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 THE RANDALL FAMILY 4 1

Thus were acquired the poet's "poor paternal acres," which, for more than two hundred years, remained in the possession and occupancy of Stephen Randall or his lineal descendants in the male line. Stephen gave to his son John, March 22, 1732, the "southerly part" of the farm (no area given). John gave to his son Silas, October 18, 1772, " I 50 A. m. o. 1.," shown on plan of A. Tower, March, 1806, to be 161 A. 105 R. Silas died intestate in 1805, leaving a widow, Elizabeth, and ten children, Betsey, Mary, John, Ebenezer, Silas, Josiah, Jr., Sarah, Marsylvia, Moses, and Eli. His estate, appraised as personal, ^989.74, and real, 212 A. and buildings, valued at ^5,000, was adminis- tered by his son Josiah, Jr., under appointment of March 12, 1805.

Dr. John Randall, the eldest son of Silas and Elizabeth (Witt) Randall, was born at Stow, Massachusetts, Decem- ber 20, 1774, and died at Boston, December 27, 1843. He was graduated at Harvard in the class of 1802, and took the degrees of M.B. in 1806 and M.D. in 18 11. As one of the most eminent practising physicians of his time in Boston, he was successful and popular, and acquired by devotion to his profession a handsome competency. On March 12, 1809, he married Elizabeth Wells, by whom he had five children, all born in Boston, as follows : —

I. Elizabeth Wells, born Sept. 28, 181 1; married Alfred Gumming, of Augusta, Georgia, September 15, 1836; and died at Springfield, Massachusetts, April 12, 1867. Her husband, who belonged to a distinguished Southern family (his brother, Golonel William Gumming, was severely wounded at the battle of Lundy's Lane, July 25, 1 8 14, became a prominent leader of the Union party in the nullification troubles, and attracted the atten- tion of the whole country by his famous duel with George

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