Benjamin Cutler RANDALL [1856-1930]

Thanks to Henry Ching for sending in this copy of the obituary, which starts:

Hongkong loses one of its best known figures with the sudden death on Saturday of Mr B C Randall senior, a resident for more than 40 years. He died at his home, No 1, Prospect Place, Bonham Road, after a long illness.

Born in Rhode Island, USA, Mr Randall was 74 years of age and came to Hongkong as a master mariner. Until a few years ago he served as a skipper on boats round the China coast.

He leaves a widow, three sons, Messrs B C junior, H W, and A G Randall, and one daughter, Miss Rita Randall.

[...]

Henry adds:

I have asked Gordon about his grandfather being a sea captain, and he says he was never told this. Gordon says his grandfather started his missionary work soon after arrival in HK and his marriage.  In a letter his grandfather wrote on 24th August, 1910 he says that he had opened a night school (perhaps in Canton) for foreign officials of the Imperial Maritime Customs and other foreign residents of Canton, teaching book-keeping, shorthand, algebra, trigonometry, engineering, hydrographical surveying and navigation.  So perhaps he did have a maritime background.

I attach a newspaper cutting of Benjamin Cutler Randall’s obit which also says he was a master mariner. It says that he was a resident for over 40 years, so he may have been a sea captain for the first couple of decades before taking up missionary work.  His missionary work seems to have comprised largely the sale of bibles.