DR SAMUEL A. GOODMAN AND FAMILY, Smith County, TX

***************************************************************** 
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm

Submitted by Betty Phea - phea44@hotmail.com 
7 June 2001
*****************************************************************

DR SAMUEL A. GOODMAN AND FAMILY.  "Some Biographies of Old Settlers." 
Historical, Personal and Reminiscent. Volume I 
By Sid S. Johnson, 1900: Sid S. Johnson,
Publisher, Tyler, Texas Chapter XXXV - Pages 172 - 174

In this biography of early settlers we fail not to mention Dr. Samuel 
A. Goodman, who was born in Tennessee in October, 1805.

Being now nearly ninety-five, he undoubtedly the oldest living 
representative of the family.

Dr. Goodman's ancestors came to Virginia about the year 1700.

On both sides he came of a Revolutionary family.  On his mother's side 
he is a grand nephew of Col. Williams who commanded the Americans at 
King's Mountain.  His grandfather, Benjamin Goodman, was massacred in 
line with his comrades by orders of the tory, bloody Bill Cunningham, 
while being held prisoner of war.

This occurred at Hayne's Station, South Carolina, where a monument was 
afterwards erected in memory of those who fell.  A list of the soldiers 
was engraved thereon.

Dr. Goodman's father, Claybourne, waqs one of the first who dared to 
make a home in the wilds of Tennessee.  It was here that the subject of 
this sketch was born, though early  in life, through the influence of 
his brother, Benjamin, he moved to South Carolina.  Here, by close 
application, he received a good education.

Finally, at the age of twenty-one, after having become a thorough 
graduate, he entered upon the practice of medicine.  This profession 
he followed successfully, along with farming interests for thirty years.  
When twenty-four he married Miss Pamela Jefferies of Union county, 
South Carolina.  They had three children.  Their youngest, a daughter, 
died at the age of fourteen years.

With the exception of one year's stay in Mississippi, Dr. Goodman and 
family lived in South Carolina until 1857, when he gave up the practice 
of medicine and moved to Smith county in this State, where he took up 
farming interests solely, and in it he was always successful.

In 1874, he moved to Tyler to be near his two children, Dr. W. J. 
Goodman and Samuel A. Goodman.

His wife died during the summer of 1878.  Last summer he lost his 
youngest son, Samuel A. Goodman.

At present his health is as good as could be expected.  It is not an 
unusual occurence to see this man of ninety-five years walking as far 
as town to cast his vote.  By the way, his first vote was for Andrew 
Jackson for President.  The latter was his father's neighbor in 
Tennessee.

During this life of nearly a century, so many things of moment have 
transpired; so many inventions have been made; so many great men have 
come and gone - even kingdoms have flourished and declined- that it 
would be small wonder if this old man, sometimes doubts, if this is 
the world as that on which his eyes first opened nearly one hundred 
years ago.