In trying to find Nancy Goodman Comstock's family, I have looked at many Goodman families, particularly those that had either lived in counties where she lived earlier, or were in Perry County, TN, during the 1840's and 1850's.
One Goodman - Alexander - was in Barren Co, KY, 1810, Maury Co, TN in 1820, Hickman County TN in 1830 and 1840, and his widow is found in Perry County TN in 1850. He certainly was not Nancy Goodman's father, but I will include here what I know about Alexander Goodman in case it will be of benefit to someone else. I suspect Alexander was her uncle or cousin.
Alexander Goodman was living in 1838, Perry Co Deed Book F, p.161
27 Mar 1848 Alexander Goodman to William Wood/Ward, tract located Range 11, S4. Adjacent George Horn, Wallace Dixon. Another tract, same range & section, Corner of 540 acres, entry in the name of Alexander Goodman. 69 acres & 60 poles. Signed Alexander Goodman
Wit: J. A. Saunders, John Depriest. Acknowledged 27 Mar 1848 and recorded.
1850 Census, Perry County, TN
Hh 63 Nancy Goodman, age 62, b. SC [widow of Alexander]. William age 28, Elenor age 18 [marked as male and it's possible the name was a messed up "Elmor" - this could be Nancy & Alexander's son Jesse E.], and Christa Roberts, age 11, probably a grandchild because Mahala Roberts, once married but now widowed, daughter, was living next door, Hh 64.
Note: some have identified this Nancy as being the same Nancy Goodman found next to Ephraim Comstock in Carroll Co in 1830, but that Nancy was already aged 50-60 in 1830. Since four children of Nancy & Alexander will be identified as heirs and none of them are named William - this young man is a mystery.
Living in the next two households were more Goodmans, at least Asa was a son.
Hh 65 J. A. Goodman, age 17 with Mary E, age 19 [the 1840 census indicates a son born to Alexander between 1830 and 1835, at age 17 he would have been born 1833 - this could be Jesse E. Goodman with the wrong middle initial, but then who would be "Elmor" living with Nancy?]
Hh 66 Asa Goodman, age 40, b. KY and Catherine, 37, b. TN and 12 children from 19 to age 1
In Hh 69, was Hugh and Sarah (Goodman) DePriest - she gave her age as 40, the same as her brother Asa, but early censuses show she was born before 1810 so probably a year or two older. There were six children in the DePriest home, between the ages of 17 and 6 - the youngest was named Mahala.
This deed proved the heirs of Alexander Goodman, although it does not explain some of the young adult Goodmans living with the widow in Nancy in 1850. It is true that the earlier censuses very much support that Alexander had only four children - two males and two females indicated to be of ages that match their ages in the 1850 census:
Perry Co Deeds, DB H; [2nd p.407 – misnumbered]
12 Oct 1852 Asa D. Goodman to Nathan Ward. $600. all interest & title in a lot of undivided Negroes, property belonging to estate of Alexander Goodman, dec’d. Also all right & title of Hugh Depriest & wife Sarah them having conveyed their interest to Asa D. Goodman. Do defend the title I have in the two shares with all their increase in the possession of Nancy Goodman, widow of Alexander Goodman dec’d and to remain in her possession during her natural life and to be equally divided between Sarah Depriest, Mahala Roberts, A. D. Goodman and Jesse E. Goodman, all lawful heirs of Alexander Goodman. Good Title to one-half. Signed: A. D. Goodman
Wit: Thos. A. Kelly, G. B. Craig
Acknowledged by Goodman, 25 Oct 1852.
Here is the deed when Mahala Roberts sold her share to her brother Asa:
Deed Book I, p.233
Mahala Roberts to Asa D. Goodman. $125. all right title & interest in tract of land which my father Alexander Goodman, dec’d possessed, being my distribution share.
7 Sep 1853 Mahala (x) Roberts Wit: Nathan Ward, C. H. Ward who proved on 25 Sep 1853
and she also sold these slaves:
p.551 Mahala Roberts to Thomas Brashear all right title & interest in three slaves belonging to heirs of Alexander Goodman, dec’d for $312.50. ¼ interest in Adaline, William & Jane.
17 Sep 1853 Mahala (x) Roberts. Wit: J. Taylor, Charles Teas
Mahala acknowledged the deed 27 Sep 1853.
But Thomas Brashear sold them back to Hugh DePriest, husband of Sarah Goodman, daughter of Alexander. I did not at the time look for the deed when Brasher acquired the shares that Asa Goodman had sold to Nathan Ward in 1852, but obviously he had:
p.553 We have this day sold to Hugh Depriest, all title & claim in two shares in three Negroes, Adaline, William & Jane, belonging to estate of Alexander Goodman & Mahala Roberts being heirs of said estate for $625 paid by Depriest. Signed: Thomas Brashear
17 Jan 1755. Wit: James Morgan, S. B. Johnson
Brashear acknowledged 17 Jan 1755.
It is apparent that Nathan Ward probably also had some familial relationship to the DePriests, because the widow of Alexander, Nancy Goodman, also sold her right and title to the same three slaves and states their relationship to each other:
Deed Book J p.132
Nancy Goodman to Hugh Deprest, Carroll H. Ward, Thomas Whitwell & wife Melisa C., Green A. Depriest & wife Jane, Johnson Depriest & wife Elizabeth. Hamilton G. Ward, Thos. D., Hugh L., Houston, A. Purlina, & Purlina Ward, all heirs & distributes of Nathan Ward, dec’d. Sold her lifetime title & interest in slaves Adaline, William & Jane and an infant child, all children of Adaline and all increase. Property of Alexander Goodman dec’d. $450.
9 Oct 1855 Signed: Nancy Goodman wit: Richard Dabbs, J E. Goodman
J. E. Goodman was definitely named Jesse as his name appears both ways in the following deed:
Deed Book I, p.446
Know all men by these presents. I, J. E., Goodman for $900 paid by A. D. Goodman. Sell one negro man named Alfred.
11 Oct 1854 Signed: J. E. Goodman
Wit: James H. Goodman, Wm. A. Cotham
Jesse E. Goodman acknowledged same on 12 Oct 1854.
And Asa sold some of his land to J. E. Goodman. There were two mortgages noted.
Deed Book J, p.2
13 Oct 1854 Asa D. Goodman to J. E. Goodman for $500 Range 11. On waters of Marsh Crk. 55 acres. Conditional line bet A. D. Goodman & J. E. Goodman. Signed: A. D. Goodman
p.3 J. E. Goodman to J. W. Shelton. Mortgage deed. Signed: J. E. Goodman, A. D. Goodman,
Another mortgage was signed by. J. E. Goodman, Nancy (x) Goodman [probably Jesse's mother]
There were other Goodmans living in Perry Co, TN in 1850.
Hh 216 Riley Goodman, age 25, Mary age 25, 4 children – all born in Tennessee
Hh 340 Thomas G. Goodman, age 23, Mary A., age 22, 3 children – all born TN
Hh 360 Toliver T. Goodman, age 52, b. North Carolina, Margaret 45, b. KY, two teenage daughters born in TN [Here is another link between Maury Co and Perry Co - Toliver was on a tax list in 1826 in Perry Co]
Hh 488 Jesse Goodman, age 30 and Sarah age 28, a young son age 1, and Griffith Goodman, age 19, all born in TN [this is a second Jesse - his age does not fit the 1810-1840 censuses of Alexander Goodman's family]
Hh 531 Thomas Goodman, age 21, Mahala, age 19, and Sarah J. age 1, all born TN
There was another Goodman widow [or rather her children] in Perry Co. She had been married to an older Jesse Goodman, not either of those living in Perry Co in 1850, and she was nee Anna Davidson, daughter of an Alexander Davidson who had lived in Barren Co, KY where all the Goodmans were in 1810. She was quite possibly the mother of Alexander Goodman:
Deed Book G:
p.363
1 Dec 1849 Appoint Pleasant Whitwell my attorney to demand from Isaac Davidson, distributive share from Anna Goodman, dec’d wife of Jesse Goodman, heir of one Alexander Davidson, now dec’d. in Barren Co KY. Signed: Mary (x) Saunders. Wit: John Depriest, John (x) Murray
p.365
1 Dec 1849 Pleasant Whitwell, attorney for Alexander (x) Davidson for his distributive share descended from James Davidson dec’d heir of one Alexander Davidson dec’d of Barren Co KY Wit: John (x) Murray, E. H. Whitwell
p.368
3 Dec 1849 Thomas Murray, attorney for Nancy (x) Murray and John (x) Murray to receive share from James Davidson dec’d heir of Alexander Davidson of Baron Co KY. Wit: Lewallen Murray, John O. Murry
I have found data on the Internet suggesting that the above deceased Alexander Davidson, born 1744 in Virginia, died in Barren County in 1817 - he was married first to Anna Bridges by whom he had children James, John, Margaret, Alexander, Hezekiah, Anna, born about 1776, who married Jesse Goodman, William, and Elijah. He married second Mary Ellis and had Rachel, Benjamin, Jesse, Isaac, Abraham, Ellis, Elizabeth, Sarah, Jacob, and Asa. Alexander Davidson did leave a will in Barren County naming all the children and a step-daughter. It's interesting that many of these names occur often in the Goodman family and the families would continue to live in so many of the same locations.
There was a very old Jesse Goodman living among the others in Hickman Co TN, 1830. His age was between 70-80, the probable spouse 60-70 [which fits the suggested birth year of Anna Davidson]. He was on the same census page as Alexander and his son Asa. I suspect Jesse Goodman and Anna Davidson could have been the parents of Alexander, as well as several of the other Goodmans, perhaps even Abraham Goodman. I simply do not have enough data to prove these relationships.
I have seen a family tree, on the Internet and not proved, that groups some of the Goodman names I've found in these locations. A John Goodman married Mary Robertson, 9 Dec 1802, in Rutherford County, NC which also was the early location of these other Goodmans I've discussed - a William Goodman was one of John's bondsmen. Names given for their children include these: Frances, Ivan [Ervin?], Terrell, William who married Betsy Samples and lived in Blount Co TN, John who married Ruth Roach and also lived in Blount Co TN, Harve, Sarah who married Colly Robertson, Jesse who married Dicey ??? and died in 1852 in Lewis Co TN, Drury who married Martha Edwards [also found in Lewis Co TN in 1850], Elisa, and Robertson Goodman [also in Lewis Co and living in his household was a Nancy A. Bates, age 20, who was not a child of Mahala Goodman and Robert Bates].
There was a Toliver T. Goodman, age 52, in Perry Co in 1850, born in North Carolina. His name possibly was actually Talliaferro - I've seen some indications of connections of Goodmans and the Talliferro family in colonial Virginia. There was also a Toliver T. Goodman in Maury Co tax records, 1826-1830 - a young man who had no horses, cattle or slaves. Tolliver Thomas Goodman married Peggy Saunders, 14 Feb 1821, in Maury Co, TN. I'm sure this is all the same person, but no clues as to how he might be related.
An Overton Goodman was in Rutherford Co NC in the 1780's. There had been an Overton Goodman on a tax list in Caswell Co, NC in 1777. A man named Overton Goodman can also be found in the Greenville District of South Carolina, where James Bates was also located. If he is related, his given name was not passed down, and apparently he did not move on to Tennessee.
Fleming Goodman has a distinctive enough given name that he was easy to follow in spite of various spelling of Fleming, but again, no clues to his relationship. He was first found, age 26-45 in Rutherford Co, NC, 1800. He was in Barren Co, KY ,in 1810 and now over age 45, on the same page with a Jesse and a William, both younger. In 1820, Fleming was living in Maury Co, TN and counted next to John Fleming, and on the same page with Abraham Goodman, the most likely prospect for father of my Nancy Goodman Comstock. In 1830, Fleming was in Wayne Co, TN and aged 60-70. He was near John, age 30-40, and S. C., age 20-30. By 1840, Fleming had moved to Perry Co, TN. He again gave his age as 60-70 and was again next to a John Goodman, now age 40-50. A "Calep" [Caleb] Goodman was the only other Goodman in Perry Co that year, and was age 30-40 - S. C. Goodman had been 10 years younger in 1830. By 1850, there is no Fleming Goodman at all anywhere in the census and no Caleb Goodman of the right age and probable birthplace, and I've found no John Goodman in Tennessee whose age and family fits the earlier census information. I have found some indication that Fleming and Goodman families intermarried in Pennsylvania in the early 1800's, but this Fleming Goodman was already in North Carolina in 1800.
That's all. I don't know anything else about Goodman families. Internet searches indicate that no one else has had better luck. If anyone has more information about any of these families, please share.
