Dr. Marenda Randall

"While Chittenden, Vermont, had the Eddy brothers, Woodstock – which is only about 33 miles away – had its own share of spiritualist mediums. (snip) One of the best known of the local mediums was Marenda Briggs Randall. Marenda, who grew up in Woodstock on Rose Hill, was the daughter of a horticulturalist. Her mother had died when she was a child, and based on Marenda’s writings, it appears that she was lonely and longed for an emotional connection with her father (and, later, her husband) that she was never able to attain. Perhaps this void in her life instilled a latent desire to connect with the spirit world, including her own lost mother. "

"From her writings, Marenda suggests that she was skeptical about spiritualism when she first heard about it, but having a curious mind, she wanted to investigate it for herself. Travelling to Boston, she met with a young woman who claimed to be a medium. This young woman supposedly was able to channel the spirits of Marenda’s mother and deceased children who provided information that Marenda found credible, and Marenda became a believer.

After this experience, Marenda studied spiritualism, and eventually reached a point where she felt she could channel spirits well enough to be a medium for others. When she held séances or spirit circles, it is said that she sometimes alienated those who were present by delivering to them messages from the spirits that were less-than-flattering.

In addition to being a spiritualist, Marenda, at the bidding of her own personal spirit guide, also became a doctor. She completed her studies at Penn Medical College in Philadelphia in just one year, graduating with honors in 1854."

other sources

• https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Leda_Richberg-Hornsby
  • " Leda Richberg-Hornsby was born in November 1886 in Chicago, the youngest of three children, to Eloise Olivia Richberg (née Randall) and John Carl Richberg. Her mother was a physician, professor, writer, and suffragist. Her maternal grandmother, Marenda Briggs Randall, was also a physician and suffragist. Her father was a lawyer who also served for four years as President of the Chicago Board of Education; his administration saw the establishment of equal pay for women educators and the elimination of bible readings from schools. Richberg-Hornsby's elder brother, Donald Randall Richberg, was a lawyer and member of Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration.
  • Richberg-Hornsby received her early education at the Castle School in Tarrytown, New York. Following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother, she attended medical school for three years, though without completing a degree. In May 1912, while on a trip to Racine, Wisconsin, she met Hubert Primm Hornsby, whom she married on the 23rd of that month, to the surprise of her family. The marriage was unsuccessful and the two soon separated. On Feb. 1, 1915, she obtained a divorce on the grounds of desertion, although her husband formally denied the charge."

other resesrch

? B.D. Randall