Breaking News

Just before Christmas, Cousin Martha sent a box of documents to the Leighton Library. These were from Margaret Rand Shanks' archives, thanks to her daughter, Mary. Also included my personal collection of digitized Rand pictures. If you're in the Leighton, Alabama area, stop in and check out the collection.

Kathleen Rand Reed has provided a better picture of Ann Rand Alsbrook.

Rand Family Reunion Photos

Now online

Margaret Rand Shanks (1936-2007)

Cousin Margaret's Photo Archives

A Message from Cousin Martha...

Growing up, I never knew she existed. After I met her through correspondence, in my late 20s, Margaret became my boon companion. My best genealogy buddy, my friend & mentor, my link to my "new" family, the Rands of Alabama. I guess she took to me, given that my name was Martha Rand, like her late sister, and I was attached to a Carl, like her father and brother. And her brothers...! Carl and Hank were cordial, sweet, and helpful. All I had to do around Hank was whisper about something I wanted, and he'd move heaven and earth to get it. They were a class act, all gone now.

Margaret was one of those blessings from God, one of his special gifts, and I couldn't have loved her more, had she been a blood sister. She passed away when I was in Europe. I never got to say good-bye. I sure do miss her! I'll never stop.

Recently, I traveled West to visit with Margaret's (and Joe's, of course) daughter, Mary, and her family. Mary generously allowed yours truly--in company with the wondrous Lines brothers--to scan and copy her mother's old pictures and files. These photos and documents, as well as many from the old E-Agathas days, will be posted here, whenever I get a chance to scratch around on the computer. See the link above for the photographs.

Check back often.

(Margaret was a double cousin, a descendant of Hal Rand of Texas' younger brother, Capt. PNG Rand, as well as a descendant of JOHN CURTIS & MARY SHAW of Wake Co., NC, Hal Rand's maternal grandparents.)

In Memoriam

Mrs. Mineola Crosby Johnson
Descendant of Hal Rand & Ann Mullens of TX, subject of the 2008 DNA study
17 Oct 1905 - 8 July 2009

Family News

Rand Family Reunion
(Descendants of HAL RAND of Texas)
Sacramento, California
July 16-19, 2009 was a wonderful SUCCESS!
Thank you, Alan Stewart & your team

Facebook

We have a new group at Facebook, Rand Family Reunion @ Facebook. It's open to everyone.

BIG NEWS from the Rand Family Reunion

Major Discovery for Descendants of "ANN RAND ALSBROOK"

Mission Statement

This site is dedicated to the study of the far-reaching RAND family. While your Web folks belong to the Southern Branch of the Rand Family, we seek to connect all Rands--white, black, or mixed--and we invite participation from anyone interested in the RAND surname. We know there are many RANDS in New England, but we have been unable to find a connecting point so far. So far...

Linking our Family & Yours

There is no Master family tree, beyond Cousin Martha's new one and Cousin Pat's ongoing site.  As we put together various branches of the family over the next few years, we hope to be able to generate one. 

Various Rand family databases will be located at Rootsweb.com, a free genealogy site.  We encourage you to upload your information here* and share it with the rest of the family.  Names of living persons will not be shown for privacy reasons.  It is our hope to update these databases frequently, as new information becomes available.

We suggest that you purchase Family Tree Maker genealogy software to organize and share your research.  It is available in any office supply store for about $30, or online at familytreemaker.com. Ancestry.com offers free forms to fill out, and the Mormon Church (of which we have no affiliation) even has a free family database, the PAF.

*For now, you will have to contact us for upload instructions.

If you need help getting started, we've put together some tips. Click here to read them.

Click here for free forms

Click here for the free PAF family-history software

Wish List for Our Family

• Family databases. They should be posted at the (free) Rootsweb.com site, for all to see, and we will have links to certain of the Rand databases. Rands are invited to post their own, let us know, and we'll add your link. (Here is one of the Rand sites already online. This one starts with William Rand, our immigrant, and his wife, Sophia Almand. It is one of several at the rootsweb.com site. NORLANDIC SAGAS ~ RAND.)

• Hand-drawn family trees. We invite them.


• Family photos, cemetery photos, house photos, etc.
  
• Copies of documents such as the family-history manuscripts, or personal stories about particular members of the Rand family.
  
• Links to any good information mentioning Rands.
  
• Family Blogs. Rands will be invited to post family stories and/or messages, where others can respond to the blog.
  
• DNA project information and results. We are seeking RAND MEN of all colors to participate in DNA testing. (Did you catch the CNN piece on Mrs. Mineola Johnson, a Rand? CNN commissioned a maternal DNA study for the descendants of Ann Rand, and the results are here: Rand Female DNA Study.)
  

ALL MATERIAL TO BE INCLUDED AND/OR LINKED TO THE Randfamilytree.org Web site must be approved by the Randfamilytree Webmaster, who reserves the right to reject anything off the subject of our family, or that is deemed inappropriate to our mission.