JOHN W. GOODMAN

(From the History of Callaway County Missouri, 1884, page 916.)
Transcribed by Kris Breid, 15 September 2004

JOHN W. GOODMAN, farmer and manufacturer of sorghum molasses. Mr. Goodman’s parents, Daniel and Mariam (Harris) Goodman, came to Missouri from Virginia, in 1834, and first stopped in St. Louis county, but soon removed to Osage county and after a three years’ residence there came to Callaway county, but three years later went to Montgomery, in which they made their permanent home. The father died there in 1869. The mother is still living at the age of seventy-seven.

John W. remained with his father until his marriage, which was December 28, 1858, when Miss Catherine Wilburn became his wife. They then removed to the old Wilburn homestead in this county where they have since lived. The farm contains 160 acres, and is fairly well improved. For the past six years Mr. Goodman has been making a specialty of raising corn and manufacturing sorghum molasses. He raises about seven acres of corn annually, and makes from 1,200 to 1,500 gallons of molasses. He uses the early amber variety of cane. Mr. and Mrs. Goodman have had a family of nine children: Alice C., wife of John Bryant, of Montgomery county; Curtis W., also of that county; John Ellsworth, Emma Surratt, Joseph Lee, Isaac Jefferson, Ophelia Jane, Mary C. (now deceased), and Fountain Taylor (deceased). Mr. Goodman is a member of the M. E. Church South. His wife is a member of the Christian church.

Mrs. Goodman’s parents were Zachariah Curtis and Edith (Nettle) Wilburn. Here [sic] paternal grandparents were John and Mary (Curtis) Wilburn, who came from Kentucky in an early day and settled where Mr. Everheart now lives. They had ten children. Her maternal grandparents, Matthew and Sarah (Barren) Nettle, came from Maryland and settled in Montgomery county on Loutre creek. Her parents settled in this place where she and her husband now live, in 1835. Her father was a tanner by trade and followed it here until 1849, when he went to California, where he died eighteen months afterwards. Here [sic] mother died in 1869, at Danville. They had five children: Mary, wife of Martin Ridgeway, near Danville; Margaret, died the wife of William Fort; Caoline, the wife of the subject of this sketch; Aaron N., of Fannin county, Texas, and Lucia C. wife of William Arnold, of the Arnold House, of Wellsville.

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