Joseph Goodhue (1794 - 1861)

Born 27 Oct 1794 in Swanzey, Cheshire, New Hampshire

Ancestors

Husband of Sarah (Edwards) Goodhue — married 2 Nov 1813 in Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts, USA

Died 23 Aug 1861 at age 66 in Brattleboro, Windham, Vermont

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Biography

Joseph Goodhue was born on October 27, 1794 in Swanzey, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, his mother's home-town. His father was Francis Goodhue III, Esquire, b: Oct. 26, 1768 in New Hampshire. In 1788 Francis Goodhue married Mary "Polly" Brown, daughter of Rev. Joseph Brown of Swanzey, Cheshire, NH. The couple lived in Swanzey until about 1800 when they moved to Wethersfield, Vermont where Francis was a wealthy farmer and prominent landowner. Joseph Goodhue was brought up on their celebrated "Bow Farm," 1,000 acres of fertile land along the Connecticut River.^[1] The family sold the Bow Farm at a good profit and moved north to Brattleboro in 1811. There, they quickly established themselves as one of the leading families and largest landowners in the area.

Joseph Goodhue married Sarah Edwards, daughter of a wealthy landowning family in Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts. They married in Northampton on November 21, 1813. ^[2]

The couple moved to Brattleboro, Windham County, Vermont, where they had 5 children:^[3]

1. Lucy G. GOODHUE b: 1814
2. Mary Ann GOODHUE b: 1816
3. Harriet GOODHUE b: 1817
4. Francis Joseph GOODHUE b: 1822
5. Sarah M. GOODHUE b: 1827

The Goodhue family remained among the leading families of Brattleboro, Windham, Vermont and all of Joseph & Sarah's children lived to maturity and made very-good marriages. See below for a 1884 resume of Colonel Joseph Goodhue's life in Vermont.

Joseph & Sarah Goodhue are listed on the 1850 US Census as "farmers" living in Brattleboro, WIndham, Vermont, USA. No children were still living at home then.^[4] Joseph Goodhue died on June 20, 1862, in Brattleboro, Vermont. Sarah (Edwards) Goodhue survived for another 21 years. She died on November 11, 1883, in Brattleboro. They were buried next to each other at the Prospect Hill Cemetery, Brattleboro, Windham County, Vermont, USA. Plot: L:12. Their tombstone inscriptions gives their exact birth and death dates.^[5]

1884 Biographical Note

Taken from: "The Vermont Historical Gazetteer: A Magazine...," edited by Abby Maria Hemenway: 1884.^[6]

"Col. Joseph GOODHUE, soon after his marriage, came into possession of the large meadow farm, occupied in early times, before the war of the Revolution, by John ARMS, one of the earliest settlers. Col. GOODHUE was a model of industry, and during a large portion of his life occupied various town offices, and was the chief in command of the regiment in this vicinity."

"Being one of the most economical, successful, cautious men in this town, yet he was one of the largest investors here in the first railroad enterprise-the Vermont & Massachusetts railroad-and was one of the board of directors during the remainder of his life. At the time of his death, in 1861, his children were all married, settled mostly in this place, and constitute, with their families, a very important and influential part of this community. His wife Sarah died November 11, 1883."

"Mary Ann was married to William P. CUNE, president of the old bank, chartered here in 1821 and renewed in 1863. Harriet was married in 1835 to ex-Governor HOLBROOK. Lucy married Dr. HALL, of Northampton, Mass., in 1836. Sarah married first, Albert H. BULL, Esq., of Hartford, Ct., who before 1860 gave $2,000 to the Brattleboro Library Association. Her second husband, Dr. E. R. CHAPIN, was, for fifteen years, superintendent physician of the Asylum for the Insane, at Flatbush, near the city of New York. Francis, the only son, married Mary BROOKS, daughter of Captain William BROOKS."

Sources

1. ↑ "The Vermont Historical Gazetteer: A Magazine...," edited by Abby Maria Hemenway: 1884, pg. 119 (121 electronic version).
2. ↑ USFWArchives Massachusetts Hampshire Northampton Marriages: Goodhue, Joseph / Edwards, Sarah 11/2/1813 The transcript states "1815" but this is an error as their first daughter was born in 1814. These families were very devout & they wouldn't have had a child before marriage.
3. ↑ Hawley, Hurd etc. Genealogy on RootsWeb - Sarah Edwards
4. ↑ 1850 US Census: Vermont - Windham - Brattleboro - Joseph Goodhue
5. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #124119262 - Sarah Edwards Goodhue and see Find A Grave: Memorial #124119197 - Joseph Goodhue.
6. ↑ "The Vermont Historical Gazetteer: A Magazine...," edited by Abby Maria Hemenway: 1884, pg. 121 (123 electronic version).

Acknowledgements

• WikiTree profile Goodhue-58 was created through the import of BDM7-7-11.ged on Jul 8, 2011 by Brian McCullough. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Brian and others.
• Mayflower Families Through Five Generations Vol. 15 p. 170