The "Where:" Blackwater Township is in the northwest corner of Pettis County between the Civil War villages of Rowletta to the south in Pettis County, Dunksburg in the northeast corner of Johnson County, and Brownsvile in the southwest corner of Saline County, just to shake the cobwebs from my mind. Dunksburg and Rowletta are still called by those names, but I think Brownsville is Sweet Springs now, but not sure. This gives us the "Where," which helps narrow things down a bit. Pettis County had few of its own bushwhackers, but some nearby crossed Pettis County in their travels. Johnson County just to the west had enough of them to export a few and then some, and so did Saline County. There were almost none in the southeast corner of Lafayette County, because during the war that was the home of a large pro-northern German-American population that had their own stockade, drills, and etc. By the way, this made that settlement called Cook's Store back then a real magnet for Quantrill man Dave Poole who live a little further north and raided that township several times during the war killing and burning. Yes, the "Where" is important.

The "When:"Do you have a specific date of death, or even a month and year? The "When" so far is weak for what I would really like to have. You said "...it does seem that it did happen in late 1863, as John's grave marker has that date." What date? It makes a big difference. This is assuming that the Randall men were killed on the spot and did not linger for weeks until death took them. Can you obtain the date for us?

The "Who:" You certainly gave us the identity of the victims. I couldn't find John or Terrie Randall in the 1860 census, but in nearby Blackwater Township of the southwest corner of Saline County (Remember the "Where?" I told you it was important.) is the household of 64-year-old Beman Randall, moderately prosperous, farmer born in Connecticutt with wife born in KY and children born in KY and Illinois with a laborer living on the place born in New York. That would definitely place this Randall in the Yankee category and make him a potential target for southern guerrillas. Was Beman Randall the father of John and Terrie Randall? I did find in Blackwater TWP of Pettis County the household of 42-year-old, not poor, Kentucky-born farmer Reuben Hargrove (with an "o"). Reuben's wife was born in KY and their small children were both born in MO.

The "Why:" I found the military service records online for John and Terry Randall and Reuben Hargrove all in Captain Berry's Company D of the local 40th Enrolled Missouri Militia. Three nearly identical records have all three men serving between 127 and 159 days of active duty with this unit at Georgetown, central Pettis County very near to Sedalia, the county seat between July 28 1862 and 28 February 1863. If their duty at this time was like most of the EMM guys, they guarded the unit's firearmss kept in a strong public building at Georgetown, served as guides for passing Union units, perhaps patrolled some, and assisted the local Union army provost marshal's office to round up "notorious" Rebels and the like. By the way, all of the above is why they were later killed. Terry, er Private Terry Randall, performed additional duty in the 5th Provisional EMM (sort of a "super" EMM) also in Georgetown starting June 3, 1863. Terry was on active duty with the 5th for 127 days around October 1863 and through 31 October 1863. Of interest to you is Terry's capture October 9 and his parole. His record literally says "Captured and paroled Oct. 9." This has to mean that Terry was captured during Col. Joseph Shelby's famous October 1863 Misosuri raid which roared through a part of Pettis County on their way north on October 9. This duty and his capture and parole actually have nothing to do with "Why" Terry was later killed or murdered, but it moves us a lot closer to the "When." Remember the "When."

The "When" revisited: Now we know that Terry and probably John and neighber and perhaps relative Reuben Hargrove were killed or murdered some time after October 1863. Can you get us a better date? It very well could have been during 1864. If I knew the "When" a bit better I could perhaps determine the southern side of the "Who" question and actually peg somebody or a bunch of somebodies with the killing.

What more can you tell us so we can solve more of this mystery?

Wasn't this fun?

Bruce Nichols