William Goodwin (1744 - 1826)

Born 1744 in Mount Bethel, Northampton, Pennsylvania

Descendants

Died 20 Jan 1826 at about age 82 in Lansing, Tompkins, New York, USA

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Biography

William Goodwin, son of Abraham Goodwin and Phoebe (Cool) Goodwin, born 1744, married Ruth Gibbs, probably at Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania.

They gave birth to eight (8) children:

1. Richard Goodwin, married first, Weyburn, married second, Unknown.
2. William Goodwin, married Fanny.
3. Sarah (Goodwin) Morgan, born 1768, married Evan Morgan.
4. Susan Goodwin, died unmarried.
5. Mary "Polly" (Goodwin) Strong, married Simeon Strong.
6. Elizabeth (Goodwin) Brown, married Ebenezer Brown.
7. Katherine (Goodwin) Bloom, born September 1776, married Col. Henry Bloom.
8. Phoebe (Goodwin) Strong, married Amos Strong.

By occupation he was a, miller and farmer. They resided in Delaware Water Gap, Pa., until in 1793 when they removed to East Lansing, Tompkins County, N. Y. Mr. George G. Shafer, surveyor, Mountain Home, Pa., kindly sends statement that John Scott, of Mount Bethel, Pa., gave a mortgage to William Goodwin, of Lower Smithfield, Pa., dated April 23, 1783, Delaware Water Gap lying between these two settlements.

In 1787 William Goodwin and wife Ruth executed a release deed. The records of the Dutch Reformed Church of Smithfield show that in April 1775 Richard Goodwin, Jr., and Sarah Goodwin (and Sarah Morgan) were examined and admitted to the sacrament. The two were evidently the children of William but must have been young.

An account book, now in the possession of Mr. Brodhead, belonging to Aaron Dupuy, who resided in Smithfield Township, commenced in 1743, contains a running account with William Goodwin beginning July 1, 1786, for rye and buckwheat, and ending December 11, 1790. Richard Goodwin's name is also mentioned.

After removing to Tompkins County, N. Y., Mr. Goodwin was for many years a justice of the peace, and a prominent man in the new settlement. His will mentions all of his children except Catherine, and gives to several of his grandchildren, his grandson Edwin Weyburn getting a horse worth fifty dollars, and also receiving a clock for his summer's work. Considerable of the information of this branch has been furnished by Mr. E. V. Morgan, Peruville, N. Y., who descends from Sarah Goodwin and Evan Morgan, her husband, but no attempt has been made to trace the descendants in the female line.

The following is taken from the Ithaca Chronicle of February 1, 1826:

Died. - In Lansing, on the evening of the 20th {January 1826} ult., William Goodwin, Esq. [Justice of the Peace} in the eighty-third year of his age. Mr. Goodwin was one of the first settlers in our country, and the person who cleared the way and drove the first wagon from Oswego, the head of Cayuga Lake. He was a believer in the restitution of all things, and after praying for death a long time, met it with a smile, perfectly reconciled to his fate, and in full hopes of a blessed immortality beyond the grave. [Communicated].

William passed away in 1826 and was laid to rest in the Asbury Cemetery, Lansing, Tompkins County, New York, USA.

From William's Memorial Biography:

William Goodwin settled in the Town of Lansing in 1793. It was he who donated land for the cemetery. His daughter Katharine, wife of Col. Henry Bloom, is believed to be the first to be buried in the graveyard.

Judge Charles P. Avery, in his “History of the Susquehanna Valley,” says, “Wm. Goodwin, it is said, made the first journey with a team from Owego to Ithaca, over a road then first widened from the Indian trail.”

William was mentioned on a memorial in Asbury Cemetery, Lansing, Tompkins County, New York, United States with a death date of 20 January 1825.^[1]

William's Memorial Page^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
   Find A Grave: Memorial #193543156 (accessed 17 January 2024)
   Memorial page for William Goodwin (1741-20 Jan 1825), citing Asbury Cemetery, Lansing, Tompkins County, New York, USA; Maintained by Enjay (contributor 48738760).
2. ↑ Memorial Page: Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/193543156/william-goodwin: accessed 17 January 2024), memorial page for William Goodwin (1741–20 Jan 1825), Find a Grave Memorial ID 193543156, citing Asbury Cemetery, Lansing, Tompkins County, New York, USA; Maintained by Enjay (contributor 48738760).

• William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Supplement, Vol. VIII, No. 2, Pg. 76, October 1899, Editor: Lyon G. Tyler, M. A., L L., D., President of WIlliam and Mary College, Williamsburg, Virginia. "The Goodwin Families in America,"

• Source: S-1938396353 Repository: #R-1938398764 Title: Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Note: This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created. Page: Ancestry Family Trees Note: Data: Text: http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=26867133&pid=1062

• Repository: R-1938398764 Name: Ancestry.com Address: http://www.Ancestry.com Note:

• "United States Census, 1820", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHGW-2G4 : 16 July 2015), William Goodwin, 1820.