ILJOHNSO-L Archives
Archiver > ILJOHNSO > 2000-02 > 0950076399
From: "Billy Walker" <>
Subject: [ILJOHNSO-L] Childhood family of Jordan Goddard
Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2000 00:06:39 -0600
Hi everybody,
Well, I have spent the past few weeks trying to assemble, by building up a preponderance of circumstantial evidence, a proposed childhood family for my Jordan Goddard. This is the most difficult type of evidence to build from, but in the absence of primary or even decent secondary evidence it's all I have. I'm absolutely open to criticism and suggestion.
My Jordan Goddard was born 1837, and I think in Johnson County. His Johnson County references are: June 18, 1854 marriage to Rebecca, daughter of Philip Harner; 1860 census of Tunnel Hill (Jorden Gothard and Rebecca, wife); legal notice for the liquidation sale of his father-in-law's estate (Philip Harner), dated 1860; Illinois Adjutant General's report on Company I, 120th Illinois Infantry (Jourdan Goddard); and his tombstone, in Rock Springs Cemetery, Missouri, which is inscribed "Company I, 120th Illinois Infantry". Additionally, I find him in 1880 (Crawford County, MO), then in 1896 he settled 80 acres of land (Texas County, MO), then in 1900 and 1910 censuses of Texas County, Missouri where he died after 1910 and was buried in the local cemetery. In the 1880 census he stated that his parents were both born in Tennessee. That is the only clue about his parents.
I went back to 1850 Johnson County Census, where Jordan should have been listed as a 12 or 13 year old boy, but wasn't. I find only one couple, James and Susannah Goddard, who were both born in Tennessee. And their ages (51 and 40) would have been appropriate to have a 12-13 year old boy. Then I went to the 1860 census of Johnson county and found an Andrew and Mary Goddard. The census enumerator had put "TN" for Andrew's birthplace but scratched through it and wrote "GA". Mary was born in TN. What is interesting about this one is the presence of a Casper Goddard, who would have been born 1845. In the 1900 census of Texas County there is a Casper Goddard, born 1845, in Illinois, who listed his parents' places of birth as "UNKNOWN".
I don't have a "preponderance of circumstantial evidence" yet. But I'm wondering about the notion that Casper in Texas County could be the same Casper in Johnson County; also whether Andrew and Mary Goddard could be, therefore, Jordan's parents.
Regarding Tunnel Hill, there is a William Goddard listed 1880 who was born 1824, who says his mother was born in TN, father born Illinois. And in Bloomfield, there is a Levi Goddard (b. 1848) who was born Ill, whose parents were both born TN. Could this be a brother of Jordan?
It seems possible that a brother of Jordan might have gone to Missouri with him, and it wouldn't be that unlikely that he might have settled in the same county.
Other names connected with Jordan Goddard, mainly through his wife Rebecca Harner, are: MATHIS, CASEY, HARNER.
Well, thanks for listening.
Billy Walker
GG-Grandson of Jordan and Rebecca Goddard.
Billy B. Walker, Jr.
1745 W. 119th St.
Milton, Kansas 67106
This thread: