John GOODWIN Huntingdonshire

[Ron61]

I am sorry the Subject is rather vague, but I can't really elaborate much further.

I have been searching for details of my ggg grandfather John GOODWIN for many years, on various forums.  The only things I know for certain is that he married Sarah BULL by banns on the 9th of June 1817 at Little Paxton, and was the father of four children, William , born about 1818 I know not where, Frederick, Ann, and John, born respectively about 1821, 1822, and about 1826.

Sarah was apparently born in St. Neots, according to 1841/1851 Godmanchester census, about 1791, but the only Sarah born in St. Neots about that time was baptised in 1799.  Why was she married in Little Paxton and not in the parish church of St. Neots? The children Frederick, Ann and John, were listed in successive census as being born in Great Paxton. Yet according to the Great Paxton parish records there are no GOODWINs during that period.  I only found about the son William when I commissioned the Hunts Records Office for a short search to try to find out about ggg John for me.  They turned up a settlement order dated 29 September 1827 stating that Sarah GOODWIN, widow of the late John GOODWIN, William their son aged nine years, Frederick their son aged six years, Ann their daughter aged four years and John their son aged two years to be removed from Great Paxton to St. Neots.  From this I gather that my ggg must have died during 1827, but I have found nothing on the NBI. 

Was John born in Huntingdonshire or did he move in from elsewhere?  I've no idea. Any thoughts would be most appreciated.

Ron Goodwin, Chorley, Lancashire.

[lizdb]

Have you looked in St Neots forWilliam's christening? If Sarah came from there, it was a common practice to take a first child back to the grandparents parish for christening.

As for why she married at LP and not StNeots, there could be 101 different reasons. Perhaps she was no longer living at St Neots, just cos she was born there doesnt mean she was there 20 or so yrs later (though the fact that she was removed back there as a widow may indicate her family were still there). Or maybe she just didnt like the vicar atStneots  at that time, so worshipped at LP with her fiance!

John, of course, could have been born anywhere. This is the difficulty when people didnt live long enough to appear on a census to give a place of birth to give us a clue.

At the marriage is he described as being 'of this parish' - that would at least mean he was settled there then.

[merryhow]

Hi Ron, just had a look at the IGIs, the only JOHN GOODWIN born in Huntingdon between 1770 and 1790

JOHN GOODWIN 13th Oct 1782 Chesterton, Huntingdon

Father - William Goodwin
Mother - Esther

With a first son William this could be your man. 
 
  Val

[bedfordshire boy]

Thoughts only I'm afraid. No answers!

That Sarah was removed from Gt Paxton to St Neots implies that John had never gained legal settlement in Gt Paxton, despite apparently having lived there a number of years, and his last parish of settlement was St Neots, possibly even having been born there. Which was why Sarah was removed there, not because it was her birthplace - on marriage she acquired her husband's parish of settlement. It would be interesting to see if a copy of the settlement examination is in existence as this might give more information as to John's background. It should be with Gt Paxton parish chest papers.

How did she end up in Godmanchester?

Is there a John Goodwin baptism in St Neots or even in Godmanchester?

The only John Goodwin burial that I can see in Hunts, Beds or Cambs was on 11 Oct 1826 age 59 at Wentworth Cambs, but this is 20 miles from Gt Paxton.

David

[bedfordshire boy]

There's also a John Goodwin buried at Chesterton on 7 Feb 1783 which would need checking to see if it was the son of William & Esther, which if so would eliminate him.

David

[bedfordshire boy]

re John Goodwin's burial - or lack of

Totally off the wall - there are two burials of a John Fox in Gt Paxton, age 31 on 24 Aug 1826, and age 32 on 26 Aug 1827. Yet there was only one Fox couple producing children in Gt Paxton at this time, John & Mary, with their last child baptised on 17 Jan 1827.

I wonder if the vicar made an error in the register and the second one was actually John Goodwin. The timing would be about right for Sarah to have applied for parish relief and for the overseers to have quickly removed her

Would need a bit of work to show if it was possible, although I doubt if you'd ever be able to prove it - unless the settlement examination gave a date of death for John

David

[Ron61]

Many thanks to you all for your interesting information and thoughts, which now give me further avenues to explore.

[Ron61]

I've just discounted the John GOODWIN born to William and Esther in Chesterton. NBI has his burial 07 Feb 1783.

[bedfordshire boy]

The NBI has a burial of "a", not necessarily "the", John Goodwin on 7 Feb 1783. As I said yesterday about this burial, you really need to double check with the parish register. I agree there's every chance that it is the John Goodwin born 3 months earlier, but it could conceivably say John Goodwin, labourer, rather than John Goodwin son of William & Esther! I've been caught out before in similar situations.

David