Mary (Goodin) Ricketts (abt. 1654 - abt. 1750)

Wife of William Ricketts — married 1657 in England

Descendants

Died about 16 Apr 1750 at about age 96 in Canaan, Westmoreland, Jamaica

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Elizabeth Viney [send private message] and Philip Noel [send private message]

Biography

Mary was still living in December 1735 when she was named in the will of her son William Ricketts of New York.

In the Mausoleum at Canaan on the Masemure estate is an inscription reading MARY RICKETTS, widow, d. 16 Apr. 1750 aged 96. ^[1]

Research Notes

Her formerly attached parents were Sir Francis Goodwin MP and Elizabeth Grey. Elizabeth was 66 years old when Mary was "born", so there's no way she's her mother. Francis was 57 so possibly an illegitimate child? Since Elizabeth Grey has noble and royal connections I assume it was a false connection.

The Mary of this profile has been erroneously connected to the Winchendon Goodwin family in many internet family trees. There is no evidence for this connection.

Family Tree in British Library:

MS in the British Library (Add MS 31,228) containing a number of Jamaican pedigrees assembled by Col Lawrence-Archer. Folios 17 - 18 contain a family tree of the Goodin family of Jamaica. It was compiled by Col Lawrence Archer, a well-known collector of W Indian pedigrees. He states that the Goodins are "erroneously" known as Goodwin and Godwin" in pedigree already published" Mary Goodin is shown on the tree as the daughter of a Robert Goodin, wife of William Ricketts & mother of Sarah (an error: should be Rachel who married Thomas Johnson), William & George Ricketts. Lawrence Archer was not always accurate. However, this identification of Mary Goodin is supported by evidence (see below).

References in contemporary Ricketts sources refer to the Goodins as cousins:

a). William Ricketts’ (d 1735?) Will [Note: Will transcribed by Barrie Clifford]: “To my Cousin George Goodin…” [Note: presumably the George Goodin who lived 1694-1776, & Mary Goodin’s nephew by her brother George (d 1729). NB: if William Ricards/Ricketts’ wife was not Mary Goodin, there would have been no reason (except perhaps sentiment) for his son William to have referred to a George Goodin as “cousin”. The only other record of a blood connection between the Ricketts & Goodin families is the marriage between George Ricketts’ (c 1684-1760) daughter Mary (1730-1749) to Richard Haughton which must have taken place in the 1740s - after the Will was written. Haughton’s mother, Elizabeth Goodin, would have been Mary Goodin’s nephew by her brother George Goodin (d. 1729).]

b). George Ricketts’ (c 1684 - 1760) Will: “I give to my dear good cousin Mrs Mary Barclay [Note: 1704-1760; née Kirkpatrick; daughter of Mary Goodin’s sister, Ann, & Hugh Kirkpatrick. Hence she would have been Mary Goodin’s niece. She married first William Hall & second James Barclay. Ref Wright 1958] ... It is my will and desire that my executors hereafter named do give to my loving friends … Mrs Mary Barclay…George Goodin Senior, [Note: presumably 1694-1776] …each a mourning ring as a token of my friendship. …My son John Ricketts and my nephew Jacob Johnson and my cousin George Goodin Junior [Note: definitely George Robert Goodin (1735-1799), son of George Goodin senior. He later married George’s 3rd wife Elizabeth née Cleaver] to be trustees and guardians for the child that my wife is now pregnant with [Note: that child was George William Ricketts (1760-1842), my ancestor].

Other Contemporary References:

a). Letter written 23 June 1758 by Mary Ricketts (1737-1828) née Jervis from Jamaica to her sister Elizabeth in England [Note: British Library Additional MS 30,001, folios 4-7. Mary was married to William Henry Ricketts (1736-1798)]: “… There is some relations of Mr Ricketts going over, one Mr Hall & his family. Mrs Hall is sister to the Mr Dehany…” [Note: Thomas Hall was the son of Mary Hall, née Kirkpatrick, later Barclay. Hence he was Mary Goodin’s great nephew. He married his second cousin Mary Dehany, who was the daughter of Mary née Goodin & niece of Mary Goodin.].

b). Letter written possibly on 11 May 1770 by William Henry Ricketts (1736-1798) in Jamaica to his wife Mary in England, describing his progress in building the Ricketts Mausoleum at Canaan in Westmoreland [Note: British Library Additional MS 30,001, folios 37-39]: “… This affair has given old Mr Goodin such pleasure that he has promised to visit more…” [Note: the mausoleum contained the grave of “Mary Ricketts, widow, died 16 April 1750 aged 96.” Mr Goodin is clearly George Goodin (1694-1776). A likely explanation for his “pleasure” is that Mary Ricketts was his Aunt Mary Goodin.]

Goodin Graves at Llanelli, Westmoreland, Jamaica

While not directly helping in the Mary Goodin/Goodwin matter, the inscriptions have helped me to construct a putative Goodin family tree. I have taken the details from Philip Wright’s “Monumental Inscriptions.” Important inscriptions are:

Ref 1958: Hugh Kirkpatrick born at Irwin in Scotland 23 Oct 1671 … d.8 Dec 1746. Married to Ann the daughter of Robert Goodin. … His daughter Mary married to William Hall Esq. Ref 1970: George Goodin Lewis, son to John and Ann Katherine Lewis, d 12 March 1774 aged 19 years 2 months 8 days. Ref 1971: Elizabeth wife of George Robert Goodin Esq, died 13 Sept 1762 aged 25 years, 2 months 8 days [Note: this is Elizabeth nee Cleaver, who was the third wife of George Ricketts (c 1684-1760)] Ref 1972: George Robert Goodin Esq, native of this Island d. 24 December 1799 aged 64 Ref 1973: George Goodin Esq, died 17 January 1776, aged 82 Ref 1974: Here lyeth the body of Mary Goodin wife of George Goodin the 2nd who departed this life the 15 day of November 1752 in the 52nd year of her age. Ref 1980: Sarah Dawes, daughter of James and Ann Dawes and granddaughter to Goodin Ref 1981: Mary Goodin Dawes, daughter to James and Ann Dawes and grand daughter to George Goodin died 7 July 1766 aged 5 years… Ref 1982: Jane Bosley, daughter to William and Ann Katherine Bosley and grand daughter to George Goodin the 2nd, d. 24 Sept 1769 aged 1 year.

Will of George Robert Goodin (1735-1799)

Possible Goodin Tree (simplified & shortened):

Robert Goodin married Ann (1629-1722). Their Children:

1. George Goodin (d 1729) m. Sarah (d. 1739/40): 1a. George Goodin (1694-1776) m. Mary (1701-1752) 1a1. George Robert Goodin (1735-1799) m. Elizabeth Ricketts née Cleaver (see wife iii of 2b below) 1a2. Anne Goodin m. James Dawes 1a3. Ann Katherine Goodin m (i) William Bosley, (ii) John Lewis

1b. Elizabeth Goodin (1700-1765) m. Hon Col Richard Haughton (1691-1740) 1b1. Richard Haughton m. Mary Ricketts (1730-1749) (see 2b4 below)

1c. Mary Goodin (1702-1761) m. David Dehany (1701-1754) 1c1. Mary Dehany m. Thomas Hall (see 3a1 below)

?1d. William Goodin (1713-1765); m. Sarah 1d1. Judith Goodin (1741-1804) m. Edward Barrett

2. Mary Goodin (1654-1750) m. William Ricards/Ricketts (c1733-1700) 2a. William Ricketts of Ridgland () m. Mary Walton 2a1. William Ricketts () m. Elizabeth Emmett 2a2. Violetta Ricketts m. Edward Hicks 2a3. Mary Ricketts m. Rt Hon Stephen van Cortland 2a4. Elizabeth Ricketts m. Philip van Horn 2b. George Ricketts of Canaan (c 1684-1760) m. (i) Sarah Waite 2b1. John Ricketts (1717-1769) m. Anne Crawford 2b2. Jacob Ricketts (d. 1756) m. Hannah Poyntz (d. 1749) 2b3. William Henry Ricketts (1736-1798) m. Mary Jervis (1737-1828) 2b4. Mary Ricketts (1730-1749) m. Richard Haughton (see 1b1 above) 2b. George Ricketts of Canaan (c 1684-1760) m. (iii) Elizabeth Cleaver (1737-1762) 2b5. George William Ricketts (1760-1842) m. Laetitia Mildmay (1768-1839)

Sources

1. ↑ Philip Wright, pub by Society of Genealogists, London in 1966, p. 194: