Elizabeth Goodner

Elizabeth Goodner, the fourth child of Peter (?) and Mary Goodner, was born in Guilford County, North Carolina, in the year 1778, a date based on her age as given in the 1850 census returns of Vermilion County, Illinois, her residence at the time.  She married George Swisher in Guilford County about the year 1790, if we are to give credit to the tradition in her family that she married at the age of 12.  They were still living in Guilford County in 1800, as George Swisher is shown as head of a household with the following souls.

The boy under the age of ten was either William or Anthony, possibly the former, and the female under ten was undoubtedly Margaret (Peggy).  The female over 40 years of age may have been the mother of George.

George and Elizabeth most likely accompanied her brother, Walter, when he left North Carolina, as we find Swishers in both Preble County, Ohio, and Vermilion County, Illinois, where Walter lived.  Earlier census records were not checked, but we find George and Elizabeth in Vermilion County, Illinois, in 1850, when they were living with their daughter, Elizabeth, and her husband, Leonard Hathaway.  In the census record of that year the age of George is given as 76 and that of Elizabeth, his wife, as 72, with places of birth of both given as North Carolina.  The age of the daughter was given as 30, and that of her husband as 33.  Living with them at the time was a Susan Goodner, age 15.  We do not know whose daughter she was.

The dates of death of George and Elizabeth are not known, but from information handed down George died and was buried in Decatur, Illinois,, and Elizabeth died later somewhere in Missouri, where she was buried.  If Elizabeth did die in Missouri, she must have been residing in her old age with one of her children.

Unfortunately our knowledge of the descendants of George and Elizabeth is almost non-existent. Such as we have is as follows:

1d   William Swisher, born 1790–1800, Guilford County, North Carolina.  No further record.

2d   Margaret Swisher (Peggy), born 1790–1800, Guilford County, North Carolina  No further record.

3d   Henry Swisher, born about 1802.  Place of birth not known.  Name of wife not known.

1e   Daughter.  Married Edward Lafferty (died 1909).  Resided in Vermilion County, Illinois,

1f   Daughter, born 1865.  Married C.A. Hubbard, Proprietor of the m. Hotel, Danville, Illinois.

2e   Daughter, born 1828. Resided in Decatur, Illinois, in 1909.

4d   Anthony Swisher.  No data.

5d   Sallie Swisher, born about 1807 .  Married Mr. Hoskins. Resided in Vermilion County, Illinois,

1e   Child.  Died infancy.

2e   Cynthia Hoskins.

3e   Clarinda Hoskins.

4e   Elza Hoskins.

5e   Washington Hoskins,

6e   William Hoskins.

7e    Eli Hoskins, born about 1838–40, Vermilion County, Illinois.  Married Margaret A. Goodner, 6–12–1860, Vermilion County, Illinois (born 3–6–1840, daughter of Michael Goodner and Catherine Conner).  Moved to Steams County, Minnesota.  For data on their issue, see "Michael Goodner" under chapter on Jacob Goodner.

8e   Thomas Hoskins.  Left no issue.

9e   David Hoskins.

10e   John Henry Hoskins.

6d    Elizabeth Swisher, born 1820.  Married Leonard Hathaway (born 1817), Vermilion County, Illinois, living in Vermilion County, Illinois, in 1850.  Residing with them were Elizabeth's mother and father and a Susan Goodner, age 15, where parentage is not known.

1e   William Hathaway. Resided in Menominee, Wisconsin, Route Eight.

2e   Farrel Hathaway.  Resided in Menominee, Wisconsin, Route Eight.  (Ike Swisher of Route One, Boyceville, Wisconsin, was a grandson of Elizabeth Goodner and George Swisher, but it is not known which of the sons was his father.)

George Swisher, or a George Swisher, was residing in Guilford County, North Carolina in 1816, when he purchased land from a Thomas Lofton.  We do not know the parentage of George, but the Swishers shown in certain real estate transactions in Guilford County were no doubt of close kin to him.  A list of some of these transactions follow:-

Copied From Index of Books of Deeds, Guilford County, North Carolina, Town Of Greensboro.

Of interest is a letter written by Mrs. C. A. Hubbard in 1909 to George Washington Goodner, son of Benjamin Goodner of St. Clair County, Illinois.

Danville, Illinois  July 8, 1909.

Mr. Geo. Goodner

Quincy, Illinois.

Dear Sir:

Your letter rec'd this A.M.  and thank you very much for being so prompt in writing, and will apologize to you for referring to you as a very old gentleman, but we heard you was most 90 and I think that is getting up in years.  I feel pretty old myself sometimes and I am only about half of that.  First I will tell you how I heard of you and that was through some of my relation in Decatur, Illinois.  They met a man there by the name of Frank Goodner and I hear he is a nephew of yours.  Now I will tell you who I am and how I am related to the Goodners or how it happened I am interested in this estate.  A great many years ago there was two brothers by the name of Jacob and Walter Goodner and one sister by the name of Elizabeth Goodner came to this country.  They were in different places in this country at times but finally Walter located about Georgetown, Illinois, and he finally died and is buried not far from there.  Jacob died and is buried at Rising Sun, Indiana, and Elizabeth who is my Great Grandmother is buried somewhere in Missouri.  Elizabeth married a man by the name of George Swisher and they had a son named Henry and he is my grandfather and my mother's father am my mother married Edward Lafferty.  I have seen my Great Grandmother many times, and remember her very distinctly.  My mother has a sister living in Decatur, Illinois, that is over 80 years old, that has heard her Father talk of this estate, but was apparently not much interested and never asked where they came from.  In the year of 1901, there was some of the relation seen an advertisement in some paper which I heard was the St. Louis Globe Democrat, trying to locate the Goodner heirs, and that there was a 99 year lease that had- just expired, and was due the Goodner heirs, but why it was never settled I do not know, and not knowing that I was a descendent I did not know anything of it until last summer, and since that time I have written every one that ever was a Goodner and I certainly hope you are of my kin and can give us some information concerning this estate.  My aunt in Decatur says she heard her Father tell of this lease and that it is a lease to the German Steamship County of New York for wharf purposes and that the lease was given in 1802 which was the year my Grandfather was born.  We have never been able to find anyone yet that knew what the name of Elizabeth Goodners' Father, and where they came from in Germany, and if you know and I have made it plain to you, and if I am of the same tribe as you are, I would certainly be very glad if your information would prove to be of any value to each other.  I am going to Decatur to spend Sunday if nothing happens and have a talk with your nephew and if it is convenient to you I would like to hear from you before that time.  I thank you again for being so prompt in answering my letter, and will say I think that is the very reason we have not made any progress in this business, because the relation is so slow to write.  I hope some day we may meet and become acquainted with each other.  My father is dead, but my Mother is living and is going on 75 years old and can get around me while I am thinking of it.  Will wish you well and will hope to receive any early reply.

Respectfully yours,

Mrs. C. A. Hubbard.

(Written on Stationery of the Illinois, Hotel, Danville, Illinois. C. A. Hubbard, Proprietor.)

5c   Mary ("Polly") Goodner, the last child of Peter (?) and Mary Goodner, was born about 1780 or 1781 in Guilford County, North Carolina.  Nothing is known of her.  Henry, in writing to his cousin, Godfrey Goodner, on July 12^th, 1817, states that "the last account I had of my two sisters, Polly and Betsy, they were still living in North Carolina.”  Whether putting Polly's name before Betsey's would indicate seniority or not is of course not known.  Mary's name does not appear in the 1800 or later census returns of Guilford County, so the probabilities are she had married.  And Henry in his letter did not say when he had last heard of his sisters.