John Goodheart died August 15, 1862, during a skirmish at Meriwether’s Ferry in Dyer County Tennessee. He was shot in the head by a sniper while leading a charge down the hill toward the Obion River. He was a 2nd Lieutenant in Company C, 2nd Illinois Cavalry. He was 34 years old. He was mustered in to the to regiment on August 11, 1861. His tombstone is in Oakdale Cemetary, in Pekin Illinois. He has also been listed as buried at the national cemetery at Corinth Mississippi and in the cemetery in Bloomington Illinois where his parents are buried. John was born in Bloomington Illinois to William Richard Goodheart and Sarah Clouse Goodheart on February 19, 1828. He was the seventh of ten children born to the couple. At the age of 18, He enlisted in the First Illinois Regiment, Co D. He wrote one letter home, which came from “Pass Aqua Nueva Mexico”. He said, “We are stationed at this pass in the mountains to keep Santa Anna from getting through to this town.” He said that they had seen very little action since coming to Mexico because every time they would enter a town, the Mexican army would run. He returned from the Mexican war after being discharged June 3, 1847. He was employed as a pork packer in Pekin Illinois, where he met Sarah Catherine Shober, whom he married January 28, 1850. Their first child, George, was born January 31, 1851, then Josephine, March 2, 1854, Mary, 21 of October. Mary died September 9, 1857. Their last child was Kate, born August 11, 1858. Kate was the only one of John and Cate’s children to marry, and have a family. In 1855, the government offered bounty land to veterans of the War of 1812 and the Mexican War. Henry Shober, Sarah’s father was a veteran of the War of 1812. He died in 1841, so his widow, Elizabeth Roach Miller Shober was able to claim the bounty. John being a veteran of the Mexican War, was able to claim his land. The family moved to Iowa, probably long enough to claim their land and sell it. They were back in Illinois in time for Mary’s birth on October 21, 1856. John bought his own Pork packing business in Havana, Mason County Illinois, and worked at that until he joined the 2nd Cavalry in August of 1861. John and Sarah Cate wrote many letters, eighty of which have survived. John worried about Cate and the children and tried to run his business and take care of what he could from wherever he was stationed. He was never able to go home, either because he did not have money or because he could not get leave. His 10 year old son George died on November 9, 1861. John was not notified until 4 days later, and could not get leave to go home. He was devastated. He writes, “I can’t resist riting to you under all the aflicians that I sent on me. I think that I have bin not treted Rite by the captin Cause I have ast him for a Ferlow and showd him the necsity of going home But he wont let me go.” At the time of his son’s death the regiment was at Cairo Illinois with General Grant. It was a miserable place. They moved to Carbondale by December, and Cate was able to come and spend Christmas and stayed until April, when she had to leave. That was the last time they saw each other. At the end of every letter, John would say, "Please don’t let the children forget me." Because those letters have been kept by the family, he will never be forgotten. John Goodheart's father, William Richard Goodheart (1780-1842), was born near Edinburgh, Scotland. At the age of fourteen he moved with his family to Holland where he was apprenticed to a mason. Unhappy with his employer he left Holland on a merchant ship which was captured by the French navy. He then joined the French navy and later fought with Napoleon in Italy and witnessed the capture of Moscow. Following the Russian campaign, after seven years of service in the French military, he left for England and joined the British navy and sailed to America during the War of 1812. He fought at the Battle of Lake Erie against the United States and was taken prisoner. He did not wish to be exchanged and escaped through Pennsylvania to the town of Lancaster. He then joined the American army and fought under General William Henry Harrison at the Battle of the Thames. He eventually settled in Illinois. He later became spiritually inspired and became an exhorter of the Methodist faith. He is also credited with the manufacture of the first bricks in Mclean County, Illinois. He and his wife had ten children. John Goodheart and his father fought under the leadership of four great generals; three who became American Presidents; William H. Harrison, Zachary Taylor and U.S. Grant and one who was the Emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte.
John Goodheart died August 15, 1862, during a skirmish at Meriwether’s Ferry in Dyer County Tennessee. He was shot in the head by a sniper while leading a charge down the hill toward the Obion River. He was a 2nd Lieutenant in Company C, 2nd Illinois Cavalry. He was 34 years old. He was mustered in to the to regiment on August 11, 1861. His tombstone is in Oakdale Cemetary, in Pekin Illinois. He has also been listed as buried at the national cemetery at Corinth Mississippi and in the cemetery in Bloomington Illinois where his parents are buried. John was born in Bloomington Illinois to William Richard Goodheart and Sarah Clouse Goodheart on February 19, 1828. He was the seventh of ten children born to the couple. At the age of 18, He enlisted in the First Illinois Regiment, Co D. He wrote one letter home, which came from “Pass Aqua Nueva Mexico”. He said, “We are stationed at this pass in the mountains to keep Santa Anna from getting through to this town.” He said that they had seen very little action since coming to Mexico because every time they would enter a town, the Mexican army would run. He returned from the Mexican war after being discharged June 3, 1847. He was employed as a pork packer in Pekin Illinois, where he met Sarah Catherine Shober, whom he married January 28, 1850. Their first child, George, was born January 31, 1851, then Josephine, March 2, 1854, Mary, 21 of October. Mary died September 9, 1857. Their last child was Kate, born August 11, 1858. Kate was the only one of John and Cate’s children to marry, and have a family. In 1855, the government offered bounty land to veterans of the War of 1812 and the Mexican War. Henry Shober, Sarah’s father was a veteran of the War of 1812. He died in 1841, so his widow, Elizabeth Roach Miller Shober was able to claim the bounty. John being a veteran of the Mexican War, was able to claim his land. The family moved to Iowa, probably long enough to claim their land and sell it. They were back in Illinois in time for Mary’s birth on October 21, 1856. John bought his own Pork packing business in Havana, Mason County Illinois, and worked at that until he joined the 2nd Cavalry in August of 1861. John and Sarah Cate wrote many letters, eighty of which have survived. John worried about Cate and the children and tried to run his business and take care of what he could from wherever he was stationed. He was never able to go home, either because he did not have money or because he could not get leave. His 10 year old son George died on November 9, 1861. John was not notified until 4 days later, and could not get leave to go home. He was devastated. He writes, “I can’t resist riting to you under all the aflicians that I sent on me. I think that I have bin not treted Rite by the captin Cause I have ast him for a Ferlow and showd him the necsity of going home But he wont let me go.” At the time of his son’s death the regiment was at Cairo Illinois with General Grant. It was a miserable place. They moved to Carbondale by December, and Cate was able to come and spend Christmas and stayed until April, when she had to leave. That was the last time they saw each other. At the end of every letter, John would say, "Please don’t let the children forget me." Because those letters have been kept by the family, he will never be forgotten. John Goodheart's father, William Richard Goodheart (1780-1842), was born near Edinburgh, Scotland. At the age of fourteen he moved with his family to Holland where he was apprenticed to a mason. Unhappy with his employer he left Holland on a merchant ship which was captured by the French navy. He then joined the French navy and later fought with Napoleon in Italy and witnessed the capture of Moscow. Following the Russian campaign, after seven years of service in the French military, he left for England and joined the British navy and sailed to America during the War of 1812. He fought at the Battle of Lake Erie against the United States and was taken prisoner. He did not wish to be exchanged and escaped through Pennsylvania to the town of Lancaster. He then joined the American army and fought under General William Henry Harrison at the Battle of the Thames. He eventually settled in Illinois. He later became spiritually inspired and became an exhorter of the Methodist faith. He is also credited with the manufacture of the first bricks in Mclean County, Illinois. He and his wife had ten children. John Goodheart and his father fought under the leadership of four great generals; three who became American Presidents; William H. Harrison, Zachary Taylor and U.S. Grant and one who was the Emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte.
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