Leonard would be living with his parents as of the 1820 census. David Randall appears in Rockingham, Windham, Vermont. It is he, a sister, and his parents. From other sources I need to look into, I know he had several brothers and sisters who died young.
Based on the deaths of these siblings, sometime between 1822 and 1827, the family moved to Charlotte, Chatauqua, New York. They are locate in Charlotte, Chatauqua, New York in the 1830 census. Again, there is Leonard, one sister, and his parents. (Sadly the sister would die in a few years, though she did reach adulthood, Leonard is the only known child to have children himself.)
Leonard married Maria Louisa Warren on 28 Dec 1834 in New York. She was a New York native and daughter of Porter Warren & Lydia Howard.
They are living in Charlotte, Chatauqua, New York in 1840. They have 2 daughters and 1 son living with them, as well as a teenage boy and an older woman. Perhaps a mother or mother in law and brother/brother in law.
On 6 Aug 1841 Leonard and Maria are baptized into the LDS church and shortly thereafter the family moves to Nauvoo, Illinois. They receive LDS temple ordinances on 8 Jan 1846 in Nauvoo shortly before having to leave for Iowa. Leonard was probably instructed to stay in Lee, Iowa for a while to help other pioneers coming after them because they stay for several years in Iowa. Maria dies 22 Apr 1847 in Lee, Keokuk, Iowa and Leonard is a widow in the 1850 census.
Sometime after 1852, Leonard marries Mary Jane Brooks Williams, whose husband William Williams, dies in 1852 in Iowa. Mary Jane Brooks was a LDS emigrant from England. Some sources say Leonard married Mary Jane earlier than this, but I have found Mary Jane & William together in the 1850 census, so I disagree.
Leonard & Mary Jane have 3 sons, Leonard (1856), George (1859) and Joseph (1862).
Based on a small blurb in the Deseret News on July 27, 1859, we know that Leonard had land in the Great Salt Lake county that he needed to pick up a deed about. Link to blurb here. The blended family is living in Salt Lake, Utah in the 1860 census.
 |
| Buried next to his wife Mary Jane. |
 |
| View of Upton Cemetery in Utah |
 |
| View of Randall Holler (Hollow) in Upton, UT. |
Thank you to new found cousin Stephen for providing pictures of the grave, cemetery & hollow! If you have a picture of Leonard Lake Randall or his family, I'd love to see them! Hope you enjoyed reading what I have pieced together on Leonard Lake Randall. If you have more information to share, please do!
(Last Updated February 18, 2012)
Leonard Lake Randall is my Great Great Grandfather. I have a pic of his headstone in Upton, UT. We were just there this past week at the cemetery. I live in Richmond, TX and would like to talk to you. Please e-mail me.
ReplyDeletestephenwilford.randall@gmail.com
Hi cousin! I am Stephen's nephew, Bret. I have a huge amount of information on this Randall line--all the way back to the Randall-Hale home in Stow, VT (still standing). It's fascinating stuff. I'd love to share it with anybody who has interest. I am a lawyer and my facts are based on evidence. I can't see your email. Please contact me at bret.randall@comcast.net or bret.f.randall@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteFor example, the town of Charlotte, New York was formed in the home of David and Martha Randall. Martha provided the name because the town reminded her of Charlotte, VT, where they used to live. Both towns carry the same odd pronunciation - Char-lot, as in "car-lot". LL Randall does appear in the 1850 census in Keokuk, IA. He came to Utah in 1854. There are good details in his obituary from the 1901 newspaper (Coalville Times). I have a copy of Thomas Gerald's military service file from the Continental Army, including his discharge papers signed by G. Washington himself. I also have a copy of Thos. Gerald's family bible and many other interesting bits of information that I would like to share.
ReplyDeleteThomas Geralds was a Sgt in the Invalid division of the Connecticut Line, having signed up to serve for the duration of the war. Little is known about the nature of his injuries, except that he survived and fathered many children with three wives, and apparently supported them. The book Private Yankee Doodle is one of the few first-hand accounts of the Revolutionary war. The author also served in the Connecticut Line. That is a must-read book for any descendants of Thomas Geralds. It was beyond moving for me. Pick it up on Amazon.
ReplyDeleteLeonard Lake Randall was (apparently) named after a good friend of David Randall--Leonard Lake. Leonard Lake passed away as a very young man just a few months before LL Randall was born. The Randall family removed from Rockingham to New York along with the Lake family. They were lumberjacks in search of a better life. David Randall had a lumber mill in Charlotte.
ReplyDeleteI have held in my hand the glass cutter that LL Randall used to make stained glass windows for the Nauvoo Temple. It was in the possession of our cousin Betty Crittenden in Coalville. I have no idea where it is now. I suppose I should try to track it down. My goal would be to present it to the Church for display, perhaps in Nauvoo.
ReplyDeleteIn the 1990s, I met two sisters who were daughters of Leonard William Randall. One was in her late 80s and her older sister was 95. They had both been raised in Upton. We drove up there one afternoon because I was curious for any information and stories. She said that in Randall Holler, LL Randall had a nice wood frame home that was painted red. It had a covered porch. The lumber had come from his sawmill up the canyon. The spring above the home provided water and there was a nice little garden in front as well. They worked extremely hard, cutting timber all summer and then hauling it out all winter (after the sawmill shut down when the water froze). Her mother had known LL Randall quite well. Her only memory was that her mother said that he was a tough little old man! He must have been to have survived some 85 years working such a harsh frontier life!
ReplyDeleteThe 1850 Census, Lee County, IA, District No. 29th shows the following:
ReplyDeleteLeonard L. Randall - 35 - M - Carpenter - VT
Sophia L. - 14 - F - NY
Eliza I. - 9 - F - NY
Lucy - 6 - F - Ill
Elvira (?) - 4 - F - Iowa
Martha - 11 - F - NY
The biggest mystery of all that I have never been able to figure out is what on earth happened to these 5 daughters?
His obituary says he came from IA to Utah in 1854--just four years after the 1850 Census....
The 1860 Census reports the following members of the LL Randall household:
Leonard L. Randall - 45 - M - Lumberman - NY
Mary - 30 - F - Eng
Sophia - 12 - F - Ill
Maria - 10 - F - Ill
Leonard - 4 - M - Utah
Laura - 6 - F - Utah
Nephi - 14 - M - Ill
Wm - 1 - M - Utah
John Saunders - 25 - M - Common laborer - Mo
###
Some of these children were Mary's - I have picked up several references to Nephi Williams, for example.
But following the 1860 census, most of these daughters literally disappear. I have not been able to find any information about any of them - Sophia, Maria...and the ones from the 1850 Census, like Martha....
LL Randall's Obituary Transcript
ReplyDeleteThe Coalville Times, Friday January 25, 1901
Biographical
L.L. Randall, who died at Upton on January 14th, was born November 16, 1814, at Rockingham, Windham County, Vermont. He joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints August 6, 1841, in the state of New York, being baptized by Elder Thomas Person. He became acquainted with the Prophet Joseph Smith on 5th November 1842. Was called to labor on the Nauvoo Temple, which he did till it was finished. Emigrated to Utah in the spring of 1854. He was called by Prest. Young to take charge of the church sawmills in Cottonwood Canyon and labored there for six years. Father Randall first settled in Coalville in the year 1861, residing there for four years, during which time he held several official positions of trust with fidelity and honor. He was one of the first settlers in Upton, removing there in 1864. He was the first Justice of the Peace of Upton and served five terms in that position. Father Randall died a faithful Latter-Day Saint and too much cannot be said of his good acts during his life.
Card of Thanks
The family of Father Randall wish to thank all who so kindly assisted in any way the illness and death of their father.
According to the biography, that would have put LL Randall as hosting the large Brigham Young entourage and party during the 24 of July 1857 festival in Big Cottonwood Canyon. That was the day that Porter Rockwell arrived with the first news about Johnston's Army. There is a marker relating these events by the lake in Brighton. LL Randall must have been there on that day--
ReplyDeleteWilliam Williams did not die until after 1860. He appears in the Utah census, 1860. Somewhere I found a record about the situation involving M.J. Brooks and Wm. Wms. Apparently they were divorced. I believe that LL Randall married M.J. Brooks in Salt Lake, not as you have reported....
ReplyDeleteI have William Williams as passing away on May 31, 1886 in Salt Lake.
ReplyDeleteThe story I have is that while in Nauvoo, M.J. Brooks caught Wm. Wms having relationships with their live-in maid/housekeeper and she left him and was granted a divorce. She crossed the plains alone with her children. She must have been tough. In SLC she later met and married LL Randall. It may take a while to find the reference...and part of this came from some oral history I was able to gather... But official records have M.J. Brooks crossing the plains alone and Wm. Williams coming to SLC separately. I need to find the sources.
ReplyDeleteSo back to Johnson's Army--the wife of the new appointed governor, Alfred Cumming, was named Elizabeth Randall from Stow, MA. That's our family. She was LL Randall's cousin but neither of them could have known it. She was very sympathetic to the Mormons. She wrote a series of detailed letters to her family in Stow, starting with crossing the plains and continuing for several years. These letters are some of the best historical information about early Utah history. They have been compiled and printed in a volume entitled: The Genteel Gentile. It's a rare book (low print) but available. It's on my list to purchase.
ReplyDeleteStephen Randall built this home in about 1705 in Stow, VT. It is one of about 200 homes standing in the states dating back this far. I happened to find it when I was visiting Stow years ago. There's a great story behind that experience. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randall-Hale_Homestead
ReplyDeleteMartha Randall died around April 29, 1845 in Nauvoo, IL, aged 53 years, 14 days, of consumption. She is buried in Nauvoo.
ReplyDeleteHistory of Chautaqua County, New York, Andrew Young (1875)
ReplyDeleteCharlotte. P. 251-52
Charlotte was formed from Gerry, April 18, 1829 . . . . At a meeting of the citizens held at the house of David Randall at the Center, at the suggestion of Mrs. Randall, the town was named from a town having the same name on Lake Champlain in Vermont."
Original Purchases in Township 4, Range 11.
***
1821. June, Nathan Lake, 20. Calvin Lake 20.
***
1826. January, Isaac Phippin, 20. May, David Randall, 13.
So David Randall first bought land in Charlotte in 1826. LL Randall was living with his wife and (then widow) mother there in 1842 when the missionaries showed up. Isaap Phippin also joined the Church and later built that sawmill above Upton....
Land deed records show Leonard Lake, his wife Maria, and his mother Martha all selling property in Charlotte in 1843, 1845, and 1846.
Joseph Freeman Phippen wrote this rather detailed life history that starts with his father, Isaac Phippen. Joseph joined the Church. They all started in Rockingham, VT and removed to Charlotte, NY. There's some good history in here that certainly relates to the Randalls and specifically LL Randall. He discusses the Battle of Nauvoo. He arrived in SLC in 1852 and was sent to the lumber mills in Cottonwood Canyon - where he met up with LL Randall.
ReplyDelete"About 1862 moved to Chalk Creek, Summit County, in company with my brother Sylvester and L.L. Randall. Built a sawmill near the headwaters of Chalk Creek . . . ."
https://familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/1126470
From the official Documentary History of the Church, 14 Sep 1846, p. 3 (discussing the Battle of Nauvoo)....
ReplyDelete"There was some firing of small arms by the sharp shooters on both sides.
Leonard L. Randall, William Pickett, Joe Lathrop and Baxter crawled up near to the mob camp and fired; three of the anties were wounded in this attack.
The volunteers repaired and extended their batteries. Their [sic] was some cannonading during the day. Doc Hist. 1846:333
"
Thank you for this information! As a descendant of LL Randall (through his son, Joseph Henry Randall, by his 2nd Wife Mary Jane Brooks), this is so helpful. I just discovered several connections with LL Randall yesterday in Nauvoo at the Land & Records Office. I found the land he purchased there and visited it. The records I obtained there indicated he was ordained a 70 in the 3rd quorum. I could send you what I obtained if you like, just let me know.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete