Person:Henry Goodman (1)

Henry Goodman's origins have yet to be established. If the age quoted when he died is correct, he was born around 1748. His first sighting is on 17th November 1775 when he married Susannah Holmes at Walton in northern Buckinghamshire. At the time of their marriage Henry was living at Aspley Guise in Bedfordshire.

After their marriage, Henry and Susannah settled in the village of Willen in Buckinghamshire, where they had three children baptised between 1776 and 1782. Susannah died in 1783, just four months after the baptism of their youngest child.

On 1st July 1787 Henry married again. His second wife was Elizabeth Binks. Henry and Elizabeth went on to have another eight children baptised at Willen between 1790 and 1806, although at least two died as babies or small children, whilst another son died aged 22 in 1824.

In 1798, when the risk of invasion from revolutionary France was considered high, a survey was taken to assess the number of men between 15 and 60 years old who may be able to help defend the country in the event of invasion. Henry was listed as a labourer of Willen.

Henry's first known grandchild was born in 1803. He had at least 22 grandchildren born in his lifetime, although several of them died young.

Henry died in 1831, when he was said to be 83 years old. He was buried at Willen on 28th December 1831. Elizabeth survived him by nearly twelve years.

1. ↑ Beckett, Ian F. W. (Ian Frederick William). The Buckinghamshire posse comitatus 1798. (Buckinghamshire Record Society, 1985).

   WILLEN
   Labourers
   ...Henry Goodman...

2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 Burials register, in Church of England. Willen Parish Registers, 1665-1981. (Aylesbury: Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies).

   BURIALS in the Parish of Willen in the County of Buckingham in the Year 1831
   No.	Name	Abode	When buried	Age	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   49	Henry Goodman	Willen	December 28th	83 [1748/9]	W. Ellis Rector of Walton

3. ↑ Several online trees link Henry to a Henry Goodman who was baptised at Bletchley in 1755, son of Robert and Ann of "Eton", presumably meaning the hamlet of Water Eaton just south of Bletchley. As there was a Henry Goodman of Water Eaton buried at Bletchley in 1809 who was said to be 54 years old, it is considered more likely that the Henry baptised in 1755 was that man, and not the Henry the subject of this page. A more likely baptism for this Henry is perhaps that on 30th May 1756 at Husborne Crawley in Bedfordshire, being the neighbouring parish to Aspley Guise where Henry was said to be living at the time of his first marriage. He was the son of John and Catherine - John died in 1758, but there seems to be no death or remarriage for a Catherine Goodman at Husborne Crawley - she might be the Catherine Goodman buried at Willen in 1785.