Early Memories of Saugatuck, Michigan : 1830-1930
Author: Heath, May Francis
Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Grand Rapids, Mich: 1930

JOSEPH RANDALL

Another veteran of the lumber days was Joseph Randall who was born in Lincolnshire, England, in 1840. Came to the United States in 1853 and in the state of Mississippi he met Thomas Wilson; there they were both river steamer engineers and they together came to the mill town of Singapore. Mr. Randall was married to Mary Turling, from The Netherlands, and were the parents of six children, the first died in infancy at Singaore and Henry, Elizabeth, Anne and Lena survive today. The older children went to the Ward school.

Mr. Randall had a great feeling of reverence for Stephen A. Morrison and often told of his kindnesses to the newcomers. At one time flour was very scarce and Mr. Morrison would bring all he could from Allegan and divide it among the settlers, and the one with money could buy no more than the one without.

At Singapore the Wilson and Randall families were neighbors, and when the mothers visited each other the babies were put to sleep in the same little Dutch cradle. After the mill days were over the Randalls moved to the H. D. Moore property where Mr. Randall became engineer of the Moore Mills and then of the O. R. Johnson, and Griffin and William Mills. His was a long record in sawmill life in Singapore and Saugatuck, and always proved the most conscientious and faithful worker and one liked by his co-workers. His wife died in 1871 and in 1872 he married her sister, Johanna Turling, who became the mother of three children, William, Emma (now Mrs. Homer Adams) and one boy dying in infancy. Mrs. Randall passed away in 1929. Mr. Randall was the much loved Ferryman for fifteen years and in 1910 he met his death in a river accident at the old chain ferry. He was driving the express wagon for Charles Billings when the latter was ill, and he had a load of trunks which he was bringing to the boat when one fell, frightened the horses, which ran away into the river, and Mr. Randall, in trying to save the team, lost his own life.

The daughter, Elizabeth, became the wife of William Wilson, her infant pal of Singapore days.