He was a militia officer and became a member of Upper Canada's notorious family compact.
Denison's wife, the former Sophia Taylor, had been a childhood friend with Elizabeth.
They would, in effect, fill a role similar to that of the landed gentry in English counties - this was the family compact.
[3] A dozen years near the top of the provincial administration had made Russell the largest landowner in the province.
His sister Elizabeth became the province's largest landowner, when she inherited his property on his death in 1808.