ROOTS - RESEARCH
RANDALL, Burt County, Nebraska
We had heard very little about our Grandmother's birthplace, a town called Craig, Nebraska. It did not show on the maps we had so we doubted. Preparations for our 1976 Tour of the U.S. included only a confirmation of the town's name by our Aunt Kay. When we were within the region, we picked up a Nebraska Map from the "AAA" office - There it was - Craig was real enough, located about 15 miles west of the Missouri River. It was a tiny town of 300 population; nobody could help us except to direct us to the town Cemetery. There, on the south end of it we found what we were searching for - "RANDALL".
We concluded our visit and raced away north to touch at Minnesota, then turned West once more, heading for the Dakotas and on to our home in Long Beach, CA. Marilyn and I came back in 1977, stood in the same place and were satisfied that we had done our best. By then, I had noted the fact that the Randall children tended to get married at a place called Alder Grove. Visualizing it as a county park or something similar, the significance of this eluded me. We did not realize that we had barely scratched the surface of the history of this family branch. Somewhat disappointed, we headed away toward Mt. Rushmore and onward to home.
EUREKA! Someone else hits "paydirt".!
Revised: Monday, August 11, 2003
He was Albert Clark Randall, Sergeant, USA. Born in 1840 in LaGrange, Lorain County, Ohio; he survived the horrors of War, moved in 1868 with his uncle, David Clark, aunt Lucy (nee Foster), and their ward, Mary Oberly, to a place 10 miles south of here called Alder Grove. There, the Pioneers "...Cut the Buffalo Grass". Albert went to work to build a house and, when Mary was Sixteen, they drove to Fontanelle, Washington County, Nebraska where, on August 14, 1869, they began a marriage that lasted more than 45 years. Everyone blamed the awful war for his untimely demise. Here they rest, with two of their children, Charles and Amy - the rustling cornfields reach far out to the west. A haunting but beautiful place.
It was the last of our cross-continental wanderings and we never expected to hear any more about Nebraska. We had missed our target by 10 miles and two dozen years.
Craig, Nebraska - 1976 From the cemetery.
In 1998, I offered my collection of notes and photos to my nephew James Paul Edwards. He accepted. In 2001, he mentioned that he had found out some facts about the Nebraska connections and he sent me a copy of this incredible find. It seems that one Russell C. Lang had been working for years on "ALDER GROVE - COMMUNITY, SCHOOL, CHURCH - 1867-1992" (Volume 1)!
In nearly 300 pages, Mr. Lang had accumulated the life stories of the pioneers of the mysterious Alder Grove; which turned out to be a rural community just 10 miles south of Craig. The Alder Grove Post Office, an "Interior" one, had been one of several branches served bulk from Craig. Albert Randall had built his house to include the Post Office (1875, he was its first Postmaster for 3 years.) and a store. Here, rural citizens could post and receive mail. With the advent of RFD (Rural Free Delivery) in 1901, the need for "Interior" branches was ended. In similar fashion, Alder Grove School started in 1871, rebuilt 1912, & 1914. In 1944 its High School closed. Its church, built in 1880, existed in 1938, the cemetery was in use in 1891. The town flourished until it became obvious that the railroad would never come to Alder Grove. It did, however, pass through Craig. Thus, the strange lack of detail about my Grandmother's birthplace and the location of Albert and Mary's graves in Craig and not Alder Grove.
Well, here they are, after a long and productive life together
They were married 14 Aug 1869 at Fontenelle, Washington County, Nebraska; a town located about 15 miles SE of Alder Grove - reason: No church existed in Elder Grove at the time.
There was a Sod Hut built on David Clark's claim, a fine frame house was erected within a year, before the Randalls married. Sorry, no covered wagon births, the family emigrated from Ohio by Rail to Omaha, by rented wagons to Elder Grove.
Albert's father was Newcomb Randall, b. Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
His mother was Louisa Clark, b. 1812, Champion, Jefferson County, New York.
Louisa was a sister of:
David Clark, b. 20 Aug 1815, Champion.
He married
Lucy Ann Foster b. 12 Sep 1824, Weston, Windsor Co., Vermont
She d. 11 Mar 1891, Lyons, Burt County, Nebraska
David and Lucy adopted Mary Oberly, orphaned at 2, in 1860 while they were farming some 10 miles west of where Cleveland would emerge. Mary was born in 1852 at Brounhelm Mills, Lorain County, Ohio.
Louisa's parents were:
Nathan Clark, b. 1784, Harlem, Connecticut; died 1860, Eaton County, Michigan
Anna Loomis, b. 1786, Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., MA; d. 1833 in Champion NY.
Anna's parents were:
Jonathan Loomis, b. 16 Dec 1753, Pittsfield, Massachusetts. d.!2 Dec 1832
Martha Clackman
Jonathan Loomis was a veteran of the Battle of Bunker Hill per D.A.R. Files
Children of Albert Clark and Mary (Oberly) Randall:
Carrie Louise Randall, b. 26 Jul 1870, Elder Grove, Burt Co., NE
Charles Emerson Randall, b. 23 Dec 1873, Elder Grove
Laura Mae Randall, b. 23 Feb 1876, Alder Grove
Bessie Jean Randall, aka Jean B. Smith, b. 18 Jun 1878, Alder Grove
Amy Emily Randall, b. 7 Feb 1881, Alder Grove
Albert Raymond Randall, 11 May 1887, Alder Grove
Helen Randall, b. 2 Aug 1893, Alder Grove
Some more extensive details of these people are compiled in a Family Tree Collection that can be found using an Internet Link to Ancestry.Com.
THE OHIO RANDALLS
Yes, before there were Randalls in Eastern Nebraska, there were Randalls in Ohio. For a while in the early 1800's, a family of Randalls and another of Clarks lived in upstate New York, in a miserable frontier land promotion invented by Henry Champion. The community was located about 20 miles east of Watertown, New York; an area noted for its "Lake Effect" Snows. While there, David's father Nathan, a Veteran of the War of 1812 and "maker of good whiskey", was converted to Methodism. and gave up "Demon Rum". Thus, was established an affinity for that church; which my Grandmother had to give up when she married my Roman Catholic Grandfather in 1900. In 1825, 10 year old David Clark, brother of Louisa Clark, was moved from New York to a place in Lorain County, Ohio, in the vicinity of Amherst/Vermillion, west of where Cleveland was to appear. The habitual pioneers established one of the first farms in that area; where they lived until 1868. In 1851, David Clark traveled around the horn to San Francisco, where he apparently succeeded. He was one of the few who returned home (1853) with something to show for his activities. In 1867, he went West again. While in Missouri, he heard from a friend about land in SE Nebraska. After tramping 40 miles NW from Omaha City he found his friend's cabin by the smoke plume from the chimney - the only one in the area. David liked the area, claimed some 80 acres mear Bell Creek in what became Alder Grove, Nebraska. Then, he went back home to Ohio to pack.
Meanwhile, Albert Clark Randall had returned home to his Ohio birthplace. He was fresh out of a job; having been discharged from the United States Army of the Cumberland September 1, 1864. He had been enlisted as a Corporal of artillery, soon was promoted to Sergeant, in charge of a cannon in Company E, 5th Ohio Light Artillery Volunteers. On December 31, 1862, he and his brother George were captured in the opening moments of the Battle of Stone's River near Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The Confederates sent him to Camp Libby in Richmond, Virginia; arriving there January 16, 1863. From there he reported on January 27, 1863,to Camp Parole, Annapolis, MD. Camp Parole was a receiving area for Union Soldiers; it included a hospital where the wounded could be treated.
On March 10, he was sent back to his Ohio Regiment; which was a part of the Army of the Cumberland. He apparently missed the 2nd Battle of Fredricksburg in Virginia by weeks. He was a very lucky man. He lost an eye, somewhere along the way - we are uncertain about when. He was 29 when his Uncle came by with stories of good free land to be homesteaded in Nebraska - Albert left LaGrange and joined in with the family of three: Uncle Dave, Aunt Lucy, and his wife-to-be, Mary Oberly.
We know that Albert's mother Louisa was a school teacher in LaGrange; her name and some of her children's names appeared in the 1850 Census of LaGrange: Louisa, Lucy, Albert, George, Laura and Emerson answered up but Newcomb Randall was absent, apparently already gone to Michigan for reasons unknown. On a now-misplaced map of LaGrange, Louisa's name appears on a block in the southeasterly quarter of the town, next to the school. It was a town of cheese makers at the time. The family had a habit of naming children after uncles and aunts; it must have been confusing when some of them came trooping out from Ohio to join the pioneers. In 1976, the only trace of Randalls in LaGrange was found on the Civil War Monument - Albert and 3 brothers were memorialized (One was killed at Jackson, Mississippi.) In 1976, LaGrange was a very busy small town. The junction of two major state highways is at the tiny plot where the Monument is located - it was a crazy and frantic place that was dangerous for tourists wanting a photograph.
And so, David Clark led his little family group out of Ohio for good; to what was called Elder Grove, later changed to Alder Grove in 1875 by the Post Office.
THE NEW YORK RANDALLS
Already mentioned is the small settlement of Champion, Jefferson County, New York. Founded in 1800, the Post Office was located some 3 miles west of West Carthage. As eventually happened to Alder Grove, Nebraska, the proximity to a better location town of West Carthage.led to the decline of Champion. There are place name traces of Henry Champion, the real estate developer who enticed folks in New England to immigrate to his colony. The Village covers some 10 square miles and is well organized. There were a large number of citizens there in 1810, the Census of that year listed Nathan Clark, Eber, Jonathan Loomis and others.
http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyjefer/ is a link that provides much more information about Jefferson County New York
In the great migrations that opened the West, Champion was only 270 miles from Hartford, CT. The next jump was 450 miles to Lorain County, Ohio. From there to Burt County Nebraska it would be over 800 miles. Blame the railroads for all of it. In retrospect, settlers were lured by the promise of cheap land out West - many had the wanderlust and kept going as new territories were opened up.
The ever restless "Uncle Dave" Clark retired in 1886, moving to Lyons, a few miles north of Craig, where he lived with his wife Lucy Ann (Foster) until her death in 1891. About 1894, he moved to Los Angeles, CA; where he lived with his daughter Emily Mennell. He died April 1, 1901. He was laid to rest at last - beside his wife in the Alder Grove cemetery - 0n Easter Sunday morning!