Silas Randall
ARTICLE UNDER CONSTRUCTION
ARTICLE UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Silas Herbert Randall was a Cincinnati inventor and esotericist who corresponded with Platonist Thomas Moore Johnson.[1]
Personal life and career
Randall was born on Jul 31, 1852 in Mystic, Connecticut to Silas Burrows Randall and his wife Emily Doane Randall. The family included another son, James D. Randall and daughters Helen and Emily.[2] Sometime after the Civil War, they all moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, and Silas Herbert attended college there. By 1880, he had married Edith De Golyer and was established as a physician in Cincinnati. They had a daughter Jennie and son De Golyer.[3]
His father, Silas B. Randall, had worked for Perkins & Co. in 1872-1873, but in 1874 set up as a manufacturer at Randall & Co. He produced equipment used in harness-making. Both of his sons joined the business and stayed in the Cincinnati area for the rest of their lives. The father died in 1895. James eventually became president and secretary of the company, was prosperous enough to enjoy a yearlong world tour in 1922-23, and lived until 1936.[4][5][6]
Silas H. Randall invented and patented new products, including a vise, harness maker's press, leather punching machine, leather creasing machine, bracket, crupper former, collar-stuffer, and stitching horse.[7]
He died on July 27, 1901 in Wyoming, Ohio, near Cincinnati.[8]
Esotericism and Theosophy
Randall was heavily engaged with other esotericists in Cincinnati, including Dr. J. D. Buck, James Ralston Skinner, and Elmira Y. Howard. He was a voracious reader and student of a wide range of occult literature, and major support of The Platonist, distributing brochures and recruiting subscribers.
Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor
Randall's correspondence with Missouri Platonist Thomas Moore Johnson gives great insight into the activities of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor.
Silas ended the correspondence in 1886 due to his wife's objections to his H. B. of L. activity... Randall put a stop to his occult adventures when it became clear to him that his family life was at risk.[9]
Additional resources
Notes
- ↑ Patrick D. Bowen and K. Paul Johnson, eds. Letters to the Sage: Selected Correspondence of Thomas Moore Johnson Volume One: The Esotericists. Forest Grove, OR: The Typhon Press, 2016.
- ↑ 1880 U.S. Census entry for Silas B. Randall.
- ↑ 1880 U.S. Census entry for Silas H. Randall.
- ↑ Cincinnati city directories, 1881-1920.
- ↑ U.S. Passport Application, 1922.
- ↑ U.S. Find A Grave Index, 1600s-current for James D. Randall.
- ↑ Google Patents.
- ↑ U.S. Find A Grave Index, 1600s-current for Silas Herbert Randall.
- ↑ "S. H. Randall" biographical sketch.