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.
Showing posts with label Goodman Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Goodman Family. Show all posts
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Which Goodman Family? Part Three
My analysis of the 1820, 1830, and 1840 Census regarding the Goodmans in Tennessee revealed only one serious contender for the father of Nancy Goodman [1805-1855], wife of Ephraim Comstock, and that was Abraham Goodman.
Abraham Goodman lived in Maury Co TN in 1820 and had three females in his household aged 10-16. Three years later, 1823, Nancy Goodman married Ephraim Comstock there in Maury Co. In the 1850 census in Perry Co TN, the widowed Nancy indicated she was born about 1805, so she would have been about age 15 in 1820. In 1830, a widowed Nancy Goodman lived next to Ephraim & Nancy Comstock - of an age to be her mother.
I have found several family trees online for this Abraham Goodman. None have sources and none have responded to inquiries. Some of the data can be supported by census records. Oh, how I would like to find someone actively researching this family!
Abraham's wife is said to have been a Nancy - no surname known. Abraham is thought to have been born perhaps 1770-1780 in North Carolina and was living in Barren County, Kentucky in 1810 [confirmed by census records], Maury County Tennessee in 1820, and to have died about 1826 in Maury Co.
Lists of children differ with the most consistent ones named as:
Hosea, b. 1798 in SC [1850 census]
Abisha [Abijah, Bisha], b. 1800 - married his cousin Polly Goodman, 1820 in Maury Co TN, shown in 1850 as b. 1800 in NC, living in McCracken KY
Lemuel Oliver, born 1813 in Kentucky [1850 census]
Note the gap in ages between Abisha and Lemuel - some 13 years - the 1810 census indicates as many as four daughters born in this gap.
A daughter Telitha, b. 1815 in TN [1850 Census], married Jordan Middleton
Ervin, b. 1817 in TN [1850 census]
Maybe there was a son Jesse.
Possibly a son James W., b. 1822 in Tennessee [1850 Census]
Here are the censuses with possible family members in parenthesis.
Abraham's family in 1810, Barren Co KY:
2 males under 10 [could be Hosea & Abisha], 1m age 26-45 [Abraham, born bet 1770-1784]
4 females under age 10 [No females of this age are ever shown in online databases so obviously there are unidentified daughters - my Nancy Goodman would have been about age five in 1810 & her likely sister Mahala, a year or two older. How nicely they fit there!], one female age 16-26 [Nancy, born bet 1784-1794, but most likely closer to 1784 given the number of children she has.]
Abraham's family in 1820, Maury Co TN:
2 males under 10 [Lemuel & Ervin] one male now over 45 [Abraham - born bef 1775]
1 females under 10 [Telitha] and 3 females 10-16 [Nancy would be 15; Mahala had married in 1819]. One female age 26-45 [Nancy - still shows her as younger than Abraham, born bet 1775-1794]
So if Abraham died in 1826 and his wife was Nancy, there should be a widowed Nancy Goodman in 1830. The only one around was the Nancy Goodman living next to Ephraim & Nancy Comstock in Carroll County, TN in 1830.
Nancy's family in 1830, Carroll Co TN:
1 male under 5 [James W.? A doubtful son and thought to be about age 8 by 1830. Or is this a grandson?] 1 male age 10-15 [Ervin], 1 male age 15-20 [Lemuel]
1 female age 20-30 [One of the older females still at home] 1 female age 50-60 [born bet 1770 and 1780 and consistent with Nancy's possible age in 1810 and 1820]
Also found living on the other side of the widow Nancy Goodman in Carroll Co in 1830 is Jordan Middleton! Oh happy day! He is the only man of this name in the Federal Census in 1830, and he is reported to be the husband of Abraham & Nancy's daughter Telitha. She is with him later in 1850, 1860, and 1870 so this certainly seems to be correct.
Jordan Middleton: 1 male under 5 [they had a son born 1829], 1 male 20-30 [Jordan, b. about 1806], 1 female 15-20 [Telitha - correct age]
Then the question of what may have happened to the widow Nancy Goodman arises. She is never found under her own name after 1830. There is a possibility she was counted in the household of her son Lemuel in 1840. Several of the probable family kin, notably Fleming and John Goodman who had been on the same page with Abraham back in Maury in 1820, had moved to Wayne Co in 1830 and then on to Perry Co before 1840. However, found in Wayne Co TN in 1840 was Lemuel Goodman and enumerated just after Lemuel was Jordan Middleton. There was also a Jesse Goodman in Wayne Co - he could easily have been part of one of the families of Fleming or John, but he could be the proposed son of Abraham named Jesse.
Lemuel Goodman, 1840, had an older woman in his household. Perhaps his mother Nancy.
1 male under 5, 1 male 5-10, 1 male 20-30 [Lemuel]
1 female under 5, 1 female age 20-30, and 1 female age 50-60 [based on the other censuses Nancy should have been 60-70, but she might have been very close to 60 and the elderly ages are so often wrong]
In studying Abraham's family, another interesting coincidence came to light. Family tradition had placed Nancy Goodman Comstock as being "of" Graves County, Kentucky, which is unlikely for several reasons discussed previously, and there's absolutely no indication she ever lived there. What is notable, however, is that in 1850, living in Graves County, Kentucky were Hosea, Lemuel and Ervin Goodman, all sons of Abraham, as well as James W. Goodman, a possible son. If Nancy was a part of this family, these would be her brothers living in Graves County. Her children could mistakenly assume Nancy, too, was "of" Graves County. And there is that grain of truth so often found in family tradition.
The 1850 Census also reveals that Jordan Middleton and Telitha [Goodman] were living in Perry County, TN. Until I discovered more about the family of Abraham Goodman, I had no possibilities for kin of Nancy living Perry County, until after she and family had gone to Missouri. Once I discovered that Abraham had a daughter Telitha who married Jordan Middleton, there they were living in the same place as Nancy Goodman Comstock in 1850
As you can see, the census numbers certainly indicate a place for my Nancy in the family of Abraham Goodman. I do not have positive proof, but it is plausible. The location and relationship of family members support the theory. The deed and probate records of Maury Co, TN, during the 1820's might reveal the answer. I need to search there.
The next and last installment about the Goodmans will place more of those I've found in the 1850, and later, censuses.
Abraham Goodman lived in Maury Co TN in 1820 and had three females in his household aged 10-16. Three years later, 1823, Nancy Goodman married Ephraim Comstock there in Maury Co. In the 1850 census in Perry Co TN, the widowed Nancy indicated she was born about 1805, so she would have been about age 15 in 1820. In 1830, a widowed Nancy Goodman lived next to Ephraim & Nancy Comstock - of an age to be her mother.
I have found several family trees online for this Abraham Goodman. None have sources and none have responded to inquiries. Some of the data can be supported by census records. Oh, how I would like to find someone actively researching this family!
Abraham's wife is said to have been a Nancy - no surname known. Abraham is thought to have been born perhaps 1770-1780 in North Carolina and was living in Barren County, Kentucky in 1810 [confirmed by census records], Maury County Tennessee in 1820, and to have died about 1826 in Maury Co.
Lists of children differ with the most consistent ones named as:
Hosea, b. 1798 in SC [1850 census]
Abisha [Abijah, Bisha], b. 1800 - married his cousin Polly Goodman, 1820 in Maury Co TN, shown in 1850 as b. 1800 in NC, living in McCracken KY
Lemuel Oliver, born 1813 in Kentucky [1850 census]
Note the gap in ages between Abisha and Lemuel - some 13 years - the 1810 census indicates as many as four daughters born in this gap.
A daughter Telitha, b. 1815 in TN [1850 Census], married Jordan Middleton
Ervin, b. 1817 in TN [1850 census]
Maybe there was a son Jesse.
Possibly a son James W., b. 1822 in Tennessee [1850 Census]
Here are the censuses with possible family members in parenthesis.
Abraham's family in 1810, Barren Co KY:
2 males under 10 [could be Hosea & Abisha], 1m age 26-45 [Abraham, born bet 1770-1784]
4 females under age 10 [No females of this age are ever shown in online databases so obviously there are unidentified daughters - my Nancy Goodman would have been about age five in 1810 & her likely sister Mahala, a year or two older. How nicely they fit there!], one female age 16-26 [Nancy, born bet 1784-1794, but most likely closer to 1784 given the number of children she has.]
Abraham's family in 1820, Maury Co TN:
2 males under 10 [Lemuel & Ervin] one male now over 45 [Abraham - born bef 1775]
1 females under 10 [Telitha] and 3 females 10-16 [Nancy would be 15; Mahala had married in 1819]. One female age 26-45 [Nancy - still shows her as younger than Abraham, born bet 1775-1794]
So if Abraham died in 1826 and his wife was Nancy, there should be a widowed Nancy Goodman in 1830. The only one around was the Nancy Goodman living next to Ephraim & Nancy Comstock in Carroll County, TN in 1830.
Nancy's family in 1830, Carroll Co TN:
1 male under 5 [James W.? A doubtful son and thought to be about age 8 by 1830. Or is this a grandson?] 1 male age 10-15 [Ervin], 1 male age 15-20 [Lemuel]
1 female age 20-30 [One of the older females still at home] 1 female age 50-60 [born bet 1770 and 1780 and consistent with Nancy's possible age in 1810 and 1820]
Also found living on the other side of the widow Nancy Goodman in Carroll Co in 1830 is Jordan Middleton! Oh happy day! He is the only man of this name in the Federal Census in 1830, and he is reported to be the husband of Abraham & Nancy's daughter Telitha. She is with him later in 1850, 1860, and 1870 so this certainly seems to be correct.
Jordan Middleton: 1 male under 5 [they had a son born 1829], 1 male 20-30 [Jordan, b. about 1806], 1 female 15-20 [Telitha - correct age]
Then the question of what may have happened to the widow Nancy Goodman arises. She is never found under her own name after 1830. There is a possibility she was counted in the household of her son Lemuel in 1840. Several of the probable family kin, notably Fleming and John Goodman who had been on the same page with Abraham back in Maury in 1820, had moved to Wayne Co in 1830 and then on to Perry Co before 1840. However, found in Wayne Co TN in 1840 was Lemuel Goodman and enumerated just after Lemuel was Jordan Middleton. There was also a Jesse Goodman in Wayne Co - he could easily have been part of one of the families of Fleming or John, but he could be the proposed son of Abraham named Jesse.
Lemuel Goodman, 1840, had an older woman in his household. Perhaps his mother Nancy.
1 male under 5, 1 male 5-10, 1 male 20-30 [Lemuel]
1 female under 5, 1 female age 20-30, and 1 female age 50-60 [based on the other censuses Nancy should have been 60-70, but she might have been very close to 60 and the elderly ages are so often wrong]
In studying Abraham's family, another interesting coincidence came to light. Family tradition had placed Nancy Goodman Comstock as being "of" Graves County, Kentucky, which is unlikely for several reasons discussed previously, and there's absolutely no indication she ever lived there. What is notable, however, is that in 1850, living in Graves County, Kentucky were Hosea, Lemuel and Ervin Goodman, all sons of Abraham, as well as James W. Goodman, a possible son. If Nancy was a part of this family, these would be her brothers living in Graves County. Her children could mistakenly assume Nancy, too, was "of" Graves County. And there is that grain of truth so often found in family tradition.
The 1850 Census also reveals that Jordan Middleton and Telitha [Goodman] were living in Perry County, TN. Until I discovered more about the family of Abraham Goodman, I had no possibilities for kin of Nancy living Perry County, until after she and family had gone to Missouri. Once I discovered that Abraham had a daughter Telitha who married Jordan Middleton, there they were living in the same place as Nancy Goodman Comstock in 1850
As you can see, the census numbers certainly indicate a place for my Nancy in the family of Abraham Goodman. I do not have positive proof, but it is plausible. The location and relationship of family members support the theory. The deed and probate records of Maury Co, TN, during the 1820's might reveal the answer. I need to search there.
The next and last installment about the Goodmans will place more of those I've found in the 1850, and later, censuses.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Which Goodman Family? Part 2
This is the second part of my search for Nancy Goodman's family.
By 1830, when Ephraim Comstock and wife Nancy Goodman were living in Carroll County, TN, most of the Goodmans that had been in Maury Co in 1820 had also left that county. Robert Bates, who married Nancy's probable sister Mahala, appears to be in Hickman Co, TN in 1830, and so is Alexander Goodman, who was one of the Goodmans back in Maury Co in 1820. Alexander is not a good candidate for Nancy's father, reasons will follow later.
There were in fact a number of Goodmans in Hickman Co TN by 1830. Alexander was there and on the same page with him was Asa [proved to be a son of Alexander] and a quite elderly Jessee, now age 70-80. There had been an older than age 45 "Jessey" on the same page with Alexander back in 1820, in Maury Co, too. Another group of Goodmans on a different page were a Drewry, age 20-30, a Robertson, age 20-30, and a John, age 40-50. There had been a John age 26-45 back in Maury in 1820 and he had older male children in the family. They could be all be part of that same family [or not] but any relationship to Alexander is unknown.
Also in Hickman Co in 1830, each on a separate page is an Ephraim Goodman, age 20-30, a Robert age 30-40, and a Terrel age 20-30.
The only Goodman family remaining in Maury Co in 1830 was the family of a William Goodman, was was age 30-40 - about 10 years older than my Nancy. William had as many as nine children in his household. There had been three Williams Goodmans in 1820.
No Goodman families had moved to Perry Co, TN by 1830 - at least none were noted in the census.
In Carroll Co, TN where Ephraim & Nancy Goodman Comstock were living, along with the widowed Nancy Goodman, there was one other Goodman family in 1830.
James Goodman had 1 male child, age 5-10, 2 males age 10-15, a male age 15-20, and a male age 40-50 [presumably himself]. He had 1 female child under 5, two girls 5-10, 2 girls 10-15, one female age 20-30 and one female age 40-50.
Note: There was no Carroll County in 1820 - it was formed from Indian Lands 1821 & 1822. No James Goodman can be found in Tennessee in 1820. I feel he is likely totally unrelated to the Nancys. This 1830 Carroll Co census is a bit unusual in that part of it seems to be arranged by neighborhoods as the surnames are random - another part of it has been semi-alphabetized by surname. The Comstocks and the widow Nancy Goodman were the part seemingly by neighbors; James Goodman was on an alpha page. Probably two different enumerators in two divergent areas.
Since Fleming Goodman was in Maury Co TN in 1820, Perry Co TN in 1840, but not with the others in Hickman Co in 1830, I searched for him. The only man of this name that year was in Wayne Co, TN. He is listed as Flemming Goodman with only one male age 60-70 [which is the same age as the man of this name is in 1840], a female 10-15, a female 15-20, and a female age 40-50 [in 1840, the female in the household of Fleming in Perry Co was the same age]. So even though Fleming is a relatively unusual given name, I would doubt that this is the same man - except there was also a John Goodman in Wayne Co, though not on the same page as Fleming & Johns were found in 1820 and 1840 counted next to Fleming. There was also an S. C. Goodman in Wayne Co, age 20-30 with young children and a spouse of the same age.
In 1840, when Ephraim & Nancy Comstock are found in Perry County, TN, there were several Goodman families living there, but the Comstocks did not appear to live near them. Many researchers have not located Ephraim in this census, his surname looks more like "Humpstock" but the makeup of the family is a very close match, and they were on the same page as Amos Randle/Randel, whose son married Ephraim & Nancy's only daughter. I'm confident it was Ephraim and family.
The Goodmans in Perry Co TN in 1840 were these three:
Fleming Goodman: 1 male age 60-70, 1f age 60-70 [was in Maury in 1820, but had no daughters that could have been Nancy]
John Goodman: 1m 10-15, 1m 15-20, 1m 30-40, 1m 40-50; 2f under 5, 1f 5-10, 1f 10-15, and a female age 40-50. [John and Fleming enumerated next to each other as they were in Maury in 1820. John had a 10-16 year old female in his household in 1820, although he was listed as 16-26 and probably not her father, and he also had two older women, over 45, living in his household.]
Caleb Goodman: 1m 5-10, 1m 10-15, 1m 30-40; 1f under 5, 1f 5-10, 2f 10-15, and a female 30-40. It is possible that this is the S. C. Goodman who was in Wayne Co with Fleming and John in 1830.
The Comstocks did not seem to be living near any of these Goodman families and I doubt that Nancy had a direct kinship to this group.
"Mahaly" Goodman Bates was living in Williamson Co TN in 1840, now widowed, apparently recently since she lists three of the children as under five. No Goodman families there, but there was a much older Robert Bates. Mahaly's family contained 1 male under 5, 2 males 15-20, 2 females under 5, 1 female 5-10, 2 females 10-15, 1 female 15-20, and 1 female age 30-40 [probably Mahala]. I will state here that I suspect Robert Bates of having been married prior to his marriage to Mahala and probably had some children with the first wife.
Still in Hickman Co TN in 1840 were Alexander and Asa D. Goodman, father and son. This time Alexander is on the same page with Robertson and Drury Goodman who are adjacent each other and two pages away from Asa. Later deeds from Perry Co which prove Asa's relationship to Alexander give no hints that Drury and Robertson were part of the same family, but Asa, Drury and Robertson were all age 30-40 in 1840. There was an older John Goodman living near Drury & Robertson in 1830 - listed as age 40-50 in 1830. In 1840, there was still a John Goodman in Hickman Co, but his age remained the same - perhaps an error on the part of the enumerator, or maybe not even the same John.
The one Goodman found in Maury Co TN in 1820, that is conspicuously missing from all this census evaluation for 1830 and 1840, is Abraham Goodman who lived next to Fleming and John in 1820.
Back in Maury Co TN in 1840, the Goodmans had increased in numbers. There was a John B., age 40-50 with his family. A John J. Goodman, age 30-40 with his family, counted next to a widow, Nancy N. Goodman, age 40-50. Nancy had a male child 10-15 and a female child age 5-10 in her household. There is a possibility according to unsourced Internet data that she was the widow of Abraham Goodman who had been in Maury in 1820, living next to Fleming & John Goodman - however, I believe Abraham's widow would have been older as they had teen-aged children in 1820. I think instead the Nancy Goodman living in Carroll Co is a better candidate. Abraham is found in databases online to have had a wife Nancy.
Part 3 will be more about Abraham Goodman and the possibility that he could have been the father of Nancy Goodman who married Ephraim Comstock.
By 1830, when Ephraim Comstock and wife Nancy Goodman were living in Carroll County, TN, most of the Goodmans that had been in Maury Co in 1820 had also left that county. Robert Bates, who married Nancy's probable sister Mahala, appears to be in Hickman Co, TN in 1830, and so is Alexander Goodman, who was one of the Goodmans back in Maury Co in 1820. Alexander is not a good candidate for Nancy's father, reasons will follow later.
There were in fact a number of Goodmans in Hickman Co TN by 1830. Alexander was there and on the same page with him was Asa [proved to be a son of Alexander] and a quite elderly Jessee, now age 70-80. There had been an older than age 45 "Jessey" on the same page with Alexander back in 1820, in Maury Co, too. Another group of Goodmans on a different page were a Drewry, age 20-30, a Robertson, age 20-30, and a John, age 40-50. There had been a John age 26-45 back in Maury in 1820 and he had older male children in the family. They could be all be part of that same family [or not] but any relationship to Alexander is unknown.
Also in Hickman Co in 1830, each on a separate page is an Ephraim Goodman, age 20-30, a Robert age 30-40, and a Terrel age 20-30.
The only Goodman family remaining in Maury Co in 1830 was the family of a William Goodman, was was age 30-40 - about 10 years older than my Nancy. William had as many as nine children in his household. There had been three Williams Goodmans in 1820.
No Goodman families had moved to Perry Co, TN by 1830 - at least none were noted in the census.
In Carroll Co, TN where Ephraim & Nancy Goodman Comstock were living, along with the widowed Nancy Goodman, there was one other Goodman family in 1830.
James Goodman had 1 male child, age 5-10, 2 males age 10-15, a male age 15-20, and a male age 40-50 [presumably himself]. He had 1 female child under 5, two girls 5-10, 2 girls 10-15, one female age 20-30 and one female age 40-50.
Note: There was no Carroll County in 1820 - it was formed from Indian Lands 1821 & 1822. No James Goodman can be found in Tennessee in 1820. I feel he is likely totally unrelated to the Nancys. This 1830 Carroll Co census is a bit unusual in that part of it seems to be arranged by neighborhoods as the surnames are random - another part of it has been semi-alphabetized by surname. The Comstocks and the widow Nancy Goodman were the part seemingly by neighbors; James Goodman was on an alpha page. Probably two different enumerators in two divergent areas.
Since Fleming Goodman was in Maury Co TN in 1820, Perry Co TN in 1840, but not with the others in Hickman Co in 1830, I searched for him. The only man of this name that year was in Wayne Co, TN. He is listed as Flemming Goodman with only one male age 60-70 [which is the same age as the man of this name is in 1840], a female 10-15, a female 15-20, and a female age 40-50 [in 1840, the female in the household of Fleming in Perry Co was the same age]. So even though Fleming is a relatively unusual given name, I would doubt that this is the same man - except there was also a John Goodman in Wayne Co, though not on the same page as Fleming & Johns were found in 1820 and 1840 counted next to Fleming. There was also an S. C. Goodman in Wayne Co, age 20-30 with young children and a spouse of the same age.
In 1840, when Ephraim & Nancy Comstock are found in Perry County, TN, there were several Goodman families living there, but the Comstocks did not appear to live near them. Many researchers have not located Ephraim in this census, his surname looks more like "Humpstock" but the makeup of the family is a very close match, and they were on the same page as Amos Randle/Randel, whose son married Ephraim & Nancy's only daughter. I'm confident it was Ephraim and family.
The Goodmans in Perry Co TN in 1840 were these three:
Fleming Goodman: 1 male age 60-70, 1f age 60-70 [was in Maury in 1820, but had no daughters that could have been Nancy]
John Goodman: 1m 10-15, 1m 15-20, 1m 30-40, 1m 40-50; 2f under 5, 1f 5-10, 1f 10-15, and a female age 40-50. [John and Fleming enumerated next to each other as they were in Maury in 1820. John had a 10-16 year old female in his household in 1820, although he was listed as 16-26 and probably not her father, and he also had two older women, over 45, living in his household.]
Caleb Goodman: 1m 5-10, 1m 10-15, 1m 30-40; 1f under 5, 1f 5-10, 2f 10-15, and a female 30-40. It is possible that this is the S. C. Goodman who was in Wayne Co with Fleming and John in 1830.
The Comstocks did not seem to be living near any of these Goodman families and I doubt that Nancy had a direct kinship to this group.
"Mahaly" Goodman Bates was living in Williamson Co TN in 1840, now widowed, apparently recently since she lists three of the children as under five. No Goodman families there, but there was a much older Robert Bates. Mahaly's family contained 1 male under 5, 2 males 15-20, 2 females under 5, 1 female 5-10, 2 females 10-15, 1 female 15-20, and 1 female age 30-40 [probably Mahala]. I will state here that I suspect Robert Bates of having been married prior to his marriage to Mahala and probably had some children with the first wife.
Still in Hickman Co TN in 1840 were Alexander and Asa D. Goodman, father and son. This time Alexander is on the same page with Robertson and Drury Goodman who are adjacent each other and two pages away from Asa. Later deeds from Perry Co which prove Asa's relationship to Alexander give no hints that Drury and Robertson were part of the same family, but Asa, Drury and Robertson were all age 30-40 in 1840. There was an older John Goodman living near Drury & Robertson in 1830 - listed as age 40-50 in 1830. In 1840, there was still a John Goodman in Hickman Co, but his age remained the same - perhaps an error on the part of the enumerator, or maybe not even the same John.
The one Goodman found in Maury Co TN in 1820, that is conspicuously missing from all this census evaluation for 1830 and 1840, is Abraham Goodman who lived next to Fleming and John in 1820.
Back in Maury Co TN in 1840, the Goodmans had increased in numbers. There was a John B., age 40-50 with his family. A John J. Goodman, age 30-40 with his family, counted next to a widow, Nancy N. Goodman, age 40-50. Nancy had a male child 10-15 and a female child age 5-10 in her household. There is a possibility according to unsourced Internet data that she was the widow of Abraham Goodman who had been in Maury in 1820, living next to Fleming & John Goodman - however, I believe Abraham's widow would have been older as they had teen-aged children in 1820. I think instead the Nancy Goodman living in Carroll Co is a better candidate. Abraham is found in databases online to have had a wife Nancy.
Part 3 will be more about Abraham Goodman and the possibility that he could have been the father of Nancy Goodman who married Ephraim Comstock.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Which Goodman Family?
My Nancy (Goodman) Comstock is a stout brick wall in my research. These are the facts as I know them.
One of the really, really useful things about blogging is that it forces one to take another look at their research. After this Blog was first posted, I found it necessary to take another look at the census records. I discovered I had been "off" a column when first transcribing some of them. That of course caused some incorrect conclusions. So this blog was edited on 28 September 2009 - if you saw it prior to that, there were errors in some of the census interpretation.
She was born 2 Jun 1805 [recorded in her daughter's Bible] possibly in South Carolina [1850 Census].
Nancy Goodman married Ephraim H. F. Comstock, 14 Oct 1823, Maury Co, Tennessee. Robert Bates was bondsman and his wife was Mahala Goodman who he had married in the same place 25 Apr 1819. Bates' bondsman was William Goodman. There were several Goodman families in the 1820 Maury County census.
In 1830, Nancy, Ephraim and family were living in Carroll Co, TN and the person enumerated next to them was a Nancy Goodman, age 50-60, with several others living in her household. Living next to these two families was the family of Jordan Middleton, whose wife was Telitha Goodman and believed to be a daughter of Abraham & Nancy Goodman [more about this later].
By 1840, the Comstock family was living in Perry Co, TN. Again there were other Goodman families living there - no other Comstocks as Ephraim was a wanted man in Kentucky.
By 1850, Ephraim Comstock was dead - Nancy was head of household still in Perry Co TN
About 1852, all of the Comstock family, including the married children, moved to McDonald County, Missouri. Presumably Nancy did move with them and died there, 24 May 1855 [as recorded in the Bible]
Nancy and Ephraim had one daughter, seven known sons, and there may have been an 8th son who died young. Their names are in the previous post.
I would very much like to hear from anyone who connects to any of the following Goodman families. In this post I'll discuss those found early on in Maury Co. It is possible that all of these Goodman families are related in some way.
From Maury Co, TN, circa 1820. Looking for a Goodman family with a daughter born about 1805 - in the age 10-16 category. Based on the younger people living with the 50-60 year old Nancy in Carroll Co in 1830, there would likely be several young people in the family.
I found on the same page:
Abraham Goodman, age 45 with probable spouse age 26-45. He had three females age 10-16, as well as another female under 10 and two males under 10.
Fleming Goodman had females that would be of marriageable age by 1823. He had two females age 10-16, and two younger than ten. He had a male 16-18 and a male 16-26 who could have been the same young man given the peculiar qualities of this census, a male over 45, presumably himself, and a female also over age 45.
John Goodman had the following household: 1m 16-18, 1m 16-26 [in this case probably two different males unless he was quite a young husband], 1f 16-26.
Note: A Fleming and John Goodman will both appear in the 1840 census in Perry Co where the Comstocks were living – Fleming was by then age 60-70 and John 40-50. They were again listed adjacent to each other as they were in 1820 in Maury Co. Since John isn't quite old enough to be the father of "my" Nancy, and Fleming was still living in 1840, that leaves only Abraham of this group as a possible person of interest.
Another grouping of Goodmans in Maury Co, 1820:
Alexander Goodman was age 26-45. He had a boy under 10 [Asa D. Goodman] and apparently himself age 26-45; a girl under 10 [a Mahala, who married Roberts], a girl 10-16 [Sarah, married DePriest] and a female age 26-45 [probably his wife, Nancy]. [Alexander can be removed as a possible candidate for husband of the widow Nancy Goodman. He did move to Hickman and then Perry Counties. His wife was also named Nancy – she can be found as head of household in the Perry County 1850 census – some have mistaken her for the same as the Nancy Goodman in Carroll Co in 1830 but the age and deed records from Perry Co show this cannot be so. They had one more son born after 1820 – a Jesse Goodman.
As you can see I've done some research on this family. ]
Jessey Goodman: 1 male 10-26, 1m over 45, 1 female age 10-16. Two females over age 45.[Since Alexander had a son named Jesse, although he was not yet born in 1820, and these men were on the same page in the census, one could surmise a kinship – older brother, perhaps, or even father, uncle. There is a female of the right age to be a possibility for Nancy. Of course one of the older females could also have been a mother, aunt, etc. Nancy apparently wasn't the widow of Jessey of 1820 because he was found near Alexander Goodman in 1830 and still appeared to have a spouse living. [Jesse, age 70-80 and Alexander, age 40-50 are both in Hickman Co TN in 1830. Mahala Goodman Bates was also living in Hickman Co in 1830.]
There were three William Goodmans, all on this same page: Two of them were age 16-26 with a probable spouse of the same age and very young children. [not good possibilities, but either would have made a good bondsman for Robert Bates] The third William seemed to be over age 45, spouse of the same age, two young males – no daughters. [It would appear Nancy was not the daughter of any of these Williams.]
There was a John Goodman in this group, too. He had 2 boys under 10, 2 boys 10-16, a boy 16-18, a boy 16-26, who could be the same boy or an older one, and John himself, age 26-45; there were 2 females under 10, 1f 10-16, and a female 26-45. [This family could accommodate the young Nancy and possibly even a daughter old enough to have been Mahala married in 1819.]
A Joseph C. Goodman was young – age 16-26, probable spouse age 16-26, a little girl under 10.
There were a couple of other Goodmans indexed in Maury Co in 1820, but examination of their names suggest different spellings to me, one was a Joseph Goodwin, one a Thomas Goodrum, although a Thomas Goodman does appear to be on some of tax lists - his name remains a question. The Thomas Goodman on the tax lists was a slave owner setting him somewhat apart from the other Goodmans.
Here are some early tax records from Maury Co, TN, listing the following Goodmans. The names in the tax records to not seem to be consistent with the names in the censuses and not all years are in existence. Tolliver T. Goodman is a name on the tax lists which doesn't appear in the census – but he will also appear later in Perry Co.
Maury Co TN Tax Books [years in existence]: [no Comstock or Bates found]
1811 Thomas Goodman (no white males over 21 ?) 5 slaves
1812 Thomas Goodman " 5 slaves
1817 Thomas Goodman " 4 slaves
Jesse Goodman 1 over 21
[Undated record]
Thomas G. Goodman 6 slaves; Value $2700; Poll tax 1.75
1825 Heanden Goodman 1 over 21
1826 Thomas Goodman 120 acres; (no w m over 21); 3 slaves
Bisha Goodman 1 over 21
Hosea Goodman "
Hardin Goodman "
Tolliver T. Goodman "
Additional list at end of 1826 Tax List
Johnston, J. B. Elliott Capt: Goodman, Thomas
Capt. Cathsy/Cattesy Justice:
Goodman, Bisha; Goodman, Hosea; Goodman, Hardin; Goodman, Tolliver
1830 Tolliver Goodman 1 over 21
Wm Goodman "
Thos. Goodman 125 acres; 1 over 21; 4 slaves; stud horse
There is a Road Minutes Book, compiled by Simmons Historical Publications. The items are from Feb 1817 – Apr 1824. These Goodman names are found either as overseers or as part of the road crew: Joseph Goodman and Alexander Goodman were overseers at times, John Goodman, Flemming Goodman, Asa Goodman, Bisha Goodman, William Goodman, Hemp Goodman, served on road crews. Again, some of the names do not appear in the 1820 census.
Other than the marriage of Ephraim Comstock to Nancy Goodman, I have not found the Comstock surname in any of the Maury Co records. He apparently never owned land there, nor was any other member of the Comstock family present.
More Goodmans to follow.
One of the really, really useful things about blogging is that it forces one to take another look at their research. After this Blog was first posted, I found it necessary to take another look at the census records. I discovered I had been "off" a column when first transcribing some of them. That of course caused some incorrect conclusions. So this blog was edited on 28 September 2009 - if you saw it prior to that, there were errors in some of the census interpretation.
She was born 2 Jun 1805 [recorded in her daughter's Bible] possibly in South Carolina [1850 Census].
Nancy Goodman married Ephraim H. F. Comstock, 14 Oct 1823, Maury Co, Tennessee. Robert Bates was bondsman and his wife was Mahala Goodman who he had married in the same place 25 Apr 1819. Bates' bondsman was William Goodman. There were several Goodman families in the 1820 Maury County census.
In 1830, Nancy, Ephraim and family were living in Carroll Co, TN and the person enumerated next to them was a Nancy Goodman, age 50-60, with several others living in her household. Living next to these two families was the family of Jordan Middleton, whose wife was Telitha Goodman and believed to be a daughter of Abraham & Nancy Goodman [more about this later].
By 1840, the Comstock family was living in Perry Co, TN. Again there were other Goodman families living there - no other Comstocks as Ephraim was a wanted man in Kentucky.
By 1850, Ephraim Comstock was dead - Nancy was head of household still in Perry Co TN
About 1852, all of the Comstock family, including the married children, moved to McDonald County, Missouri. Presumably Nancy did move with them and died there, 24 May 1855 [as recorded in the Bible]
Nancy and Ephraim had one daughter, seven known sons, and there may have been an 8th son who died young. Their names are in the previous post.
I would very much like to hear from anyone who connects to any of the following Goodman families. In this post I'll discuss those found early on in Maury Co. It is possible that all of these Goodman families are related in some way.
From Maury Co, TN, circa 1820. Looking for a Goodman family with a daughter born about 1805 - in the age 10-16 category. Based on the younger people living with the 50-60 year old Nancy in Carroll Co in 1830, there would likely be several young people in the family.
I found on the same page:
Abraham Goodman, age 45 with probable spouse age 26-45. He had three females age 10-16, as well as another female under 10 and two males under 10.
Fleming Goodman had females that would be of marriageable age by 1823. He had two females age 10-16, and two younger than ten. He had a male 16-18 and a male 16-26 who could have been the same young man given the peculiar qualities of this census, a male over 45, presumably himself, and a female also over age 45.
John Goodman had the following household: 1m 16-18, 1m 16-26 [in this case probably two different males unless he was quite a young husband], 1f 16-26.
Note: A Fleming and John Goodman will both appear in the 1840 census in Perry Co where the Comstocks were living – Fleming was by then age 60-70 and John 40-50. They were again listed adjacent to each other as they were in 1820 in Maury Co. Since John isn't quite old enough to be the father of "my" Nancy, and Fleming was still living in 1840, that leaves only Abraham of this group as a possible person of interest.
Another grouping of Goodmans in Maury Co, 1820:
Alexander Goodman was age 26-45. He had a boy under 10 [Asa D. Goodman] and apparently himself age 26-45; a girl under 10 [a Mahala, who married Roberts], a girl 10-16 [Sarah, married DePriest] and a female age 26-45 [probably his wife, Nancy]. [Alexander can be removed as a possible candidate for husband of the widow Nancy Goodman. He did move to Hickman and then Perry Counties. His wife was also named Nancy – she can be found as head of household in the Perry County 1850 census – some have mistaken her for the same as the Nancy Goodman in Carroll Co in 1830 but the age and deed records from Perry Co show this cannot be so. They had one more son born after 1820 – a Jesse Goodman.
As you can see I've done some research on this family. ]
Jessey Goodman: 1 male 10-26, 1m over 45, 1 female age 10-16. Two females over age 45.[Since Alexander had a son named Jesse, although he was not yet born in 1820, and these men were on the same page in the census, one could surmise a kinship – older brother, perhaps, or even father, uncle. There is a female of the right age to be a possibility for Nancy. Of course one of the older females could also have been a mother, aunt, etc. Nancy apparently wasn't the widow of Jessey of 1820 because he was found near Alexander Goodman in 1830 and still appeared to have a spouse living. [Jesse, age 70-80 and Alexander, age 40-50 are both in Hickman Co TN in 1830. Mahala Goodman Bates was also living in Hickman Co in 1830.]
There were three William Goodmans, all on this same page: Two of them were age 16-26 with a probable spouse of the same age and very young children. [not good possibilities, but either would have made a good bondsman for Robert Bates] The third William seemed to be over age 45, spouse of the same age, two young males – no daughters. [It would appear Nancy was not the daughter of any of these Williams.]
There was a John Goodman in this group, too. He had 2 boys under 10, 2 boys 10-16, a boy 16-18, a boy 16-26, who could be the same boy or an older one, and John himself, age 26-45; there were 2 females under 10, 1f 10-16, and a female 26-45. [This family could accommodate the young Nancy and possibly even a daughter old enough to have been Mahala married in 1819.]
A Joseph C. Goodman was young – age 16-26, probable spouse age 16-26, a little girl under 10.
There were a couple of other Goodmans indexed in Maury Co in 1820, but examination of their names suggest different spellings to me, one was a Joseph Goodwin, one a Thomas Goodrum, although a Thomas Goodman does appear to be on some of tax lists - his name remains a question. The Thomas Goodman on the tax lists was a slave owner setting him somewhat apart from the other Goodmans.
Here are some early tax records from Maury Co, TN, listing the following Goodmans. The names in the tax records to not seem to be consistent with the names in the censuses and not all years are in existence. Tolliver T. Goodman is a name on the tax lists which doesn't appear in the census – but he will also appear later in Perry Co.
Maury Co TN Tax Books [years in existence]: [no Comstock or Bates found]
1811 Thomas Goodman (no white males over 21 ?) 5 slaves
1812 Thomas Goodman " 5 slaves
1817 Thomas Goodman " 4 slaves
Jesse Goodman 1 over 21
[Undated record]
Thomas G. Goodman 6 slaves; Value $2700; Poll tax 1.75
1825 Heanden Goodman 1 over 21
1826 Thomas Goodman 120 acres; (no w m over 21); 3 slaves
Bisha Goodman 1 over 21
Hosea Goodman "
Hardin Goodman "
Tolliver T. Goodman "
Additional list at end of 1826 Tax List
Johnston, J. B. Elliott Capt: Goodman, Thomas
Capt. Cathsy/Cattesy Justice:
Goodman, Bisha; Goodman, Hosea; Goodman, Hardin; Goodman, Tolliver
1830 Tolliver Goodman 1 over 21
Wm Goodman "
Thos. Goodman 125 acres; 1 over 21; 4 slaves; stud horse
There is a Road Minutes Book, compiled by Simmons Historical Publications. The items are from Feb 1817 – Apr 1824. These Goodman names are found either as overseers or as part of the road crew: Joseph Goodman and Alexander Goodman were overseers at times, John Goodman, Flemming Goodman, Asa Goodman, Bisha Goodman, William Goodman, Hemp Goodman, served on road crews. Again, some of the names do not appear in the 1820 census.
Other than the marriage of Ephraim Comstock to Nancy Goodman, I have not found the Comstock surname in any of the Maury Co records. He apparently never owned land there, nor was any other member of the Comstock family present.
More Goodmans to follow.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Comstock Family OOPS - Ephraim's Wife, a Goodman Brick Wall
Ephraim Comstock's third wife, Nancy Goodman, is one of my sturdy brick walls. From Comstock-Haggard and Allied Families, compiled by Mary Jane Comstock, Adams Press, Chicago, 1973, is my beginning information about Nancy,
"Nancy Goodman was reared in Graves County, KY. She was, according to family stories, half-Indian. The tribe usually named is Choctaw but so far there is no proof of any kind. Graves County was formed in 1823 but the court house burned in 1887. In 1840, there were four Goodman families in that area, W. E., Hardin, Y. E., and E. L."
A date of death as 24 May 1855 was also given, but no birth date and no date or place for her marriage to Ephraim.
The above quotation is full of errors and faulty research. First the Indian story. Graves County, Kentucky was not a likely location for Choctaw Indians. It was part of the Jackson Purchase of 1818 - from the Chickasaw. I had a DNA test for racial indications and I was 100% white European - seemingly not one drop of Indian blood - and Nancy was my three great grandma. It is true that her son, Elijah Thomas "Tom" Comstock, my gg grandfather, did claim to be "part Indian". He was also known to have embellished stories considerably. The claim of Indian blood does not seem to exist in the family lines of Nancy's other children.
The courthouse did burn in Graves County, KY - in fact has had three major disasters. Tax records have survived and there were Goodmans living there in the 1820's, about the time Ephraim & Nancy married. But it's also true that other Goodmans were in Maury County, TN at the time of the marriage, and that's where this couple married, not in Kentucky. There were in fact a number of Goodmans in Maury County in 1820 - I'll describe them in another post. By the time of their marriage, Ephraim, charged and sentenced for forgery, had been declared "not of the Commonwealth of Kentucky."
There is no proof that Nancy came from Kentucky at all. I do not believe she did, although Ephraim had previously been in Kentucky. In 1850, Nancy stated she was born in South Carolina! I found the marriage of Ephraim Comstock to Nancy Goodman in Maury County, TN, 14 Oct 1823. The article in the Comstock book above did say that Ephraim had once lived in "Murray County" a name which does not exist. Bondsman for the marriage license was Robert Bates, for whom there is a marriage to Mahala Goodman, 25 Apr 1819, also in Maury Co TN. A William Goodman was their bondsman. "Mahaly" Bates was widowed by 1840, living in Williamson Co, TN. In 1850, she was still there and married John Hargrove soon after that; Mahala stated she was born in South Carolina. Both Nancy Comstock and Mahala Bates indicated they could not read or write - they seemed to have had no contact after Nancy's marriage. Certainly they did not live in the same places at the same time. But I strongly suspect Mahala was Nancy's sister.
In 1830, Ephraim and family was living in Carroll County, Tennessee. They were not easy to find as his name is scrunched up and nearly unreadable - the family makeup fits his profile, however. This census record in this location, as well as the marriage record in Maury County, seem to have gone unfound by other Comstock researchers. Enumerated next to Ephraim Comstock in 1830 is an older Nancy Goodman!
The older Nancy Goodman's household looked like this: 1 male under age 5, 1 male 10-15, 1 male 15-20; and 1 female 20-30, 1 female 50-60 [old enough to be mother of Nancy and Mahala and some of the other children listed; the boy under five could even be the child of the 20-30 year old and be a grandson]. I never found this lady again after 1830.
There was also a John Goodman, age 40-50, with his family, living in Carroll County in 1830; I've never been able to find anything else about him.
By 1840, Ephraim Comstock and family were living in Perry County, TN. One hopes his frequent moves were not because of continuing problems with debt and the law. There were Goodmans living in Perry County. None of the Comstocks were in Tennessee other than Ephraim - it's doubtful his siblings knew of his whereabouts since he was "wanted" in Kentucky and had left a wife there as well. I have researched the other Goodmans in Perry County and so far have come up emptied handed as far as any connection to Nancy. I do feel that there is at least a reasonable chance Nancy was kin to some of these Goodmans - in 1860, after the Comstocks were gone to Missouri, Mahala Goodman and her second husband John Hargrove had moved to Perry County.
In the 1850 Perry County TN census, it's apparent that Ephraim has died and Nancy Comstock is head of household, age 44. Within a few years, Nancy, her married daughter Caroline Comstock Randal, and all of Nancy's sons moved to McDonald County, in the southwest corner of Missouri. Caroline had a family Bible - recorded in it were dates for Nancy Comstock, born 2 Jun 1805, died 24 May 1855. No locations are stated but it is most likely Nancy was there in McDonald County with her children at the time of her death.
It isn't likely that the names given to the children of Ephraim and Nancy would furnish hints to Nancy's family. Ephraim was given to rather fanciful names - he had named his son by his second wife, Napoleon Bonaparte Comstock. Nancy's children were:
1. Caroline Zelpha Ann Comstock, b. 14 Apr 1823 [Date is from her Bible and she appears to have been born six months before the marriage of her parents.] Caroline married William Riley Randal in Perry County TN. She died 17 Feb 1909 in Chautaugua County, Kansas
2. Hugh Bonaparte Comstock, b. ca 1827. Hugh married Elizabeth Rebecca Weeks in Perry County TN. Elizabeth died right after they arrived in Missouri, leaving two young sons. Hugh remarried, but died in 1856. The second wife left for Colorado. The boys were raised by their Comstock kin.
3. Leander Brown Comstock, b. ca 1828. Leander married Nancy Forguson, also while they were still in Tennessee. He died in Greene County, MO, 1877, leaving a large family.
4. William Decatur Comstock, b. ca 1832, married Hannah Mahurin in 1854 in McDonald County, Missouri. He was shot and killed in January of 1864, while home on leave from his unit in the Confederacy for the pending birth of his 4th child. The child was born three weeks after his death and named William Josephine, even though she was a girl.
5. Warren Harris Comstock, b. ca 1834, married Manerva Schell in McDonald County. Warren died in Feb of 1864. He was in a Confederate Cavalry unit. I have never been able to discover the cause of his death - whether he died from wounds or disease. He left a young daughter, Mary, or Nancy, her name found both ways.
6. James Irving [Erwin, later in life] Comstock, b. ca 1837, married Mary Elizabeth Stamps in Missouri. They lived in Kansas - were there for the 1870 and 1880 censuses. They had seven known children. Mary Elizabeth died after the 1880 census and before James moved back to Missouri, Cedar County, about 1890. James was murdered, poisoned, in October, 1893. He had married again, in December of 1892 to Margaret E. "Mag" Petty who had been married twice before. Mag's sister, Minerva Petty Wallace also was poisoned and died at the same time. Minerva was apparently an innocent victim who stopped by for dinner that night. Mag's son Sterling Brasher was accused and tried for the murder, but was acquitted.
7. Elijah Thomas "Tom" Comstock, b. 22 Dec 1838, was my great, great grandfather. He married Miranda Brown, 17 May 1859, in McDonald County, MO. After the Civil War they lived in Texas, but moved to Crawford County, Arkansas, prior to the 1870 census. Tom homesteaded there and he and Miranda, along with other members of the family, are buried in the family cemetery on that homestead location. Tom died 29 Apr 1917, outliving all his siblings.
8. Harvey Alexander Comstock, was b. ca 1841, in Tennessee, as were all his siblings. His name is sometimes seen as Harry or even Henry, but I believe that's when his name has been mis-read. Harvey married Eliza Grant. They were living in Cooke County, TX in 1880. He is said to have died in 1882, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory [Oklahoma]. There were three children, at least one of whom was still living in the Chickasaw Nation in 1900.
"Nancy Goodman was reared in Graves County, KY. She was, according to family stories, half-Indian. The tribe usually named is Choctaw but so far there is no proof of any kind. Graves County was formed in 1823 but the court house burned in 1887. In 1840, there were four Goodman families in that area, W. E., Hardin, Y. E., and E. L."
A date of death as 24 May 1855 was also given, but no birth date and no date or place for her marriage to Ephraim.
The above quotation is full of errors and faulty research. First the Indian story. Graves County, Kentucky was not a likely location for Choctaw Indians. It was part of the Jackson Purchase of 1818 - from the Chickasaw. I had a DNA test for racial indications and I was 100% white European - seemingly not one drop of Indian blood - and Nancy was my three great grandma. It is true that her son, Elijah Thomas "Tom" Comstock, my gg grandfather, did claim to be "part Indian". He was also known to have embellished stories considerably. The claim of Indian blood does not seem to exist in the family lines of Nancy's other children.
The courthouse did burn in Graves County, KY - in fact has had three major disasters. Tax records have survived and there were Goodmans living there in the 1820's, about the time Ephraim & Nancy married. But it's also true that other Goodmans were in Maury County, TN at the time of the marriage, and that's where this couple married, not in Kentucky. There were in fact a number of Goodmans in Maury County in 1820 - I'll describe them in another post. By the time of their marriage, Ephraim, charged and sentenced for forgery, had been declared "not of the Commonwealth of Kentucky."
There is no proof that Nancy came from Kentucky at all. I do not believe she did, although Ephraim had previously been in Kentucky. In 1850, Nancy stated she was born in South Carolina! I found the marriage of Ephraim Comstock to Nancy Goodman in Maury County, TN, 14 Oct 1823. The article in the Comstock book above did say that Ephraim had once lived in "Murray County" a name which does not exist. Bondsman for the marriage license was Robert Bates, for whom there is a marriage to Mahala Goodman, 25 Apr 1819, also in Maury Co TN. A William Goodman was their bondsman. "Mahaly" Bates was widowed by 1840, living in Williamson Co, TN. In 1850, she was still there and married John Hargrove soon after that; Mahala stated she was born in South Carolina. Both Nancy Comstock and Mahala Bates indicated they could not read or write - they seemed to have had no contact after Nancy's marriage. Certainly they did not live in the same places at the same time. But I strongly suspect Mahala was Nancy's sister.
In 1830, Ephraim and family was living in Carroll County, Tennessee. They were not easy to find as his name is scrunched up and nearly unreadable - the family makeup fits his profile, however. This census record in this location, as well as the marriage record in Maury County, seem to have gone unfound by other Comstock researchers. Enumerated next to Ephraim Comstock in 1830 is an older Nancy Goodman!
The older Nancy Goodman's household looked like this: 1 male under age 5, 1 male 10-15, 1 male 15-20; and 1 female 20-30, 1 female 50-60 [old enough to be mother of Nancy and Mahala and some of the other children listed; the boy under five could even be the child of the 20-30 year old and be a grandson]. I never found this lady again after 1830.
There was also a John Goodman, age 40-50, with his family, living in Carroll County in 1830; I've never been able to find anything else about him.
By 1840, Ephraim Comstock and family were living in Perry County, TN. One hopes his frequent moves were not because of continuing problems with debt and the law. There were Goodmans living in Perry County. None of the Comstocks were in Tennessee other than Ephraim - it's doubtful his siblings knew of his whereabouts since he was "wanted" in Kentucky and had left a wife there as well. I have researched the other Goodmans in Perry County and so far have come up emptied handed as far as any connection to Nancy. I do feel that there is at least a reasonable chance Nancy was kin to some of these Goodmans - in 1860, after the Comstocks were gone to Missouri, Mahala Goodman and her second husband John Hargrove had moved to Perry County.
In the 1850 Perry County TN census, it's apparent that Ephraim has died and Nancy Comstock is head of household, age 44. Within a few years, Nancy, her married daughter Caroline Comstock Randal, and all of Nancy's sons moved to McDonald County, in the southwest corner of Missouri. Caroline had a family Bible - recorded in it were dates for Nancy Comstock, born 2 Jun 1805, died 24 May 1855. No locations are stated but it is most likely Nancy was there in McDonald County with her children at the time of her death.
It isn't likely that the names given to the children of Ephraim and Nancy would furnish hints to Nancy's family. Ephraim was given to rather fanciful names - he had named his son by his second wife, Napoleon Bonaparte Comstock. Nancy's children were:
1. Caroline Zelpha Ann Comstock, b. 14 Apr 1823 [Date is from her Bible and she appears to have been born six months before the marriage of her parents.] Caroline married William Riley Randal in Perry County TN. She died 17 Feb 1909 in Chautaugua County, Kansas
2. Hugh Bonaparte Comstock, b. ca 1827. Hugh married Elizabeth Rebecca Weeks in Perry County TN. Elizabeth died right after they arrived in Missouri, leaving two young sons. Hugh remarried, but died in 1856. The second wife left for Colorado. The boys were raised by their Comstock kin.
3. Leander Brown Comstock, b. ca 1828. Leander married Nancy Forguson, also while they were still in Tennessee. He died in Greene County, MO, 1877, leaving a large family.
4. William Decatur Comstock, b. ca 1832, married Hannah Mahurin in 1854 in McDonald County, Missouri. He was shot and killed in January of 1864, while home on leave from his unit in the Confederacy for the pending birth of his 4th child. The child was born three weeks after his death and named William Josephine, even though she was a girl.
5. Warren Harris Comstock, b. ca 1834, married Manerva Schell in McDonald County. Warren died in Feb of 1864. He was in a Confederate Cavalry unit. I have never been able to discover the cause of his death - whether he died from wounds or disease. He left a young daughter, Mary, or Nancy, her name found both ways.
6. James Irving [Erwin, later in life] Comstock, b. ca 1837, married Mary Elizabeth Stamps in Missouri. They lived in Kansas - were there for the 1870 and 1880 censuses. They had seven known children. Mary Elizabeth died after the 1880 census and before James moved back to Missouri, Cedar County, about 1890. James was murdered, poisoned, in October, 1893. He had married again, in December of 1892 to Margaret E. "Mag" Petty who had been married twice before. Mag's sister, Minerva Petty Wallace also was poisoned and died at the same time. Minerva was apparently an innocent victim who stopped by for dinner that night. Mag's son Sterling Brasher was accused and tried for the murder, but was acquitted.
7. Elijah Thomas "Tom" Comstock, b. 22 Dec 1838, was my great, great grandfather. He married Miranda Brown, 17 May 1859, in McDonald County, MO. After the Civil War they lived in Texas, but moved to Crawford County, Arkansas, prior to the 1870 census. Tom homesteaded there and he and Miranda, along with other members of the family, are buried in the family cemetery on that homestead location. Tom died 29 Apr 1917, outliving all his siblings.
8. Harvey Alexander Comstock, was b. ca 1841, in Tennessee, as were all his siblings. His name is sometimes seen as Harry or even Henry, but I believe that's when his name has been mis-read. Harvey married Eliza Grant. They were living in Cooke County, TX in 1880. He is said to have died in 1882, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory [Oklahoma]. There were three children, at least one of whom was still living in the Chickasaw Nation in 1900.
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