My wife is a Yankee. Her father's side as we shall see is ripe with Yankee blood. Her paternal side comes from Massachusetts, and was present during the fervor leading up to the war for Independence. The hot bed of the build up to war and the initiation of the war itself was in Massachusetts. Think of the Boston Tea Party, the midnight ride of Paul Revere (and William Dawes and Samuel Prescott who have been left out of the history books) which alarmed the citizens and brought out the militias for the first engagements at Lexington and Concord. Understand that part of what I have is sketchy, due to lack of some records, but it does make some sense. Beyond her 3rd great grandfather, I have placed much reliance on the genealogical research on the website of Harold Ralston of Racine County, WI. With his permission I have used his information to go back in time from my wife's 3rd great grandfather Stephen Goff. Ralston's work is generally consistent with research from Arlyn Bernhardt, from whom I recently found notes I had made 13 years ago. Harold Ralston is a descendant of William Peck Goff, who was a brother to her second great grandfather, Stephen D Goff (b 1725). This blog post will examine the Yankee Roots of Toni Doodle Hovel. (Toni Doodle went to town a riding on a pony...) But, as always, there may be some murky areas. Nonetheless, a trip back in time with her paternal Yankee shows highlights of our national journey.
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| Birth Record of Simeon Goff and Siblings in Rehoboth Father William, and mother Rebeckah |
First off, let me explain the main murky area in her ancestral tree. What historically makes sense to Harold Ralston and Arlyn Bernhardt does not fully compute with what I have seen from other individuals on Ancestry or Family Search. These other individuals use the same ancestor but with different descendants, and/or ancestors. The ancestor common to these varied genealogies is Lt Samuel Goff (1694-1771). Ralston, and also Bernhardt believe Lt Samuel is the father of my spouse's 5th great grandfather William Goff. That is however, in dispute as a record I found from another source does not indicate William (and an older sister) as a child of Lt Samuel Goff. Ralston identifies five children born to Lt Samuel while that piece of information lists only three, and those being younger than William. There could also be more than one Samuel Goff from Rehoboth, MA. What is interesting is my wife has red hair, which is said to come from her maternal grandmother, and that Goff (back in time known as Goffe and Gough) in Welsh was a nickname for a red-haired person. Maybe part of her red-hair gene runs deep into her ancestral past in Welsh country.
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| Rollo Goff Source: Shirley Goff |
The easiest way to trace her ancestry, or lineage, is to go from present to past. We know that her grandfather was Rollo Goff and we can easily trace back to his father William Howard, and William Howard's father Stephen D. Goff. Stephen D moved with his parents and siblings to Wisconsin from Savoy, Massachusetts, between 1840 and 1850. The 1840 census shows a Stephen Goff in Savoy, MA, while the 1850 Wisconsin census has Stephen D's father Stephen (1798-1873) and his wife Persis Bates Goff (abt 1799-1879) with some of their children, including Stephen D (age 25), living in the town of Yorkville, Racine County. William Peck Goff, the oldest child of Stephen and Persis, is not listed with the family in the 1850 census. Hence, her part of the Goff family arrived in Wisconsin sometime before 1850. All were from Massachusetts. Stephen D being born in Savoy, Ma, but going further back we find his father Stephen (1798-1873), his grandfather, Simeon and probably Simeon's father William being born in the Town of Rehoboth, MA. Simeon's second wife Chloe Peck also was from Rehoboth. It is thought that Lt Samuel was born in Berkshire Co, MA, but would move to Rehoboth and he is buried in Rehoboth. Prior to the 1850 census only head of household was used, although others are recorded by age cohort. Therefore, we lack a reliable record as to other names in the household.
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| Simeon Goff in 1790 US Census, Rehoboth, MA 1 free white male 16+, 3 free white males under 16 3 free white females 16+ |
Of interest are names. Lt Samuel's wife was Rachel Toogood. Simeon's first wife was Thankful Jones. But, it gets better. Lt Samuel's youngest child was named Freelove Goff. Freelove sounds as if it could be the name for a child conceived at Woodstock. It is doubtful that her 3rd great grandmother Persis is the great Aunt (or 2nd great aunt of Norman Bates (of "Psycho" fame). Simeon had a son named Cromwell, which brings to mind the British leader Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), who perpetrated genocide on Irish Catholics, particularly at Drogheda.
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| Simeon Goff Grave Marker Rehoboth, MA |
We know from a pension request that Simeon served in the revolutionary war, mainly as a private, although for one term he was a drum major. He would first enlist nine days following the first shots at Lexington and Concord. The war would last eight years. Much of the following comes from his pension record: "In the year 1775 he [Simeon Goff] served six months and ten days as a soldier. In the year 1776 he served four months & twenty one days as a drum major. In the year 1777 he served two months as a soldier & in 1778 he served twenty days as a soldier & for such service he claims a pension." His first three tours of duty were with regiments from Massachusetts. His first tour service started in late April 1775 where he was in Capt Samuel Bliss' company in a regiment commanded by Col. Timothy Walters; his second stint, in 1776, where he was a substitute for Joseph Pierce, serving as a drummer in a company commanded by Captain Carpenter, in a regiment under Col Simeon Casey, and a brigade under the command of General Fellows. In 1777 he served in a company under Captain James Hillis in a Massachusetts regiment commanded by Col Williams. His fourth tour of service was in 1778, and again as a substitute, serving for a man with the last name Basto. This service was for a Rhode Island regiment. In his pension request he notes that he was born in Rehoboth on "January 18th, 1754 where I lived until June 1799 when I moved to Savoy in the County of Berkshire, Mass where I reside till now." (Source: Revolutionary War Pension document.) His statement was subscribed and sworn on Sept 29, 1832, and included statements from others. He had lost his discharge papers which necessitated the need for sworn statements and witness account. As to his pension, in the approval granted in 1833, he was awarded an annual pension of $51.15, "to commence of the 4th day of March 1831." His claim was pursuant to the Revolutionary War Claims act of 1832. Simeon's grave marker has the notation, SAR, for Son of the American Revolution. After the war, Simeon was involved in agriculture.
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| Simeon Goff Revolutionary War Pension One page of the total record |
This one document is a trove of information for Toni Doodle's 4th great grandfather; it indicates Massachusetts and Rhode Island regiments for which he served, the commanders, and length of service. Turning to the muster rolls we get a bit more information about his service.Muster rolls indicate two of his services were as a drum major. His 1778 record makes note of his service in 177 at Livington, RI in a light infantry company. His service in 1778 was less than a month. Simeon played a part in assisting the struggling colonies in their fight for independence from the motherland. They were fighting the massive British Empire ruled by King George III. The King, being a man referred to in the Declaration of Independence as "unfit to be the ruler of a free people." Twice he served as a substitute for another man. He was a 21 year old when he joined the Continental Army in April 1775.
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| One of Two Pages of Samuel's 1775 Service Revolutionary War Muster Rolls |
Simeon, whose father was William Goff, moved to Savoy as noted above, with his family. Ralston quotes another document about the move which gives additional information about the family: "Simeon Goff, from Rehoboth, removed to this town, Savoy, about year 1800, settling in the southern part of the town. Of a family of eight children, none survive, and there are but two representatives in town, Louis Goff being represented by his son Louis, and Cromwell by his son Nathan E., a merchant of Savoy." Simeon's father William and back is where things get iffy. The family, even after his move, retained a presence in Rehoboth.
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| Intent to Marry for Stephen Goff (b 1798) and Persis Bates |
The difficulty lies in the lack of records for her 5th great grandfather, William Goff (1723-1800). Harold Ralston, and Arlyn Berhnardt, through their respective research, are of the opinion that Lt Samuel Goff is the father of William. However, contradictory evidence exists, as noted earlier. Ralston's reasoning is logical and is based on the Town of Rehoboth in MA where Simeon states in his pension document as being the place of his birth and where he lived until 1799. The Goff family was reported to be one of the original settlers of this town and given Simeon's connection to this town as his place of birth, this assumption makes sense. Harold believes William is the one who married another Yankee, Rachel Whiting in Rehoboth, with them being married by the Rev. Lemuel Maxwell. If Ralston is correct that means that Rachel Toogood, Lt Samuel's spouse, was William's mother. One has to love the Yankee nature of Rachel's last name--Toogood. I am not sure what she was too good at, but my guess is that the too goodness probably applied to a person who liked to organize, reorganize what was organized and make lists, not to mention rewriting the lists one made. If Rachel was too good at organizing and making lists, I can think of no better way to connect my wife to these ancestors. William's sister, Freelove, could be a different story.
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| Toni Doodle's Paternal Line Last two are estimated based on Ralston and Bernhardt |
Identification of a grave site can tell about a family. In this case, while Lt. Samuel's grave site is in Burial Hill Cemetery in Rehoboth, he has at least one child, Constant, who is buried in the Lovell Goff Grave Yard in Rehoboth. It is thought that Lt Samuel's father was Anthony Goffe. As with Lt Samuel, there are many different genealogical family claims for Anthony: varied ancestors and descendants, and different dates of birth. Yet, they seem to be related to the same person, so someone is wrong, creating a conundrum for the genealogist. Ralston, along with Berhnardt, however seem to think this is the case, although Bernhardt appears stronger of opinion than Ralston. Ralston places a reference to a document by Perry Streeter which provides further definition of Anthony Goffe. Streeter indicates that Gough may be a variant of the last name Smith. I like the red-head nickname better. Streeter has Anthony's birth date as 1662, based on marriage records, but others believe, based on a possible birth record, that it could be 1650.
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| 1850 Census, Yorkville, WI |
Birth date aside, we know that Anthony married Sarah Polley on 29 September 1686 in Billerica, Massachusetts colony. Sarah was the daughter of George and Elizabeth Winn Polley. We don't know if it is this Anthony Goff, but there was an Anthony Goffe who had to pay treble damages to Georg Jones for having stolen 25 pipestaves, per a record from 1677. Streeter also notes that Anthony and Sarah moved from Billerica to Woburn, MA by 1687. Before 1694 they were in Barrington/Swansea. It is in Swansea that "At a meeting of the commissioned officer of Bristol regiment held at Bristol August 8, 1694, Anthony Goff [again, may be different Anthony Goff's] was convicted of being impressed into their majesties service in the present expedition against the common enemy, and neglected to attend the same he was sent to goal [jail?] according to law." (Cited in an old manuscript with letter from Clarence B Pierce to James M Cushman) Hence, it appears that he failed to appear to serve the British military during a military engagement, which was probably the King William's War, also known as the Second Indian War (and France).
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| A William Goff in 1790 US Census, Rehoboth, MA 2 free white males 16+, 3 free white females 16+ |
The question arises as whether or not Anthony Goffe was in any way connected to General William Goffe? Questions remain as to when Anthony Goffe arrived in the United States and who were his parents. While we know that Anthony may have had a great great grandson named Cromwell, we do not know, but it seems likely, that the name was given in honor of Oliver Cromwell. General William Goffe was a trusted member of the Cromwell cabal, as well as a good and faithful friend to the controversial man. Showing proof of this alignment, General William Goffe was one of the 59 men who signed the death warrant for King Charles I. King Charles I was beheaded, due to the maneuvers of Cromwell, on 30 January 1649. General William Goffe would arrive in the American Colonies in July 1660 purportedly with his father in law, where it is thought he resided under an alias, and for a time was hidden in a cave. The move to the colonies was precipitated by the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 when Charles II took the throne. I suppose William Goff thought there would be retaliation for his having been part of regicide. Go figure.
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| 2nd row from bottom indicates injury sustained by Stephen D Goff during Civil War 1890 US Census Special Schedule |
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| Stephen Goff Civil War Pension Record |
While information for Lt Samuel and further back is sketchy, we know that Toni Doodle's paternal lineage comes from Britain, and were present in the colonies before the start of the Revolutionary War. However, due to lack of records for her 5th great grandfather William, (was he born in England?) things get somewhat murky. Whatever the actual situation of her descendants beyond the 5th great grandfather, William, the tale of the family is in part the story of the United States. Yankee stock who, after some time (at least with her father), married into stock from Central Europe. Yankee stock with her family being involved in farming, the trades, but some were merchants, and as we have seen served in militias. Her family was present at the start of the country. Although, with further research who knows what could arise. And perhaps if not a direct descendant of Lt Samuel or Anthony, or even Gen William, maybe there is some relation. With all of this, though, I think she will be most impressed that I have now come up with yet another nickname for her, Toni Doodle.
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| Death Warrant of King Charles I (red dots to right of signatures) William Goffs Signature in in third column fourth down Source: Wikipedia |
Sources:
1. Ralstongenealogy.com
2. "Our Bernhardt, Fangman and other Associated lines many from from Monroe Co., WI," by Arlyn Berhnhardt" (accessed in 2008 from Rootsweb)
3. http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~streeter/genealogy/goff.pdf
4. Simeon Goff Revolutionary War Pension and Muster Rolls (Ancestry.com)
5. Stephen D Goff Civil War Pension Record, Wisconsin State Historical Society
6. Find a Grave (online website of burials, grave markers and some biography)
7. Heritage Quest (online website of census records)
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