually did capture the home. When Jason Russell’s wife returned, she found not only her husband killed but 10 others lying dead in the kitchen with the floor “ankle deep with blood.” Bullet holes still dot the Jason Russell House and Museum.
“This was the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting of the day,” said historian Jonathan Lane, coordinator for Revolution 250, a nonprofit organization promoting Massachusetts’ role in the American Revolution. “As part of Battle Road, the British suffered heavy losses at the Battle of Menotomy. Some 40 British soldiers died and 25 militiamen were killed in and around the Jason Russell House.”
After touring the house, Kurt and Boston Russell were taken to the Old Burying Ground in Arlington to view the grave of Jason Russell. They also saw the memorial obelisk erected to local residents who fought in the Revolutionary War and are buried in the cemetery, as well as the mass grave of the 40 British soldiers who died in Menotomy.
The father and son crowned their visit by attending the Boston Pops concert at the Hatch Memorial Shell in Boston, where they also fired a M102 105mm howitzer cannon operated by the 101st Field Artillery Regiment of the Massachusetts National Guard — one of the oldest units in the U.S. Army — during the playing of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture.”
The visit to Arlington was a revelation for Kurt and Boston Russell, who knew very little of their ancestor’s past prior to the trip. They want to bring other family members to the Jason Russell House so they can better understand his life and sacrifice.
“He was a farmer,” Kurt Russell mused. “He wasn’t looking for trouble, but trouble came to him. He was ready to defend his home. I’m so glad Boston and I came here to learn about him.”
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