Heman and Louisa Goodspeed

When Heman Goodspeed and his future wife Louisa Albright were very young children, both their families moved from the towns of their birth to more challenging frontier locations.

Heman’s Early Life

Heman Goodspeed was born on May 22, 1794 in Barnstable, Massachusetts to Samuel and Sylvia Goodspeed. He was the sixth of twelve children. About 3 or 4 years later, the family moved from Barnstable to Wells, Vermont, near the border with New York State, and soon afterwards settled in Pawlet, Vermont, just south of the town of Wells. At that time, Wells and Pawlet, Vermont were barely settled, so that meant clearing land and building a house and other structures for animals. A lot of hard work. It also meant, at least for a time, living without the benefits that the family had enjoyed in Barnstable—stores, schools, churches, friends and family.

Louisa’s Early Life

Louisa Albright was born December 28, 1809 in Wheatland, Munroe Co., New York, to Jacob Albright and Submit Frost. She was their first child. Eventually they had eleven children. Louisa’s parents were living with her grandfather, Francis Albright, when she was born. When she was only three months old, her parents moved to their new home on Lake Ontario, an area that was completely wild and unsettled. (The history of Louisa Albright’s family and how they came to Lake Ontario will be given in a future article.)

Heman and Louisa were the last members of our direct line of Goodspeed ancestors to experience the hardships of frontier life. They were strong people, working their own farm, raising a family of eleven children (two died young), and living well into their 70s.

Heman Moves to New York State

As described in a recent article on Samuel and Sylvia Goodspeed, Heman Goodspeed left home a year or two after his father’s death in 1816. His destination was the Erie Canal. Construction on the canal began on July 4, 1817. This was a big event, in which Governor Dewitt Clinton, the man responsible for making it happen, dug the first shovelful of dirt. According to Weston Goodspeed, Heman Goodspeed was there to witness it.[1]

This event took place not at the eastern or western end of the canal route, but right in the middle, near what became the city of Rome, New York, in Oneida County near the Mohawk River. The place was known as “The Oneida Carry”; it had long been part of the critical east/west American trade route through the frontier. People would travel up the Mohawk River from Schenectady, New York until they reached this point, then carry their boats one to four miles to Wood Creek which would connect them with Lake Ontario. It was the main passage into the interior other than through the St. Lawrence. So this location for beginning the canal made a lot of sense.

The Goodspeed Genealogy states that Heman Goodspeed went to work for Zebulon Douglas of Madison County, New York. Douglas was a large landowner in the vicinity of the town of Sullivan and took responsibility for digging the Erie Canal through his 365-acre property. But his property was west of where the canal was begun and construction proceeded east towards Utica. I suppose that means that Douglas was in charge of work being done on more than just his own land. The first 15 miles of construction, from Rome eastwards to Utica, was finished by 1819. Heman Goodspeed is said to have worked for Douglas for two years, which would be 1817-1819. On Saturday, October 23, 1819, Heman Goodspeed “rode on the first boat from Utica to Rome with Gov. Clinton and others.”[2]

From Canal Worker to Farm Worker

After this section of the canal was finished, Heman Goodspeed determined he had had enough of digging the big ditch and went looking for other work. He ended up in Niagara County on Lake Ontario, which was a considerable distance west of where he had been working on the canal. How he got there and why he went there is something of a mystery. A map of the completed Erie Canal shows a direct route from Rome to the town of Lockport. But the canal along that route had not been dug when Heman Goodspeed traveled that way. Perhaps he was thinking about how valuable the land along the future canal route would become.

In 1816, when legislation was passed to allow construction of the canal, speculators began buying up land from the Holland Land Company. One group of Quakers from Farmington in Ontario County bought land at what became Lockport and began settling there. By 1819, it was a respectable town, with church, school and stores (most of them built of logs), and a plan for its streets. Canal construction did not reach the place until 1820, and ads for workmen began appearing in New York City newspapers in 1821.

But Heman Goodspeed was looking for something else. He found work on the farm of Jacob Albright, who was living north of Lockport in the Town of Newfane, near Olcott, on Lake Ontario.

Lockport

Here is an interesting story of early Lockport, from a website called “Historic Lockport”:

When Niagara County was separated from Erie [in 1821], it became necessary to choose a county seat. A rivalry existed between Lewiston and Lockport for this honor. Lewiston seemed to have the advantage because it had its own newspaper and could lobby for county seat. Daniel Washburn and Dr. Isaac Smith traveled to Lewiston and convinced Bartimus Ferguson, the owner of the printing press to relocate to Lockport. They traveled through the night with the printer, his family, household goods and the press. In the morning the first edition of the Lockport Observatory appeared in the village of Lockport before Lewiston was aware of what had happened. The paper helped Lockport become the county seat of Niagara County.

Newfane

Just to the north of Lockport, is the town of Newfane. It was not established until 1824, but clearly there were settlers present well before that time, including the family of Jacob and Submit Albright. Newfane was created out of three other towns, Hartland, Somerset and Wilson, and was briefly known as Charlotte or Charlottesville. But it was renamed as Newfane, meaning “New Church.” Before Newfane was created, Jacob Albright must have been living in the portion of Hartland that became Newfane, for he was counted in Hartland in the 1820 census.[3]

Olcott & Eighteen Mile Creek

The Wikipedia entry for Olcott, NY has nothing to say about its origins. Olcott is located on the south shore of Lake Ontario, where Eighteen Mile Creek enters the Lake. (The 18 miles refers not to the length of the creek, but its distance from Niagara River.) It originates at the town of Lockport, and travels north through the town of Newfane, and empties into Lake Ontario at Olcott harbor. Sadly, today a part of the creek just north of Lockport is a superfund site.[4]

Heman Goodspeed on the Albright Farm

Heman Goodspeed worked for Jacob Albright on a five-year contract at $8.00 a month, ending in 1824, when the town of Newfane was established. By that time he had become enamored of Jacob Albright’s daughter Louisa, and married her in the spring of that year, when she was only 15 years old.[5] Their first child, Marshall, was born on March 20, 1825, and their second child, Ansel, was born on March 31, 1826.

Construction on the locks at Lockport began in 1823. The next year, when Heman and Louisa married, the canal was opened from the Hudson River to the point where the Lockport locks were under construction. Until the locks were finished, people had to portage to the other side to continue on to Buffalo. Then in 1825, two big events happened. On June 6, Gen. Lafayette visited Lockport for four hours and was given a hero’s welcome. Then on October 26, 1825, the Erie Canal was officially opened for its entire length. Gov. DeWitt Clinton traveled the whole way, on board the Seneca Chief, passing through Lockport and its “twin flight of locks.” I have little doubt that Heman and Louisa and their two small children came to see the Governor as his boat passed through Lockport.

After his first contract with Jacob Albright expired, Heman Goodspeed hired out to his father-in-law for two more years, (1825-1826). Then he bought a farm of his own near the Albright farm. It was 100 acres, part of the old Holland Land Company tract, about four miles north of Lockport, and cost him all of $90. It was raw, heavily-timbered land, so Heman bought an ox team, a plow, a few other farming tools, and some household articles, which left him with one shilling left in his pocket. According to Weston Goodspeed, “it was alone for a long time.” Building a house for his wife and two children had to be the highest priority. The third child, Herschell, was not born until July 7, 1829, which shows how arduous life was when Heman and Louisa first arrived at their farm.

The Anti-Masons

It seems there was never a dull moment in the vicinity of Lockport: In September 1826, William Morgan of Batavia, NY, who had threatened to reveal the secrets of the Masons, was arrested on false charges of debt, and held in debtors’ prison. A friend secured his release, but soon afterwards he was arrested again, once again on trumped-up charges of debt, and imprisoned in Canandaigua. Again he was released, but this time by a mysterious person, who had him bundled into a carriage and forcibly taken to Fort Niagara by way of Lockport. After that, Morgan was never seen again. Three Masons, Loton Lawson, Nicholas Chesebro and Edward Sawyer, were convicted of the kidnapping of Morgan, with the assistance of Lockport Sheriff Eli Bruce, who spent two years in jail for his part in the affair. The editor of the Lockport paper, Orsamus Turner, was also jailed “for refusing to cooperate.”[6] I rather suspect that Heman Goodspeed was inclined to support the anti-Masonites who became a significant political party following these events. But there is actually no record of Goodpeed’s political inclinations. I base this supposition on the religious inclinations of his wife Louisa (to be discussed in a later post).

Children of Heman and Louisa

Here is a list of the children of Heman and Louisa Goodspeed and their birth dates:

1. Marshall                March 20, 1825
2. Ansel                     March 31, 1826
3. Herschell               July 7, 1829
4. Hersalora               April 22, 1830, died May 4, 1831
5. Loretta Matilda     May 14, 1832
6. Seymour                March 1, 1834
7. Sylvia Submit        Jan. 13, 1837
8. Theresa                  Nov. 23, 1838
9. Jacob M.                May 27, 1841
10. Theron                   July 30, 1843
11. Chester Irving       Oct. 12, 1845, died Nov. 11, 1846

Heman and Louisa Goodspeed and their family were counted in the census records for Newfane Township in Niagara County from 1830 to 1860. In 1830, Heman was in his 30s and Louisa was in her 20s, with three children. In 1840, Heman was mistakenly listed as “Hiram,” in his 40s, with a wife (Louisa) in her 30s, four sons, two daughters, and a woman in her 20s, who might have been one of Louisa’s six sisters.

Tragedy struck in 1831, when daughter Hersalora died, only one year old. I do not know the cause of death, but it was not due to the cholera epidemic, which did not arrive in the area until 1832. Fortunately, all the Goodspeeds survived it. Then in 1846, the last child of the family, Chester Irving, died, also only one year old. These were the only two children to die, which was for the time and conditions, very good. Child mortality in those days was terribly high.

By 1850, census records were finally giving more detail. Heman Goodspeed was listed as a 56-year-old farmer whose real property was worth $2840. His wife Louisa was 41. Their children, all born in New York State, were Ansell 23 farmer, Herschell 21 farmer, Loretta 18, Seymour 16 farmer, Sylva 13, Teresa 11, Jacob 9, and Theron age 7.[7]

In the 1860 census, Heman Goodspeed, age 66, had a farm worth $6000 and personal property worth $1500. This was quite respectable for the time. Louisa was 50 years old. Their eldest children had moved on by then, but some were still at home: Loretta 28, Seymour 26 farm laborer, Sylvia 23, Jacob 19, and Theron 17. Sylvia and Theron had both been in school during the past year.[8]

The Civil War

Like so many families of this time, the War had a terrible impact on the Goodspeeds. Their youngest son, Theron, had enlisted on August 4, 1862 for three years as a private in the 19th Battery, Light Artillery, NY Volunteers, known as “Stahl’s Battery,” at Lockport, NY. On October 27, they mustered at Elmira, New York and two days later marched to Washington DC, where they were assigned to the defense of that city.

In the spring of 1863, they were ordered to Suffolk, Virginia and participated in the siege of that place, attached to the 7th Army Corps. Afterwards, they returned to Washington, DC, attached to Camp Barry, 22nd Army Corps where they remained the rest of the year. On December 6, 1863, Theron Goodspeed was promoted to Corporal.

In March 1864, the battery was attached to the 9th Army Corps in the Army of the Potomac, and moved south. By May they were moved to Virginia where they took part in the Battle of the Wilderness. That was followed by the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, which took place from May 8 through May 21. On May 12th, Theron Goodspeed was killed by gunshot and was buried on the battlefield. (U.S. Civil War Soldier Records states that he was “mustered out” on May 12, 1864 at the Spotsylvania Courthouse.)[9]

After the war, Theron Goodspeed’s body was removed to Lockport where it was buried on the family lot near the old homestead. (His grave is not listed on Find-a-Grave, and he was not buried in the Lakeview Cemetery where his parents’ graves are located.)

When news of Theron’s death reached his parents, it must have been a terrible blow. By that time, son Seymour had left to start his own family, so there were only three children still at home, Sylvia, Theresa and Jacob. Louisa took it upon herself to share the news with her son Herschell who was then living in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Louisa’s letter is so moving and beautifully written that I will publish it in its entirety in a separate post.

Deaths of Heman and Louisa

When Heman Goodspeed began farming, he weighed only 130 pounds. He was not particularly tall, but still, this was very thin. By the end of his life, he had become quite obese, weighing 363 pounds. This is according to Hersalora Olver and Weston Goodspeed, who must have learned this from one of Heman’s children. The photograph of Heman in the Goodspeed Family History seems to confirm this.

It was not all that long after Theron Goodspeed’s death and the end of the Civil War before Heman Goodspeed met his end. His obituary in the Lockport Daily Journal & Courier reads:  "Deaths. In Newfane, March 31, 1869, Heman Goodspeed, age 74 yrs, 10 mos, 9 days; He was one of the early pioneers coming into this county in 1820."[10]

I have not found an obituary for Louisa Goodspeed. She died on August 30, 1883 at the age of 73, in Brockport, New York. She was probably living with her daughter Theresa (1838-1924) and son-in-law Henry Norton Johnson (1838-aft 1920). Her death certificate/record named her parents (misspelling her mother’s name as “Subrint”). The cause of death was "hepatized liver," and her age was 73 years and 8 months.[11] To my great regret, Weston Goodspeed did not publish a photograph of Louisa Albright Goodspeed in the Goodspeed Family History.

1]  Goodspeed Family History (hereafter GFH) p. 268
2]  Manuscript by Hersalora Goodspeed Olver
3]  From the Wikipedia entry on Newfane
4]  From the Wikipedia entry on Eighteen Mile Creek
5]  From Hersalora G. Olver; there is no marriage record on file, probably because record keeping in that area at that time was somewhat primitive. I don’t even know if they were married in a church. They might have been married by a Justice of the Peace.
6]  From the website "Lockport on the Erie Canal"
7]  1850 U. S. Federal Census for Newfane, Niagara Co, NY, p. 390, #280-286.

8]  1860 U. S. Federal Census for Newfane, Niagara Co, NY, P.O. Olcott, p. 33 #245-248.

9]  Information on the 19th Independent New York Battery from this website, and on "Stahl's Battery from this website.
10]  Lockport Daily Journal & Courier, April 6, 1869, pg 3
11]  Birth/Death from Office of Vital Records, Rochester, NY.