In the Beginning

Where does the Randall family story begin? I wish I knew. Our American progenitor, John Randall, first appears in the historical records on 13 Mar 1659/60, when according to the Court Records of Colonial Rhode Island, he heard five cases as a juryman for the general Court of Trials held at Newport. But where did he come from before that date, and how did he end up in Rhode Island? That remains a mystery—one that has led to generations of speculation and storytelling.

The Longstanding Legend

Search online, and you’ll find countless genealogists who claim to have the answer. According to a persistent family legend, John Randall was the son of Matthew Randall, the "Lord Mayor" of Bath in Somerset, England. Although some family members insist this story was carried across the Atlantic by John Randall, himself, it actually first appeared in writing in an undocumented family history published in the mid-1800s.

Here’s what we do know: Matthew Randall, born around 1570, married Agnes Cullen on 16 Apr 1596, in the Abbey Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Bath. Matthew was likely a wealthy wool merchant, who eventually achieved enough prominence in his community, that he was elected Mayor of Bath in 1624 and again in 1634; although, he was never a "Lord Mayor," as that title implies a level of nobility Matthew never attained. Matthew and Agnes had eight children, among whom was a son named John.

It was long believed that this John was our immigrant ancestor. But that narrative quickly falls apart under scrutiny. Matthew’s son John achieved prominence in London as the head of the Drapers' Guild, with a life thoroughly documented—a life he spent entirely in England. Moreover, he was about thirty years too old to have been our John Randall.

A New Theory Emerges

For a brief time, it appeared that the American Randalls may have had no connection to the Bath Randalls after all. Then, in the 1980s, a new hypothesis emerged: Matthew Randall had a grandson named John, the son of Matthew Randall Jr., a Puritan minister. Rev. Matthew, knowing his son would inherit little, arranged for young John to apprentice with his uncle in the London Drapers' Guild in order to learn a trade through which he’d be able to support himself. Could this John, the apprentice, have been our immigrant ancestor?

The timeline aligned. John the Apprentice vanished from the Drapers' Guild records before completing his apprenticeship at almost the exact time John Randall appeared in Rhode Island. Perhaps he’d run away, seeking adventure or escape from a harsh master. Could he have financed his journey as an indentured servant or perhaps as a cabin boy? The theory was compelling but circumstantial, with no concrete evidence to link the two men with certainty.

The Discovery That Changed Everything

A few years ago, Ancestry.com uploaded several new batches of English parish records. While exploring burial entries from London’s St. Mary Woolnoth Parish, the home church of John the Master Draper, I stumbled upon an entry dated 8 Oct 1661 which read: “John Randall, an apprentice to Mr. John Randall.” If this deceased John the Apprentice was indeed the nephew of John the Draper and Rev. Matthew’s son, then he could not have been the John Randall who settled in Rhode Island.

This unexpected discovery appears to have shattered the tenuous connection between our family and the Randalls of Bath once and for all. After decades of research, the origin of John Randall, our American progenitor, is again unknown.

For me, my family’s connection to the Randalls of Bath was more than just a genealogical hypothesis —it was part of my identity, a cherished narrative that had stood the test of time. Letting go of that story isn’t merely about revising a family tree; it’s about mourning a proud heritage I had once thought to be my own. Yet in genealogy, as in life, truth must always take precedence over comfort. Our family’s beginning now reverts back to that March afternoon in 1659/60, and my search starts anew.

Oh, and if anyone has tips on how to erase 150 years of misreported family history from the Internet, I’m all ears.

[David Randall < Bruce W. Randall < Lois K. Randall < Claude W. Randall < William A. Randall < Isaac W. Randall < Abial Randall < Abram Randall < Sylvester Randall < Benjamin Randall < John Randall Jr. < John Randall]