Rochester has a number of monuments scattered about town. One, the Civil War Monument, across from the Town Hall had been mentioned previously in these writings. Have you ever stopped to read the names of the 33 brave men who went to war to save our Nation? Perhaps you have an ancestor on that list. One such person I would like to highlight today is George Henry Randall.
George was born on a large family farm on July 23, 1842. It was there tending to the horses, cows, and crops that he learned a work ethic that would last a lifetime. At the age of 20, he joined the Union Army serving for 33 months in both Company E. 44th infantry and later the calvary. He served with General Banks at New Orleans and later with Sheridan participating in some 15 engagements. One of these, he once said, brought him the closest to death when he heard the whistle and whisk of air as a bullet past his cheek and right shoulder. This was at the battle of Fisher Hill at Shenandoah. When the war ended, he was mustered out and returned to the family farm. He married Harriet E. LeBaron, raised his family, and eventually moved to a farm of his own. He never shied from hard work, as a 1928 news article pointed out. At the age of 86, he was still doing most of the farming without help, chopping wood for the winter, etc. A member of the North Rochester Church, he served as Deacon for 57 plus years. George was proud of his military service and for many years threw himself a birthday party inviting fellow members of the R. A. Pierce Post 190 G. A. R. In 1939, in a grand ceremony, he was inducted into the George N. Alden Post 20 of the United American Veterans. He was the oldest member of that organization in this part of the country.
At some point, Randall became the oldest resident in Rochester and the Town presented him with the Boston Post Cane, which he held onto until his death in December 1939. As a side note, his son Edgar later moved to Freetown where he also became a holder of the Boston Post Cane.
By Susan LaFleur