This page is intended to present current news of interest about the family and this website. Please feel free to contact Tim Goodhind at this link to provide him with information on your family and its activities.
Mini-biography of Cyril Charles Goodhind
In yet another wonderful case of serendipity, I was contacted in June of 2019 by a Goodhind family descendant regarding Cyril Charles Goodhind. Cyril was a decorated officer in the British Army during World War II. He was a great-grandson of William Goodhind and Ann Norman through their son George. Our present-day Goodhind cousin had come across quite a bit of information on Cyril and, even though he was not a direct descendant himself, our cousin assembled an excellent short biography regarding Cyril's sterling career. And as is sometimes the case, this cousin asked to remain anonymous. The biography clearly belongs on the website for the rest of the family to read and share. It serves to remind us that there have been Goodhinds leaving their mark on the world for generations.
You can read about Cyril by following this link. And many thanks to our anonymous cousin for his scholarship and willingness to share his research!
In passing...
LUELLA M. (COYNE) FINN of Easthampton, MA passed away on October 4, 2015 at the age of 86. Luella was the daughter the late LUELLA MARY GOODHIND and the late JAMES FRANCIS COYNE. You can read her obituary by following this link.
Finally! Census images!
I have gathered state and federal census images for the families of each of the 5 Goodhind brothers who immigrated to America. Over the years, the Goodhind name has been transcribed as "Goodhue," "Goodine," "Goodhuid" or even "Goodyne" making it difficult to find the name using a standard index. Now the censuses are gathered in one place. In order to understand a few of the problems with the censuses, you might want to read the webpage Dealing with the Census before moving on to the new webpage 5 Brothers in the Census. The images can be downloaded to your computer.
FOUR MORE GENERATIONS!
January 2015. Due to the incredibly persistent and diligent work of a member of our UK family, who prefers to remain anonymous, we now have an additional four generations of the Goodhind family available to us! Our cousin has spent untold hours researching county and local records in and around Cullompton, Devon to assemble an astounding 4-generation pedigree for our ancestor, William Goodhind. In order to make it a little easier to visualize this new infrmation, a "snapshot" pedigree chart has been added to the sidebar of William & Ann's homepage, as well as to each of the new page for William's parents (John & Sarah), his grandparents (Richard & Mary) and so on.
For us here in America, I don't think we can thank our cousin enough for his work on this. It would be virtually impossible for us here to spend the time that he has spent or to duplicate his scholarship. But on behalf of all of us, thank you, cousin. You know who you are! We, and the generations who follow, owe you a sincere debt of gratitude!
You can start your tour of these new webpages beginning with William's parents, John Goodhind and Sarah Bennett, by following this link.
Hacked! Why would anyone bother the Goodhinds?
January 2105. You may have had the misfortune during Christmas week 2014 of trying to access this website. If so, our apologies. The server which held the site was hacked and irretrievably compromised. Backups were also compromised. Working for several hours a day for about 8 days, we were finally able to re-create a new virtual server and then to re-load the entire website. At present, things look good. We appreciate your patience during this period and again apologize for any inconvenience.
In passing...
ARTHUR DANIEL GOODHIND of Shutesbury, MA passed away quietly at home on September 18, 2014. Arthur was the son of the late MURRAY MALCOLM GOODHIND and the late HENRIETTA MAY HAWVER. You can read his obituary by following this link. Arthur was the last of the couple's 13 children.
Some new Woodruff photos!
December 2013 - Canadian cousin Donna Woodruff has been kind enough to share some additional photos of her family. Donna is descended from RICHARD GOODHIND through his daughter ROSE. We have a gallery of the photos at this link. The new photos include Donna and members of her family, as well as photos of her uncle Lionel Woodruff's memorial in Cornamont, France. Lionel was killed while on a air mission during World War II at the age of 20. Thanks for passing these along, Donna!
A new family story!
Sept. 2013 - Cousin Valerie Wright has been kind enough to pen a narrative of her family for us all. Valerie is a decendant of William & Ann's daughter ELIZABETH. Elizabeth spent her life (as did many of her descendants) in the area of Dartford, Kent. You can read all about them by following this link. Thanks so much to Valerie for this remarkable, first-person account of life in another branch of our large family!
George and Martha complete the set!
Aug 2013 - Here in America, when you say "George and Martha," people ususally think of George and Martha Washington. But as of August 2013, we've added new webpages for the families of GEORGE GOODHIND and his sister MARTHA, both children of William Goodhind and Ann Norman. In doing this, we now have information on all 15 of the couple's children.
George (#11) was a Millwright, a prestigious and technical position in industrial England. You can read about George and his branch of the family by following this link. Martha (#9) was a housewife who bore 10 children and re-married following the death of her first husband. You can read about Martha and her branch of the family by following this link.
Saturday, June 29, 2013!! The 2nd Goodhind Family Reunion!!
IT FINALLY HAPPENED! It's been 14 years since the last Goodhind Family Reunion in 1999. But this year, we were finally able to arrange for another reunion! It was held at the home of Peter Goodhind (descendant of RICHARD) and his wife Laurel in Amherst, Massachusetts. About 90 people attended the event. You can read about it and see photos taken from the day's festivities by following this link!
A new cousin!
We have had the extraordinary great fortune to have a previously unrecognized Goodhind descendant in Great Britain reach out to us this month (May 2013). Valerie Wright is the descendant of William and Ann's daughter, Elizabeth, a sister to the 5 Goodhind brothers who came to America and the 14th child born to Wiliam & Ann. Valerie has already shared a wealth of information about her family. Based upon her work, I have added a page about Elizabeth, as well as a gallery of photos of her and her many decendants. You can read about Elizabeth by following this link or start with William & Ann's children at this link.
Another website upgrade - May 23, 2013
Over the past several years, as the webmaster of this site, I have gradually maxed out the online space available from the last webhosting company I was using (webhostingpad.com, a company I would recommend, by the way!). As a result, I finally "bit the bullet" and moved the family website to a dedicated virtual server. You won't really notice any difference when you visit the site. However, for those of you with knowledge of the web and servers, this will make sense. A virtual server offers protection and management not available with the average webhosting services. Now we are pretty much free to do whatever we like!
New book by Mary Goodhind
Mary Goodhind, the wife of our English third cousin David, has recently completed a book about her early life growing up in war-torn London during WWII. Titled "A Bouquet of Memories: Reminiscences of Eighty Years," the book is a part of a larger cultural program to give voice to the memories of England's Greatest Generation. Mary brings to life the sadness and the joy of what it was like to live through a very dark chapter of world history. The book is about 150 pages long and I enjoyed it very much. If you are interested in purchasing the book, it's about $11 and you can find it at Amazon.com by following this link.
Richard Goodhind's pension file
Thanks to the work of cousin Liz Goodhind, we now have Richard Goodhind's pension file from his service during the American Civil War. The file contains a number of new facts about Richard and his federal service. You can download or read the file by following this link.
Website update/upgrade!
As of today, March 10, 2013, I have completed an extensive re-vamp of this website. The format is quite a bit diffrent, although it will still look familiar to anyone who has visited it before. What's the reason, you wonder? Me, mostly. I had a lot of problems manipulating Microsoft FrontPage which is the software I used to publish the original website. I don't blame the software; I blame me. Anyway, FrontPage is no longer being supported so I finally decided to double down and learn Dreamweaver (well, at least the basics, to be honest!). It presented quite a challenge for me but I kept moving along for the last few months (again, I blame me!). So here is the result. And now that the "bare bones" are in place, I can finally start to add more content, something I have been putting off for several years.
I hope you will all continue to bear with me as I get the site looking more professional. I'd like it to be something the family is proud of.
Tim
By the way, if you have any suggestions (or better yet FAMILY PICTURES!!), please e-mail me.
More Sad News...
On Tuesday, June 19, 2007, my aunt, DOROTHY HELEN GOODHIND passed away at age 90. She was the dearest person in my life and I miss her terribly. You can read Aunt Dot's obituary and see her photo by following this link.
From this point on, I will continue to mention the passing of family members here but will provide links to a new page, In Memoriam, where I will present obituaries and photos when available. I strongly encourage family members to notify me of any deaths and I will make every effort to report them here.
A letter from Iraq
Sometimes we may forget that our family is so large now that events played out upon the larger world stage can still involve a Goodhind or two. I received this letter from Royline "Meg" Takishita, a "cousin" with very close Goodhind ties. Here's what she had to say as of May 12, 2007:
Dear Tim,
I know it has been a while since I have contacted you and I wanted to let you know what I have been up to. Currently I am stationed in Iraq with the 25th Infantry Division (deployed again with them-the first time was Afghanistan). This will be my last tour with the 25th Infantry Division as upon my return to Hawaii (gotta love it) I will be moving to another assignment.
Time really gets away from you when you are out here doing the same job every day and the same routine (with a few quirks thrown in). But, I thought I should sit down and let you all know (since I consider you all a part of my family) how things have been.
I know that you have read about all that is going on over here and we are trying to make a difference. Everyday I see us win a little more ground in our mission over here. I am proud that I have contributed (albiet not as much as others) to this mission. There are moments when I wondered about what we are really doing here and then I remember that I am here to serve the United States and defend those who cannot defend themselves. I know that it sounds like a line that might have been brainwashed into my mentality but I believe it (not so much when I have eaten spagetti for a week).
I miss being home in the states and I am planning a trip upon my return to visit family and friends before I leave again to my new assignment. I would like to keep in touch with you so that you can send me on any 'missions' that you might like for me to get you information on. My next duty assignment will be in Molesworth, England and I would like to assist you and others with any information or questions that you may have while I am over there. I plan on doing some in depth research into my mother's side of the family (Janet B. Takishita-formerly Quimby/Goodhind/Lee). I would be honored if you needed my assistance for anything you might need from there.
I should be returning home some time in the fall and would like to keep up correspondence as much as possible. I will send pictures of Iraq in my next email. Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings and I hope to hear from you soon. Be well and safe."
Blessed Be,
Royline "Meg" Takishita (Goodhind Lee)
SGT, US Army
[Since this letter was written, Meg has returned safely to the United States and now resides in the state of Washington.]
A "new" old letter
Cliff Alderman of the Unionville, CT Museum has once again sent along an very interesting piece of Goodhind history. It is a letter from ALFRED E. GOODHIND to his first cousin CORA GOODHIND. The letter dates back to January 5, 1919 and was sent from France during World War I. It mentions a series of battles in which his regiment was involved. You can read the .pdf file by following this link.
In passing...
MICHAEL JOHN GOODHIND of Erving, MA passed away on May 2, 2006. Mike was the son of the late JOHN GOODHIND and the late MARION (GRALENSKI) GOODHIND WHITCOMB. You can read his obituary by following this link.
Again, with sadness...
I was contacted in March of 2006 by DONNA WOODRUFF with sad news. On February 3, 2006, her mother HELEN PEARL (CROFT) WOODRUFF passed away. You can read her obituary by following this link.
Donna was also kind enough to send along several new documents regarding the loss of her uncle LIONEL WOODRUFF during World War II (incl. a note from King George of England). You can view them by following this link.
There is also a very interesting letter there to HOWARD WOODUFF upon the birth of his son WILLIS RICHARD WOODRUFF in 1907 signed by his grandfather RICHARD GOODHIND. It is quite formal and very dignified. I have to wonder how well they might have even known each other?!
Vietnam War Memorial, Greenfield, MA --- GILBERT HAWVER GOODHIND (1925-1997)
I was contacted over Christmas by my Aunt Patricia Goodhind from Washington State regarding the Vietnam War Memorial in Greenfield, MA. My uncle passed away in 1997 and is buried in Green River Cemetery, Greenfield, with his son Ron. His name has been entered on the memorial. Aunt Pat kindly sent along a photo and I thought it would be appropriate to post it on the website. You can view it from the right sidebar after following this link.
Thank you, Aunt Pat.
With sadness...
It is with great sadness, we mark the passing of GENEVIEVE (MIENTKA) GOODHIND, widow of EDWARD GOODHIND. Aunt Genevieve passed away on April 3, 2005 in Springfield, MA. You can read Aunt Genevieve's obituary by following this link.
With gladness...
In February of 2005, I received an e-mail from SCOTT (GOODHIND) POWERS, a son of Murray Malcolm Goodhind III. He is currently in charge of security at Kunsan Air Force Base in Korea. Scott was kind enough to send along a summary of his long and meritorious military service to date. Thanks so much, Scott, and please keep us all informed of your movements. Stay safe!
You can read Scott's summary by following this link.
News of Frederick and daughter Cora
Earlier this year (2005), I was contacted by Cliff Alderman of the Unionville, CT Museum. He had run across our website and had information from the Museum concerning CORA GOODHIND and her father Frederick. Cliff sent along a photo of Cora which I have included on the page for Frederick and his family. He also sent along an insurance policy which Frederick filled out in 1893. It has some fascinating information on the family as a whole. Please check it out!
Good News!
I have the pleasure to tell you that we have made contact with the Woodruff family in Canada! The Woodruffs were some of our Missing Cousins. Recently, I was contacted by LIONEL WILLIAM WOODRUFF, a great grandson of ROSE IDA GOODHIND WOODRUFF. Lionel and his sister Donna have provided some new photographs of Aunt Rose and their own family. They are posted (with Lionel and Donna's permission) in their own photo album webpage. Please check them out by choosing this link.
During 2002, I was also contacted by Louanne Marinos of Virginia. Louanne has been researching the Martin family, originally of England. Brothers Frederick and Richard Goodhind married two Martin sisters: Eliza and widow Charlotte Martin Cook. Louanne has sent along some interesting material on the Goodhinds and Martins, including the will of Cora Goodhind, Frederick's maiden daughter. You can see a photo of Cora on Frederick's webpage. Many thanks to Louanne for her help to date and we hope to continue to hear from her!
A New Website
Cousin LIZ (GOODHIND) BANAS of Belchertown, MA has authored a website dedicated to her Irish roots. You will find it at cashmanclark.org. Feel free to visit and let her know what you think. Good luck, Liz, on your new project!
Have Photos to Share?
I am in the process of setting up a series of webpages for families to share photos at their discretion. We have the space, if you have the pictures! I would be happy to put up whatever photos any of you might be willing to share: marriage photos, baby pictures, family portraits, holiday get-togethers, and so on. This domain offers plenty of room and I would like to take advantage of it. If you have any shots you'd like to share, you can e-mail them to me or send them via postal service; I will scan the pictures and return them to you.
Please consider this easy and fun way to both share and to preserve your family's photographic treasures!