"Life of Charles Randolph" handwritten manuscript
Scope and Contents
This collection contains one bound manuscript titled "Life of Charles Randolph," an autobiography that is written in a diary format and includes mounted black and white photographs.
The manuscript describes many neighbors and farms and agricultural activities in Scott County, especially in the Pleasant Valley area. He shares information on various employment experiences at Iowana farms, the Rock Island Arsenal, the Tri-City Railway and his World War I experiences in England and France.
It also includes a genealogy of the Randolph family and a number of poems he wrote as well as a few written by his brother, Orville. Chapters describe events in the lives of the Randolph family including when his father was badly injured in an accident, trips to the theatre, a trip to the Mississippi Valley Fair and the heartbreak of the end of his first marriage.
Randolph describes his trips to the West and the work and sights along the way which provided a basis for his exaggerated stories regarding his personal life.
Table of Contents
Chapter First: Early Life of Charles Randolph
Chapter Second: Charles Randolph’s Adventures in Tama County
Chapter Third: Charles Randolph’s First Trip West
Chapter Forth [sic]: Charles Randolph in Iowa in 1912 & 1913
Chapter Fifth: Charles Randolph’s Second Trip West
Chapter Sixth: Charles Randolph Starts In the Fruit and Onion Business
Chapter Seventh: The Randolph Brothers Assist Colonel Smith with a Car Load of Apples
Chapter Eight: The Randolph Boys Husk Corn for Birt [sic] Crawford
Chapter Nine: The Randolph Boys Farm in Partnership “Randolphs Rest Ranch”
Chapter Ten: Charles Randolph Farms Alone “Randolphs Rest Ranch”
Chapter Eleven: Charles Randolph Trip to Tama County Iowa. Horseback on “Tom” In Company with James E. Roseberry “Texas Jim”
Chapter Twelve: Charles Randolph’s Adventures the Autumn of 1917
Chapter Thirteen: Charles Randolph Conductor on the Tri City Rail Way Davenport Iowa
Chapter Fourteen: Charles Randolph’s Farewell Party
Chapter Fifteen: Charles Randolph Leaves for the Worlds War – His Trip East to Camp Dix
Chapter Sixteen: Charles Randolph Sails for England
Chapter Seventeen: Arrival in England and Crossing Great Britton [sic]
Chapter Eighteen: Charles Randolph Arrives in France
Chapter Ninteen [sic]: Charles Randolph on Detached Duty
Chapter Twenty: Charles Randolph Conductor on Rail Road – With the American Expeditionary
Forces in France
Chapter Twenty One: The Seventeenth Grand Division
Chapter Twenty Two: Charles Randolph Goes on a Furlough to Southern France – On the Spanish Border – To the City
of Couterets – In the Pyrines Mountains – and Crosses the Border Into Spain
Chapter Twenty Three: Charles Randolph Goes to Paris on a Furlough
Chapter Twenty Four: Charles Randolph K. C. Secretary
Chapter Twenty Five: The Seventeenth Grand Division Leave for Camp Genicart France
Chapter Twenty Six: Charles Randolph Leaves France and Crosses the Atlantic Ocean
Chapter Twenty Seven: Charles Randolph Arrives in America – At Newport News Virginia – His Adventure at Camp Hill
and Trip Through the South
Chapter Twenty Eight: Charles Randolph After the Worlds War at Home in Pleasant Valley
Chapter Twenty Nine: The Randolph Brothers at the Iowana Farms
Chapter Thirty: Charles Randolph Meets Billy Sunday
Chapter Thirty One: The Randolph Boys at the Big Worlds War Soldiers Home Coming at Davenport Scott County
Iowa
Chapter Thirty Two: Charles Randolph’s Third Trip West
Chapter Thirty Three: Buckskin Bill Meets Buffalo Bill
Chapter Thirty Four: Noted Characters Charles Randolph Has Met and Talked With
Chapter Thirty Five: Characteristics of Charles Randolph
Chapter Thirty Six: Charles Randolph’s Adventures the Winter of 1919 and 20
Chapter Thirty Seven: Reminiscences of the Past
Chapter Thirty Eight: Clippings From Papers
Chapter Thirty Nine: The Randolph Geneology [sic]
Chapter Forty: Charles Randolph as United States Government Police at the Rock Island Arsenal Illinois
Chapter Forty One: The Randolph Family at the Mississippi Valley Fair and Exposition at Davenport Scott County
Iowa
Chapter Forty Two: Boyhood Pals of Charles Randolph
Chapter Forty Three: The Randolph Brothers at the Iowana Farms Filling Silos
Chapter Forty Four: The Randolph Hunting Trip on the Wapsie
Chapter Forty Five: The Randolph Boys with the Central Engineering Company
Chapter Forty Six: The Randolph Brothers at the Iowana Farms. Again.
Chapter Forty Seven: Charles Randolph’s Adventures the Winter of 1920 and 21 – At Home
Chapter Forty Eight: Charles Randolph Works at the Iowana Farms for the Sixth Time
Chapter Forty Nine: Charles Randolph Gets Married.
Dates
- Creation: 1924
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Materials are available for use in the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center only.
Request permission before copying materials.
Personal digital cameras and scanners are allowed in the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center on a case-by-case basis. The items that a researcher may want to scan or photograph must be examined and evaluated for physical condition, copyright issues, and donor restrictions by staff.
Copyright restrictions may apply; please consult Special Collections staff for further information.
The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of reproductions of copyrighted material.
Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement.
Biographical / Historical
Charles Daniel Randolph was born 3 December 1888 in Pleasant Valley, Scott County, Iowa to Aaron Peter Randolph and Mineville Louella (Clemons) Randolph. He was the eldest of eight children born to the couple.
Randolph was a dime novelist and poet utilizing Western themes, adopting the penname of Buckskin Bill. He enjoyed horseback riding and was interested in all things Western. He spent a total of roughly 23 months over an 8 year time span exploring Canada and the western states, working for brief periods of time on ranches and cattle drives, in a coal mine, fruit ranch, and at general labor. These experiences were the basis for his embellished stories regarding his life experiences and he seemed to adopt a larger than life cowboy persona.
Randolph assisted his father in farming, and farmed himself and with his brothers at different points in time during his life in Scott County, Iowa. He worked in Davenport, Iowa as a conductor on the Tri-City Railway and as a guard at the Rock Island Arsenal for many years.
Married four times, divorced three, he self-published a book of Western themed poems in 1924 of which he was most proud. He adopted the title of Col. Charles D. Randolph even though he was discharged as a private while serving in the Army during World War I in the Transportation Corps.
Randolph collected dime novels and was asked to display some in an exhibit at the University of Iowa in 1964. He lived with his fourth wife in a modest home at 2316 Jefferson Avenue in Davenport and died January 22, 1982.
Extent
.21 Linear Feet (in 1 2.5" letter manuscript box)
Language of Materials
English
Physical Location
Range 38 Section 03
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift
Physical Description
poor to fair
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center Repository
321 Main Street
Davenport IA 52801-1490 United States
specialcollections@davenportlibrary.com