NEWSLETTER and Groom Are James Collins and Samuel Goddard Who Are Labourers ' %
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
John had married Hannah Collins The Goddard Association on 6 September 1862 in the parish church of Burmarsh in Kent. I of Europe swiftly ordered a copy of the certificate. The fathers of the bride NEWSLETTER and groom are James Collins and Samuel Goddard who are labourers ' %. %3 No. 115 – July 2015 and both living. I will never know 3 ).4%2 '%.4 how that passed me by! I will now hand over to cousin Tom Goddard: GODDARD GATHERING “Have you ever had the From Kent to Canada wonderment of how your family got It has been a long time coming; my family have had a gathering to be where you are and where you on the other side of the pond from me in the UK. John Goddard, come from? For me, Thomas Roy the first son of Samuel and Jane (née Rayner) Goddard was born Goddard, living in north eastern in Bilsington, Kent, on 12 October 1842 and baptised in the local Ontario, Canada, an area in which, church six days later. It was Samuel Goddardʼs second marriage, in comparison to most of rural his first wife Elizabeth née Newman (member Karen Hawkerʼs Ontario, our surroundings have ʻgrandmotherʼ) having succumbed to consumption in April 1839 been newly settled. Our township of Brethour was surveyed in 1887, leaving Samuel with three children. Johnʼs sister, Catherine, was but no one settled a homestead until only nineteen months old when he was born and this went on to be around 1900. I grew up here from a large family of twelve, most of whom made it to adulthood. birth knowing that my grandfather, With the help of Cathy when a few years ago I came in John Goddard jnr. had moved his Goodwin and ʻcousinsʼ here and contact with a man in America. new family to Brethour Twp from in Canada and Australia who He descended from John Andrew the Barrie area near Toronto in were also researching this branch Goddard whose parents were the spring of 1909. John and his of the family, huge inroads were Samuel and Jane Goddard from wife Harriett (Clute) cleared some made over the years. However, I Bilsington in Kent. At a very could make no progress with John young age John had gone to sea, who is seen in the 1851 census for settled in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Bilsington. He is with his parents, and had fought in the Civil War. sister Catherine and another As you can imagine I was thrilled, three younger brothers, Thomas, but at the back of my mind there William (from whom member Janet was always a nagging doubt. I Berkman descends) and Frederick, have Johnʼs birth certificate and my great great grandfather have seen his baptism in parish Frederick Steed Goddard. We records. He is John, not John next hear of John in March 1854 Andrew Goddard. when he would have been eleven Now fast forward to last year. years old. His parents Samuel Googling, Tom Goddard in Canada and Jane are accused of stealing managed to get in to the ʻmembers two lambs from farmer William onlyʼ section of the GAE website Sillingbourne of Sevington, and and within moments had my e-mail John has been trying to sell them address and made contact almost to William Crunden of Aldington on the eve of his journey to Kent to for 1s 6d [c. 7p] (see Newsletter visit his roots. Now we really have acreage, built a log home and 101 for January 2012). John is found John Goddard; he had gone increased their family to thirteen never seen again so I assumed, to Canada as did some other of his children. Most of them stayed in even though I didnʼt have a record siblings, Catherine and William. this area and had large families as of the event, that he had died. Feeling a little inadequate as a well – so lots of cousins of whom I Can you imagine my delight researcher I quickly found that happen to be the youngest. I was 1 barely into my teens when John and Harriett passed ʻThe Goddard Association of Europeʼ. Digging further away. Although I figured I knew them well, I had I find ʻThe Goddards of Kentʼ by Cathy Goodwin and no idea of who their parents and siblings were. No Joan Dibble. On page 161 I find my Goddards in one ever spoke of where they came from, and seldom Simcoe county, Ontario, Canada. I emailed Joan were there visitors from the south. When there were (Squibs) Dibble in Wales explaining what had been visitors, I had no idea nor cared much at the time found. At this time Squibs had introduced me to who they were. Now that I happen to be the older Janet Berkman (also a GAE member) of Toronto generation and curious about my heritage, there is no via email who had just discovered our Goddardsʼ one left with much of that knowledge. graveyard and claimed them to be her family as well. In 2007 to my total surprise, I get a phone call Upon cross referencing info from Janetʼs side, what from a lady, Mrs Lillian Bowdrey. She randomly Beth Bishop found, and what Squibs had, we were picked my name out of our local telephone directory able to plug our Simcoe Goddards into the Goddards and asked me if I was related to John Goddard who of Kent dating back to 1639, making me, Squibs and had moved his family to northern Ontario? Lillian Janet cousins. All this happened within a matter of explained that she was doing the Goddard family hours. Our biggest WOW!! so far. I can even say it tree and had lots of information on most of the backwards: WOW.” family, but had little on John. That was a WOW!! Joan takes up the story again: So they had a moment for me. Lillian sent me pages and pages of Goddard gathering. I say ʻtheyʼ as I, very sadly, detailed information. I learned that John was one was not there; but they shared some wonderful of thirteen siblings and that his fatherʼs name was pictures with us all on our dedicated Facebook John. There was no information as to where John page. In Tomʼs words “Gathering of the Goddard snr. had come from. We learned that our folks were clan 4 April 2015 in Haileybury, Northern Ontario. buried at Craighurst not far from Barrie. My wife Descendants of John Goddard jnr. and Harriett Clute Joy and I found several of Grandpa Johnʼs family who settled in Brethour Twp, Northern Ontario in members there. In my curiosity I posted a note to 1909.” Janet Berkman and her husband Zouheir are the Simcoe county heritage message board asking for front left kneeling, and Tom is behind the lady in the information about our Goddards. About four years wheelchair. go by, and then in May 2012 I get an email from Beth The man in America? Sadly I donʼt remember his Bishop claiming to be a distant cousin. She had name and no longer seem to have his contact details, done some research and linked John snr. as coming so he will never know that he has barked up the wrong from Kent, England, on the SS Nestorian. With him tree, as so many do! Joan Dibble were his wife Hannah and four children. Also were Hannahʼs parents, James and Sarah Ann Collins. BIRTHDAY GREETINGS WOW again. Birthday greetings to long time Association With a long overdue vacation from the farm, Joy member Daphne Goddard who will be 95 on 26 and I booked a flight in February 2014 to England to August. Daphne has not been wonderfully well see what we could find in the Kent area. About two recently, but her niece, member Barbara Goddard, weeks before departure I discovered on the internet assures me she is on the mend Joan Dibble 2 CAN YOU HELP? OBITUARIES Brian Victor Goddard of Lyndon Cottage, It has been a bad three months as we have been Oxford Street, Evercreech, BA4 6HT to trace his notified of the death of no fewer than six members. forebears. He writes: “I have managed to trace The Association is saddened to record the passing of my great grandfather George Goddard, who I think all of them and offers its sympathy to their relatives. is buried in a cemetery in Camberley on the right John Goddard of Wellingborough last August. hand side going away from London (my father But we are delighted his niece Gillian is taking up his showed me this grave when I was about 9 years old membership and warmly welcome her. some 68 years ago!). My grandfather Alfred John Ian Goddard of Paraparaumu, New Zealand, and Goddard lived with his wife Ellen and my father, Shaftesbury, England, on 22 February. Our New Edwin Alfred, in Goddard Cottages in London Zealand Co-ordinator, Julie of Chrischurch who had Road, Farnham (I have tried to find it on google but stayed with Ian and his wife Helen in both countries, it appears that the area has all been redeveloped). writes: “He was so interesting and knowledgeable on George had two daughters, Charlotte and Elizabeth, so many subjects especially history and travel. There and two sons, George and Alfred (my grandfather). are few countries in the world they had not been to… My daughter has a picture of a man standing outside ..He wrote when they returned from travelling and I the Goddard furniture emporium in Guildford, who loved getting his letters…..His father and grandfather must be related but I do not know where – possibly were both born in India, but he was English; Helen is my grandfatherʼs brother.” Australian.