A Ngaruawahia Wedding Elinor Moffitt- Charles Bowie

Ive missed a few weeks of my "Ancestor a week" self- challenge however Im back with another Goodwin family layout today after receiving a great photo of a family wedding from another Goodwin cousin a few days ago. Fortunately many names were notated on the back of the photo, however I was hoping to find a description of the wedding in one of the local papers of the time, however it would appear that either this wedding didnt make the papers, or else if it did, the paper has not yet been digitised by the National Library.
I did find an announcement of the wedding in the New Zealand Herald dated February 15th 1915, but no detailed description, which might help identify the few remaining people I have not yet been able to identify.

On January 6th 1915 at the Methodist Church Ngaruawahia Elinor Moffitt of Ngaruawahia married Charles Bowie of Te Aroha.  The wedding party shown in this photo demonstrates the close connection between the various branches of the Goodwin family. Elinor Moffitt was the younger daughter of Edward John Moffitt and his wife Sarah Ann. Sarah Ann's parents were William Henry and Jane Goodwin (nee Boyt), both of whom had died just a few years before this wedding.
Sarah Ann is seated on the far right of this photo, and her husband Edward on the far left.
According to the notations on the back of the photograph, there are several other Goodwin family members in attendance. Of note are Sarah Ann’s brother Joseph Goodwin who is the tall rather handsome man with dark hair and moustache standing in the back row, just right of centre. Joseph was Sarah Ann’s youngest brother, born in 1868. Just in front of him on his right is Phillip Goodwin, my Great Grandfather (sporting a moustache for the first time in any photograph of him we have seen) Phillip, being the son of Sarah Ann’s brother James was one of the bride’s first cousins.  Standing just behind Sarah Ann is Mary Ann Goodwin, Phillips mother in a resplendent hat).
The brides sister Eliza Annie (known as Annie) is standing beside Phillip and her husband Roland Garlick is standing to the left of the bridesmaid whose identity at this point is unknown.
There are two other younger men in the photograph, one standing to the left of Roland Garlick and one on the far right beside Mary Ann.  The photograph indicates the man on the left is Henry Moffitt, however this would appear to be incorrect. Edward and Sarah Ann had 2 sons, James Henry and Edward John Jr. James Henry died in a drowning accident in 1895 so I suspect the man on the left is Edward John Jr, however another nephew of Sarah Ann (Francis Henry) listed her as his next of kin on his World War One attestation, so perhaps one of the two young men may be him.  I imagine the older woman standing behind the brides father is in fact the Grooms mother Margaret Bowie, a widow.
There is no indication of who the small girl in the front of the photograph could be. Perhaps she is a niece of the groom, or perhaps the daughter of one of the brides many cousins.

The Sad Demise of the Marriage of Joseph Goodwin and Sarah Miller

Im still keeping up with my challenge of a page a week and this week I continue with the Goodwin family.  Todays page actually turned into 6 pages in my quest to tell the story of Joseph and Sarah.

Joseph Goodwin, youngest son of William Henry and Jane Goodwin, married Sarah Miller, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Miller in Drury on January 31st 1900. It appears that the marriage was not a happy one from very early on.
The first we hear of the troubles comes via a court case in July 1913 where Sarah is suing Joseph for maintenance.
The article reads as follows :
WHY SHE LEFT HOME. An application by Sarah Goodwin for an order of maintenance against her husband, Joseph Goodwin, was opposed by the husband. The complainant said that she had been working as a cook, but was prevented by a nervous breakdown from working further, and she wanted maintenance for hereelf and her adopted child. In cross-examination by Mr Mowlem (for defendant), she admitted that she had left her husband and had been working in Auckland, Ngaruawahia, Hamilton, and Rotorua. When she was with her husband they lived in two rooms, up the creek from Ngaruawahia, and she shifted to Ngaruawahia and started a boardinghouee because she wanted to get clothes for herself.  '"Haven't you forgotten, to mention Taumarunui among your little expeditions asked counsel. “The complainant thought that that had nothing to do with the case, but counsel persisted, and she replied that what happened at Taumarunui between her and a man named Francis was a matter for the Supreme Court, not for the present proceedings. Asked if her husband had not several times offered her a home, the witness replied that she wished the Court could see the home he gave her. "I'll tell you the sort of home I went into when I was married. I went into a two-roomed house up the creek from Ngaruawahia. There was not even a mattress for mc to sleep on, and I had to stuff one with fern for myself. There wasn't even a chair to sit on —two bare rooms—and because I thought such a lot of him I put up with it, and lived with him for six  years. Then it was impossible for me to live with him any longer, the way I was  tortured by his family. I don’t blame him;' I blamee his family." Counsel suggested that the wife's trips I caused the trouble. In answer to him, she admitted that her husband had offered to make her a home at Rotorua, or Pnukekohe, or near Ngaruawahia, but she was doubtful of the sort of home. Mr Mowlem submitted that the husband was the person who was sinned against, and that it would he unnecessary for him to call evidence in defenese, .His Worship came to the conclusion that the husband ought to make some provision' for the wife and child, and an order for 7s 6d and 5s per week for the wife and child respectively was made.
The next chapter in this sad tale can be found in a letter to Joseph dated 2nd September 1914
from an Mrs M Coker, who  ran a maternity home in Rangataua which is a small village near Ohakune.

The first letter from Mrs Coker reads as follows:
Rangatuaua 2.9.14
Mr J Goodwin
Dear Sir
You will excuse  me in taking the liberty of writing to you but under the present circumstances I find that I am compelled to do so. Your wife Sarah Goodwin has contracted a debt of 7 pounds, part of confinement fees and will not pay it. She was with me three months . Two months before the baby was born and the month after and I looked after the baby for one month after she went to Wellington and she has treated  me with contempt.Of course I do not know if you are at fault of this debt as your wife told me you were dead so of course I do not know. She is not worthy of being called a woman as she expects to have everything done for her and no money attached to it. We are only working people & cannot afford to keep anyone else's wife for nothing. Hoping you will please answer this letter with as  soon as possible as such a woman requires to be kept up to the mark. Of course if you are not responsible for the debt or child, I shall take proceedings against your wife
I am yours sincerely
M Coker
Rangataua

This may not have come as a surprise to Joseph, as the mention of the “events at Taumaranui” in the preceeding court case have definite relevance here as can be seen in the 2nd letter from Mrs Coker to Joseph.

‘Rangataua,
14th October 1914
Mr Joseph Goodwin
Dear Sir
Yours of the 18th inst. Thanks and was pleased you took my letter in the proper light. I took in all your wife had to say about being a widow and quite believed her as often people are left now. But Dr Nelson of Ohakune told me you were alive, and where you were, but to find out for sure I wrote to the Court at Auckland and this is the result of it. She was with me for a period of three months two before the baby was born and one after the baby was born on the first day of July 1914, and when it was a month old she went to Wellington and is present at the Egmont Private Hotel but she is not much good whereever she is. I have put the matter into the solicitors hands and am just going to show her the way to be straight and honest. She is as full of lies as she can hold and badness along with it. She also went to Ohakune and registered the child as Iris Coker Goodwin which she is committing herself as she is making a false declaration of birth as she did not give the child its own fathers name and made use of ours and yours. I believe she has the little girl age 9 years staying with her sister in law at Pukekohe and it is hoped she will learn a few of the land doings of her mother. Mrs Goodwin had a considerable amount of money when with me and had money wired to her from Hamilton and gave me letters to post to some man there but I cannot think of the name and you are a foolish man to pay to keep another mans kid
I am yours faithfully
Margaret Coker

I can find no evidence that Joseph ever remarried and he died intestate in 1955. His age at death was registered as 81 however according to his birth record he would have in fact been 87.  His estate was claimed by a Cecila Sutcliffe.  I suspect Cecilia was the adopted child of Sarah and Joseph mentioned in both Sarahs maintenance  claim on Joseph in 1913 and also in Margaret Coker’s 2nd letter to Joseph. There is a death registration of a Cecilia Sutcliffe in 1976 which gives her date of birth as 1904 which ties in with the age of the child in Margaret Coker’s letter.
She states in her affidavit that she was the lawful child of Joseph and he had no other children or dependents, and that he was married only once to Cecilia’s lawful mother and to that end Cecilia was made the beneficiary of Josephs estate which at the time of his death was worth approximately 600 pounds.

The First Hautapu Rugby Team

Amongst my Great Grandfathers photographs was a wonderful photo ( on silver I believe) of the 1903 Hautapu Rugby Team – part of the Cambridge Union. He was part of this team ( played  five eighths) .
Of course he was very old as long as I knew him  so its very hard to think of him playing any sport let alone rugby but apparently he was quite a good player from what Ive been led to understand
I did a layout using the photo – ( well a scan of the photo and not a very good one because the scan reflected off the silver in the photo ) The photo itself is in pretty good condition given its 109 year life.

Here is the journalling ( information I got from the Hautapu rugby club website ) and names from the back of the photograph.
Boom times in the Waikato at the beginning of the 20th century meant an increase in population and enough good footballers to form a Union of Cambridge teams. One of those was Hautapu. The first meeting of the team in 1903 was in the bacon curing room at the Hautapu Dairy Factory .
The original colours were black and red. Jerseys were collarless , with leather bound shoulders. The team practiced on a field adjacent to the railway station. Goal posts were erected and a Jack Cowling took the role of player coach. . Apparently the team rarely won, but “always came up smiling” The photo above is the very first Cambridge Union Hautapu team 1903.
Names as per back of photo:
Back row: Jack Russell , Roy Cricket, Jack Cowling, Arthur Kelly, Gibb Watt, Charlie Shaw, Tui Rangi, Ned Hall
Front row: Arthur Healy, Cecil Ashwin, Phil Goodwin, Durhum Ashwin , Humphrey Russell ,Jack Milne ,George Beer.
 
My Great Grandfather Phillip Goodwin ( or Phil as he must have been known of then) is in the front row to the left of the man with the dog – no mention is made of the name of the dog!!

A Woman’s Work is Never Done

We often think on how stressed and rushed our lives are, and the pressures on women to have a career and raise a family and to be “someone” , and yet if we really think about our lifestyle – we are incredibly lucky to be born into an age where our lives have been made incredibly easy in some ways in comparison to those of our ancestors.

I’ve been sitting here reflecting on this today as I thumbed through the tattered remains of one of my Great Grandmothers recipe books. – Most of the pages are long gone and those that are left are  torn, and some hand written recipes have printed recipe clippings glued on top of them but this recipe glued to the inside cover really bought to light the fact that my life is really a bit of a doddle compared to that of my Grandmother and  Great Grandmother. 

 

 

In case you cant read it – the recipe is actually instructions on Laundering  Linen Collars .

To Launder Linen Collars ( in reply to M.H. “N.I..,” 28/3/31) – The collars must be steeped, washed, boiled, rinsed, blued and quite dry before starching.  Dip into cold water starch, squeeze out, and rub the starch well into the folds of the linen.  Roll up in a clean dry cloth.  Rub with a dry rag before ironing to remove any starch which, lying on the surface would make brown specks when ironed. Stretch the machine stitching to pull out creases and iron the wrong side lightly.  Iron right side heavily to make linen as smooth and glossy as possible; then iron right and wrong side alternately till dry. Them with a damp rag rub evenly all over the right side.  Put linen on a hard surface, and polish with a hot clean polishing iron.

Curl and air or the polish will pass away. The best time for ironing is about two hours after the starching. The top edge of the colour should be next to the  ironer, so that any fullness can be pushed down to the bottom of the collar,  Borax improves the starch very much.  The following is an excellent recipe for cold water starch; 1 tablespoon white starch, 1/2 pint cold water, 4 drops turpentine, 1/2 teaspoonful borax ( dissolved) . Put starch into a clean basin, add very little cold water, mix with the fingers till free from lumps, add the turpentine which mixes more easily than if added later, pour in remainder of water and, lastly dissolved borax.  The borax is dissolved in a tablespoonful of water ( boiling) If not properly dissolved it is apt to make yellow marks.. If making a larger quantity, only two drops of turpentine should be added to each succeeding pint of cold water .

 

My, haven’t we come a long way in the 80 years since this was written.  Times were simpler in many ways but each generation has its own trials to suffer, and I for one am glad Starched Linen Collars aren’t one of the trials of my life.

Four Brothers Goodwin?

My trip to the Wellington Archives resulted in some wonderful discoveries but also some more questions.

Ive felt ( though Ive yet to get any firm proof) that my William Henry Goodwin ( also known as Henry Goodrum/Gooderham/Goodram) had a brother Charles.

His marriage was witnessed by a Charles and I did find out that there was a Charles also in the 58th Regiment of Foot who discharged in New Zealand.

 

While looking for more information on the life of William Henry, I decided to see if there were any records on Charles in Wellington and hit the jackpot so to speak

 

It seemed that Charles made a land claim on behalf of his brother… but that brother was Not William nor Henry, but George Goodrum.

Apparently George died in a battle between the 58th Regiment and Hone Heke’s tribe in Northland in 1845 and Charles must have thought that perhaps he had a shot at getting the land that might have been given to George should he have survived.

In support of his claim was this letter

The transcript of this letter reads:

This is to certify that I joined the 58th Regiment of foot at Richmond Barracks Dublin on 10th May 1842.

I had three brothers in the said regiment, the eldest being shot during the Bay of Islands war in 1845.

I served in the same regiment then legally discharged at Britomart Barracks. I am drawing a pension from the Imperial Government and I have three good conduct rings and received twelve months pay for good conduct the day I was discharged

Charles Goodrum .

So another Goodwin/rum mystery – If I am correct and Charles and William Henry are brothers, and now George was a third brother, who was the fourth?? – More research is definitely warranted.

The muster rolls for the 58th regiment are on microfilm at Auckland Museum – I think I may have to pay a visit there.

A Confirmation of my Research

 

Remember back in these posts on Henry Goodrum/William Henry Goodwin and again here and then again here. In trying to work out who Wiliam Henry Goodwin actually was I had pretty much decided that he had been called Henry Goodrum and was ex the 58th Regiment of Foot.  He had pensioned out here in 1857 then later joined the 4th Waikato Militia Regiment as a replacement.

Well today on my way down to Wellington ( to check out what I am hoping are his war records at Archives here, I stopped at the Old Ngaruawahia Cemetery and found the grave of William and his wife Jane. – Its in row 1 – closest to the road and is quite hard to photograph front on because of a large dense bush in front of the grave but I surely was excited to find them in such good condition 

What excited me even more though I didnt even see at first till I leaned in to get a close up of the text on the gravestone – and as you can see – my theory seems to be confirmed

I took photos at a couple of angles to get the clearest view of the words on the gravestone and enhanced this one just a bit to make it as clear as I could – it definltely says – of the 58th Regiment. !

Im making that trip to Archives tomorrow – Now Im sure Im looking for the right man its even more exciting.

An Immense Voyage

I did a 2 page journalistic style layout today about the voyage of my Great Great Grandmother Mary Goodwin nee Gleeson, who sailed on board the Brodick Castle in 1875-76 aged just 17

Here is the journalling from this layout which I took from White Wins Vol II Founding of the Provinces and Old-Time Shipping. Passenger Ships from 1840 – 1885

What an immense voyage it must have been for 17 year old Mary Gleeson , travelling alone from Dublin to Auckland. We know little about Mary’s early life. and of why she decided to travel to the other side of the world to meet up with her Uncle. The voyage from London to Auckland was aboard the Brodick Castle. The Brodick Castle was a magnificent iron clipper ship of 1,775 tons, belonging to the Castle Line (Messrs. Skinner and Company), and chartered by the Shaw, Savill Company. Built by Wingate at Glasgow, and launched in 1875, she was on her maiden voyage when she sailed from London on October 7 of that year for Auckland, in command of Captain Thyne. When lying at Gravesend, ready to sail, she broke away from her moorings, but no damage was done. In the Bay of Biscay the encountered a terrific storms, and she was dismasted, narrowly escaping total wreck. Fortunately a steamer picked her up and towed her to Falmouth, where she arrived on October 20, and was subsequently sent to Plymouth for repairs. After the repairs were effected there was still further delay owing to the difficulty of settling the salvage claim of the steamer that towed her to Falmouth, so that it was December 14 before the ship was on her way again to New Zealand.
After leaving Plymouth, the voyagers were favoured with good weather for their second attempt at the stormy Bay of Biscay, and Madeira was sighted on Christmas Day. On that day the crew were ordered to send aloft the top-gallant yards, which had not been sent up before, and they flatly refused, as Christmas Day at sea is one that the sailor used to consider peculiarly his own. There was some trouble, but eventually the work was done by the ship's officers. The equator was crossed on January 13, 31 days out, and the meridian of the Cape of Good Hope on February 12. Here the vessel was becalmed for nearly a week. Cape Maria van Diemen was made on March 16, and Auckland was reached on March 23, after a passage of 99 days.
But the ship's troubles were not yet all over. As she was beating up the harbour on the young flood she was suddenly taken aback while in stays about 500 yards from the Bean Rock light-house, and she was carried stern first on the reef. She lay there, hung up, for about 20 minutes, when with shift of the wind to the south-west and the rising tide, she floated off.
The police flag was flying when the ship came up the harbour, and several of the ship's crew who had behaved mutinously during the voyage after the incident of Christmas Day, were taken ashore and afterwards dealt with at the Police Court. Three deaths occurred during the voyage.
Mrs. E. Oldfield, of Takapuna, who was a passenger by the Brodick Castle, tells an interesting story of the voyage out. "Our ship," she says, "narrowly escaped disaster before ever she left the Thames. In a sudden squall she dragged her anchor, and was only saved by several small tugs coming to her assistance and towing her back to her moorings. The gale in the Bay of Biscay was a very trying experience. The wind blew with terrific force. For seven days and seven nights the ship was rolling about helplessly, the passengers being battened down, and for three days they were unable to get any food. The fore and the main mast, with their mass of yards and sails, went overboard, and the end of one yard-arm smashed a hole through the deck just over the compartment where the single women lived. At every roll of the vessel water poured in on these unfortunate girls, everyone of them being then battened down; and to add to the terror of the girls, the store-room walls gave way, and two large casks of flour went rolling through. The ship was rolling so heavily that three casks were smashed, and the flour mixing with the water made an indescribable mess, adding to the terrible state to which the poor girls were reduced.
"When superintending the cutting away of what was left of the mizzen mast, which was considered to be dangerous, the second officer had his leg severely smashed by the falling spar. The ship's doctor, with the help of two passengers, successfully amputated the limb. During the storm we also lost two sailors overboard, and one was killed by a falling spar. We were drifting about for seven days, helpless in the trough of the seas. At night rockets were sent up, a blue light was kept burning, and minute guns were fired.
"It was a terrible time for the passengers, many of whom never expected to see dry land again, and you can imagine our joy when a large steamer hove in sight and answered our signals of distress. She took us in tow and brought us into Falmouth.
"We were taken ashore at Falmouth, and went on by train to Plymouth, where we were lodged in barracks. Every kindness was shown to us. Those of the married people who could afford to do so, were allowed to take lodgings in the town. A few of the passengers left us at Plymouth, having decided that they would not renew their acquaintance with the Brodick Castle.
"For nine weeks we waited at Plymouth, and then, at last, on December 14, we re-embarked for New Zealand with a new crew. Things went well until we reached the Tropics, where the vessel was becalmed, and we had trouble with the sailors over the sending up of the topgallant yards on Christmas Day. Before things resumed their wonted calm, the captain had to go down and bring up his revolvers. For their disobedience the captain refused to give the men their extra Christmas rations. There was great resentment at this, and the disaffected men bringing their tubs of rice and salt meat, flung them down outside the door of the first mate's cabin, singing:
"''Tie Christmas Day, and we've salt horse for dinner;
Our meat's as green as any grass, and tough as any leather;"
"Owing to this disturbance with the crew the customary ceremonies connected with the crossing of the Line were omitted on our ship. Nothing very unusual occurred during the rest of the voyage to Auckland, where we ran on to Bean Rock Reef, but happily we soon floated off again."
Despite the rough start to her New Zealand life ,Mary did make a successful life for herself in the Waikato, where she met and in 1880 married James Goodwin andr aised a large family. Unfortunately James died prematurely in 1898 and she was left to run the family farm and raise her family singlehandedly

My Grandmother’s Wedding

I did another family history layout today at our Speedscrap event at DSP.
The design of the inspiration leant itself well to a large landscape photo and this gorgeous photo of my Grandmothers Wedding in 1936

I had a newspaper clipping which describes in detail the event and so I used that for my journalling which reads :
The wedding which aroused considerable interest in church and musical circles, solemnised recently at Trinity Methodist Church, New town, was that of Bettie Grand, younger daughter of Mr, and Mrs. W McClellan, Wellington South, and Trevor Owen, eldest son of Mr and Mrs P Goodwin, Kilbernie. The church was tastefully decorated by friends of the bride. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. Walter Parker, Mis Thornley officiating at the organ. The bride who was escorted by her father, wore a graceful gown of heavy pearl satin cut on classical lines, and falling into a full train. The beautiful veil was of silver embroidered tulle flowing from a hand plaited silver halo. She carried an arm sheaf of cream roses, carnations, sweet peas, pale pink azaleas and maidenhair fern. The bridesmaids were the Misses Pauline Grant (cousin of the bride) Phyllis Lindsay, Joan Holmes and Jean Affleck of Dannevirke. They wore dainty gowns of blush pink georgette over pale pink satin , the skirts being inset with frilled godets and the necks finished with tucked medici collars. The sleeves which were very full, were pin tucked from shoulder to wrist, while muffs and shepherdess hats, were of handmade pink silk velvet flowers edged with frilled tulle. The bridegroom was attended by Messrs P A Goodwin( best man, S.W. Robinson W.B. Goodwin and K.B. McClellan. During the singing of the register a pleasing solo was sung by Mrs Wilfred Andrews and as the bride left the church she was presented by little Miss Donna Pengelly with a silver horseshoe. The reception was held in the Orange Hall, the brides mother receiving the guests and wearing a black lace and oatmeal cloth ensemble, a black picture hat with a large pink flower, and carrying a shower posy of pink carnations, roses and azaleas. She was assisted by the bridegrooms mother who work a navy blue crepe de chine ensemble and blue halo hat. Her shower posy was of salmon pink roses and begonias. There were about 150 guests present, who attended a delightful dance after the wedding breakfast. At the reception Mrs Pengelly contributed a solo and Miss Katie Joseph a humorous monologue. When the bride and bridegroom left for a motor tour of the north the bride was wearing a smart brown costume and hat with pink accessories

Is this the same man???

Ive talked before about my Henry Goodrum/William Henry Goodwin  conundrum.

Well I may be a step closer on my trail to solving the mystery.

This week the very nice retired vicar at St Peters Church in Onehunga sent me a photocopy of the register of the marriage of Jane BOYD to Henry GOODRUM, from February 3rd 1842

The first thing that struck me about this document is that of the 5 people involved in the wedding, ( the Vicar, Bride, Groom and 2 witnesses) only 2 were literate. Those two being the Vicar Arthur  G Purchas, and the groom, Henry Goodrum.

 

The second thing that was of interest was the witness, Charles Goodrum because the Goodrum family in Gissing, Norfolk that I believe Henry came from included a Charles in the list of siblings . ( I still have to research the age of this Charles to see if the ages match– I have some more details on him that I discovered yesterday)

I have a copy of the signature of William Henry Goodwin, from late in his life, on the copy of his will that I found at Auckland Archives

 

SO my next task was to compare the signatures – Ive done this below

 

Apart from the obvious difference ( the addition of the name William) and the fact that the 2 signatures were written more than 50 years apart , there are some obvious similarities between the two. The formation of the H in particular really stood along with the capital G. – Also the fact that in both signatures there is no connection between the second o and the d – all lead me to believe that both documents were in fact signed by the same man.

What do you think??

The Goodwin/Goodrum conundrum continues

 

Today I spent an hour at Auckland Museum doing a little more research on William Henry Goodwin/Henry Goodrum.

Im afraid Im none the wiser, in fact if anything I’m even more confused.

In a book on  British Colonial soldiers who discharged in New Zealand I found the following entries

 

As you can see there is a William GOODWIN listed, but he is from Woodbridge which is in Suffolk, and according to the details I have on his sons death certificate our man was from Norfolk,

The other name of interest is Henry GOODERAM- He  is from Gissing which is in Nofolk – It appears he enlisted  on the 28th may 1844 and discharged on 31st Jan 1857 after having been part of the NSW detachment in 1846.

Additionally we found this entry in a book on men who received honours for fighting for NZ ( this book published 1900)

I think we can assume Henry GOODERUN and Henry GOODERAM  and Henry GOODRUM were one and the same. ( although assumptions are not always wise)

 

Of course this still doesnt explain the change of name from Henry GOODRUM to William Henry GOODWIN.

I did however find out some more information about the BOYT family that he married into from a book on the NZ Fencibles  ( The Royal New Zealand Fencibles 1847-1852 By Ruth Alexander, Alan La Roche, Gail Gibson)

There is an interesting snippet about Janes sister Joanna who married the son of another Fencible , John Reece. They came out on the Ramilles together and were next door neighbours

This book also tho states that Jane married William GOODWIN son of Fencible James GOODWIN, but as I mentioned in my earlier post – all references to that Willliam Goodwin have him aged 1 when he arrived in NZ in 1849, certainly not at all close to the age of the William Henry GOODWIN or Henry GOODRUM who married Jane Boyt in 1852.

 

A further book I viewed on the Waikato Regiments has Henry GOODRUM enlisting in  the 4th Waikato as a substitute for William Bowden in Onehunga  on 30 July 1864. He lists his age here as 39 which would make him born 1825 which is in the right ball park for the man who was the father of my Great Great Grandfather.

 

Oh and then just to confuse me even more – I came across this article in Papers Past

Entitled Despaches from Colonel Despart, To Governor Fitzroy – New Zealander, Volume 1, Issue 6, 12 July 1845, Page 2

 

Camp. Jst July, ,1845. The following are the directions, and the distribution of the troops, for the attack on the pa, at 3 o'clock, this evening. The principal attack will be made on or near the right angle on the front face, (that face being considered the front one 1 that is opposite the camp), and the whole column for this attack will be formed as follows :2 sergeants and 20 volunteers from the three corps will form the advance, and proceed with the most perfect silence till they reach the stockade. This party will be followed closely by the assaulting body, under Major Macpherson, composed of 40 grenadiers from the 58th and 40 grenadiers from the 99th Regiments, and will be accompanied by a small party of seamen, and by 30 pioneers from the volunteer Militia. The seamen, and as many pioneers as there are sufficient tools for, will' be supplied with axes or hatchets for the purpose of cutting down the stockade. Those pioneers that cannot  be supplied with axes or hatchets are to carry the ladders as well as strong ropes, which will be supplied by the Artillery department, for pulling down the stockade. Major Macpherson's party will be closely followed by Major Bridge, of the 58th Regiment, having under him the remainder of the grenadiers of the' 58th, to be made up to 60 rank and file from the battalion of the same Regiment, and 40 rank and file from the Light Company of the 99th Regiment.— ln all amounting to 100 rank and file. A strong supporting party will be formed under Lieut.Colonel Hulme, 96th Regiment, consisting of the whole of the detachment of the96thRegiment, completed to 100 rank and file by the battalion men of the 58th Regiment. The moment an entrance is made into the pah, this party will instantly follow* the preceding parties The remainder of the force will be under the personal command of Colonel Despard, for the purpose of directing assistance wherever necessary, with the exception of 40 rank and,file of the 58th Regiment, under command of Capt. Thompson, of that corps, who will occupy the hill overlooking the pah, and the camp it being considered necessary to do so, from the attempt made by the natives in the morning to get possession of it. By order, R. B. Deering Lieut. 99th Regiment,- Acting Brigade  Major.

The names of the non-commissioned officers and privates, killed and wounded, as yet known, are a,s follows Her Majesty's 58th Regiment.

KILLED.
Sergeant Halliday
  “            Morrow
  “           Andrew
  “           Wilson
Corporal William Stewart
Privates – Davis,
              Claxton
               Punchett
               Goodrum
               Fisher
              Norton
              Reynolds
              Payne
              Sutton
              Doherty
              Leech
              Molloy
              Anderson
Thirty five wounded. Two Sergeants and 33rank and file.names not yet reported..

The Goodwin /Goodrum Conundrum

One of the biggest conundrums I’m facing in these early days of my genealogical journey is the Goodwin Family branch.
My great grandfather Phillip Goodwin was very interested and proud of his wife’s family tree but really didn’t speak much to me ever of his side of the family, and I was surprised to learn recently that he had 9 brothers and sisters.
There has to be an interesting story amongst that lot I’m sure so why was he so closed about them.
His Mothers story alone is worth telling. She came alone  from Ireland at 16 in 1876 to live with her Uncle. ( I’ve yet to discover who he was) . By 1880 at age 21 she had met and married her husband James Goodwin, and within the next 18 years she had at least 10 children.
Sadly in 1898 James died of Acute Pneumonia leaving her a widow, with a new farm and all those children to raise ( the eldest of whom was only 16.)
I have a copy of James death certificate and here is where the story starts to get tangled.


Its not easy to read but it states James parents were William Henry Goodwin Farmer, and Jane Goodwin formally Boyt.
James was 38 when he died making is birth year around 1860, but there is no birth registered in that name according to Births Deaths and Marriages…..
Boyt isn’t such a common name so she was relatively easy to find.
Jane Boyt was the daughter of William Boyt who was a Fencible at Onehunga.  They arrived on the  Ramilles in 1847.
But search for a marriage between William Henry Goodwin and Jane Boyt and you will come up with nothing.
The only marriage for Jane Boyt appears to be one in 1852 to a  Henry GOODRUM, and interestingly enough there is a birth registered in 1860 for a James GOODRUM .
Did Henry GOODRUM change his name to William Henry GOODWIN, and if so why add the William.
My mother had a Goodwin family tree which states James Father ( no name given) came out to fight the Maori Land Wars and was a member of the" “Old 4th Waikato Regiment”
There is no William Henry Goodwin listed as a member of the 4th Waikato, but there is a Henry GOODRUM
see this web page by Colin Dent who was kind enough to provide me with the information he had on Henry GOODRUM

Name Henry Goodrum
Reg. # 485
Rank Private
Company 1 (Source: land register)
Enrolled 30 Jul 1864, Onehunga
Born Gissing, Norfolk, England
Trade/calling Labourer
Age at enrolment 39
Height 5ft 8½in
Ship HMS Racehorse
Marital status Married
Colour of eyes Light Blue
Colour of hair Sandy
Complexion Fair
Religion Protestant
Relieved from service 1 Apr 1865 / 29 Mar 1866
Possession of land 1 Apr 1865 / 29 Mar 1866
Town section # 41, West Hamilton, Victoria Street (east side).
2nd lot south of Grey (now Bryce) Street
Country lot # 19, Knights' Survey, Pukete
Country lot location Hamilton/Ngaruawahia road, Te Rapa
Remarks Substitute for William Bowden Reg. # 7
Sources:
Nominal & Descriptive Roll of the 4th regiment of the Waikato Militia, Microfilm BRN 173610 / FHL
287479, Hamilton Public Library, National Archives ref. AD 144/4.
Land Grants to Waikato Militia regiments, includes the Long Roll, Microfilm BRN 173606 / FHL 287480,
Hamilton Public Library.
H C M Norris, Manuscripts and Notes, Hamilton Public Library ref. Msc 0046.

Henry GOODRUM comes from Norfolk,
According to the Death certificate of William Henry GOODWIN – he also comes from Norfolk.

I’m beginning at this point to feel that these men are one and the same.
Additionally Henry GOODRUM seems to disappear after  he is discharged from the 4th Waikato in 1866. There is no death registered in NZ to a Henry GOODRUM.

A death notice for William Henry GOODWIN states the following:
GOODWIN Died 9th January 1912 at Firewood Creek, Ngaruawahia, William Henry Goodwin, of old age, fractured leg and exhaustion 20 days, aged 86 years. Last seen by Dr Percy Swaseger 8th January 1912. Born Norfolk, England, in New Zealand 64 years. Married at Onehunga at age 22 to Jane Boyd. Male issue living - aged 39, 42, 45, 55, 57. Female issue living - aged 54, 66. Buried Ngaruawahia 10th January 1912.
Informant - W. Vant, undertaker having charge of the funeral.
 
and for Jane,
GOODWIN Died 27th August 1913 at Ngaruawahia, Jane Goodwin, household duties, female, of cirrhosis of the liver, senility and heart failure, aged 83 years. Last seen by Dr H. E. Tait 13th August 1913. Born South Wales, daughter of ..... Boyd, soldier, and ...... ...... Male issue living - 60, 55, 46, 43, 40. Female issue living - 61, 51. Buried Ngaruawahia 29th August 1913.
Informant - John William Tait, undertaker having charge of the funeral
 
So a search at Births Deaths and Marriages under GOODRUM brings up the following births

YEAR/RECORD	NAME	AGE 1912	AGE 1913
1858/867	Goodrum, Alice Ford	63/64	63/64
1858/868	Goodrum, Sarah (Auckland)	63/64	64/65
1860/1175	Goodrum, James (Auck)	died before 1912	died before 1913
1863/2001	Goodrum, Henry (Auck)	48/49	49/50
1866	Goodrum, Samuel - Mother: Jane - Father: Henry	45/46	46/47

Then additionally under GOODWIN

1868/16085	Joseph(Mother Jane, Father William Henry)	43/44	44/45
1872	Frederick James Russell ( Mother Jane, Father William Henry	39/40	40/41

Some of the  ages don’t match exactly with the ages at death so I’m not really much the wiser. I’m surmising that Alice Ford and Sarah are twins based on the record numbers.
I know Sarah was a daughter of William H Goodwin despite her birth registered as GOODRUM, based on on an except from the Cyclopedia of New Zealand about an E Moffitt whose wife Sarah Ann was listed as the daughter of WH GOODWIN.

MR. EDMUND JOHN MOFFITT, who has been a Member of the Ngaruawahia Town Board since 1891, was born in Cork, Ireland, in 1844, his father being a military officer. Mr. Moffitt arrived in Auckland by the ship “Red Jacket,” in 1860, and has been a resident at Ngaruawahia since 1873. For five years he has held the contract to convey cream and butter to and from the local dairy factory, and he farms about fifty acres of land and milks a number of cows. Mr. Moffitt was married, in 1875, to a daughter of Mr. W. H. Goodwin, of Firewood Creek, and has two sons and two daughters. ( http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Cyc02Cycl-t1-body1-d3-d3-d7.html)

I know that James was the son of WH GOODWIN  despite his registration and GOODRUM, based on his death certificate as above.
To confuse matters even further there was another William Henry GOODWIN who married a Jane ( Russell) in 1853  and who farmed in Kaukapakapa.

Yesterday I took a trip out to Archives in South Auckland and found the Will and Probate of William Henry GOODWIN


This will dated August 1911 leaves his estate to “my dear wife Jane Goodwin the income thereof during her life and after her death upon trust for my said son William Charles Goodwin absolutely.”

William Charles is another new name…so just adds even more mystery, and what of all his other children???
The only William I can find who might fit at births deaths and marriages is registered as a GOODWIN birth  that would fit is one born in 1865 with no mother or father name listed in the database at Births Deaths and Marriages
So this mystery continues to be a challenge for me. I suspect I’m going to have to spend a lot of  money on birth and death certificates to get an answer ..if I ever do!!
More to follow I’m sure…..