I have two RANDALL lines, that seem to be completely
unrelated. In 2015 I wrote a Surname Saturday post on Richard Randall (1633 –
1713) of Saco, Maine. This second
lineage starts with a possible 7th great grandfather, Stephen Randall, a mariner who died in Boston
before 18 May 1742. He is a mystery and
a brickwall since I do not know his origins or his parents’ names. Nor do I know his birth date.
The first and earliest record I found for Stephen Randall
was that he served as a private in the Colonial Wars from 22 November 1724 to
22 May 1725, 26 months, in Colonel Thomas Westbrook’s Company. Next to his name it reads “Of Boston”. The next record I found for Stephen Randall
was a probate record granting his widow, Sarah, guardianship of his son “Andros
a. about 4 in right of his father Stephen Randall of Boston late deceased,
mariner, May 18, 1742”. Sadly, just a
few years later a man named John Hill was made guardian for “Andrus Randall, a.
abt. 11, son of Stephen, mariner & Sarah, both deceased, Mar. 1749/50”. I have not been able to find a death record
for Stephen or Sarah, the parents.
In the Thwing Collection, Inhabitants and Estates of the
Town of Boston, 1630 – 1822 there is a listing for Stephen Randall, who
married Sarah Cannon on 16 January 1729.
Their children are listed as:
1. Abigail, born 20 March 1730
2. Elizabeth, born 7 January 1732/3
3. Mary, born 10 January 1734/5
4. Stephen, born 5 December 1736
5. Andros, born 20 February 1739
[Note that this record does NOT name a daughter named Sarah
Randall. In the Boston Births 1700 – 1809
there is a “Sarah Randall, daughter of Stephen and Sarah Randall, born 16
October 1729", so we know that there is a Sarah in this family group. Another good clue is that
a man named William Randall married Elizabeth Hill in Boston on 10 December
1691 [Torrey’s Marriages, Volume II, page 1247]. Could this be a relative to the mysterious
John Hill who was named guardian to Andros Randall?]
In the Boston Marriages 1700 – 1809 there
is a record: “Benjamin Gardner to Sarah
Kendall, Dec. 1, 1751 West Church” Benjamin
Gardner and his first wife Sarah Randall are my 6th great
grandparents. He was a Boston ropemaker who
removed to Salem around the time of the Revolutionary War. The Boston Marriages record is a transcription of church records,
famous for mistakes. Could Sarah Kendall
be a Sarah Randall? Sarah
(Randall/Kendall) Gardner died in 1781 in Salem, Massachusetts, the mother to
three children: Mary (my 5th
great grandmother), Benjamin b. 1753, and Sarah b. 1755.
Does anyone know the story behind this RANDALL / KENDALL /
GARDNER mystery? Please leave a comment
below or email vrojomit@gmail.com
Thank you!
My previous blog post on Richard Randall of Saco, Maine:
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