My Genealogy Hound

NELSON RANDALL, an influential and useful citizen of Ripley and an ex-grand master of the Ancient Order of United Workmen of the jurisdiction of the State of New York, was born at Danby, Vermont, April 11, 1825, and is a son of Caleb and Lydia (Conger) Randall. He traces his paternal ancestry back four generations to William Randall (great-grandfather), a Scotch Quaker, who was one of a party of Quakers who came from Scotland to Massachusetts Colony before the Revolutionary war. William Randall in all probability died in Massachusetts. His son, Snow Randall (grandfather), was born in 1752, in Scotland. Before coming to America he became acquainted with Hannah Sherman, who was born in 1759. After their arrival in Massachusetts they attended quarterly meetings in this State, where they were married and removed a few years later to Danby, Vermont, at which place Mr. Randall followed the clothing business until his death. His children were: Caleb, Lydia, Hannah, Isaac, Stephen and Sadie. Caleb Randall (father) was born in 1781 and was taken by his parents to Danby, where he died in 1857. He was an old-line whig and a Methodist and married Lydia Conger, who was born in 1782 and died in 1871, at Ripley, at the residence of the subject of this sketch. Mr. and Mrs. Randall were the parents of nine children: Dr. Alvey, born in 1800 and died at Cold Water, Mich., where his son Caleb has been president of the First National bank for twenty years; Enoch, born in 1803 and died at Collins Centre, N. Y., in 1878; Maria, born in 1805, married Smith Hill, of Pawlet, Vt., and died in 1881; John, a farmer of Collins Centre, who was born in 1808 and married Mary Nichols; Robert G., a retired farmer of Lansing, Mich., who was born in 1811; Maria, born in 1813, married Thomas Griffin, and died at Ripley in 1870; Ellwood, born in 1816 and died in the Union service in 1863 as a soldier from Missouri; and Galon L., born in 1820 and died in 1863. Mrs. Randall was a daughter of Enoch Conger, a farmer who was born at Danby, Vt., in 1758, married Ruth Irish, who was born in 1759, and had five children: David, Lydia, Free Love, Nora and Hiram.

Nelson Randall received an academic education at Poultney, Vt., followed fanning for some time, was elected first constable of Danby and afterwards served for eleven years as under sheriff of Rutland county, that State. In 1859 he came to the town of Ripley, where he followed farming until 1863, when he was commissioned by Gov. Seymour as a recruiting officer and was sent to Vicksburg to muster Southern Union men into the Federal army. He was afterwards captured by Forest near Memphis, Tennessee, but soon escaped and served as a recruiting officer in Chicago until near the close of the war. From 1865 to 1874 he served as deputy sheriff of Chautauqua county, and during that time was appointed deputy United States marshal of the district of northern New York, which office he held for six years, besides holding a position in the secret service under Capt. Wood. At the breaking out of the Fenian war he was sent by the United States government to watch the Fenians and report any information of them and their movements that would be useful to the authorities at Washington City. While engaged in the secret service he had some very narrow escapes and interesting experiences. In 1874 he embarked in the mercantile business at Ripley, which he followed until 1889, when he retired from active business life and has since then devoted some of his time to the management of his vineyard and some little general business not yet closed up. He is a member of the Odd Fellows and the Royal Arcanum.

November 28, 1849, Mr. Randall married Priscilla Eddy, who is a daughter of Sandford Eddy, of Vermont, and was born August 12, 1826. Their children are: Maria E., born May 4, 1854, and wife of E. C. Porter, a merchant of Ripley; Frederick N., who was born January 7, 1856, married Hattie Mason and is engaged in the general mercantile business at Ripley; Edward C., born July 19, 1860, was graduated from Meadville college, read law with Judge Lambert, admitted to the bar in 1881 and is a successful lawyer of the city of Buffalo; and Hattie S., who was born April 14, 1865, and married Elgin Mifflin, a merchant of Lansing, Michigan. Mrs. Randall died April 6, 1873, and on July 27, 1874, Mr. Randall married Eunice E. Beagten.

Nelson Randall is an active republican, although no aspirant for office, and has frequently been importuned to run for sheriff. He introduced the Ancient Order of United Workmen in New York and was the first grand master of that order in the State. He represented New York for seven years in the Supreme Lodge during the early years of the order and in 1890 was sent as a representative to the Supreme Lodge then meeting at Boston, Massachusetts.