Amos I. Goodman
(1782 - 1854)
G-G-G-G-Grandfather
Amos I. Goodman was born 28 Feb 1782 in Bedford Co., VA, son of John Goodman and Epharilla (possibly Avarilla) Thorpe (or Tharp). Amos I. Goodman died 14 Sep 1854, in Hart Co., KY. His birth and death dates are from his headstone.
Amos was born just two years after Ansel Goodman’s return from Kentucky to Bedford. For this reason and others, including the Ansel / Anselm name in descendant lines, Amos Goodman was previously thought by myself and other researchers to be the son of Ansel and Edith Goodman of Bedford Co., VA. This theory has since been disproved. However, Amos probably was a nephew of Ansel Goodman, which is why he named his first son Anselm. This is supported by this excerpt from the Robert Hope Goodman letter: "...My Father had a great uncle a bold adventurous man by the name of Ansel Goodman that went West and joined himself to Daniel Boon the Great explorer of Tennessee and Kentucky...". Robert Hope Goodman's father was John Goodman, eldest brother of Amos I. Goodman. See more on Ansel Goodman.
Other earlier researchers, including a paid professional researcher for the family of descendants still residing in Hart Co., KY, have asserted that Amos was the son of the John Goodman, son of Charles Goodman of Albemarle Co., VA. This has also been disproved by the Robert Hope Goodman letter and other evidence that has since been discovered, including the fact that John Goodman, son of Charles of Albemarle, was a prominent Virginia Methodist minister who never went to Tennessee or Kentucky, and his various postings and family are well documented in Virginia Diocese records. The most fanciful tale of al is that John Goodman, father of Amos, was John Goodman III, third in descent from John Goodman the Mayflower passenger. However, innumerable reputable researchers of Mayflower descendants have established that the John Goodman who came in the Mayflower was a single man who died in the second year of the colony without offspring.
The real proof of Amos I. Goodman's true parentage is found in the minutes of the Greene Co., TN, August 1790 Court, which includes the following abstract: "… Robert and Amos Goodman, children of John Goodman, were committed to the care of John Richardson until further orders. Stephen and Sarah and Rachel Goodman were committed to the care of Joseph Richardson". Blount County TN was formed in 1798 from the southern part of Greene Co., TN. That Amos was born in Bedford Co., VA is not in question. But, based on this record, he was evidently the son of John Goodman, who was also listed in Bedford with Ansel Goodman in the 1782 tax list.
Amos I. Goodman married 1st to Sarah Conway, on 29 August, 1801, in Blount Co., TN. Thomas Conway, probably Sarah’s brother, was listed as Surety for their marriage bond, per Blount Co. TN marriage records. My direct ancestor was their only known son, Anselm Goodman, probably named after his great uncle, as mentioned earlier. They also had at least one daughter, name unknown to me, who was listed in the 1810 Barren County, KY census, along with Amos, young son Anselm, and his 2nd wife, Mourning Jones. The family bible of Anselm Goodman and his wife Nancy Fowler identifies Amos Goodman and Sarah Conway as his parents.
Amos I. Goodman married 2nd to Mourning Jones, on 21 Feb 1810 in Barren County, KY. Family tradition has it that they eloped from Hart Co. to be married in Barren Co. However, this does not take into account the changing of county boundaries as hnew counties were being formed at that time. They actually lived and married in that part of Barren county that in 1819 was divided, and the part that Munfordville was in became Hart County. Mourning Jones was born 12 Oct 1787. Mourning Jones Goodman died 4 Nov 1849 in Hart County, KY.
Amos I. Goodman and his 2nd wife, Mourning Jones, are buried in the Goodman Cemetery, located at 1520 Hammonsville Rd., Munfordville, KY 42765, on the old Amos Goodman farm, which still owned by one of his direct descendants. See map to Amos Goodman Cemetery below. The cemetery is just southeast of the old Goodman home. From I-65, take exit 65 (US 31W) to Munfordville. In the center of town, take Hwy 357 (E. Union St) northeast, and drive about 2 miles to 1520 Hammonsville Rd, a small spur road on the right of Hwy 357. Before visiting the cemetery, stop at the adjacent big white house to check in with Virginia Goodman, the current owner. She is listed in the Munfordville phone book, so it would probably be a good idea to call first.
For more on the two wives of Amos I. Goodman, their ancestors, and a list of burials in the Goodman Cemetery in Munfordville, Hart Co., KY, see:
