IN SEARCH OF FAMILY ORIGINS
The name Goodenough and its many spelling variations namely, Goodnough, Goodnow, Goodno, Goodenow, Goodeno et al, is a distinctive one. A person would think there would be a close family connection of all those who bear it; however, the writer has not found this to be the case.
Many of those who have the name of Goodenough, or one of its derivatives, trace their origins through one of three Goodenough brothers who came to America and aided in the colonization of Massachusetts in the first half of the 17th century. These men were a few of the settlers involved in founding the town of Sudbury, Mass. Extensive genealogical and sociologic studies have been completed and published on this line of the family; but alas, after studying these works there was no way for the writer to fit, what, he knew of his forebears into the Sudbury line of Goodenoughs. He is forced to conclude that if there is a merging of these two lines, it occurred in England before 1620.
The writer is Frank 0 Goodnough; his wife is Dorothy or Dottie. Together they are a team of amateur genealogists of which Dottie, without dispute, is the captain. In the past twenty-five years they have had great enjoyment and ever so many enjoyable trips looking for traces of ancestors on both sides of their families. This paper is an attempt to share, with anyone who is interested, information about
Frank’s family, the Goodenoughs.
To get started a few words of orientation will be helpful. Frank Goodnough is the son of John Wesley Goodnough, the son of John Goodnough, the son of William Goodenough. In this presentation, John Wesley will always; be called John Wesley so that he will not be confused with his father who will be referred to as John. Following is essentially all the information about the family that was passed on to Frank by his father.
About 1842, or 1843, John Wesley’s Grandfather, William Goodenough, emigrated from England and settled in the Peterborough, Ont. region of Canada. William’s wife’s name was Hannah, and, for what it is worth, John Wesley thought that Hannah’s maiden name had been Newton. He was further of the belief that the Newton’s were related to Sir Isaac Newton, and this may be; however, it is well known that Sir Isaac Newton never married and had no direct descendants.
John Goodenough was the oldest child of William and Hannah; he was born on November. 4, 1844. As a young man, he was apprenticed to a potter; but, after the pottery was destroyed by fire, in 1867, John and a younger brother, William George, (he went by the name of George) emigrated to the United States by way of Buffalo, New York.
At about this time John dropped the “e” from his name, spelling it Goodnough. The name prior to the spelling change was pronounced “Good-e-nuff or Good–e–now”; after the spelling change John pronounced it “Good–no”.
After an undetermined period of time in Buffalo the brothers, for whatever reasons, separated. John Wesley did not know what happened to George, but did know that John went west to St. Louis, Missouri. Following a short time there, he moved again taking up residence in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was there that John met and married for the first time to Adaline Powell; the year of this event was 1878. To this marriage two daughters and one son were born. Adaline died in 1682. John married for the second time in 1885, to Orlean Park. Three sons and one daughter were born to this marriage; John Wesley was the first. This is about all of the information that John Wesley was able to pass on to his son, Frank; except that, when asked about what had happened to his father’s brothers and sister, he said he thought they had moved west to Manitoba, Saskatchewan or Winnipeg; he really didn’t know for sure.
The children of John and Orlean, other than John Wesley, were a daughter, Esther, and sons, Francis Edward and Earl P. They, of course, were known to Frank as Aunt Esther, Uncle Frank and Uncle Earl, but they were seen only infrequently because of the considerable distance between their chosen places of residence. Both Orlean and John died in Indianapolis, she on Feb. 10, 1920 and he on August 25, 1921. Although Frank was born in 1919, he has no memory of having seen either of his father’s parents.
In the summer of 1968, Frank and Dottie made a trip to Peterborough, Ont. with the hope of finding some trace of the Goodenough family. Nothing of great interest was uncovered in Peterborough, itself. The big find of this trip was made in Toronto; here they were able to examine the 1851 and 1861 Canadian Censuses. In these they found that in 1851 William Goodenough was living in Monaghan Twp. Peterborough County, Ontario. This was in the town of Peterborough itself. The family was listed as follows:
1851 Age Place of Birth
Goodenough, William 37 England
Hannah (wife) 34 England
John (son) 7 Canada W.
Elizabeth (dau.) 5 Canada W.
Wm. George (son) 3 Canada W.
James Newton (son) 1 Canada W.
This census also told that the family resided in a log cabin and William was a farmer.
The 1861 census recorded that that family still lived in the Town of Peterborough, and William was listed as a Labourer. John, age18, the eldest son, was listed as a member of the family but not living at home. It also recorded that an addition had been made to the Goodenough family since the previous census. Jesse Godfrey, a daughter, age 2, was enumerated. On the following page in that same census, John Goodenough, age 19, was again listed; he was living in the home of John Brownscomb, a potter. His occupation was that of apprentice. Unfortunately, in 1968, the 1871 census had not yet been opened to the public.
In addition to the visit to the Archives Office in Toronto where the census was located, the searchers visited the Department of Vital Statistics; here a death record of a John Goodenough was found. The date of the death was June 12, 1875, the place of death was Harvey Twp., Peterborough County; the age at death was 50 years. This John’s place of birth was stated to have been in Cambridgeshire, England. The information regarding the deceased had been given by a William Goodenough. At that time Frank and Dottie were unable to fit this information into the overall picture, but it will be seen that eventually it falls into place.
It occurred to Frank that surely there must be a way to trace and find out what happened to that part of the Goodenough family that did not immigrate to the States. So many people could not have just vanished into thin air.
Acting upon the possibility that perhaps there was something to the statement of John Wesley’s, when he mentioned that he thought but was not sure, that some of William’s family had gone to Manitoba, Saskatchewan or Winnipeg, Dottie wrote to the Provincial Archives of both Manitoba and Saskatchewan requesting information of anyone with the name of Goodenough settling in those provinces. The Archives in Manitoba responded with information from the Land Offices; in 1897, a James N. Goodenough had been settled on a homestead near Boissevain in southern Manitoba.
In July of 1987, the Goodnoughs headed west and north to visit southern Manitoba. They wanted to see if they could learn more about James. Perhaps there would be in that area descendants of James who could tell them what happened to William and Hannah, James’ brother, George, and sisters, Elizabeth and Jesse Godfrey.
Upon their arrival in Boissevain, Frank and Dorothy first inquired at the Town of Boissevain Administrative Offices. The officials there were most helpful. Frank was shown how he could locate the exact, tract to which James had held title and farmed; they helped search the cemetery records looking for anyone with the name of Goodenough but, there were none. They made telephone calls to nearby villages to inquire about their cemeteries; again, there were no positive findings. It almost looked as if the end of a blind alley had been reached.
However, on the morning of the very last day they were in Boissevain a most unusual event took place. Frank and Dorothy went into a men’s haberdashery store to purchase caps for themselves, souvenirs of their visit to Boissevain. The clerk-owner of the store, recognizing them as visitors to the town, in a friendly manner inquired of their business there. Of course, they were only too happy to tell him. One of three older men, who happened to be in the store when the Goodnoughs entered, volunteered that, he remembered his parents had known, talked about and were friends of the James Goodenough family. He was quick to add that was all he remembered because at the time he was very very young. He then, more or less, insisted that the Goodnoughs visit his older brother, Nels Swanson, a resident of a nearby nursing home.
Wishing to leave no stone unturned, Frank and Dorothy called upon Nels, a man about 87 years of age; he was very alert both physically and mentally. When Frank explained to him the purpose of his visit, he stated that, yes, he remembered very well that, when he was a boy his family lived on the farm that adjoined the Goodenough farm, and he reaffirmed what his brother had said about James being a very good friend of his parents. He said that James had no children. Regretfully, he did not recollect what had happened to James other than that, he had lost his homestead. Heartened to find even this small kernel of information but thinking that there were very few traces of James Goodenough remaining in the area, Frank and Dottie departed Boissevain and moved on to Winnipeg where additional inquiries about James were entirely non-productive.
It was only a few days, after their return to Ohio, that the Goodnoughs were most happily surprised to receive a letter from Mr. Nels Swanson of Boissevain. In this letter was information that had escaped Nels’ memory during his brief and unexpected visit with the Goodnoughs. He related to them that a step-granddaughter of’ James Goodenough was still living and living in Boissevain; her name was Zella Daw. He had talked to Zella on the telephone and sent along some information that Zella had given to him. He then gave Zella’s postal address that she might be contacted directly by mail. Immediately, Frank sent a letter of introduction and many questions to Mrs. Daw.
In reply to these questions Zella tried to give as much information as she could. She began by explaining her relationship to James. James had married Elizabeth Ventures (Ventress), a woman who had been married previously and who brought a three year old daughter, Cora, to her second marriage. This marriage took place in 1873, in Harvey Twp., Peterborough Co., Ontario. Cora, of course, lived with the Goodenoughs as their natural daughter. In the course of time, Cora married Adolphus Opperman, and she had two children by him before she was widowed. Zella was one of these children. After a few years, Cora remarried, but Zella, who had been living with her mother in the home of her grandparents, did not elect to live with her mother following her remarriage; she stayed on in the household of her grandparents and was, in effect, raised by them. James and Elizabeth Goodenough had no children of their own.
Zella was able to further inform the Goodnoughs that, in 1907, after James lost his homestead, he, his wife, Elizabeth, and Zella moved to Ituna, Saskatchewan, for a time, but after Elizabeth died there, he and Zella returned to Boisevain. Here Zella met and married Arthur Daw. James then returned to Nogies Creek in Harvey Twp., Peterborough Co., Ontario, to live out his days.
This was an important bit of information; for, when the Goodenough family moved from the Town of Peterborough, they were not to be readily found in the 1871 census. It would have taken a major stroke of good fortune to determine to where the family had moved. Zella gave the needed clue to locate the Goodenoughs in Harvey Twp. in 1871. In reply to the question of what happened to William Goodenough, Zella stated that she knew nothing of him. This was explained by the fact that William had died in 1876, a number of years before her birth. She was able to relate that Elizabeth Goodenough, James’ sister, had married a man named George Brumwell and that several of Elizabeth’s children (she had eleven) [note: someone has written in the margin.. my grandmother, only 10] had migrated to Saskatchewan. This information allowed Frank and Dottie to locate the Brumwells in the 1871 and 1881 census records of Harvey Township. Of course, finding and communicating with Zella made the trip to Manitoba exceedingly worthwhile, even though the “real good” feeling was somewhat delayed. The Goodnoughs surely would have savoured seeing and talking with Zella in person, but that was not to be.
There were several exchanges of letters between Frank and Zella. New information came to the Goodnoughs bit by bit during late 1987, and early 1988. Each letter received with answers to previously asked questions only stimulated more questions. Frank and Dottie realized it was a must for them to go to Harvey Twp., Peterborough County, Ontario, as soon as they could. To prepare themselves for the trip with as much data as possible, two trips were made to the County Library in Ft. Wayne, Indiana; here the complete census for the United States and Canada can be found. Fortunately, in 1987, the 1871, 1881 and 1891 censuses had been released and were available for use.
In June 1988, Frank and Dorothy hitched their trailer to their Suburban and headed north to Canada. It was a circuitous route that took them there, but the ultimate destination was the Town of Bobcaygeon in Harvey Twp., Peterborough Co. Ontario, and arrival was in due time.
Bobcaygeon is about 30 miles north of the town of Peterborough. At, the present time it is a village of about two to three thousand inhabitants for seven or eight months of the year. Because it is a centre for recreational pursuits, the vacation months find its population is about doubled; this causes a great increase in activity and congestion in and about the town. Bobcaygeon is situated between two lakes that are a part of the Trent River Waterway. A lock operates between these lakes to accommodate their difference in levels. In early years Bobcaygeon was a lumbering centre; logs were floated down the waterway to Lake Ontario for export to England and Europe. Eventually, however, the supply of trees was exhausted. Generally. the entire area is not one with good farm land; it is on the edge of the Canadian Shield of granite rock that outcrops in a large number of places. Nothing grows on the land between the outcrops except brush, pine trees and weeds; many areas are quite desolate. Farming is limited, and that which is grown is for local consumption . At the present time the services that support the tourist trade- namely, hunting, fishing and recreational boating, are the economic mainstays of this community.
Nogies Creek is the name of a small stream in the area; it is also the name once given to a crossroads settlement about four miles northeast of Bobcaygeon on the road between that town and the town of Buckhorn. At; one time the Nogies Creek settlement had a post office but, when the general store, that included the post office burned and the church that was there was sold and moved to another location, the settlement, as such, was abandoned; the post office was never re-established. Nogies Creek, however, is still a dot on the maps of this area. There is a Nogies Creek Campground, and the Goodnoughs camped comfortably there for three nights; also there is a Nogies Creek Cemetery. This cemetery will be discussed in greater detail later.
The search for traces of the Goodenoughs in Harvey Twp. began in the Bobcaygeon Cemetery. The sexton of the cemetery was not difficult to locate. He told Frank that as far as he knew there were no Goodenoughs buried in the Bobcaygeon Cemetery. He wasn’t sure about the Nogies Creek Cemetery, but he said that in his office he had a record of the burials there. At that particular moment it was necessary for him to leave to attend a burial in another part of the cemetery, so arrangements were made to meet him at his office the following day. When this meeting took place it, was a most pleasant and wonderful surprise to find that in the Nogies Creek Cemetery Record the following burials were registered:
Name Date Died Date Born Age Cause/death
William Goodenough May 1676 1803 73 Felling tree
John Goodenough May 1876 1816 60 Neumonia*
George Goodenough 1873 1850 23 Inflamation*
Elizabeth Brumwell Jan 1921 1645 75 Neumonia*
James N. Goodenough Apr 1931 – 78 Bronch. Pneum.
* Spelling as on the record
The cemetery record told that both William and John wore born in England. George was born in the area of Rice Lake. Elizabeth was born in Peterborough. The place of birth of James was not listed. (It was probably Peterborough in 1850.) At last the answers to many of the questions sought for so long a time by the Goodnoughs were found. Questions not even asked were answered; questions such as , what had happened to George? If George, in fact, had emigrated to Buffalo with John in the late 1860′s, he must have returned to the Nogies Creek area where he later died. (Further discussion of George will follow.)
The sexton of the Bobcaygeon Cemetery arranged for the Goodnoughs to visit with a great grandson of Elizabeth Goodenough Brumwell, Mr. Lloyd Beatty. They called upon Mr. Beatty who is the retired Postmaster of the Bobcaygeon post office. He seemed to be both surprised and happy to talk to a “shirt-tail” relative. Mr. Beatty told Frank that he was one of three supervisors of the Nogies Creek Cemetery, and then commented on some of the problems there were experiencing. The main one of these being the encroachment of owners and tenants of properties adjoining the cemetery. In the conversation with Mr. Beatty it did not take long to determine that William Goodenough was a common ancestor and that the relation of Mr. Beatty to Frank was that of second cousin once removed. The Goodnoughs greatly enjoyed their brief visit with Mr. Beatty and his wife, Jean. Mr. Beatty enabled Frank to obtain a copy of the Nogies Creek Cemetery record for his own use; in addition he arranged for Frank and Dottie to meet Ernest Brumwell. Ernest is a grandson of Elizabeth Brumwell and Frank’s second cousin; he lived but a short distance from the Beatty’s home. Mr. Beatty thought that perhaps Ernest would have information about the Goodenoughs that he didn’t have, but this was not the case. However, a very pleasant hour or two was well spent meeting and talking to Ernest and Muriel, his wife.
Without difficulty the Nogies Creek Cemetery was located and visited. It is a plot that is about seventy five yards square; it sits up on a small elevation; and it is fenced. The grass in the cemetery had been mowed, and the shrubbery had been trimmed; wooden stakes had been placed at the four corners of each plot. There are only a few markers in this cemetery; however, one marker that is there marks the grave of Elizabeth and George Brumwell. The record shows that there have been seventy five burials in the cemetery. The first one recorded was in May 1866, and the last was in November 1952.
Both Hannah and Jesse Godfrey were listed in the 1861 census, but they were not listed in the 1871 census. It was assumed this was because they had died. Since they were not buried in the Nogies Creek Cemetery, it was further assumed that they were buried in Peterborough. While attempting to find the gravesite of Hannah, Frank and Dottie learned that in the early days of Peterborough the Methodist Church had its own burial grounds. Since the Goodenoughs were Methodists it was logical that Hannah and Jesse Godfrey would have been buried there. In about the 1800′s the land, on which this Methodist Cemetery was located, was desired for other purposes, and the cemetery was closed. Some removals were made to Peterborough’s other cemetery, but not all burials were moved. Inquiry was made of the Methodist Church (now the United Church of Canada) regarding old cemetery records, but the information received was that all records were destroyed by fire many years ago. An inquiry was then made to the Little Lake Cemetery, Peterborough’s only remaining cemetery. No records of Goodenough burials were found.
While in Harvey Twp. several people suggested that when Frank and Dottie were in Peterborough they should visit the Archives. In these archives were many early records for all of Peterborough County; perhaps this repository would have something concerning the Goodenoughs. The Archives were visited, but the archivist was on a one week holiday. No one other than the archivist was familiar with the material. (How lucky can one get?)
While in the area the Goodnoughs visited a tourist attraction in Keene, Ont.; it was called “Pioneer Village”. It was a restoration that depicted life in Canada in the mid-19th century. One of the displays seen there told the history of the Brownscomb Pottery in Peterborough. It related that John Brownscomb had built, and operated the pottery, and the venture was very successful for the pottery products made there were in heavy demand. Unfortunately, in 1867, fire destroyed the pottery. The sketch further indicated that Mr. Brownscomb, in the operation of the original pottery, provided employment for five men. From the census records of 1861 it is known that John Goodenough (later Goodnough) was one of those five employees. The account then went on to say that the pottery after several years was rebuilt by another man, and , although it was operated by John Brownscomb, he was not the owner.
Discussion.
Acting on the premise that George Goodenough had left Peterborough and emigrated to the United States with his brother, John, after 1867, a diligent search was made of the census records of the Buffalo and Niagara Falls area of New York. A George Goodenough was located in Lockport, N.Y. This man had been born in Canada, and , although his age was off by a few years, the difference was within reason.
By correspondence and a visit to Lockport in 1986, descendants of this George Goodenough were located. Although there was no specific family history that would make either Frank or Dottie believe or disbelieve that the George in question was the brother of John Goodenough, the coincidences were several, and at that time Frank wanted to believe that this George was the brother of John.
However, the 1871 Canadian census of Harvey township, Peterborough, Ont. Shows George, age 23, and William age 61 in the same household. And, as mentioned previously, the cemetery record shows that a George Goodenough was buried in the Nogies Creek Cemetery in 1873 This evidence is overwhelming that this George was the son of William. Moreover, it convincingly proves that he returned to Harvey Twp., following his separation from brother, John, in Buffalo. Any similarities of name and age that the George Goodenough located in Lockport, N. Y. has to that of the George Goodenough of Harvey Twp., Peterborough Co., Ontario are purely coincidental.
It was not until after the Goodnoughs were able to study the 1871 census in the fall of 1967 that the importance of the death record of John Goodenough, obtained in Toronto in 1968, was recognised. The census record for 1871 indicates that William, age 61, and son, George, were living next door to John Goodenough, age 42, John’s, wife, Margret and an infant son of one month, Robert. This John, of course, could not be John the son of William for he had immigrated to the United States. Since it was a William who gave the information about his brother, John, at the time John died in 1875, it became apparent that this John must have been the brother of William. Prior to this it was not known or appreciated by either Frank or Dottie that William had a brother living that close to him.
Interestingly, the positive statement made by William on John’s death report, that John (the brother of William) was born in Cambridgeshire, England, is also a very important one. It definitely indicates that a search for Goodenough ancestors in England should begin in Cambrideshire.
There are yet remaining a few unanswered questions; one of these is what might have become of Robert, the infant son of John? This question and any others will be a concern of the writer’s future endeavours, you can be sure.
Concluding remarks and summary;
This record is that of Frank Goodnough’s ancestors, William and Hannah Goodenough, who emigrated from England to Canada in the middle of the 19th century. It records their movements, and it tells of their offspring and what happened to them. Information such as this paper contains is easily lost if it is not updated at frequent intervals. Most of those who receive this compilation will, it is hoped, update it for their own family. The writer hopes that it will help the reader in this and future generations to more fully appreciate his or her heritage.
Frank 0. Goodnough M.D.
Massillon, Ohio
August, 1988