Henry Randall – 1842-1923
Catharine Brenner – 1853-1922

Birth

Henry Randall was the third child of William Randall and Sarah Gooding. He was born October 24, 1842 when the family lived in Glanford Township in Wentworth County before they moved to Elmira. The date comes from the 1901 census. His twin brother John gave January 15, 1843 as his birth date, so one of them is wrong.

Catharine Brenner was born on June 23, 1853 in Ontario and likely in Hay Township. She was the youngest of at least six children born to Jacob and Ursula Brenner. Another child, Christina, 12 years younger than Catharine is shown in the 1871 census data, but from the age she must be a grandchild.

Henry is listed in the 1871 census at age 27, with his family in Elmira. The same census records 'Catherin' at age 18, living with her family in Hay Township.

Marriage

Henry married Catharine Brenner. She was more than ten years younger and we see no children in the records until 1875, so presumably they were married about 1874. His mother's obituary in 1906 records that Henry lived in Zurich, Huron County. Birth records of their children show they continued to live in Zurich. The 1901 census for Hay Township lists Henry Randel with his wife Catharine and three children. The Name, Occupation and Place image at left is from the record of a daughter's birth in 1891.

Death

Catharine predeceased her husband, as confirmed by Henry being recorded as a 'Widower' when he died in 1923. The death of Catharine Randall in London Township is found in the Vital Statistics of 1922, reference #021-546:

Name: Randall, Catharine Place: R.R.#3 Con 4, Lot 12 Female, German, Married Age: 69 years Birth: Canada Occupation: Housework Len of Res: 5 mos at place of death, always in Ontario Father: Breemer, Jacob Mother: Can not say Informant: Broughton, Catharine London, Tp daughter Burial: St Peter, [London, Ont] Feb 8th 1922 Undertaker: Killingsworth, E, London, Ont Date of death: February 5th 1922 Medical Name: Randall, Catharine Date: Feb 5th 1922 Cause: Cerebral Hemorrhage Autopsy: No

• This must be Catharine Brenner, the wife of Henry Randall:
  • The informant for this death and Henry's was Catharine Broughton, a daughter. Catharine and Henry had a daughter Catharine who married William Broughton in about 1914 after the death of her first husband Henry Bailey Parker.
  • The age of this Catharine is about right and we know Henry lived in London since at least 1913.
  • The father would have been Jacob Brenner and not Jacob Breemer. We do know that Catharine's father's name was "Jacob".

When Henry's younger brother Charles died in 1913, a brother named "Harry" is listed, living in London. The Ontario Vital Statistics of 1923 report that Henry Randell died in London on December 19, 1923, reference #022-936.

     Name:       Randell, Henry
     Place:      Mount Hope [Street], London
                 Male, Irish, Widower
     Age:        83 years
     Birth:      ---, Oct 20
     Occupation: Painter
     Len of Res: 1 yr at place of death
     Father:     --- not known
     Physician:  Dr E. J. Longhlin
                 382 Queen's Ave
     Informant:  Mrs Broughton
                 London, Ont
                 daughter
     Burial:     London, Ont  Dec 21, 1923
     Undertaker: E. Killingsworth, London, Ont
     Date of death:  December 19, 1923

                 Medical
     Name:       Henry Randell
     Date:       Dec 19, 1923
     Attended:   for 2 weeks until
                 10am Dec 19, 1923
     Cause:      Uraemia for 14 days
     Physician:  Dr E.J. Longhlin
                 382 Queen's Ave
                 Dec 28, 1923

• There is no hard fact in the death information to show this Henry Randell was the son of William Randall and Sarah Gooding. His name is spelled differently and he was thought to be of Irish descent.
  • From the birth records of his children, Henry's occupation was always given as "Painter".
  • The 'Randell' spelling does agree with 'Henry Randel' at Zurich in the 1901 census. His mother's obituary tells us that he lived in Zurich.
  • The 1913 obituary of his younger brother Charles said that Henry was living in London at the time.
  • The age is very close to what we know about his twin brother John.

The Classified Section of The Free Press (London, Ontario) ran this item on Thursday December 20, 1923 (page 20) under "Births, Deaths and Marriages":

RANDELL -- In this city, on Wednesday, December 19, 1923, Henry Randell, in his 86th year. Funeral from the Funeral Home of E. C. Killingsworth, Burwell street, on Friday morning at 8:30; requiem high mass at St. Peter's Cathedral at 9 o'clock. Interment at St Peter's Cemetery.

The Cemetery Records of St Peter's in London also spell his name as Henry Randell. It says that he died on Mt Hope Street of old age and records that the deceased was born in Germany. Henry was buried without charge in the St Augustine section of the cemetery with an empty grave beside him.

• The death record said Henry was Irish, and now he's German. He was old and poor and away from Zurich where he was better known.
• Catharine Randall, who died the year before, was buried in the St Francis section of the cemetery. It is a puzzle that they were not buried together, except to note that they were old and poor.
• Again there is only strong circumstantial evidence to say that this is the son of William and Sarah Randall who had lived in Zurich, Ont. It is the informant, their daughter Catharine Broughton, that unquestionably ties Henry and Catharine Randall together.

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Most recent revision August 2008