Goodner Family Book Forward

As long as I can remember, and that goes back to about the age of five, I can remember my father's cousin, Hugh C. Goodner.  We called him "Uncle Hugh".  although at that tender age I had no idea what "uncle" meant, except that it meant he was some kind of a relation.

Uncle Hugh was at our house a great deal in my early childhood - he generally came out on weekends, and acted as a sort of a "youngster sitter" with us and that really kept him busy, for there were seven of us, six boys and one girl; we were an obstreperous lot.  I guess as a bunch of kids usually are each trying to out bedevil the other in daring and mischievousness.  He often had to crack down on us, and when I say "crack down" I mean that literally, for he always carried a cane, generally one that he made himself, and works of art they were.  He used these canes many a time to whack us on that part of the anatomy nearest to his reach.  In such a manner he broke one of his prize canes in striking my older brother across the shins when he would not desist from teasing me.

Being a barber by trade, it was Uncle Hugh's task - I would not call it pleasure - every so often to trim our hair, or I should more properly say cut it, for it seemed to always be past the trimming stage.  He would put a board across the arms of a chair, prop us up there one by one, and proceed in production fashion to do the job.  A sharp crack across the skull was our reward for not sitting still, and as this was done with his shears we usually tried to remain quiet.  An old sheet thrown over us, tucked around our chins, kept the hair off of us.  I recall that we used to balk strenuously at this hair cutting operation, not because of the actual cutting of the hair but because it was just that time lost from play.

I remember another time when we were somewhat older but still below the age of ten that the craze of lassoing was prevalent among the youngsters.  Each of us had lassoes and we practiced on everything in sight - fence posts, clothes poles.  dogs and cats, and each other.  One summer day Uncle Hugh was out in the back yard sitting in a chair, contentedly smoking his pipe.  at the same time keeping a wary eye on us.  He presented quite a temptation to us with our lassoes.  Finally, my brother, Elmer, could stand the suspense no longer and he cried out "Uncle Hugh, I'm going to lasso you,” and he replied, “you'd better not".  Hardly were these words out of his mouth when the lasso descended over his head, knocking his hat off and sending his pipe a-sailing.  Up Uncle Hugh jumped, grabbed the lasso, and swinging it wildly over his head started after Elmer who was high-tailing it away as fast as he could run.  Down through the chicken yard they went.  Uncle Hugh was gaining, when suddenly the lasso, still being swung in great loops by Uncle Hugh, wrapped itself around a clothes pole, throwing him head first into an open refuse can, partially filled with ashes and tin cans.  Mouth agape, I gazed in amazement, not knowing whether to guffaw or: to run like the devil, - so indecision froze me to the spot.  Uncle Hugh's reaction was different than I had expected.  He picked himself and the lasso up, walked back to the chair, gathered up his hat and pipe, filled the pipe with fresh tobacco, sat down in the chair and resumed smoking as calmly as if nothing had happened.  Of course, we knew that things might be brewing under that calm atmosphere.  and we kept a respectful distance from him.  However, never again did any of us try that trick on Uncle Hugh.

Uncle Hugh was not married; in fact, it seems that he never gave that institution much consideration.  Why I do not know, for he was a handsome man.  Probably the resultant responsibility of married life was abhorrent to his carefree ways.  He was of an "easy come and easy go" personality, not caring too much about the tomorrow.  He liked to own and breed fancy chickens in his younger days, and would bring out pictures of fancy roosters and show them to us.  He was extremely skillful in pocket knife carving.  He once carved a team of oxen hitched to a cart out of a single block of wood, which took first prize at the St. Louis World Fair.  It was really a most remarkable piece of art.  He made numerous horse shoes, canes, and deer heads to which he attached antlers, sets of which ornamented our home for many years.

We grew to love Uncle Hugh.  In our early formative years he was with us more than our own father, who was busy making a livelihood for his large family, while making a living did not seem to bother Uncle Hugh too much.  When we moved away from St. Louis to Springfield, Missouri, our contact with him was lost.  The first two weeks or so of our separation did not bother me too much, what with new things to see and new friends to make, and fresh accidents to happen.  But one day the loss of Uncle Hugh's presence smote me with full force, and I had one of the worst cases of homesickness ever to strike a small lad.  I remember I sobbed and sobbed as if my heart was breaking.  and I actually thought it was doing just that.  Mother could not console me;  she could not understand my utter and deep feeling of loss.  But I finally had my cry out, and soon resumed the activities of a youngster.  It was many years before I saw Uncle Hugh again, although we carried on quite a correspondence.  I often wished I had kept the letters I received from him.

No, all these reminiscences are a prelude by way of explanation of how I became interested in writing a history of the Goodner family.  Because of my boyish love, or idolatry, of Uncle Hugh, the very name of "Goodner" became a sort of a fascination.  It brought to my mind the image of Uncle Hugh, and thus with it the fond and nostalgic memories of childhood, ever sweet to one who had a wonderful life as a child, as was my good fortune.  With that sentimental background it did not take much to spark into life a great interest and curiosity in the family itself.

I do not remember when I first heard of another of my father's Goodner cousins, Mrs.  Lenna Goodner Goit (Mrs. Frank H.), then a resident of Chicago, but in one of my visits to that city I called upon her, and then and there my deep interest seemed to come to life in the Goodner family tree.  This embryonic interest developed into a desire to know more about the early family, and to add what I could to the Goodner chart which I secured from Cousin Lenna, which chart became the foundation and nucleus of what later was to become the actual family history.

It was not my intention at that early date to write a history.  I merely wanted to add more information for my own satisfaction, to learn something of the Goodner pioneers and what part they had played in developing this great country.  It was a hobby, and as hobbies go I only worked at it at various times as the spirit moved me and as business would permit.  However, in the ensuing thirty years following the date of my initial interest, such a mass of material had accumulated, that encouraged by others, I conceived the idea of working it all into a history , and if possible to publish it at some future time when I had retired from business.  So since my retirement in the fall of 1956, I have devoted my full time to completing the various lines and branches, bringing them down to date, and trying to solve the mystery and origin of the first Goodners to come to this country.  Neither have met with full success.  A few of the branches have become lost, apparently irrevocably; some of the kin to whom I have written, some repeatedly, have not been interested sufficiently to reply.

As to the origin of the family, I have twice made trips to North Carolina, where the family first settled, searching records in Orange and Guilford Counties and those in the Hall of Records in Raleigh.  I have also checked the early records in the so-called German counties of Pennsylvania - Adams, York, Lancaster, and Berks - since it was thought that the Goodners may have resided in Pennsylvania before they migrated to North Carolina.  I have searched through all publications available to me which might throw some light on the matter or to give me a lead.

All of this has been to no avail as to learning anything of the seat of the family in the old country, although much valuable information was secured.  Other trips were made to Indiana, Illinois, and Tennessee.

In the task of creating this family history I have had the assistance of several members, to whom I am greatly indebted.

My deepest obligation and sincere thanks go to Mrs. Lenna Goodner Goit, formerly of Chicago and St. Petersburg, Florida, but now a resident of Sarasota, Florida.  It was the basic outline of the Conrad Goodner line given to me by her that has made possible the completeness of that branch.  Back at the turn of the century, her father, George Washington Goodner, first to take an interest in the family genealogy, had by considerable correspondence gathered from the old timers then living, a great deal of information which but for him would have been lost.  This data was all made available to me, including data that Mrs.  Gait herself had gathered - all of which has made me deeply grateful to her.  I am also indebted to her for permission to have photo static copies made of several old letters in her possession, which are being reproduced in the history.  Mrs. Goit is, I believe, the oldest living member of the Conrad Goodner line.

I wish also to express my sincere thanks to Mrs. Hester O. Pape of La Jolla, California, who so willingly sent me the old German letter of Recommendation of Jacob Daniel Scherrer and the old letter of his brother in Germany, George Theobold Scherrer, both dated back in the middle of the 18th century, that they might be Photostatted and reproduced in the history, as well as the family record in the Bible of Rev. Benjamin Goodner.

Mr. Milton Perry Goodner of Seattle, Washington, quite a few years ago gathered together much data on the family, working with Mrs. Goit in constructing the family chart on the Goodner line.  All of this data he generously turned over to me, and so to him I render my sincere appreciation and grateful thanks.

Others who have been of great help to me and to whom I am very grateful are: 

I wish also to express my thanks and appreciation to all those who sent in their family records, and to those who in any degree helped to make this publication possible.  And to those who offered words of encouragement when the going became burdensome and discouragement rode high, may I say simply, "Thank you.”

In a compilation of names and dates such as this is, in spite of the utmost care and diligence, errors are bound to creep in.  I ask the kind indulgence of any who may find errors in their record.  The family data l that has been given to me has been assumed to be correct.

Unfortunately time has not permitted me to bring down-to-date all of the various lines of all branches.  The gathering of data is a slow and tedious one.  Replies come in slowly for the most part, and some not at all.   Sometimes this meant the termination of a line that I was loathe to omit, but regretfully had to do so.  It is my earnest hope that some younger member of the family will carry on and complete what is missing, and to continue the search for the definite identity and original home place of the immigrant Goodner family.

In closing, I wish to emphasize that it has given me a great deal of pleasure to write the Goodner history.   Assuredly it has taken a great amount of time, much patience, and a substantial sum of money.  The pleasure that I have derived comes from several sources, not the least of which are the many warm friendships that have developed with members of the family, - and these I treasure.  The fact that there is being put into print as a permanent record the history and genealogy of a wonderful family, of which I am proud of being a member, and the knowledge that the history will be a source of pride and pleasure to others is compensation enough.

From a realistic standpoint, such a history as this may prove it's worthiness as being to some a proof of citizenship, and of age, should certain situations arise demanding such proof.

I invite all those of Goodner descent, whose names fail to appear in this genealogy to write me, as it is very important that "lost" families be located and that unfinished lines be completed.  It is my hope that with this publication interest in the family history does not lag but on the contrary, that it may be more intensified.

Hubert W.  Lacey

7240 Union School House Road