 Amos G. Randal, about 1828 -1897 Undertaker Buried in Porter Cemetery, Block 38, Grave G (Grave marker image courtesy of the Pioneers’ Cemetery Association, Inc.) Amos Randal was born in Cattaraugus County, New York state, about 1828. In 1849, he caught gold fever and journeyed overland to California. However, he seems not to have had much luck at mining and so turned to other occupations.
In 1860, he was a single man living in Marysville, Yuba County, California, and running a stationery store with two Lassiter brothers. While there, he met and married Clara Jane McGrew on July 14, 1862. Their first child, Norina Katherine, was born in March, 1864. During the Civil War, Randal supplemented his income from the stationery store by serving in the militia as a recruiting officer. In June, 1863, he was commissioned a sergeant major in the 2nd Battalion, 4th Brigade, California Militia. On April 22, 1865, with the war drawing to a close, Randal enlisted in Company A, 4th California Infantry at the Presidio in San Francisco. He went in as a 2nd lieutenant and soon rose to the rank of captain. His military career turned out to be very short, however, as his unit mustered out on November 30, 1865. The California Great Register of 1867 recorded the Randals living in Oakland, California. Son Ernest Grant was born in 1868. Another daughter, Margaret “Daisy”, was born in 1874 in Tulare, California. The federal census of 1880 found the Randals living in Hills Ferry, Stanislaus County, California, where Randal was working as a carpenter. Around 1882, the family moved to Prescott, Arizona, and Randal went into the undertaking business. In April 1886, the Randals’ last child, Theodore, was born. Moving to Phoenix in 1892, Randal became associated with the undertaking firm of Mr. W. A. Davis. Amos Randal then applied for an invalid pension, citing health issues, but his application was rejected because his service had not begun until after the Civil War had ended. Around 1894, Randal contracted blood poisoning when he stabbed his finger with an embalming needle. He had several relapses which caused him much suffering. Due to his ongoing health problems, his application for an invalid pension was finally approved in 1896. On December 1, 1897, Randal was in Porter Cemetery, assisting with the burial of Gustavus A. Kirtley, a Confederate veteran. As the mourners were leaving the grave, Randal walked to his buggy, then suddenly fell to his knees, pitched forward on his face and expired. Dr. Wylie was summoned, but Randal was beyond help. A coroner’s jury decided that he had died of heart trouble, brought on by his bout of blood poisoning. Randal was interred two days later in Porter Cemetery, after services conducted by the local GAR post. Randal’s widow, Clara Jane, applied for and received a widow’s pension. © 2025 by Donna L. Carr. Last revised 29 September 2025. If you would like assistance researching our interred, you can find more information on our website. You can contact us at [email protected] at any time. Thank you for your interest to preserve the history of Arizona's pioneers!
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