Genealogy Background

In 1979, my aunt, Josephine Goodman (nee Routh), published a wonderful, small book about our families. In 1989, she sent a few pages of updates to her immediate family. This information is intended to supplement that book, major portions of which are included here in the section on Socrates Goodman and his descendants. Her work and results have been an inspiration to me, and this work owes much to her efforts. It has also been expanded in scope to include the results of my own researches on even earlier Goodman families in America, not only our own, but many that seem to me to be related. In addition, it includes much about the origins of the Goodman name and lines of Wales and England

In recent years, computer technology, online systems and databases have grown to encompass the area of genealogical research. Personal computers have made genealogical research available to much of the public. A computer CDROM can contain data on up to 1,500,000 individuals. Some institutions and companies, such as Banner Blue software, are collecting genealogy data from their users, as well as public sources, and are publishing large CDROM indexes and databases. Many individuals and organizations are contributing to this effort, and standards have been established for the exchange of genealogical data via computers. Much of these materials have been collected and organized in that way.

In addition, the telecast of Alex Haley’s "Roots" mini-series in the early 1980s has raised the awareness and interest levels of people all over the world about the significance of their family heritage. As a result, many public institutions, including the Public Libraries of many cities, have collected genealogical materials, and made them available to the general public. Many new genealogical books are being published, and many older works are being reprinted. The Jacksonville, Florida Main Library maintains a large genealogy department, primarily for the Southern states. That collection was my first major exposure to the science of genealogy, and provided much important data. Genealogy has recently become the fastest growing hobby in America.

To all of those individuals and institutions that have contributed to this effort, I give thanks in the "Sources" section at the end of this material. And, to all of you who read this, I hope that you will be encouraged to research your own roots, and contribute to this document in the future, especially if you are related to any of the families mentioned in this work. See the Sources section for additional information about how to help with this effort.