WILLIAM GOEN AND SONS PIONEERED IN COLONIAL NORTH CAROLINA, TENNESSEE AND INDIANA
Parents:
- Unk
Children of William Goen and Mary Frances Goen are:
- Crispin S Goen, b. 1800, North Carolina, d. 04 Feb 1858, Jackson, Indiana.
- John Waller Goen, b. 1804, North Carolina d. 1870, Jackson, Indiana.
- Elisha Green Goen, b. 1806, North Carolina d. 1860.
- Shadrack Goen, b. 1806, North Carolina d. date unknown.
- Matilda Goen, b. 1807, North Carolina, d. date unknown.
- Stephen Pogoin Goen, b. 1810, North Carolina, d. date unknown.
- Happy Jones, b. 1812, North Carolina, d. 1870, Indiana.
- Haston Harestis Goen, b. 1813, North Carolina, d. date unknown.
- Mary Ann Goen, b. 18 Apr 1814, Tennessee, d. 18 Sep 1859, Jackson, Indiana
- William Goen, b. 1815 d. date unknown.
- George W Goen, b. 1822 d. date unknown.
Siblings:
- Unk
FACTS and NOTES:
Jerry Lee Goen, PhD
Editorial Boardmember
107 Coker Road, Shawnee, Oklahoma, 74801-9209
lgoen@obunix.okbu.edu
William Goen, regarded as a Melungeon, was born about 1771 in North Carolina to parents unknown. He was married about 1795, wife’s name unknown. She appeared as a few years older than he in the 1830 census. William Goen moved his family to Hawkins County, Tennessee in the middle 1820s.
Most of the individual enumeration sheets of the census of 1820 of the state of Tennessee were destroyed by fire in Washington, D. C. Fragments of the census for only ten counties and recaps of others escaped the fire. No enumeration sheets were available for Hawkins County. Recap sheets showed 310 “free persons of color” in the 1820 census.
“William Going” received a land grant No. 14203 from the State of Tennessee on March 19, 1827 for 50 acres in Hawkins County.
It is obvious that the census enumerator in 1830 had difficulty in deciding whether to list the seven Goen and Goin families as “white” or “free colored people.” In the summary sheet 37 families composed of 331 people were recorded as “free colored” in 1830. William Goen was designated as “white” in this count; his son John Goen wound up as “free colored.”
Phillip Edwin Roberts, Foundation member of Hendersonville, North Carolina compiled a list of heads of families of “Free Colored Persons,” regarded by some researchers as Melungeons, found in the 1830 census of Hawkins County:
Charles Beare
Dicey Bowling
Michael Bowling
Burton Cold [Cole?]
Wiatt Collins
Andrew Collins
Martin Collins
Simeon Collins
Vardy Collins
Mary Collins
Levi Collins
Benjamin Collins
Edmund Collins
Millenton Collins
John Collins
James Collins
Charles Gibson
Esau Gibson
Cherod Gibson
Joseph F. Gibson
Andrew Gibson
Sheppard Gibson
Jordan Gibson
Polly Gibson
Jonathon Gibson
Jesse Gibson
Fountain Goen
George Goen
John Goen
Betsy Goen
Harden Goen
Edmond Goodman
Jordan Goodman
Betsy Jones
John Minor
Zacharia Minor
Samuel Mullens
James Moore
Henry Mosely
William Nichols
White and “free colored” were listed in consecutive entries which perhaps indicated adjacent locations.
Some disabling statutes were installed in 1831, 1832 and 1834 in the Tennessee constitution to prevent
free Negroes from certain rights enjoyed by white citizens. So, it was important to be regarded as “white.”
William Goen headed a household composed of nine people, page 73, in the 1830 census of Hawkins County.
His household consisted of:
“Goen, William white male 50-60
white female 60-70
white male 20-30
white male 15-20
white female 15-20
white female 10-15
white male 5-10
white female 0-5”
In an adjacent location to William Goen was the household of John Goen, regarded as a son, on page 73 in the 1830 census of Hawkins County. No adult male was listed in the enumeration so it is assumed that John Goen was a Melungeon with very dark coloring and did not “rate a mention.” His family “passed” for white.
The household was listed as:
“Goen, John
white female 20-30
white female 5-10
white male 0-5
white male 0-5
white female 0-5”
“John Going” received a land grant No. 14156 from the state of Tennessee March 2, 1827 for 50 acres of land in Hawkins County. “John Goin” received another land grant of 50 acres, No. 25972, on an unnoted date, in Hawkins County. John Goen did not reappear in the 1840 census as the head of a household.
“William Gowin” reappeared in the 1840 census of Hawkins County, page 225, as the head of a household. He was shown to be illiterate and a farmer. He appeared with a younger wife, suggesting that he was remarried during the decade.
The household of four was listed as:
“Gowin, William white male 60-70
white female 50-60
white male 20-30
white male 5-10”
It is believed that William Goen was influenced to remove to Jackson County, Indiana during the decade. “William Goen, age 79” was enumerated there in the 1850 census in the household of James Johnson, identified as his son-in-law.
Children born to William Goen are identified as:
Crispin Goen born about 1798
John Goen born about 1806
“Happy” Goen born about 1808
[son] born about 1812
[daughter] born about 1814
[daughter] born about 1817
[son] born about 1821
Melinda Goen born about 1824
Crispin Goen, regarded as the son of William Goen, was born about 1798 in North Carolina.
The household of Crispin Goin appeared in the 1830 census of Hawkins County, page 80, as:
“Goin, Crispin white male 30-40
white female 20-30
white male 5-10
white male 0-5
white male 0-5
white female 0-5”
“Crispen Goan” was identified as having land in the Walter Sims Survey of Hawkins County, according to Deed Book C, page 21:
“Crispen Goan” located and entered Eighty acres of land in Hawkins County on October 15, 1831
“in the bounds of Walter Sims big survey on the North side of Clinch Mountain on the waters of Clinch River on Little War Creek, beginning on a sugar tree on the north bank of said creek thence northwardly . . . so as to include the improvement of the Peter Mattit family to below Breedwells on said creek.”
Crispin Goin received a land grant No. 18217 from the State of Tennessee, September 19, 1833 for 80
acres of land in Hawkins County.
“Chrispin Gowin” also appeared in the 1840 census of Hawkins County, page 225, indicating an adjacent location to “William Gowin.” Four members of the family were engaged in agriculture and two were illiterate. Recorded were:
“Gowin, Chrispin white male 30-40
white female 30-40
white female 15-20
white male 10-15
white male 10-15
white female 10-15”
Crispin Goen removed to Jackson County Indiana along with other members of his family about 1840. He located his family on the western side of the county.
The 1850 Census lists six families in Jackson County:
Crispin Goen on page 169 Carr Township; Stephen P. Goen on page 171 Carr Township; William Goen on page 175 Carr Township; “George W. Goings” on page 127 Redding Township; “John Goins” on page 132 Redding Township and “William W. Goins” page 127 Redding Township.
The household of Crispin Goen was enumerated as:
“Goen, Crispin 50 farmer born in NC, $400 literate
Lucinda 51 born in NC, illiterate
James T 17 born in TN
Williamson 15 born in TN
Crispin 12 born in TN
Reuben P. 10 born in TN
Polly 7 born in IN
Loucindia 5 born in IN
Margaret 2 born in IN
Servis 5/12 born in IN, female
Thomas, Mille 26 born in TN, female, illiterate”
The John Thomas family was listed as adjacent to Crispin Goen in the census, suggesting a relationship.
On page 175 is recorded the James Johnson family and living with them are:
“Goen, William 79 born in NC, no occupation, illiterate Melinda 24 born in TN, idiotic, illiterate”
Crispin Goen died there about 1857, and his estate was administered by Elisha G. Goen, a son in 1859.
The court record is in the courthouse at Brownstown, Indiana. Elisha had to go to court several different
times to get the estate settled. First, to be made the administrator, second to settle the estate, but the judge was not certain that he had paid all the creditors, third, to reconcile the accounts, but the judge was not happy with the way he had shown the accounts and his own expenses. Finally the judge accepted everything, and the estate seemed to be worth $542.81 with $130.31 left for distribution.
On June 5, 1854 Jeremiah S. Tanner and John F. Carr reported to the Jackson County Court of M. R. Edmonds, Justice of the Peace, that they had appraised the estate of Crispin Goen, and by June 22, 1854 Elisha G. [Green] Goen was assigned to be the administrator of the estate. The appraisers were apparently joined by the administrator-to-be who was to inventory the items of the estate.
The materials in the probate records do not mention distribution to a widow, and the estate was distributed to the children. The final distribution was paid to Williamson Goen in 1859 who executed a power of attorney in Ganti County, Minnesota on 21 March 1859. The power of attorney authorized Philip Goen of Washington County, Indiana to receive the money for Williamson.
Elisha G. Goen had property in Jackson County, but census data suggests that he lived in the southern
part of adjoining Washingtion County, Indiana.
John Waller Goen lived in Jackson County Indiana from 1830 through 1870. Crispin’s family was aware of John Waller Goen’s family since his son Philip was married to one of Crispin’s daughters, Matilda Goen Lawyer Goen. Matilda’s first husband was Elias Lawyer. After Elias Lawyer died, she was married to Phillip Goen.
The listing of the inventory and appraisal of the estate is shown in the following table. The inventory
is dated June 5, 1854.
No. Description Appraisal
— ———– ———
1 Gray mare $ 75.00
2 One Dun colt 30.00
3 One muly cow 18.00
4 One heifer 5.00
5 One sow & 5 shoats 10.00
6 One bedstead and cord .50
7 One bed and bedding 10.00
8 One lot bacon about 80 lbs. 6.50
9 One lot old iron .25
10 One small log chain .75
11 Two steel forks 1.00
12 Five old axes 1.50
13 One iron wedge & fish gig .50
14 Two hoes, 1 mattock & 1 spade 1.50
15 Three single trees 1.00
16 One lot of corn, 50 bu. 12.50
17 Four sickles 1.00
18 One kettle .75
19 One loom and tackle 2.50
20 One pot & oven 1.00
21 Note on James Johnson due
25th Dec 1854 20.00
22 Note on Elisha G. Goen due
25th Dec 1854 30.00
23 Note on William and James
Johnson due day after date
dated, Dec 25, 1853 57.95
24 Note on Elias Lawyer due
Dec 25, 1854 53.00
25 Account on Robert Holmes 12.50
26 Account on Elias Lawyer 4.50
27 Account on Elisha G. Goen 6.00
Account on James Johnson 2.75
28 Account on VanBergen Ritner 26.33
29 One wool wheel & scythe snath 1.00
30 Account on Elias Lawyer, 10
bu. wheat due Sept 1854 7.50
Account on J. S. Farmer 49.05
——-
Total $449.83
A sale was held on July 1, 1854 with the following purchasers.
No. Description Amount Purchaser
—- —————– —— ———–
1 Lot of old iron $0.55 Major Jones
2 Small log chain .45 Elisha G. Goen
3 Two axes .35 Elisha G. Goen
4 Three axes .65 Jacob Myers
5 Two hoes, 1 spade, &
1 mattock 1.00 Jacob Myers
6 Three singletrees .40 Wm. Johnson
7 Two sickles .50 Major Jones
8 Two sickles .35 Philip Goen
9 One wool wheel .25 James Johnson
10 One snath .20 Philip Goen
11 Two steel forks .95 Robert Holmes
12 One fish gig & iron wedge .30 Zech Harrison
13 One loom 1.00 James Johnson
14 Five stays .25 James Johnson
15 Four sides bacon 4.75 John Thomas
16 One bed & beding 11.85 Zech Harrison
17 One kettle 1.10 William Goen
18 One pot, & 1 oven 1.00 Stephen Goen
19 One lot of hay .25 Elisha G. Goen
20 One muly cow 25.00 Wm. H. First
21 One heifer 5.60 James Johnson
22 One lot corn 14.05 George Matlock
23 One gray mare 70.00 David Brown
24 One colt 50.25 Wm. Johnson
25 One sow and 5 shoats 12.75 Stephn Johnson
26 Ten bushels wheat 8.25 Thomas Goen
——
Total $212.05
The 1860 Census of Jackson County listed four Goen families and one child living with another family: Nancy Goen on page 37, Stephen Goen on page 62, John W. Goen on page 112, Philip Goen on page 113, and the child on page 27.
Crispin Goen’s son, Crispin served in the Union Army during the Civil War. He returned to Indiana, married, was in the Washington County Indiana 1870 census, and left the state. He was not in the 1880 Indiana Census. Whereabouts of the family after 1870 is not known. Also, not known is the connection to Gowen /Goen families in North Carolina where the elder Crispin Goen was born.
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Millennium Conference of the Allen County Library Scheduled July 19-22 in Fort Wayne, Indiana
The Millennium Conference, sponsored by the Allen County Public Library and the ACPL Foundation, will be held in Fort Wayne, Indiana, July 19-22. Held at the Grand Wayne Center, just one block from the library, this conference is offering over ninety lectures. Topics will cover research methods, technology in genealogy, and research sources. Major genealogical vendors offering books, software, and publishing information will be in attendance also.
And as a special resource, the Historical Genealogy Department of the Allen County Public Library will
have extended hours, which include being open until midnight July 19 and 20, and early bird opening at
6am July 20-22. These special hours will be reserved for conference attendees only.
The conference brochure can also be found at:
http://www.genealogycenter.com.
Goyen Family Tree 