North American Goddards
We welcome family briefs from any well-established lineage, including (but not limited to) the following families:
George & Judith Goodin Goddard
J. Benjamin Goddard
William & Elizabeth Miles Goddard
Nicholas & Elizabeth Gillett Gozzard: "The Goddards of Granby, CT"
This couple's marriage in 1670 Windsor, CT , is the earliest undisputed family record. With their children and grandchildren they were among the very first Western European settlers in the Connecticut River Valley, taking lots in the Windsor out-colony of Granby/Simsbury. Contemporary members of this family are descended from the youngest of their three known children, John, and his wife Sarah Hayes. By the 1800 U.S. Federal Census, the surname appeared almost universally as Goddard or Godard. Nothing certain is known of Nicholas' origins, but Elizabeth most likely belonged to a French Huguenot family living in Scottish exile prior to immigration; at least one of her paternal uncles arrived in Massachusetts in 1630 on 'The Mary and John.'
Notable descendants:
George Seymour Godard (1865-1936), Connecticut State Librarian, historian and genealogist
Paulette Goddard (1910-1990), American film and theater actor
References for this family:
"The Goddards of Granby, Connecticut," by Winfred R. Goddard, Jr., 1985. May be found in genealogical libraries, or the most recent edition may be purchased by contacting the author's son.
Notable descendants:
George Seymour Godard (1865-1936), Connecticut State Librarian, historian and genealogist
Paulette Goddard (1910-1990), American film and theater actor
References for this family:
"The Goddards of Granby, Connecticut," by Winfred R. Goddard, Jr., 1985. May be found in genealogical libraries, or the most recent edition may be purchased by contacting the author's son.
Kentucky Families: "The Wildwood Goddards"
These families trace their heritage back to John Goddard and his (unidentified) wife, Thomas and
Elizabeth Eulass Goddard, and Michael and Margaret
McCleary Pignan Goddard, all substantial property owners in Scott County, KY. Genetic testing has revealed that descendants of all three share a direct paternal ancestor (and may be distantly related to the Connecticut Gozzards). Their founding fathers may have been brothers or cousins, but no definitive documentation has been found. One family tradition holds that the Goddards and
McClearys immigrated from Scotland, Ireland and Wales in the 1700’s and first
settled near Baltimore, Maryland.
Notable descendants:
William Wirt Goddard (1820-1901) son of Michael, noted horse breeder and subject of the memoir "Uncle Will of Wildwood: Nineteenth-Century Life in the Bluegrass" by Frances Jewell McVey, Robert Berry Jewell, Thomas Dionysius Clark, University Press of Kentucky, 1974.
Rebel E. Goddard (1863-1942) noted horse breeder, superintendent of the U.S. Army Remount Depot, Fort Knox, World War I.
Notable descendants:
William Wirt Goddard (1820-1901) son of Michael, noted horse breeder and subject of the memoir "Uncle Will of Wildwood: Nineteenth-Century Life in the Bluegrass" by Frances Jewell McVey, Robert Berry Jewell, Thomas Dionysius Clark, University Press of Kentucky, 1974.
Rebel E. Goddard (1863-1942) noted horse breeder, superintendent of the U.S. Army Remount Depot, Fort Knox, World War I.
John & Mary McTier Goddard and William & Elinor Muncy Goddard
John Goddard was probably born in England about 1740; his parentage is undetermined at this point. Family tradition preserved the story that John and his brother, Joseph Goddard, two small boys living in or near an English seaport town, were taken by their stepmother on board a ship. She presumably wanted the boys out of the way so their father’s inheritance wouldn’t have to be shared with them. The boys arrived in Virginia about 1750 and were bound out until the age of 21. It is believed that John Goddard and Mary McTier were married in Fairfax County, Virginia, about 1759, based on the date of births of their children.
Notable descendants:
Orpheus Fletcher Goddard (1853 – 1943) Montana State Senator [1891-1893]
William Goddard's parentage is also unknown, but yDNA testing reveals that he almost certainly shared an ancestor with John. Might William be the long-lost Joseph? We may never know. William/Joseph Goddard and his wife Elinor Muncy are first found in Sullivan County, Tennessee, according to early tax records of 1796. They were parents of eight children, seven born in Maryland; their descendants spread throughout the United States from coast to coast, but many remain in East Tennessee today.
Notable descendants:
William Goddard (1734-1822), founding trustee of Salem Methodist Church, Blountville, Sullivan County, Tennessee
Mary Ferguson Jourolmon (1906- ) 3rd great-granddaughter of William and Elinor, actress and singer, mother of Courtland
Courtland Jourolmon (1926-present) actor, director and producer under the name "Jerome Courtland," briefly married to actress Polly Bergen
References for this family:
"Descendants of William Goddard of Sullivan County, Tennessee" by Jane Crouch Williams 1997. Copies in genealogical libraries. For updates contact the author.
Notable descendants:
Orpheus Fletcher Goddard (1853 – 1943) Montana State Senator [1891-1893]
William Goddard's parentage is also unknown, but yDNA testing reveals that he almost certainly shared an ancestor with John. Might William be the long-lost Joseph? We may never know. William/Joseph Goddard and his wife Elinor Muncy are first found in Sullivan County, Tennessee, according to early tax records of 1796. They were parents of eight children, seven born in Maryland; their descendants spread throughout the United States from coast to coast, but many remain in East Tennessee today.
Notable descendants:
William Goddard (1734-1822), founding trustee of Salem Methodist Church, Blountville, Sullivan County, Tennessee
Mary Ferguson Jourolmon (1906- ) 3rd great-granddaughter of William and Elinor, actress and singer, mother of Courtland
Courtland Jourolmon (1926-present) actor, director and producer under the name "Jerome Courtland," briefly married to actress Polly Bergen
References for this family:
"Descendants of William Goddard of Sullivan County, Tennessee" by Jane Crouch Williams 1997. Copies in genealogical libraries. For updates contact the author.
