At some point during the 1920s the first family-owned automobile appeared. It was a Ford Model T Tudor. This was quite appropriate as Russell had become accomplished at mechanical skills and by then was driving a Bethel Local School's Model T schoolbus and maintaining the growing fleet owned by the school.
True to form, Russell then invested in his first tractor to supplement the horse-drawn farm equipment. This was a Fordson steel-wheeled tractor. It is unfortunate that we have neither photos nor data related to these first powered tools.