Henry Randolph and Rachel Fowler

Lo and behold, the power of the internet. After seeing my post about Onady Randolph Mills, another Randolph descendant contacted me about a pen and ink drawing of Onady's parents in her possession. Amy Randolph Hill, a great-great granddaughter of Henry Randolph, provided the above image, and needless to say, I am thrilled to have it!

Henry was born October 12, 1836 in Georgia, the son of James Randolph and Nancy Saunders/Sanders. Along with his parents, and grandfather Isaiah Saunders, and a slew of aunts and uncles, he moved to Old Tishomingo County between 1850 and 1860. The families settled near the Hickory Plains post office in what later became Prentiss County. Best I can tell, this was somewhere between Jacinto and Marietta.

Remember, at one time, the area that included Marietta was included in Itawamba County. When county lines were redrawn in 1867, this sliver of northern Itawamba became part of newly formed Prentiss County.

Rachel was Henry's third wife. His first marriage is believed to have been to Frances Cochran as there is an August 1865 marriage record in Old Tishomingo for H. Randolph to Frances Cochran. This date may have been transcribed incorrectly however (I haven't seen the original document) since Henry and Frances' son, Jefferson Davis Randolph, was born in 1861, and another marriage record exists in Itawamba County for an April 1865 marriage between Henry and Eliza (Elizabeth) King, his second wife. Henry and Elizabeth had three daughters: Nancy Ella, Georgia, and Mattie.

Henry married Lucinda Rachel Fowler in 1875 in Prentiss County. She was the youngest child of Posey Fowler and Mary Anna Gotcher (sometimes Goocher) who arrived before 1840 in Itawamba County from Perry County, Alabama where they were married in 1833. Land deed records put Posey Fowler in the Ozark-Marietta area. In fact, Posey served as a trustee on behalf of the Methodist church upon receipt of land for the church, the legal description of which indicates the church to be the Marietta Methodist Church of today. The 1860 census shows Posey to be a wagonmaker. He died about 1887.

Henry and Rachel had seven known children: Genevia, born about 1877, married Robert Bishop; Leah, or perhaps Sarah, born about 1879, no further information; James Madison Randolph, born in 1880, married to Frankie Unknown, and was living in Tishomingo County in the 1930 census; Onady, born 1882, married Jesse Mills; Henry Chatman Randolph, born 1885, married Modenia Sherrill, lived along "North Road" in Itawamba County; Hickman Randolph, born 1889, several wives, moved to Georgia; Allen Randolph, born 1890, married Ora Lee Warren, moved to Nettleton area.

Rachel died before March 1895 because a marriage record exists for Henry Randolph to Mary Ann Rogers for that date. Rachel is believed to be buried at Gilmore Chapel Cemetery but no marker exists. She was born about 1857.

In 1903, Henry married a fifth time to Tennie Collum, although she possibly was Tennessee, widow of Hiram D. McCollum. There may have been a sixth marriage as well since the household of his son Allen included a step-mother by the name of Katie in the 1920 census.

Henry died March 17, 1914 and was buried at Gilmore Chapel Cemetery. No burial spots have been identified for any of Henry's five wives.

Thanks so much, Amy, for generously sharing Henry and Rachel's picture with us. What a treasure!