RANDOLPH TOWNSHIP
JOHN RICHMOND - Randolph Township was first settled in May of 1854 when John Richmond came by steamer from Dubuque, Iowa. He had been living in Rockford, Illinois for a year, practicing his trade of stone mason. He left his home in Ontario, Canada a year before in the search of a new home for his family. He chose the NW quarter of section 9 for his home. He left in the early fall of 1854 for Ohio where he would purchase 30 cattle. All the hay and lumber that he had procured before he left was lost to prairie fires. Undiscouraged, he began to prepare a place for his family. He cut out a sixteen square foot hole in the side of a hill, which would later be called the “dugout”. The roof was sod and the door was a simple blanket. On the first of December, he moved his family here from Canada, two daughters and four sons. Their mother, Eliza remained in Canada until 1871 when she was residing with the James Glen family. James was her son-in-law and he had lost his wife, Eliza, daughter of John & Eliza. John’s daughter, Rosetta was the first white woman in Randolph. The following summer, John built a proper home out of logs, but the family still lived in the “Dug Out” each winter. John’s children were: Eliza Glen (married and died in Canada) Mahala and Dorcas (twins born in 1838) Mahala never lived in Minnesota. Rosetta (1840), Cicero (1841), Stewart (1843) (died in the Civil War), Seneca (1845), and Robert (1848).
RICHARD MORRILL – Also in the spring of 1854, Richard Morrill Sr. made his claim in Randolph. He had left his family in Salisbury, Massachusetts shortly after he married Mary Jane Batehelder in 1831 in Boston. They spent time in Ohio, Illinois, and Wisconsin before coming to Randolph. Richard Morrill and John Richmond most likely knew each other and may have traveled together as they both had lived in Rockford, Illinois. He also built a temporary home for his family the following spring of 1855 and then built a large frame house that the family settled into before winter.
The Morrill families were Puritans and very early settlers in New Hampshire that fought in the Revolutionary War. Some relocated to Salisbury where the Puritan Plantation was. There were several members of the family that made large contributions to the growth of the United States. These families will be documented at a later date. Richard Morrill’s daughter, Mary Elizabeth “Etta” married Charles Lewis on New Year's Eve in 1856. This was the first wedding that took place in Randolph. The second wedding, just 3 ½ months later united the two first families. Rosetta Richmond married David Morrill on March 11, 1857. Charles and Etta would live in Hastings briefly then move west. Etta died in Spokane, Washington. David and Rosetta would continue to live in Randolph. Both sisters raised large families.
David & Rosetta Richmond Family Etta Lewis with children and grandchildren
RICHARD MORRILL JR (1842-1925) married Sarah Jane Foster (1845-1919). He mostly farmed but after years of drought, chinch bugs, army worms, and grasshoppers, his four sons all worked in the railroad business.
WILLIAM MORRILL (1869-1919) married Arianna Minera Doe (1882-1974). William was a hotel keeper briefly before working as a pump repairman for the railroad.
CHARLES MORRILL (1871-1962) married Martha Dack (1874-1904) and then Ida Mae Uppenhouse Brown (1889-1957). Charley first worked as a grain buyer and then as the first rural mail carrier for 36 years. He started out using a horse, then a motorcycle, and finally a Model T Ford to deliver the mail.
JOHN EARL MORRILL (1885-1957) married Bertha Mae Doe (1895-1982) who was a teacher. John worked as Railroad Conductor.
GLEN MORRILL (1887-1975) married Helen McKenna (1895-1993) on her birthday in 1913. Glen was a Telegrapher Operator for the railroad and was also the 2nd Agent at the Randolph Railroad Depot, replacing L.E. Contell.
THE MILLER FAMILY – Peter (1786-1867) and Katharina Grohmannin (1795-1867) Miller left Germany for a better life in America in 1847. They settled in Wayne, Wisconsin. They were one of the first families to settle there with their German-born children. One of their sons, Freidrich (Peter) (1823+1919) married Johanna M Renzehausen in 1856 and the couple had 14 children, all born in Wayne. He was a hard-working farmer that raised six fine sons. Three of his sons made the decision to move to Randolph, Minnesota when the area was first opened up. William, Henry, and Louis all made claims in Randolph around 1885.
Friedrich, called Peter was a hard-working farmer.
WILLIAM MILLER (1857-1935) – William married Katie Louise Senn in Wisconsin on July 3, 1883. Around the same time, he visited friends, the Enger Family, that had just relocated to a small town in Minnesota named Randolph. Together with his two younger brothers, they made the decision to move there. They had three children, Arthur (1884-1961), Lillie, who died at age two, and Anna Mae (1898-1992). William farmed in Randolph as did his son Arthur, who married Antonetta Wittie. Anna Mae married Oscar Melvin Onstad in 1922. His occupation was in the financial markets where he worked in real estate, insurance, and sale for a bond company.
LOUIS ROBERT MILLER (1859-1936) – married Sara Elizabeth Fritsch (1864-1937) in 1885. Louis was the first Postmaster in Randolph. In 1885 he partnered with his brother Henry to build the first 2-story building, a general store, and an implement dealership. The building was leveled 61 days after completion from a tornado. The two men rebuilt the store in just four months. In 1907 the Post Office moved to this store. His daughter, Cecelia (1886-1950) was the first baby born in the township.
HENRY MILLER (1861-1942) – married Henrietta Peter (1862-1931). Henry owned and operated the General Store and Implement Business with his brother Louis and was also Mayor of Randolph and owned with brother Adolph, a feed mill and a railroad tow mill.
ADOLPH MILLER (1863-1933) only lived in Randolph for a short time. He left to open a Locomotive Machinist Shop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Henry & Henrietta Miller The Miller Family Reunion
CHARLES FREDERICK DICKMAN (1870-1928) married Clara Dahms (1870-1962) on June 25, 1902. He owned a Butcher Shop and later a Garage in Randolph. The couple never had children. He was also President of Randolph State Bank.