Putnam County IN Order Books and Abner Goodwin

A couple of years ago, I wrote a series of posts entitled "Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin" in which I used land records to determine who were the children of Etheldred Godwin. Following the discovery of seven separate deeds each naming off their 1/7th share of Etheldred's land, I decided to see if there was any other mention of this division of land in the Putnam County, Indiana Circuit Court. I had already determined that there was no probate or estate record on file for Etheldred Godwin.

I ordered the "Complete Order books, circuit court, Putnam Co., IN, 1823-1915, vols. C-D, Apr 23, 1841 - Apr 12, 1862" family history film no. 2416111 from my local Family History Center. I was looking for court cases related to the probate of Etheldred Godwin's estate in 1852. I did not find any listings for Godwin or his descendants with the surnames of Thomas, Sabin, and McAlister in either of these two volumes C and D.

The only entry I found was for the estate of Abner GOODWIN:

On May 6, 1858 a case came before the court between Polly and James Goodwin, executors of the estate of Abner Goodwin, dec'd on the one part, and David, Elisha, and Greenberry Mullinex and Riley Bev's(sp?) on the other part. The Mullinexes had an attorney present who agreed to appear before the court for them and to waive the essence of a "scirifaces" and to confess a judgment of "revion" in favor of Polly and James Goodwin, executors of the last will and testament of Abner Goodwin, dec'd for the amount of a judgment rendered in favor of said Goodwin for $485 and with all interest and costs due thereon, rendered at the Nov term of said court 1848. 

(Source: Complete Order books, Putnam Co., IN, Family History Film no. 2416111, volume D, p. 238)

I have identified this Abner Goodwin as one Abner Connely Goodwin, son of John Goodwin(e) and Martha Heady. According to a user submitted IGI file on Ancestry.com, Abner was born about 1791 in Wheeling, VA. He married Charollet Ginn 27 Aug 1812 in Bardstown, KY.

He died 12 Sept 1849 according to his headstone transcription in Bethel Baptist church, Vermillion Cemetery posted on the Putnam Co., IN USGenWeb site.

Abner "Godwin" was enumerated on the 1830 Putnam Co., IN census report.

In his household, he had:
1 male under the age of 5
2 males between 5 and 10
2 males between 10 and 15
1 male between 30 and 40
2 females under the age of 5
3 females between 5 and 10
1 female between 10 and 15
1 female between 15 and 20
1 female between 40 and 50

The male between the ages of 30 and 40 was probably Abner, which would put his date of birth at approximately between 1790 and 1800. His first wife, Charlotte, was probably the female who was between the age of 40 and 50, making her born approximate between 1780 and 1790.

Other than Abner and Charlotte, there were a total of 5 males and 7 female children living in the household at the time this census was taken. We cannot assume they were all necessarily children, though, as they could have been nieces or nephews, etc.

(Source: 1830 US Federal Census, Putman County, Indiana, population schedule, , Page 193, Abner Godwin; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : downloaded 14 May 2012); NARA Film M19, Roll 30, FHL Film 0007719.)

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Between 1822 and 1839, Abner Goodwin purchased a total of 9 tracts of land (almost 800 acres total) in Putnam, Owen, and Monroe counties, in Indiana. According to his first two patents for 72 and 80 acres in Putnam County, Indiana on November 13, 1822, Abner Goodwin was "of Nelson County, Kentucky." It is always a good idea to look at the patent image that is usually included on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) site because it can give you clues like this that can help to tie your ancestor to another location. This "of Nelson County, Kentucky" helps to support the IGI file that mentions that Abner spent some time in Kentucky. By the time he filed for his 2nd set of patents in 1823, Abner Goodwin was "of Putnam County, Indiana."

Cropped patent image for Abner Goodwin "of Nelson County, Kentucky" for 80 acres in Putnam County, Indiana in 1822.

A list of all of Abner Goodwin's land patents filed in Indiana between 1822-1839.

1.  Abner Goodwin "of Nelson County, Kentucky," received 72 ac, Putnam Co, 13 Nov 1822 (Terra Haute Land Office)
2.  Abner Goodwin "of Nelson County, Kentucky," received 80 ac, Putnam Co, 13 Nov 1822 (Terra Haute Land Office)
3.  Abner Goodwin "of Putnam County, Indiana," received 80 ac, Putnam Co, 10 July 1823 (Terra Haute Land Office)
4.  Abner Goodwin "of Putnam County, Indiana ," received 160 ac, Putnam Co, 15 Apr 1824 (Crawfordsville Land Office)
5.  Abner Goodwin and Levi S. Stewart "of Putnam County, Indiana," received 80 ac, Putnam Co., 10 Nov 1824 (Crawfordsville Land Office)
6.  Abner Goodwin "of Putnam County, Indiana," received 72.6 ac, Putnam Co, 15 Dec 1826 (Crawfordsville Land Office)

In 1828, we see a change: Abner Goodwin purchases land in Owen County instead of Putnam County and he is listed as being of "Monroe County, Indiana." - check the Monroe Co deed indexes. There are deeds passed between Abner and Nancy Goodwin and Joshua, Josiah, and William Goodwin, none of which are named as children of this Abner Goodwin - were there two Abner Goodwins? - Yes, there was Abner Connolly Godwin, b. 1791 in VA who moved from KY to Putnam Co., IN and died in 1849 and there was Abner Goodwin who married Nancy Hogan who was born about 1804 in KY and moved to IN in the 1820s. The lives of these two men overlapped. 

7.  Abner Goodwin "of Monroe County, Indiana" received 80 ac, Owen Co, 5 May 1828 (Vincennes Land Office)
8.  Abner Goodwin "of Putnam County, Indiana" received 80 ac, Owen Co, 10 Sept 1838, (Crawfordsville Land Office)
9.  Abner Goodwin "of Greene County, Indiana" received 40 ac, Monroe Co, 1 Aug 1839, (Vincennes Land Office)

(Source: U. S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Website, Land Patent Search, Abner Goodwin (http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/search/default.aspx, accessed 29 Aug 2006).

In 1828 and 1829, Abner Goodwin was listed on the Clay County, Indiana tax lists. 

(Source: Charles M Franklin, Owen County, Indiana, Miscellaneous, Volume 1, Tax Lists, 1819-1829 (Indianapolis, Indiana: Ye Olde Genealogie Shoppe, 1982), page 13; North Carolina State Library, Raleigh, NC). 

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On 11 Sept 1834, Abner Goodwin took out a marriage bond to marry Polly Gardner in Putnam Co., IN. His first wife, Charlotte, must have died between 1830, when Abner and a woman old enough to be his wife was enumerated, and 1834 when Abner was remarried.

(Source: Charles M Franklin, Putnam County, Indiana Early Marriage Records, 1822-1837 (Indianapolis, Indiana: Ye Olde Genealogie Shoppe, 1982), no page noted; North Carolina State Library, Raleigh, NC).

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Either Abner and his family moved around a lot or the county boundary lines between Owen and Putnam changed a few times because Abner was next enumerated in Owen Co., IN in 1840. He had 14 children living at home with him and his wife. They lived in Montgomery township. In 1838 Abner, who was "of Putnam County, Indiana," purchased 80 acres in Owen County and a year later in 1839, Abner Goodwin "of Greene County, Indiana," purchased 40 acres in Monroe County.

Here are a list of all the counties that Abner was mentioned in:

Clay - formed 1825 from Brazil
Owen - formed 1819 from Spencer
Putnam - formed 1822 from Greencastle
Monroe - formed 1818 from Bloomington
Greene - formed 1821 from Bloomfield

All of these counties, with the exception of Clay, were formed before Abner arrived in Indiana so there is no possibility of boundary changes.

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On 10 Sept 1849, Abner Goodwin wrote a will that was filed in the Owen County, Indiana Will Book 1, p. 130. It was recorded 22 Spt 1849. His wife was Polly Goodwin; It mentioned 18 children. The following were listed by name: Milton, Berton (deaf and dumb), Mary (deaf and dumb), Helen, James H, Christopher C, Cela, George, Malinda, Charlota, Rebecca, Newton Thomas; He named his wife Polly Goodwin and son James H. Goodwin as the executors of his estate. John W Gladson, Ervin P. Carmack, and James Carmack witnessed the writing of his will.

Abner Goodwin's headstone transcription is listed in the Putnam County, Indiana Cemetery Records on the Indiana USGenWeb site. He is buried in Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery, now known as Vermillion Cemetery in Putnam Co., IN. He died September 12th, 1849, and was 58 years of age (putting his date of birth about 1791). His 2nd wife Mary died April 11th, 1855. She was 56 years old (born about 1799). His 1st wife Charlotte was also buried beside him, however the dates listed on her headstone were unreadable. Another website, "Memorial Menders of Putnam County" (Indiana), added the note that Abner's will also stated that "I, Abner Goodwin of Owen County, State of Indiana ... direct that my body be decently buried by the side of my first wife ... There is one acre of land that I gave to the Baptist Church in Putnam County for a public burying ground to be used for that purpose by the people." So this is probably the main source of information that Abner's first wife Charlotte was also buried in this cemetery next to him.

I have not reviewed a copy of Abner Goodwin's will directly as I am not related to him. However if you have a copy of his will and would like to share with me I would be happy to post to the site. Also, if you or a descendant of either of these two Abners and would be interested in participating in the Goodwin DNA Surname project at ftDNA please let me know as there is significant interest in separating the various Godwin-Goodwin-Goodin/Gooden lines in Ohio and Indiana.

More information on the ancestry of Abner Goodwin can be found on the Goodwine Family Genforum message board here.

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** Disclaimer: This post is in development mode, so if you find any discrepancies or errors, please let me know. Or if you have any comments or suggestions to add, please feel free to Email me. I have been updating this post gradually as I come across more information.

My Most Important Encounter with Indirect Evidence

I recently read a couple of blogs in which the authors illustrated their first encounters with indirect evidence. In his post, My First Encounter with Indirect Evidence, Michael Hait talked about a Deed-in-Partition that a researcher told him about in which his ancestor was found selling a piece of land along with another person who was presumed to be his brother. Claudia C. Breland also discussed her experience with indirect evidence in her post, In Which I First Encounter Indirect Evidence. I would like to contribute my own experience with indirect evidence, albeit I’m sure it’s not my first experience, although I would say it was probably my most important one.

I have been looking for the parents of my ancestor, Elijah Godwin for years. He was born in Randolph County, North Carolina in 1801. He entered 200 acres of land in Randolph County, North Carolina in 1822, married Nancy Lewis in Randolph County, North Carolina in 1826, and was enumerated in Putnam County, Indiana in 1830.

Two likely candidates for parents of Elijah Godwin were Dred Godwin and Nathan Godwin who lived in Randolph County, North Carolina from 1800 - 1828 and who also removed to Clay County, Indiana in 1830 (Clay neighbors Putnam County).

Nathan Godwin disappeared after the 1830 census in Clay County, Indiana. Dred Godwin died and his children appeared selling off each of their 1/7th parts of his land in 1852 in Putnam County, Indiana. (See my previous posts on Determining the heirs of Netheldred Godwin via Land Records). I learned that 3 of Elijah Godwin’s children were born in Illinois between 1830 and 1833, so I started looking for Godwins in Illinois and I learned that Nathan had actually died in 1833 in Perry County, Illinois and his widow Sarah was living there in 1840.  

A nice researcher pulled the estate records of Nathan Godwin for me and made copies and sent them to me. In the estate records I learned that Elijah Godwin had purchased several items from Nathan’s estate and that he had signed an affidavit saying that Nathan Godwin had died September 17, 1833 in Perry County, Illinois! 

Although no relationship was indicated in this sworn affidavit, I believe Elijah Godwin to have been the son of Nathan Godwin. There is a lot more information and indirect evidence to support this statement which I have not included in this post for brevity; However this is the only piece of evidence that actually links these two men besides them simply living in the same county at the same time.

Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 5

In Post 4 of this series, we were able to identify 4 of the 7 "heirs" of Dred Godwin by following the transfers of two tracts of land he originally patented in Putnam County, Indiana in 1839. In 1852, Sion, Jonathan, Nathan, and Joshua sold off 1/7th shares of land originally patented to Netheldred "Dred" Godwin in 1839. Joshua and Sion Godwin had been enumerated with Dred Godwin on the 1850 Putnam County, Indiana census report right before Dred Godwin died. A third person was also enumerated with them - Margaret Godwin. Could she have been one of the 3 remaining heirs to sell off Dred's land?

In order to trace the legacies of the female heirs of deceased persons, the deeds of the females' husbands must be analyzed. Almost all court documents are recorded and indexed by the male's name, even if his wife was included in the deed instrument.

From the 1850 census report, we know of at least one daughter - Margaret Godwin who married George Sabin in January of 1853 in Putnam County, Indiana. Two other possible daughters of Dred Godwin have been identified through descendants - Cassie and Elizabeth Godwin. Cassie Godwin married John H McAlister and Elizabeth Godwin married William Thomas. Elizabeth Godwin was mentioned in an article entitled "The History of Adair and Guthrie Counties, Iowa" which was published in 1884. It is unclear how Cassie Godwin McAlister was originally tied to Dred Godwin's family, as correspondence with her descendants has been minimal.

Margaret, Cassie, and Elizabeth had only been suggested as possible children of Dred Godwin for several years now. A review of all the deeds executed by their husbands might provide additional evidence supporting this hypothesis that these 3 women were in fact "heirs" of Dred Godwin.

The Putnam County Deed book Grantor's Index microfilms were ordered from my local Family History Library. The first film no. 1315537 covered surnames beginning with A-S (1824-1863). The Godwin, Sabin, and McAlister deeds would be listed in this index. The second film no. 1315538 covered surnames beginning with T-Z (1824-1863). The Thomas surname would be found on this index. The index entries are summarized below:

Land Description: "1/7th part of the NE 1/4 of NW 1/4 of Section 17, Township 12, Range 5, for 40 acres and 1/7th part of the SW 1/4 of NW 1/4 of Section 8, Township 12, Range 5, for 40 acres."

- John H McAlister to James Roberts, 12 Apr 1852, Deed book Q, p. 606-607

- George W Saber to L M Knight, 16 Sept 1853, Deed book S, p. 224

- William Thomas to Lenox M Knight, 1 Mar 1853, Deed book U, p. 526

The Putnam County, Indiana Deed Record books microfilms were then ordered from my Family History Library - Film nos. 1315562 and 1315560 contained the deed books referenced above. When the films arrived, I reviewed them on the scanning microfilm reader. I have included the scanned images of the actual deeds below.

Here are a couple of snippet texts from the deeds:

...which said undivided one seventh part descended to the said Margaret Sabin as one of the seven heirs and legal representatives of Etheldred Godwin, late of Putnam County, Indiana, deceased...

...which said undivided seventh part descended to said Elizabeth Thomas (late Elizabeth Goodwin) wife of Said William Thomas as of the seven heirs and legal representatives of Natheldred Goodwin...

...which Seventh undivided part, descended to said Cassey Goodwin, As one of the seven heirs and legal representatives of Nathaniel GoodwinDeceased...

Here are the scanned copies of the actual deeds:

This 5-part series illustrated how deeds can be of significant genealogical value to the average researcher. The 7 deeds presented in this series not only painted a picture of the family of Netheldred Godwin of North Carolina and Indiana, but also served to support the hypothesis of several Godwin researchers who believed their ancestors were descended from this Godwin patriarch. With these deeds, Elizabeth Godwin Thomas, Cassie Godwin McAlister, and Margaret Godwin Sabin were placed with high confidence into this familial unit under Netheldred Godwin, along with Nathan, Sion, Joshua and Sarah Godwin*

*It is still unclear what relation Sarah Godwin was to Netheldred Godwin, deceased, and the other 6 "heirs" of his that received land as a legacy.

Related Posts:
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 1
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 2
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 3

Finding the Heirs of Ehteldred Godwin - Part 4

Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 4

In post #3, we learned of 4 Goodwin men listed in the Putnam Co., IN Deed Grantor's Index who were selling off their 1/7th shares of land in Putnam Co., IN. The descriptions of the land provided in the index matched the lands that were patented by Dred Godwin in 1838. Could they have been selling off land they received as legacies from the estate of Dred Godwin? To find out, the actual deeds were ordered from my local family history library and reviewed.

Deeds can provide valuable genealogical information like familial relationships, including names of the wives of deed holders, current or prior residence information, and transfer of land between deed holders. They oftentimes also contain information about who the holder of the original land patent was as all land parcels were originally distributed via patent (or grant).

According to the Putnam Co., IN Grantors Deed index, the deeds of Joshua, Scion, Nathan, and Jonathan were recorded in Putnam County IN deed book R on pages 116, 120, and 310. I ordered the film from my local Family History Library. Deed books Q and R are contained on Film no. 1315560 (covers the years 1852-1853). The film arrived within a couple of weeks.

Our local Family History Library has a new digital microfilm reader that lets you scan images from the microfilm. I scanned copies of these 4 deeds. I have included snippets of them below.

Here are some interesting facts about these original deeds:

1) In the index, these men were listed as "Goodwins" however in the actual deeds, their names were listed as "Godwin."

Joshua Godwin Deed

2) The land being sold is listed as the "undivided 1/7th part descended to said _____ Godwin as one of the seven heirs and legal representatives of Natheldred Godwin deceased..."



Sion Godwin Deed

3) Sarah Godwin, and not Jonathan, is listed as the actual "heir" of Natheldred Godwin: "eighty acres which said seventh undivided part descended to said Sarah Godwin as one of the seven heirs and legal representatives of Natheldread Godwin, deceased, ..." Although Jonathan Godwin was the actual grantor selling the land, with his wife, Sarah Godwin, agreeing to the sale. The deed also mentioned that Jonathan and Sarah Godwin were living in Vigo County, IN at the time the deed was executed.




Jonathan and Sarah Godwin Deed

4) Nathan Godwin and his wife, Elizabeth Godwin sold his 1/7th share off in 1852. This mention of his wife separates him from the many other Nathan Godwins in the area at this time. This Nathan Godwin married to Elizabeth was born about 1807 in NC. He was the Nathan Godwin who had purchased a land grant that I mentioned in post no. 3 - Nathan and his wife Elizabeth sold this land off to George Lucas in 1839. They were last seen in Parke Co., Indiana in the 1860 census report with son Natheldred Godwin.






Nathan and Elizabeth Godwin Deed


Through the review of these deed records 4 of the 7 "heirs" of Natheldred "Dred" Godwin were identified. These deed records provided valuable information about the grantors, including their wives' names, where they lived, and where they obtained the land from, ie, it was land descended to them from Natheldred Godwin, deceased. They also were very clear about exactly which grantor inherited the land which was important in the case of Jonathan and Sarah Godwin/Godden who were 1st cousins!

But what about the other 3/7th shares?

The 1850 census report mentioned in post 2 listed one of Dred Godwin's daughters - Margaret Godwin. Is it possible she received a 1/7th share as well? Find out in the upcoming Part 5 of the "Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin" blog series.




Related Posts:
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 1
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 2
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 3
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 5

Finding the heirs of Ethedred Godwin - Part 3

In the first post of this series we were introduced to Etheldred Godwin, one of two or three brothers who moved from Randolph Co., NC to Clay and Putnam Counties, IN between 1828 and 1830. They might have wanted to move to Indiana for a couple of reasons: (1) the land was better for farming (2) they were Quakers and there was a movement of Quakers into this area of Indiana.

At least two Godwin brothers made the journey together - Nathan and Etheldred Godwin - both of whom were born in the late 1770s. Etheldred Godwin and his family remained in Putnam Co., IN until his death in 1852. Nathan Godwin removed to Perry Co., IL, where he died in 1833. In the second post of this series, we were introduced to a possible third brother - Enoch Godwin - who was connected to the family of Jonathan and Sarah Godden. We met Jonathan and Sarah Godden, who were married in Putnam Co., Indiana in 1844, while evaluating the sources used in tracking the life of Sion Godwin, who has been identified as a possible son of Etheldred Godwin.

Sion Godwin was listed on the 1880 Larimer Co., CO census report as "brother" to Margaret Sabin. Margaret Godwin had married George Sabin in Putnam Co., IN in January of 1853. Both Margaret and Sion Godwin had been enumerated previously in the household of Etheldred Godwin in 1850, along with Joshua Godwin.

So far, 3 possible children of Etheldred Godwin have been identified - Margaret, Joshua, and Cyon/Sion/Scion Godwin. However, Godwin cousins were popping up all over the map in IN, IL, and IA census reports! After all, it was possible there were 3 brothers who came to Indiana and with them came several children each - many of whom were given the same names. Sorting through which Godwin children belonged to which Godwin brother became a more and more daunting task.

In order to piece together the Godwins of Putnam Co., IN, the first thing I did was collect all of the land grant records for each Godwin. I went to the Bureau of Land Management's website and did a search for "Godwin" in Putnam Co., IN. Three records came up - two for "Netheldre(a)d" Godwin and one for "Nathan" Godwin. The latter Nathan Godwin was not the same Nathan who was Dred's brother, as he had died in 1833 in Perry Co., IL. Dred Godwin had applied for two separate patents of 40 acres each for land in Putnam Co., IN. The first was issued on Sept 1st, 1838, the second was issued 4 days later on Sept 5th, 1838.

Here are the land descriptions for the two tracts of land Dred Godwin patented:

(1) The north east quarter of the north west quarter of section 17, township 12 north, range 5 west

(2) The south west quarter of the north west quarter of section 8, township 12 north, range 5 west

Land in Indiana was divided according to the Public Land Survey System, sometimes known as the "Rectangular Survey System." According to a basic Section Township map, sections 8 and 17 are in close proximity to each other. Below is a schematic of how a Section township map should look like:

Dred Godwin purchased a total of 80 acres from the State of Indiana. My next step is to then see if this land was sold to anyone. The subsequent transfer of land was recorded in "deeds." I ordered the Putnam Co., IN Deed Index for Grantors (sellers) from my local Family History Library (Film no. 1315537) to see if and when Dred Godwin sold this land. I looked through all the Godwin deed entries. Although I did not find an entry for Dred Godwin selling off these two parcels of land, I did find several "Goodwin" entries all lumped together. Each Goodwin entry had two tracts of land being sold in 1852 and a couple of them mentioned a "1/7th part" which caught my attention.

Goodwins mentioned in Putnam Co., IN Deed Index (Grantors) in 1852:

Sion Goodwin
Jonathan Goodwin
Nathan Goodwin
Joshua Goodwin

Each entry in the index for these 4 men was for a 1/7th share (each) of the same two tracts of land:
(1) The north east quarter of the north west quarter of section 17, township 12 north, range 5 west
(2) The south west quarter of the north west quarter of section 8, township 12 north, range 5 west

Sound familiar? They should! These two tracts of land were the exact tracts of land that Etheldred Godwin originally patented from the Viciennes, Indiana Land Office in 1838!

And what about the grantor names? At least two of those names are somewhat familiar - two males by the name of Joshua and Sion Godwin had been enumerated with Dred Godwin on the 1850 Putnam Co., IN census report.

Being "1/7th shares" of these two tracts of land indicates that this land was heired to "7" descendants of Dred Godwin. An indepth review of the actual deeds might indicate a relationship between Dred Godwin and these heirs. This will be discussed in the next post of this series.

Related Posts:
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 1
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 2
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 4
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 5

Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 2

This is part 2 in a series of posts about our journey of finding out who the children of Etheldred Godwin were. In post 1, we learned that Dred Godwin moved from North Carolina to Clay Co., Indiana about 1830 and he was enumerated on the 1830 Clay County Indiana census report and the 1840 and 1850 census reports for Putnam County, Indiana. In 1830 Dred Godwin had 8 children living in the household - 4 boys and 4 girls; In 1840, he had 6 children - 3 boys and 3 girls - the oldest boy and girl had probably moved out by this time. In 1850, there were 3 "children" living in the household. Dred's wife was not listed, so she had probably died between 1840 and 1850.


Here is the entry for Etheldred Godwin on the 1850 Washington Township, Putnam County, IN census report:

Dwelling no. 250/Family no. 250
Line no. 32 - Etheldred Godwin, 76 years,
old, male, Farmer, Value of Real Estate owned - $400, born in North Carolina,
cannot read or write
Line no. 33 - Margaret Godwin, 21 years old,female,
born in North Carolina, cannot read or write
Line no. 34 - Scion Godwin, 19
years old, male, born in Indiana
Line no. 35 - Joshua Godwin, 26 years old,
male, born in North Carolina, Cannot read or write

This census report was important because it gave us three additional Godwins to research in Indiana - Joshua, Scion, and Margaret.


Additional Facts about Joshua Godwin:

Could not be found on any census reports. According to the 1850 census report, he was born about 1824 in North Carolina. There are no marriage records for him in Indiana.

Additional Facts about Margaret Godwin:

On Jan 18th, 1853, Margaret Godin married George W Scavins in Putnam Co., IN

They were enumerated on the 1860 Parke Co., IN census report with children Michael, Joshua, James, and Sarah (Sylvia). [Ancestry.com has them indexed under George "Sarings"].

Margaret Sabin was enumerated on the 1880 census report in Larimer County, Colorado in Livermore township with her children (she was widowed), "nephew" Solomon Thomas, and "brother" Cyon Gadwin. Margaret's marital status was "widow," however, her husband, George Sabins evidently left Margaret and her children for another woman.

--This census report indicates that Cyon Godwin and Margaret (Godwin) Sabin were siblings

--It also provides clues about a nephew, Solomon Thomas - could he be the son of one of Margaret's sisters?

Additional Facts about Scion/Cyon Godwin:
Things we already know about him:

Listed on the 1850 Putnam Co., IN census report at home with sister Margaret Godwin

Listed on the 1880 Larimer Co., CO census report in household of his sister, Margaret Godwin

Sion/Cyon Godwin was also found living with another family - that of Jonathan and Sarah Godden - in Boone County, Iowa:

In 1854, Sion "Godden" was listed on the Boone Co., Iowa State census report next door to Jonathan Godden.

In 1856, Scion "Godden" was listed on the Boone Co., Iowa State Census report in the household of Jonathan and Sarah Godden. An older gentleman, Enoch Godden, aged 83, born in North Carolina, was also living in the household.

An interesting tidbit of information about Jonathan and Sarah - On August 27th, 1844, Jonathan Godwin married Sarah Godwin in Putnam County, Indiana. Perhaps they were cousins?

The Enoch Godwin mentioned above who was living in Jonathan and Sarah Godden's household, was enumerated on the 1840 Clay County (Jackson township), Indiana census report - he was the male between 60 and 70 years old (born between 1770 and 1780) - with 3 male children, and 1 female child, and 1 female between 60 and 70 years of age (Enoch's wife) - living in the household.

--could this Enoch Godwin have been a brother to our Etheldred and Nathan Godwin?

Related Posts:
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 1
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 3
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 4
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 5

Finding the heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 1

This post is part 1 in a series of posts written about finding the heirs of Etheldred Godwin. Unfortunately, Etheldred - from now on I will refer to him as "Dred" for short - did not leave a will or probate record in Indiana that I, or many other researchers of this line, have been able to locate. We were, however, able to piece together a family profile illustrating the children and grandchildren of Dred Godwin by using a more creative approach to records analysis. By putting bits and pieces together from information gleaned from census reports, deed records, land records, and family histories, we were able to reconstruct this family. This blog series outlines our quest for the truth..

Background

Etheldred Godwin was born about 1774 in North Carolina. He lived in Sampson Co., NC until about 1800 when he removed to Randolph Co., NC with his mother Rachel and his brother Nathan. He married Peggy Ball in Randolph Co., NC in 1806. Between 1828 and 1830, he and Nathan removed with their families to Clay/Putnam Co., Indiana. In North Carolina, he was known as "Dred" Godwin in most records. In Indiana, however, he was known as "Netheldred" Godwin. Often his last name was misprinted as "Goddin/Godden" as there were families by this name already in the area when Dred and his family arrived.

Resources Checked

No probate or wills could be found on file for Dred Godwin in Putnam Co., IN.

The only clues we had on his children were taken from the following census reports:

In 1830, Dred Godwin was enumerated on the Clay County, Indiana census report. "Ntheldrige Godwin" was head of house with 4 males - 1 male under 5 (born between 1825-1830), 2 males between 10 and 15 years old (born between 1815-1820), and 1 male between 50 and 60 years old (Dred Godwin, born between 1770-1780); and 4 females - 1 female under 5 (born between 1825-1830), 1 female between 5 and 10 (born between 1820-1825), 1 female between 10 and 15 (born between 1815-1820), and 1 female between 40 and 50 years old (Dred's wife, born between 1780-1790). Dred's brother Nathan Godwin was also on this page.

In 1840, "Netheldred Goddin" was enumerated on the Putnam County, Indiana census report (Warren Township, southern half of Putnam Co., IN). There were 3 males and 3 females in the household. 1 male between 5 and 10 (born between 1830-1835), 1 male between 20 and 30 (born between 1810-1820), and 1 male between 60 and 70 years old (Dred Godwin, born between 1770-1780); There was 1 female between 10 and 15 (born between 1825-1830), 1 female between 15 and 20 (born between 1820-1825), and 1 female between 50 and 60 years old (Dred's wife, born between 1780-1790).

In 1850, "Etheldred Godwin" was enumerated on the Putnam County, Indiana (Washington Township) census report. He was 76 years old, born abt 1774 in North Carolina and he was a farmer. Three other people were also living in the household with him. His wife must have died between 1840 and 1850 because she is not listed on this 1850 census report. In the house was Margaret Godwin, 21 years old, born abt 1829, in North Carolina; Scion Godwin,19 years old, born abt 1831 in Indiana, and Joshua Godwin, 26 years old, born abt 1824 in NC.

So far we have 8 children in the household in 1830, 6 children in 1840, and 3 children in 1850 (assuming every member of the household is a child of Dred and Peggy Godwin).

In part 2 of this series, we will explore the information gleaned from the 1850 census report mentioned above.

Related Posts:

Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 2
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 3
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 4
Finding the Heirs of Etheldred Godwin - Part 5

Genealogy Journal 5/23/09

Today I went to my local Family History Library to review the two deeds I had ordered last month. The library was pretty busy today because of some classes they were giving. The first film I reviewed was a deed index, (grantor) film from Putnam Co., IN, for surnames starting with letters "T" through "Z."  I was looking for a deed by William Thomas and his wife, Elizabeth that was recorded around 1852 for two tracts of land - each a 1/7th share of 40 acres each - one in section 17 and one in section 8 of township 12 north of range 5. I was successful in finding this entry in the index. It referenced Deed book U on page 526.  I will need to order this film to see the actual deed that was recorded. I will order the film the next time I visit the library as I have had my hands full with the index film and the other film I ordered - Putnam County IN deed book R, S, and T.

In deed book S on page 224, I found the deed from George W Sabin and wife Margaret to Lenox M. Knight that was recorded 16 September 1853.  George Sabin sold off two tracts of land each of 1/7th shares of 40 A in sections 8 and 17 in township 12, north of range 5.  These shares were the same tracts of land that William Thomas, mentioned above, was selling in 1853.

The land that William Thomas and George W Sabin were selling were tracts of land that had been given as legacy to the 7 heirs of Etheldred Godwin upon his death in 1852. These tracts of land were traced via the husbands' names of Dred Godwin's daughters. More information about these deeds and Etheldred Godwin's family is to come....

I was able to use the digital microfilm viewer while at the library.  With this system I was able to find the deeds of interest and scan them, edit them on the fly, then save to my jump drive. It only costs $0.50 per 15 minutes, or $2.00/hr. Not bad. And it was fast. I had a list of all the deeds I wanted to scan and the corresponding pages from these films. I scanned almost all of the Godwin/Goodwin and Sabin deeds I could find. When I got home, I transcribed all 13 pages I had scanned copies of!

At the beginning of this deed book S was an index that listed alphabetically all of the grantors and grantees in the book. This was a great help!

I am allowed to keep the films at the library for 30 days. (I did pay $5.50 to order the films). I need to go back to the library and scan two more deeds from this deed book S. I also want to go back to the deed index and copy down all of the entries for William Thomas, and also for all the other Thomas men who recorded deeds. Although this is not my direct line, it might be able to help some of the Thomas descendants to place William Thomas into a familial line in Indiana.

Enoch Godwin, Randolph Co., NC (1770s-1860s)

There were two different Enoch Godwin men of North Carolina:

1. Enoch Godwin of Sampson Co., NC, probable son of Jonathan and Mary Godwin, born about 1824; Married (1) Ester Blackwell and (2) Julia Lee
2. Enoch Godwin of Randolph Co., NC, probably son of Jonathan and Rachel (Bullard) Godwin, born  before 1797, possibly moved to Putnam Co., IN

This post focuses on the older Enoch Godwin (#2) of Randolph Co., NC.  The younger Enoch Godwin of Sampson County, North Carolina was previously discussed here.

The Enoch Godwin highlighted in this post was probably the brother of Nathan and Dred Godwin, and therefore, another son of Jonathan and Rachel (Bullard) Godwin. He might have been in Sampson Co., NC along with Nathan and Dred (and possibly Micajah Godwin), however, he cannot be confused with a younger Enoch Godwin born about 1824 also living in Sampson Co., NC Enoch moved from Sampson to Randolph Co., NC just prior to 1800, although he was not found on any original records until 1818. He was also found later in Putnam County, Indiana. This Enoch Godwin was the father of Jonathan Godden who married Sarah Godwin. Enoch Godwin removed with them to Boone County, Iowa about 1852.

The following chronicles the events of Enoch Godwin in Randolph County, North Carolina:

1818

Enoch Godwin purchased brandy and 1 other item from the estate of Margaret Lucas in Randolph Co., NC in 1818 along with Polly Lucas and Leonard Graves. John Lucas was the administrator of the estate.[1]

I believe that Milberry Godwin who married John Lucas, was a sister of Nathan, Dred, and Enoch Godwin.

1820

Enoch Godwin was listed on the 1820 Randolph Co., NC Tax List in Capt. King’s district. Included 1 white poll.[2] He had to be at least 21 years of age to be included in this list, therefore he was born before 1799.

1824

Enoch Godwin was a chain carrier in the survey of 2.5 acres of land on the waters of Little River which joined Johnson Spencer’s land taken for Cumings King’s land entry, October 7th, 1824 in Randolph Co., NC. [3,4]

The following chronicles the events of Enoch Godwin in Putnam County, Indiana and Boone County, Iowa:

1840

Enock Godwin was enumerated on page 330 of the 1840 Jackson Township, Clay County, Indiana Census report [5]. There were 2 males between the ages of 10 and 15 (born between 1825 and 1830), 1 male between the ages of 20 and 30 (born between 1810 and 1820), and 1 male between the ages of 60 and 70 (born between 1770 and 1780). The oldest male was Enoch Godwin and he was born between 1770 and 1780. Two females were also in the household. One female was between the ages of 15 and 20 (born between 1820 and 1825) and one female was between the ages of 60 and 70 (born between 1780 and 1790). The older female was probably Enoch’s wife.

1850

Enoch was probably the “Joh” Godden who was enumerated with Jonathan and Sarah Godden on the 1850 Riley Township, Vigo County, Indiana census report [6]. Jonathan Godden was the head of house and he was born about 1823 in Indiana. His wife Sarah was born about 1825 in North Carolina. Jonathan Godden was probably the son of Enoch Godwin and he was probably born in North Carolina, not Indiana. This might have been a mistake on the census taker’s part.

1850 Riley Township, Vigo Co., IN Census report:
Jonathan Godden, head, age 27 (b. abt 1823), born in IN
Sarah Godden, age 25, (b. abt 1825), born in NC
William Godden, age 3 (or 5?), (b. abt 1847) IN
Newton Godden, age 2/12 (?), born in IN
Joh (John?) Godden, age 73, (b. abt 1777) born in NC
(could this actually be Enoch's first or middle name?)
Roll M432_177, p. 160

1856

In 1856 Enoch Godden was enumerated again with Jonathan and Sarah Godden in Boone County, Iowa. Enoch was listed as a widow, born about 1777 in North Carolina who had been living in Iowa for 4 years. This means that Jonathan and his family, including Enoch, had moved from Indiana to Iowa about 1852. Jonathan and Sarah Godwin sold their 1/7th share of Etheldred Godwin’s land in Putnam County, Indiana in 1852 [7].

1856 Fed Census of Boone Township, Boone Co., IA [8]
Johnathan Godden, 40 yo (b. abt 1816) in IN; 4 yrs in Iowa; farmer; Native Voter, militia; married
Sarah Godden, 33 yo (b. abt 1823) in NC; Married; 4 yrs in Iowa;
George W Godden, 4 yo (b. abt 1852) in IN; 4 yrs in Iowa;
Elia? Godden, 1 yo (b. abt 1855) in IA; 1 yr in Iowa;
Scion Godden, age 23, (b. abt 1833) in IN; 4 yrs in Iowa; Not married; Native voter; militia;
Enoch Godden, age 83, (b. abt 1773) in NC; widowed; 4 yrs in Iowa; Native voter; Non military.

1860

Enoch Godwin was last seen enumerated on the 1860 Boone Co., IA census report. He was living with his son's family and he was 94 years of age.
1860 Census, Boone Co., Iowa [9]
Des Moines Twp, taken 20 June 1860
Series: M653 Roll: 312 Page: 259
Line 15, 205/161
Jonathan Goden, 43 yo (b. abt 1817), Farmer, $1000/500, NC
Sarah Goden, 38 yo (b. abt 1822), NC
George W Goden, 8 yo, (b. abt 1852), IN
Elias Goden, 5 yo (b. abt 1855), IA
Margaret Goden, 2 yo (b. abt 1858), IA
Sarah C Muncie?, 8 yo (b. abt 1852), IN
Enoch Godwin, 94 yo (b. abt 1766), IN

To date, no will or estate records have been located for Enoch Godwin in Boone or Harrison counties, Iowa. A descendant of Enoch Godwin's son, Jonathan Godden (mentioned above), submitted his DNA to the  Godwin/Goodwin DNA project last year.  It was compared to my own family's DNA and that of many other North Carolina Godwin family samples to see how accurate these paper trails have been. The results of this test were posted in the blog post entitled "DNA Results of Jonathan and Sarah Godden of Boone Co., Iowa ARE IN!!"  Feel free to click on this link to view the results in table form and to see a graphical representation of the family tree as I predict it to be.

Sources:
[1] North Carolina State Archives, Randolph County NC Series of Original Loose Documents of Estate Records, 1781 - 1928, Box No. 94, Estate folder of Margaret Lucas, 1818 [Raleigh, N.C.]: North Carolina State Archives
[2] Grigg, B. N., & Hager, C. N. (1978). 1820 tax list, Randolph County, North Carolina. [Asheboro, N.C.]: Randolph County Genealogical Society.
[3] Pruitt, A. B. (2001). Abstracts of land warrants: Randolph County, NC, 1778-1948. [North Carolina?]: A.B. Pruitt.
[4] North Carolina Secretary of State. Randolph County NC Land Warrants, Plats, etc. Microfilm no. S108.984. [Raleigh, N.C.]: North Carolina State Archives.
[5] Ancestry.com. (2004). 1840 United States Federal Census. [Provo, UT, USA]: The Generations Network, Inc. 1840 Jackson Township, Clay County, Indiana Census report, Roll: 76; Page: 330; line 21.
[6] Ancestry.com. (2005). 1850 United States Federal Census. [Provo, UT, USA]: The Generations Network, Inc. 1850 Riley Township, Vigo County, Indiana Census report, Roll M432_177, Page 160.
[7] Putnam County, IN Deeds, vol Q-R, 1852 - 1853, FHL Film no. 1315560 [Book R, 24Sep1852-7Sep1853]
[8] Ancestry.com, Iowa State Census Collection, 1836-1925 (Provo, UT, USA, The Generations Network, Inc., 2007), www.ancestry.com, Database online. 1856. Roll: IA_69; Line: 18; Family Number: 208; Household of Johnathan Godden.
[9] Ancestry.com, 1860 Census Boone Co., IA, Des Moines Twp, taken 20 June 1860; Line 15, 205/161. Series: M653 Roll: 312 Page: 259; Jonathan Goden Household