“One of the remarkable things that can be noted about our town’s history,” writes Larry
Randolph in Looking Back at South Plainfield, “is the stability of the population in the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Although the population increased at a steady rate,
certain families seemed to be always present and well represented.”
Among those are the Dunham, Manning, Runyon, Pyatt, Blackford, Laing, Martin, Vail,
Clawson, Corriel, Lupardus, Molleson and Fitz-Randolph families, all of whom
contributed significantly in the growth and development of the area.
“Descendants of all these families can still be found living in the area,” notes Larry,
“proof that the contributions of these early families to our town’s development has not
diminished with time.”
Continuing that long tradition, Larry has tirelessly researched local history and has left a
legacy of his own. He is a direct descendant of Edward Fitz-Randolph who settled in
Massachusetts around 1630. Edward’s wife, Elizabeth, and several of their children
eventually moved to Piscataway in 1669. Members of this family established the first
Baptist church in the area. Larry’s ancestors were businessmen and landowners and took
an active part in the Revolutionary War. Local folklore tells of Barzilla Randolph’s brave
act of defiance -- picking up a rifle and shooting at a British military unit from his roof
top as they marched along Maple Avenue. Contemporary Randolph ancestors are more
accustomed to picking up a pen and inking the family genealogy, or as in Larry’s case, a
primer in local history.
From 1986 to 1990, Larry penned a column for THE REPORTER called “Looking Back at
South Plainfield,” a series of snapshots of South Plainfield’s past. Forty-three of those
articles were published by the South Plainfield Historical Society in 2005, with funding
in part provided by the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission/Board of
Chosen Freeholders, and the New Jersey Historical Commission, a Division of the
Department of State. Richard Veit of the Department of History and Anthropology at
Monmouth University was retained as editor. Dr. Veit, a Life Member of the So.
Plainfield Historical Society, calls the collection “an important resource for individuals
interested in local history. These historical vignettes are not the dry dusty stuff of some
history book, but rather lively recollections told in an engaging narrative style.” From
Native American campsites to the wars and the coming of the railroad and industry, the
articles show that “South Plainfield has a rich heritage to be proud of.”
Library patrons now have the opportunity to read Looking Back at South Plainfield by
checking out a copy at the South Plainfield Free Public Library. Four generations of
Randolph ancestors gathered on February 27 to present Library Director, Sundra
Randolph (no relation), with several copies of the book and 2 Historical Society
publications of oral histories.
Gathered together for the presentation were the author himself, Larry Randolph, Irene
Hamilton (nee Myers), her son Richard Sumner Hamilton (corresponding secretary for
the Historical Society), Rich’s son Joe, and Joe’s son Wyatt. Irene’s mother, Florence
Randolph, graces the cover of the book. The photograph, taken around 1911, shows a
young girl clutching a small dog and standing in a cornfield on the family farm in South
Plainfield. The time period is significant, for farming has nearly died out in the
northeastern section of Piscataway Township. Soon Spicer Manufacturing, Harris Steel
and other industry would move into town, creating hundreds of jobs and establishing a
large blue collar workforce. In 1926, South Plainfield would split from the rural township
and, as the saying goes, the rest is history.