The Geddes and Randall families collection is arranged into four series: Geddes Family, 1771-1889; Randall Family, 1860-1950; Rash Family, 1832-1924; and Historical Material Collected by Russell E. Bidlack. The collection is very much a product of Mr. Bidlack's research and archival processing. Not only does the collection contain copious photocopies, both of materials originally in the collection and of supporting materials, it also includes transcriptions and notes created by Mr. Bidlack. Besides extensive material on the Geddes and Randall families and the history of Washtenaw County, the collection also may be useful for researchers studying Nineteenth century mills and related manufacturing in the midwest. The researcher should note that the library has a second portion of the papers of the Geddes and Randall families which came from a different donor. This collection has been separately cataloged.
John Geddes (1801-1889) was a major figure in Washtenaw County's early history. He was one of the first settler's in Woodruff's Grove, a town (now under Ford Lake) that would become Ypsilanti. In addition, he and his brother Robert Geddes (1797-1866) contributed to the development of millwork along the Huron River, owning properties in Ann Arbor Township, Geddes(burg), Ypsilanti, and Pittsfield and Superior Townships. In 1857, John Geddes called for the founding of the Washtenaw County Historical Society, and was one of its active members. John Geddes also held various political offices, including Justice of the Peace, State Representative, and County Supervisor.
John and Robert Geddes migrated to Michigan (from Londonderry, PA and Romulus, NY, respectively) in 1824, and shortly settled in Washtenaw County near where Fleming Creek joins the Huron River. The farm on which the brothers settled grew to contain the Geddes' saw and paper mills, as well as the several homes of the village of Geddes/Geddesburg. In 1829, Robert Geddes married Maria Lane; two years after she died in 1837 he married her sister, Chloe Lane. Similarly, John Geddes first married Fanny Savage (1806-1855) in 1837, and then in 1856 married her sister, Julia Ette Savage. John and Fanny Geddes had three children, Sarah, Rachel, and John Jr.
In 1862, Sarah Geddes married William T. Randall, also involved in paper milling and manufacture. Their several children include Earle Chapin Randall (b.1869), Charlotte O. Randall (also called Lottie, b.1865), Julia (b. 1871), John (b. 1873), and Sarah Gertrude (called Gertie, b. 1877). William Randall's work with the Red Rock Paper Company took the family out of Washtenaw County to Beloit, Wisconsin and Marshall, Michigan, from where they kept up correspondence with the Geddes and Randalls back home. One of these correspondents was Hellen Randall-Rash, William T. Randall's sister, who married James Rash. James Rash was a descendent of George Rash, another early Washtenaw County settler.
Over the years, other Geddes migrated from Pennsylvania to Washtenaw County, including Robert and John's brother William Geddes (1802-1877) in 1844. In the 1880s, John sold the Geddes farm to the Francis and Catherine Monaghan, workers on the farm and great-grandparents of Domino's Pizza magnate Thomas S. Monaghan.
