Transcribed by Janette West Grimes

This Article Appeared In The Times

But Was Not Actually In Cal’s Column

April 3, 1952

THE GOAD FAMILY

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Below is given some information relative to the Goad family which will be of much interest to members of the family and also to those who are related to the Goads. From an old Bible found some time ago at Red Boiling Springs the following information was obtained: Reuben Goad, owner of the Bible, was born in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, on May 25, 1770. He married Miss Mary Witcher, supposedly from the same county, on Oct. 3, 1789. To this union were born: Nancy Goad, Nov. 4, 1790; Susanna Goad, Dec. 12, 1792; George Goad, April 15, 1794; Sabra Goad, Oct. 31, 1796; Sallie Goad, June 11, 1799; Daniel Goad, Dec. 2, 1801; Coleman goad, Jan., 1804; Polly Goad, Feb. 7, 1808; Reuben Goad, July 21, 1810; Rachel Goad, April 2, 1814.

The old Bible did not give the names of the persons these ten married, although Sabra married Samuel Jenkins, and bore him seven sons, she dying on Sept. 28, 1847. The youngest of these seven sons was Reuben H. Jenkins, who died Jan. 30, 1920 at the age of 82 years.

We wish we had all of the offspring of these sons and daughters, but we have no record of their descendants except for two daughters, Sabra and Susan; and one son, Reuben Goad. However, we are of the opinion that the late Daniel Dalton Goad, who died a few years ago at Hillsdale, was a descendant of the Daniel Goad above mentioned as having been born Dec. 2, 1801. Daniel D(alton) Goad was the son of Richard Goad, born on Peyton's Creek about 1840. He married Elizabeth Roark. In addition to Richard Goad, his father and mother were the parents of: Harvey Goad, Jim Goad, Octavia Goad, married a Jerrigan; Lizzie Goad, married Jim Carter; John Goad, married Frances Roark; and Mary Goad, married a Wallace.

Richard Goad was a soldier of the Civil War, and fought on the Union side. Richard and his wife, Elizabeth Roark Goad, were the parents of : John Goad, died at nine years of age; Laura Goad, died at 14 years of age; Joyce Goad, married John Ragland; Mary Goad, died unmarried at the age of 23 years; Emily Goad, married the late Dr. I. L. Roark; and Daniel Dalton Goad, above mentioned, who married Ida Burrow.

Richard Goad's brother, John Goad, married a Roark, and became the father of : Adeline Goad, burned to death in 1939 near Hillsdale; Lizzie Goad, married John A. Parker; Corinthia Goad, married Clay Ford; Harvey H. Goad; and Will Goad, who married Belle Wright and became quite a noted lawyer in Scottsville.

Harvey H. Goad died about two years ago in Vandalia, Illinois, being in his late eighties. We are quite sure that this man, Harvey H. Goad, taught school near our birthplace at Mace's Hill, when Goad was hardly more than a youth. We still recall how that in the years of our boyhood there stood a beech tree just above the old spring in the very bottom of the valley, at the extreme upper end of the Young Branch of Dixon's Creek, and on our father's little farm, and about 125 yards below the school house. On this beech tree we read with a great deal of interest certain inscriptions. These have lived through the years with the writer. Our remembrance of them is as follows : "April 20, 1881 --

Woodman, spare this tree,

Touch not a single bough;

In youth it sheltered me,

And I'll protect it now.

When this shall have grown to be

An old hoary tree in the course of time,

Then he who reads may know who is he

That carved this rhyme.

Harvey H. Goad

In letters on one side of the tree and running toward the ground, were these words, "Do Not Cut Down."

As long as our father lived he refused to cut it down;but after his death and the old home place had changed hands, it was cut down. The writer did not know then that the first part from a poem written by G. P. Morris. Anyway, the first four lines were appealing to Cal and the last four were also of much interest to his youthful mind 50 years ago or more.

Sabra Goad, born Oct. 31, 1796 married Samuel Jenkins, son of Roderick Jenkins and his wife, the former Miss Pack. The children of Samuel and Sabra were: George, married a Hesson and removed to Illinois; Dutch, believed to have married a Hesson also; Coleman, married four times, two of the wives being known, one a former Miss Davis and the other formerly Miss McClard; Henry Jenkins, married Lucinda, daughter of Joel Gregory, son of Jerry Gregory, the writer's great - great - grandfather; Reuben, married Martha, daughter of Jackson Hargis, and the second time to Marie Williams; Buck Jenkins, married Polly, daughter of George Boston, son of Christian Boston, another of the writer's great - great - grandfather's; and Arthur Jenkins, commonly known as "Arter" Jenkins. We have no information as to whom he married, nor do we know anything of his offspring.

James Jenkins, son of Roderick, married Susan or Susanna Goad, who was born Dec. 12, 1792. James Jenkins and his wife, Susan Jenkins, were the parents of : Dick Jenkins, married first cousin, Nancy Goad; James Jenkins, Jr., married Oma Dycus; Arch Jenkins, married Polly McDuffee, daughter of Neal and Thenie Gregory McDuffee, Thenie being a sister of one of our great - grandmothers, Betty Gregory. Arch Jenkins was killed by Buck Smith, the notorious guerrilla, during the Civil War. Ralston Jenkins, married Barbara Hesson; Hulda Jenkins, married Henry Hunter; Marie Jenkins, married Chesley Thomas; Ran Jenkins, married Tom Thomas, a brother of Chesley; and Jeff Jenkins, married Martha Parkhurst.

The first - mentioned Reuben Goad that married Mary Witcher, came from Virginia and settled on the Highland Rim in what is now Macon County, then Smith County. He came to Tennessee at about the same time as the Witcher, the Wilkerson and the Jenkins families. We know that Tandy Witcher was here as early as 150 years ago, so from this fact we would judge that the Goad family has been known in this section of Tennessee for a century and a half. Reuben Goad is buried either at Gibbs' Cross Roads, or at the N. W. Patterson Cemetery, near Russell Hill.

Reuben Goad and his wife, Mary Witcher, were the parents of a son, Reuben, Jr., married first to Betsy, daughter of Edmond and Polly Ellis. His second wife was Miss McKinnis. By the first wife, Reuben Goad, Jr., became the father of : Mary Goad, married Elisha Sloan, son of Jason and Patsy Brockett Sloan; Charlie Edward Goad, married Susan, daughter of Martin and Jane Azling Burris; Ann Goad, never married; Betsy Goad, became the second wife of the Elisha Sloan above mentioned; Tabitha Goad, died an old maid; and Ellis Goad, who married Ophelia, daughter of Jim Younger. By the second wife, Reuben Goad, Jr., was the father of : Timmie, Maggie, Reuben, III; Thomas, Evelyn and Nannie Goad, all of whom removed to Texas, and of whom we have no further information.

Mary Goad Sloan had two daughters, Nola, who died young; and Mary Sloan, who never married. Betty Goad Sloan, second wife of Elisha Sloan, was the mother of: Billie Sloan, married Maggie Gregory, daughter of Will Gregory, son of Smith Gregory, son of Bill Gregory, and a brother of another of the writer's great -great - grandfathers, Bry Gregory; Annie Sloan, married the late Clayton Hesson; Bettie Sloan, married the late Campbell Grissom; Elisha Sloan, Jr., known as "Mann" Sloan, a Pleasant Shade merchant for many years, who married Elizabeth Smith; Sallie Sloan, married the late Jim Ballard; Archie Sloan, married a Beasley, and is still living at Pleasant Shade; Charlie Sloan, also still living at Pleasant Shade, and married a Price; and Edith Sloan, married the late Dr. J. J. Beasley. She is still living at Pleasant Shade.

Charlie Edward Goad, son of Reuben and Betsy Ellis Goad, married Susan Burris and became the father of: Billie Goad, married a Younger, a sister of the wife of Ellis Goad above mentioned; Pocahontas Goad, married W. T. (Temp) Oldham; Elizabeth, married Ezekiel Rose, and is still living; George W. Goad, married Mary Patterson; Mollie Goad, married Collie Thomas and later George Russell; Dora Goad, married Ira Sloan, son of John Sloan, son of Jason Sloan; Kittie Goad, died unmarried at 21 years of age, the victim of typhoid fever; Howard Goad, married Dicy, a sister of George Russell, second husband of Mollie Goad.

Ellis Goad, son of Reuben and Betsy, married Ophelia Younger, and became the father of : Charlie Goad, went to Kentucky; Mary Goad, married Bob Strong; Frances ("Shug") Goad, married Alvis Kirby; and Frank Goad, married a Swindle.

We do not have the data on all the offspring of Charlie Edward Goad, but it is obtainable.

It appears that the Richard Goad and John Goad above mentioned were the sons of Daniel Goad, born Dec. 2, 1801, and that Richard and John Goad had a brother, James Goad. Harvey Goad was the father of the late H. Cyrus Goad, Oscar Goad and Schuyler Goad, and perhaps others. We have no record of the children of James Goad.

Will C. Goad, mentioned above as being the son of John Goad and Frances Goad, married Belle Wright and became the father of : Emma, married Frank S. Johnson, Scottsville resident; Frank R. Goad, married Laura Kemp; Mary Belle Goad, married Robert S. Clement; W. C. Goad, Jr., and Goebel Burrow Goad, married Ruth Jones. Marry Bell Goad Clement was the mother of : Frank Clement, married Lucille Christiansen, and is now a candidate for Governor of Tennessee; Miss Anna Belle Clement, of Nashville; and Emma Jean Clement, who married Bruce Y. Peery. The gubernatorial candidate has two sons, Bob and Frank Clement, Jr.

We are sorry that we do not have the connection between the Goads above mentioned, and the members of the family around Haysville, Willette, Defeated Creek and many other places. We are quite sure that they are the descendants of Reuben and Mary Witcher Goad, who names appear in the first part of this article. If members of other branches of the family will give us the needed data, we shall be more than glad to publish same at an early date.

It is understoo that the Goads are of English descent, and that the family was originally named Wade, which is still a frequently - used given name in some branches of the family. This man Wade, is said to have been an expert in cattle driving, particularly work cattle. He was such an expert with the "goad" which was used even in Bible days to urge cattle forward, being a piece of steel on the end of a long stick, that this man Wade, became known as Wade "Goad," which is commonly reported and accepted version of the origin of the family. Bible readers will remember that Paul and Saul, of the Bible, was told, "It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks," which meant the goads used to drive work cattle which sometimes kicked back and sank the goad into their legs and made the situation far worse for themselves than if they had gone forward. So we understand the application is made in Paul's case of resisting or striking back against the will of God.

If there are any errors in the above, we shall be glad to correct same. Let some member of the branches not covered in the above give us the additional information as to his line of descent, and we shall get it into print at once.

The writer should like here to add that the George Goad, son of Charlie Edward Goad, was the greatest teacher that we ever knew. He was our teacher from 1900 through 1907, inclusive, and from him we learned more than from all other teachers combined. He was a man of talent, devoted to teaching, and having at heart the very best interests of his pupils. He has been gone since April 14, 1931, but he will live in grateful memory through the years for the many hundreds of his students who, like the writer, are growing old. He was a teacher for 45 years and one of the best ever known in all the Upper Cumberland country. God bless the memory of our great teacher of the days that will come no more.