The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1874-01-22
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF
RAN DO LIP HI
BIZ W. J. pIcKINsoN,

Randolph is known as No. I of tht
8th Range of the Western Reserve, Of
New Connecticut. Bought of tht
Connecticut Land Company by Col
Lemuel Storrs, of Middletown, wht
named it for his son, Henry Randolph
Storrs.
A First settled in 1902 by elnigranti
from Connecticut, it was part o.
Franklin township, Trumbull county
AT the organization of Portage counts
IN 1908, it, with Snffield, Springfield
aud Tallmadge partly settled. and
Portage aud Coventry unsettled
formed the town of Springfield.
December Is, 1910, with Sufield nj.
tached it was known as Randolph
township, with a population within
itsipresent limits, Of los.
2 The first township election was held
january 12, 1911. April 6, 1918 Suf.
field was detatched aud organized as a
separate town.
About 1908 the first sawmill was
erected. and near the same time dis
tillery, followed in few years by a
tannery, grist-mill, cloth dressing es-
Enlistment, chair making, &c.
- AyPostofRce was established in 1915
with a weekly mail, which was amply
sufficient for the wants of the inhab-
itants. ~
Although an agricultural town there
have been great changes among its in
habitants. There are four residents
who were voters here fifty years ago,
[ name them in the order of their set
tlement:
Alphens Dickinson who came here
in lS05. Stephen M. Churchill. in
1912. David Winchell in 1916. and
Timothy Terry, in 1922. Beder Goss
who come in 1904, was then living in
Sufield.
During the Rebellion 100 men went
into the army from this town. OF
whom 30 lest their lives. The num-
Der enlisted was equal to more than
one-half of all that at any one time
were liable to military service.
OF our 3S5 voters, 62, or 1T per cent.
were voters here 80 years ago. One
half of the whole number are under
Al years of age. There are so widows.
OF the citizens 50, or 3 per cent. are
over 20 years of age, and II are over
so. Seventeen per cent. are of for
eign birth. Fully third of our
population are from New England and
Of New England origin; about one
third of German birth, with their de-
scendants, and the remaining third
from Pennsylvania and Virginia, with
their children.
s Within the limits of the township
there are 1924 acre of land; 10000
acres are or have been under cultiva-
ton, 1000 in pasture and 1000 in
wood. 1t is the largest in territorial
extent as well as the most popuIous
(aside from the villages of Kent and
Raveuna) in the county. Population
IL 1910; 1648; in 1850, 1870: in 1860
1888; in 1870, 1864. According to
the u. S. census of 1870 there were
Boz dwellings aud as many families.
and Id farms in the township.
OF the five houses of public Wor.
ship, the Congregational was raised
October, 1882 and dedicated May 1889
The Methodist, finished about the same
time, the German Reformed. built in
1857, the Disciple in 1860. the Catho-
lie was commenced in 1865 and COM
pleted about Is months aftefward. Is
The enrolment for school purposes
in 1914, between the ages of 4 and 81
years, was 772 inlS62. between 5 and
Il years, 657 aud in 1873, between G
and q years, sos. Within 81 years
all our school houses have been built
neWnWith Que exception, and that has
beenthoreugllly repaired. The value
OF school property and that used for
school purposes is s9not lees than $l0,-
0o0 Amount OF tax levied for school
pnrposes for tho year 1873, $500.
In the2township there are six bury
ing grounds, the Oldest one is west of
the Center, in which the first burial
was April l3, 1904; from that time
there were no deaths in town until
Jan. /. 1913, when two persons were
frozen; that near the Center, first used
in 1923 and one in the northwest COR
ner of the town, are town property,
and are cared for by the town author
tiles. The Catholic, which has been
used for about 40 years, and the Ger
man Reformed, used for % years, are
owned by those churches, and enc in
the southeast part of the town, which
is private property.
For the last five years returns. have
been made by State law, of the births
and deaths. We learn that the num-
Der of births for the year ending
April /, 1878 was 25; average number
yearly for the past five years, is 35.
The number of deaths for 1873. 20
average number per year, for the pasi
! five years, %. or one in seYenty-ive oi
the population. 1t is said the average
in the whole country is one in thirty
three. Judging of those years oi
which we have partial returns by
those of which we have had full re-
turns, aud of the part of town from
which for some years no account is
had, BY the same when we have had
an account, there have been within
the township since its settlement 1000
deaths. OF these we have recorded
the names of S4l, with age, disease
and place of burial of 625. Aboui
one-foQrth were less than 5 years OF
age; in cities the proportion is full,
| one-half Over 20 years Of age 100
or one in ten. Ofthe 625. of which
we have account, there died from fe
vers ITO (3l from scarlet fever) or 2s
per cent. Consumption. ITO, or n pei
cent Casualties Al, including those
killed in the army old age 40; Dys
feptery, Cholera, Cholera Morbus an(
( Cholera Infantum 40; Heart Disease
80; Diptheria 25; Group 20; othel
diseases $50. The greatest mortalit,
was in 1862, 40. in 1864 80, or one ii
40 Of the population. In 1928 thre,
tehildren inone family from Dysentery
In 1872 there were 10 deaths from