Randall Family in Minnesota

This photograph was sent to me by my distant cousin, Jerry Sanner of Hawaii. It belonged to the Randall family in Minnesota. Estella Lucinda Randall is my maternal great grandmother. Any help in identifying these people would be greatly appreciated.

Is this my Great Grandmother?

I recently recieved this picture from a distant cousin, Jerry Sanner. He believes that it was taken in 1909, and that the central seated figure may be my great grandmother, Estella Lucinda Randall.

He has tentatively identified the individuals as (L-R):

• Chris Johnston b. 1897 age 12, This would be the younger brother of my grandmother, Rosella Johnston, and the son of Estella and her first husband, Aaron C. Johnston.
• Reuben Hower b. 1858 age 50/52 (he d. in 1919), this would be Estella's second husband.
• Estella (Randall) [Johnson] Hower b. 1866 age 42 (she died in 1916), my great grandmother.
• Clarabelle (Johnston) Byzewski b. 1886 age 22, my grandmother's older sister.
• Margaret Hower b. 1906 age 2.5, my grandmother's young half-sister.
• Joseph Byzewski, husband to Clarabelle.

Rosella would not appear as she had married Alfred Leslie Worland in 1908.
Any help verifying this photo would be greatly appreciated. The family lived in Minnesota.

Armstead Gideon's brother Peter.

"Peter Miller Gideon was born in Ohio in 1820 and married Wealthy Hull in Clinton in 1849. In 1853 he took his family to the south shore of Lake Minnetonka, near Excelsior, Minnesota, a place which later become as Gideons Bay. He developed the Wealthy Apple and many other varieties of fruit through many long years of toil and research. Later he was made Superintendent of the Minnesota Experiment Station. He had six children. Peter Gideon died in Excelsior in 1899."
- Clinton 1835-1985, Dewitt County, Illinois 1839-1985; IL (Dewitt) HIS 1985, pp.227-228; Bloomington-Normal Genealogical Society Library, 201 E. Grove St., Bloomington, IL 61701

"Peter L. Gideon[sic], a brother, migrated to Minnesota where he was a horticulturist and became well known for his efforts in growing apples and peaches in the cold climates of that area. He is honored in Excelsior, Minnesota with a park, lake and statues."
- Clinton 1835-1985, Dewitt County, Illinois 1839-1985; IL (Dewitt) HIS 1985, pp.295-296; Bloomington-Normal Genealogical Society Library, 201 E. Grove St., Bloomington, IL 61701; submitted by Mary Robb Kolp

1858 Minnesota

Minnesota becomes the 32nd State in the Union.

Sioux Outbreak of 1862 - Little Crow's War, Minnesota

The Dakota War of 1862 (also known as the Sioux Uprising, Sioux Outbreak of 1862, the Dakota Conflict, the U.S.–Dakota War of 1862, or Little Crow's War) was an armed conflict between the United States and several bands of the eastern Sioux or Dakota which began on August 17, 1862, along the Minnesota River in southwest Minnesota and ended with a mass execution of thirty-eight Dakota on December 26, 1862, in Mankato, Minnesota.

On August 17, five American settlers were killed by four Dakota on a hunting expedition. That night, a council of Dakota decided to attack settlements throughout the Minnesota River valley in an effort to drive whites out of the area. Continued battles between the Dakota against settlers and later, the United States Army, ended with the surrender of most of the Dakota forces. There has never been an official report on the number of settlers killed, but estimates range from 400 to 800.

By late December, more than a thousand Dakota were interned in jails in Minnesota, and 38 Dakota were hanged in the largest one-day execution in American history on December 26. In April 1863, the rest of the Dakota were expelled from Minnesota to Nebraska and South Dakota, and their reservations were abolished by the United States Congress.

Letter from Uriah W. Oblinger to Mattie V. Thomas, November 12, 1865

(....signifies missing text.)

November 12th A.D. 1865
Morristown Minn

Dear Mattie

I am compelled to use the pen once more in addressing you, but I hope the next time will be by the word of mouth.
Since I last wrote you I have been out on the western frontier of the U.S. and a wild beatiful looking landscape it is and but sparsely settled and then only by half civilized people.
last monday night while on the frontier I stayed all night with a frenchman who had a squaw for a wife there were about 15 men stayed there beside myself and in the assembly there were Norwegians Irish Scoth Indians halfbreeds and french and there was card playing and swearing going on at a round rate but no liquor for the very good reason there could be none obtained nearer than 4 miles and all were two lazy to go after it and I tell you I heartily wished myself away from the place but there was no decent house to stay at nearer than ten miles and consequently I was elected to stay all night and sleep on the floor with one blanket and my great coat for covering and next morning paid my host 80 cts for staying and I tell you I bid farewell to the place as soon as I swallowed my breakfast.
and you my naturaly guess I did not want land in such a community and after looking at the country next day I started to return and am this far on my way and will probably remain here a few days and then trudge homeward and no preventing providence I will spend two weeks from this date with Mattie and then I will tell the whole history of my travels more satisfactory than pen can describe.
I am staying today with a Methodist & last sabbath with a disbeliever I not traveld on sabbath since I left home nor will not unless compelled.
Mattie I was far away when the quarterly meeting was in progress but my affections were there I should like to have been with you but it ....wall....was willed other wise but I prayed for the success of our cause and that it might cease till the world of mankind were brought to see the truth and be saved.
and if we never meet in this world let us try to live here that we may, on lovelier grounds with all the redeemed of earth and there without the .....absce..... absense of one loved face sing .....pray....praises to the Havenly Ruler and enjoy celestial bliss throughout Eternity.
Excuse my bad writing for my ink so poor it will hardly write at all I am enjoying perfect health and we are having beautiful weather, and hope these may find you ....eng....enjoying the same blessings
No mor but remain in spite of everything to the contrary your devoted love

Uriah

Transcription of envelope
Miss Mattie V Thomas
Onward, Cass Co Indiana

"His Pipe" Sioux man

Photo by Upton. Taken in Minnesota some time between 1865-1875.

Settlers Flee Sioux Massacre - Minnesota

Osakis, Douglas County, Minnesota

Osakis was first settled by Euro-americans in 1859. The town of Osakis was established June 15, 1866, this and Alexandria being the oldest townships of Douglas county.
The town was built on the south shore of Osakis lake. The word Osakis is derived from an Ojibwe word, "Sakis," meaning "place of danger." This area was once along a dividing line between territory controlled by the Dakota and Ojibwe nations.
In 1859 the stages running to Fort Ambercrombie had a station on the site of Osakis village, and the earliest settlers took claims; but the Sioux outbreak in 1862 caused these claims to be abandoned.
During the Outbreak, the maintenance of this line of communication was vitally important, and the route was constantly patrolled by troops.
The Minnesota Stage Company, owned by James C. Burbank, had begun as a stage and mail delivery company in the early 1850s, and by 1865 had gained a statewide monopoly, operating over 1,600 miles of routes. The 1856 legislature had authorized the opening of the St. Cloud to Fort Ambercrombie (near Breckenridge) Road, on which Osakis was located, but by 1859 it had yet to be developed. The route, which began at St. Cloud and traveled up the Sauk River Valley to Fort Ambercrombie on the Red River, was developed by crews of the stage company under the general management of Captain Russell Blakely. For the next ten years, this route was used by the military and the Red River stagecoaches.
The village was founded in 1866, and was incorporated February 21, 1881. The date of the first passenger train was November 1, 1878.

1865 Minnesota

February 16, 1865- My great-grandparents, (my grandfather's parents), Alice Marie Gideon and Thomas Clement Worland marry in Osakis, Douglas County, Minnesota.

View of St. Paul, Minnesota. 1874

1874 Minnesota

April 8, 1874- My great-great-grandfather, Armstead M. Gideon, dies in Osakis, Douglas County, Minnesota at age 56.
He is buried at Lakeside Cemetary, Osakis, Douglas County, Minnesota.
Armstead Gideon was born in Ohio in 1818 and married Lavina Martin in 1840. (Interestingly, he also had a sister named Lavina.)
The family eventually settled in Minnesota and had at least four children, including my grandfather's mother, Alice Marie Gideon.

(Alice Marie Gideon was on the census for Osakis, Douglas County, Minnesota in 1870. Then, she appears in the census for Excelsior, Hennepin , Minnesota in 1880. She resided in Havre, Hill, Montana about 1900. Moved to Silverdale, Kitsap, Washington about 1917. She is buried in Calvary Cemetery, Seattle, King County, Washington. Cause of death: Carcinoma of the Stomach/Surgical Shock.)

Azaleas and Rhododendrons for Minnesota

Azaleas and Rhododendrons are close relatives with nearly identical needs. Their native location is at the edges of forests, with lots of organic matter in the soil (leaf mold, etc.), very good drainage, and acid soil (pH of 4 to 5.5). They do not tolerate hot sites or winter winds. Rhododendrons prefer dappled light, while Azaleas like lots of sun during the growing season. Ample moisture is necessary for both. In Minnesota, the hardy 'Northern Lights' series of Azaleas was developed beginning in 1957.

Minnesota Facts

The name “Minnesota” comes from Dakota Indian words meaning “sky-blue waters.” The large number of lakes and rivers throughout the state is an important part of Minnesota’s unique identity. One of Minnesota’s nicknames is “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” but it really has closer to 11, 842 lakes. The state is on the shore of Lake Superior, which is the biggest of the Great Lakes. Minnesota is also the starting point of the world’s third largest river, the Mississippi.

1877 Minnesota

March 20, 1877- My maternal grandfather, Alfred Leslie Worland, is born to Thomas Clement Worland and Alice Marie Gideon Worland in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

Family of Thomas Worland in 1880, Minnesota

1880 CENSUS Excelsior, Hennepin, Minnesota

Thomas WORLAND Self M Male W 35 IN Farmer KY KY
Alice WORLAND Wife M Female W 31 IL Keeping House OH OH
Armstead WORLAND Son S Male W 10 MN IN IL
Vincent WORLAND Son S Male W 8 MN IN IL
Lavina A. WORLAND Dau S Female W 6 MN IN IL
Sarah B. WORLAND Dau S Female W 4 MN IN IL
Alfred L. WORLAND Son S Male W 2 MN IN IL

1886 Minnesota Tornado

On April 14, 1886 the deadliest tornado in Minnesota history razed parts of St.Cloud and Sauk Rapids, leaving 72 dead and 213 injured. 11 members of a wedding party were killed including the bride and groom. It was the deadliest tornado in Minnesota history.

A few excerpts from local newspapers of the time:

Telegrams to the following effect were received from Sauk Rapids:“To Mayor AMES, Minneapolis: Can you send a special train with physicians to this city? A cyclone passed over the city this afternoon. A great many are believed to have been killed, but the number is not yet known.”
Immediately, upon the recept [sic] of these messages, preparations were made to respond to the call for help. A train for St. Cloud left at 6 o'clock.

The cyclone began about 3 o'clock in the basin of the Masonic cemetery, forming a whirlwind about 1,000 feet in diameter. It took almost every tree in the circle from the ground or twisted it off at the trunk. Great stones were tore up and carried along with the wind. Moving slowly along in a southeasterly direction it wrecked the Catholic chapel and several houses in its course across the prairie adjoining the town. It completely demolished JOHN SCHWARTZ'S large brick house and scattered fifty or more smaller frame houses like so many feathers. In most cases nothing was left to mark the site of dwellings but cellars. The prairies were strewn with timbers, furniture and clothing. The freight depot of the Manitoba road was a total wreck. Numerous cars loaded with freight were blown half a mile and rails wrenched from the track. It passed the limits of the town just west of Lieut. Gov. GILMAN'S residence, killing several horses. It crossed the Mississippi at the Sauk Rapids wagon bridge which it demolished. It here widened to six hundred feet, and levelled [sic] STANTON'S grist mill. From there it swept through the center of the town, taking the best of the business part of it, including the court house, hotel, public school and every important business building in the town except WOOD'S store. The village is virtually wiped out, four-fifths of the buildings being leveled. The fatalities in St. Cloud, though great, are not equal in number to those in Sauk Rapids. In every house most all of the inmates were more or less hurt.

A brief dispatch has just been received saying that between 40 and 50 bodies have been recovered from the ruins at St. Cloud and the search is not completed. The town presented a scene of utmost desolation as seen by the light of flickering lanterns and the groans of the wounded and lamentations of those who have lost relatives are heart rending in the extreme.

BIG LAKE, Minn., April 13(?), -- DRS. HIGBEE and DELLIVER of Minneapolis have just arrived. The latter told an Associated Press reporter that new bodies were being recovered hourly from the debris and being brought in from the country. Twelve injured people were brought in. Some of these will die. Druggist SCHAUBERT'S remains had just been brought in. Four have died of wounds since this morning. At a church cast of RICE'S thirteen of a wedding party were killed including the officiating minister.
At Sauk Rapids 31 are already dead. The list will be swelled to 40. DR. AMES of Minneapolis, on duty at St. Cloud, told DR. DELIVER at least 30 deaths can but result there. Capt. FARLEY, an old settler of Sauk Rapids weighing 280 pounds was blown 400 feet in the air.

1886

On July 3, 1886, my great-grandfather, Thomas Clement Worland, dropped dead off a wagon in Mound City, Hennepin, Minnesota. He was forty years old.

19th Century Minnesota - Soddys

In the nineteenth century Minnesota was a growing western outpost. Fort Snelling, built in 1819, was a lively meeting place for the Dakotah, Ojibway, fur traders and the increasing number of pioneer settlers. Saint Paul, once known as "Pig’s Eye" was a rapidly growing town and many people from the crowded eastern cities were looking for a place to call their own. Minnesota became a territory in 1849 and Saint Paul was named the capital. Many pioneers flocked to the new region.


At first, the pioneers hesitated to settle on the Great Plains, a land that was considered impractical to farm because of its tough sod and arid conditions. However, new farm machinery was developed, especially John Deere's steel plow, that made cultivation of the prairie lands practical. In 1862 the Homestead Act enabled settlers to acquire, for the cost of the recording fee, parcels of 80 or 160 acres of land, providing they lived on it and cultivated it.



The homesteaders took up their claims in a land where there was almost no timber. With very little wood available, pioneers often chose to dig their houses out of the ground. If the home could be situated against a small hill, the major portion of it would be dug into the hill, like a cave. This type of dwelling was called a dugout; the sod house, a soddy.

The common building material was sod—blocks of turf that could be stacked up to form a wall. If stones were available, the settler used these as building material. Where there were no stones and no turf, rough lumber had to be purchased at the nearest railway town.


Life in a soddy was a challenge. It was warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Although the roof was stable, the heavy rains of the summer would cause the roof and walls to drip mud onto anything in the soddy. The soddy was furnished with just the basics. There was a stove with a barrel chimney, a small bed, and a few family possessions.

Water was hauled at first from the nearest stream, while the homesteader drilled a well. There was often no wood for fuel, so buffalo chips and cow chips were burned, as were cornstalks and corncobs. When no other fuel was available, dry prairie grass was twisted into bundles and burned.
Another change from woodland-frontier life was the diet. Wheat grew well on the plains, and wheat flour replaced cornmeal as the main breadstuff. Cattle were more plentiful, and beef became a common meat.
The sod-house frontier was of short duration. More railways were built, more towns sprang up along them, and more markets were opened up to the plains farmer. Within a decade or two, most homesteaders had a frame house and barn, and were part of a well-settled rural community.

Rhododendrons in St. Cloud, Minnesota

Quarry Creek Nursery in St. Cloud, Minnesota has a nice selection of rhododendrons.