John Goodrich, father of New England immigrants John and William Goodrich, d. testate betw. Apr. 14 1632 (the date of his will) and Apr. 21, 1632, latter the date he was buried at St. Mary's Parish in Bury St. Edmonds, Suffolk, England ["Mr Jn Gooderich clothier."]
According to Mary Lovering Holman in her 1953 published Stevens-Miller genealogy, the absence of a recorded baptism for John was equated to "he was probably born in his mother's parish and if so, the law compelled his baptism there." The inference being that Holman failed to uncover where John's mother was born, thus John's baptism place was also unknown. As stated in his father's memorial, this is not a correct understanding of the then Anglican Church law regarding baptism. The reason for the absence of a baptism record is not finding where John's parents were residing when he was born, if such records now exist.
On Aug. 7, 1615 at St. James Chh. in Bury St. Edmunds, John Goodrich m. Margery (q.v. Margerie) How, or Howes, who d. betw. Apr. 14 and May 16, 1632. The record of where Margery d. and interred is not provided.
In the will of John "Goderich," clothier of Bury St. Edmunds, dated Apr. 14, 1632, proved May 10, 1632, the most important portions follow, as abstracted from Stevens-Miller, which includes portions and keywords not included by Case in 1889:
• To Margerie his wife, the house & tenement where he then lived in Bury, and his land in Horningsherth, in Suffolk, for her life, and on her death to descend to his four sons, William Gooderiche the elder, William Gooderiche the younger, John Gooderich, and Jeremie Gooderich, to be equally divided between them, or the survivors of them.
• To his son John Gooderich, his house or tenement and lands in Hessett, in Suffolk, his wife to have the profits till son John was twenty-one. If John died without lawful issue before the age of 21, then the property was to descend to William Gooderich the elder, Wm. Gooderich the younger, and Jeremy Gooderich, and to be equally divided between them, or the survivors of them.
• To his three sons William Gooderich the elder, William Gooderich the younger, and Jeremy Gooderich, one hundred pounds apiece at age 21. His wife to have the managing of their portions during their minority, and the increase and benefit arising from their portions for their education and maintenance, and for binding of any of them as apprentices, provided his wife paid all the legacies contained in his father's will, which had not yet been paid.
• Legacies of £5 each to Margarie and William, children of his brother Henry Gooderich, and to the three youngest children of his sister Susan, by her first husband Lock, 40 shillings each at age 24.
• He gave to "my poore spinners of Drinckston" 20 shillings to be distributed amongst them.
• All the rest of his goods, chattels, wares, stock, plate, household stuff, and movables to wife Margerie, who he made sole executrix.
• Thomas Chaplyne, mercer; Clement Chaplyne, grocer, brother of said Thomas; Jeremy Stafford, mercer; and cousin Robert Gooderich, all of Bury St. Edmunds, were appointed supervisors of the will.
• If his wife died before the Will was fully performed and she had not nominated & put in trust anyone for the performance of his will, then the supervisors were to act in her place to manage and employ all portions due his children, to employ the same to and for the use and benefit of the children until they reached the age of 21, then to be accountable to the children for the same.
• Witnessed by Richard Cooper, Robert Brightall and Phillip Crow.
• On May 16, 1632, Thomas Chaplyn and Clement Chaplyn, two of the "executors" named in the will, appeared at probate, the Executrix named having died before executing the will, and on the same date Jeremy Stafford and Robert Gooderich renounced their charge under the will. [Archdeaconry Court of Sudbury, Colman, Bk. 52, fol. 127.)
A consistent thread between the two wills is that William Goodrich of Hessett willed all of his real estate at Hessett to his son John, who willed his property at Hessett to his son John. By normal old English protocol, in 1631 John Goodrich, clothier of Bury St. Edmund, was the oldest living son of his father William, and in 1632 John, son of John Goodrich of Bury St. Edmunds, clothier, was his father's eldest son.
How many children John Goodrich and wife Margerie had is unsettled, but three of their sons are pertinent to this presentation. Although the present writer agrees with Stevens-Miller that John's son John was the eldest son, the writer does not endorse the conclusion that John was possibly the child of his father's wife before Margerie How, there being no trace or hint of a first wife. Prior to the existence of modern contraceptives, a couple's first child was typically born within eleven months of the wedding night. This would suggest that John and Margery Goodrich's first child would have been born by the Spring to early Summer of 1616.
In addition, a person's age in that era was not stated in chronological years, but according to the Latin term "Ætatis, meaning the person was one year older than their actual chronological age. John and Margery's son Rev. William Goodrich matriculated at Cambridge Apr. 15, 1634, "aged" 17, the word "aged" one of the anglicized forms of Ætatis. This indicates William was only 16 years old when he entered Cambridge, born in or after Apr. 1617 not less than 20 months after John & wife Margery married. This clearly gives room for a first child to have been born prior to the summer of 1616, which the present writer believes was eldest son John.
• i. John Goodrich, Jr., eldest son and the Wethersfield, Conn. settler, b. at Bury St. Edmunds circa 1616 and d. testate before Apr. 6, 1680. He m. 1) circa 1645 an Elizabeth, whose parentage is unknown and by whom he had seven children at Wethersfield. She d. July 5, 1670. He m. 2) on or soon after Apr. 4, 1674, the widow Mary Stoddard, dau. of Nathaniel Foote & Elizabeth Deming, and widow of John Stoddard of Wethersfield. There were no children by this second marriage. Following John Goodrich's death, the widow Mary (Foote)(Stoddard) Goodrich m. Lieut. Thomas Tracy of Norwich, Conn., and d. before Nov. 1685, probably in Norwich.
• ii. Rev. William Goodrich, the elder of the two sons named William, b. circa 1617. On April 15, 1634 he matriculated as a sizar at Cambridge University (the meaning of the term sizar is explained in Rev. William's memorial). He d. testate at Hessett and was buried there June 17, 1678. He m. an unknown Rebecca who was buried at Hessett Nov. 18, 1698. They had no children. Rev. William Goodrich's will is very important in understanding the family of his two brothers at Wethersfield, Conn.
• iii. Ens. William Goodrich, the younger of the two sons named William and the Wethersfield, Conn. settler, bapt. Feb. 13, 1621/2 at St. Mary's church at Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England. He d. intestate before Nov. 14, 1676 at Wethersfield, Conn., the date his estate inventory was presented for probate. He m. Oct. 4, 1648 at Hartford, Conn., Sarah Marvin, dau. of Matthew & Elizabeth Marvin, bapt. Dec 27, 1631 at St. Mary's Church in Great Bentley, Essex, England. She d. before Jan. 16, 1702/3 probably at Stratford, Conn. She m. 2) as his 2nd wife, Capt. William Curtis, s. of John Curtis & Elizabeth Hutchins, bapt. June 21, 1618 at Nazeing in Essex, England and d. in Stratford, Conn. on Dec. 21, 1702.
A final note. That John Goodrich and wife Margery had two sons named William was a function of the old English custom of how manorial land was leased, generally on 99 year terms as "copyhold" land. That is, the land was held under lease by copy from the manor that held the land. At the outset of the lease, the tenant had to declare to the manorial court who was to inherit the lease upon his or her death. Thus, it was not unusual for a father to give multiple sons the same first name. The intent was to assure that one of the similar named sons would be alive to inherit the lease when the father died. One will remember that in the will of John Goodrich's father William, the elder Goodrich's land included "copyhold" (leased) property.
A good example of multiple sons with the same first name is the Wright family into which the descendants of brothers John and William Goodrich married. The ancient patriarch of the Wethersfield, Conn. Wright family was Sir John Wright of Kelvedon Hall in Essex, England. He had four sons, named and assumed to have been born in the following order: John Wright called the elder John, Robert Wright, John Wright called the middle John, and John Wright called the younger John. Three sons named John, all living at the same time and distinguished as such in their father's will.
In New England and elsewhere in North America after title to land was obtained from the Native Americans, the land was held in fee simple and later sold in fee simple. Thus, in America it was not necessary to have two or more living sons with the same given name due to the difference in how land was owned in America versus England.
Slightly re-edited 9/25/2017
According to Mary Lovering Holman in her 1953 published Stevens-Miller genealogy, the absence of a recorded baptism for John was equated to "he was probably born in his mother's parish and if so, the law compelled his baptism there." The inference being that Holman failed to uncover where John's mother was born, thus John's baptism place was also unknown. As stated in his father's memorial, this is not a correct understanding of the then Anglican Church law regarding baptism. The reason for the absence of a baptism record is not finding where John's parents were residing when he was born, if such records now exist.
On Aug. 7, 1615 at St. James Chh. in Bury St. Edmunds, John Goodrich m. Margery (q.v. Margerie) How, or Howes, who d. betw. Apr. 14 and May 16, 1632. The record of where Margery d. and interred is not provided.
In the will of John "Goderich," clothier of Bury St. Edmunds, dated Apr. 14, 1632, proved May 10, 1632, the most important portions follow, as abstracted from Stevens-Miller, which includes portions and keywords not included by Case in 1889:
• To Margerie his wife, the house & tenement where he then lived in Bury, and his land in Horningsherth, in Suffolk, for her life, and on her death to descend to his four sons, William Gooderiche the elder, William Gooderiche the younger, John Gooderich, and Jeremie Gooderich, to be equally divided between them, or the survivors of them.
• To his son John Gooderich, his house or tenement and lands in Hessett, in Suffolk, his wife to have the profits till son John was twenty-one. If John died without lawful issue before the age of 21, then the property was to descend to William Gooderich the elder, Wm. Gooderich the younger, and Jeremy Gooderich, and to be equally divided between them, or the survivors of them.
• To his three sons William Gooderich the elder, William Gooderich the younger, and Jeremy Gooderich, one hundred pounds apiece at age 21. His wife to have the managing of their portions during their minority, and the increase and benefit arising from their portions for their education and maintenance, and for binding of any of them as apprentices, provided his wife paid all the legacies contained in his father's will, which had not yet been paid.
• Legacies of £5 each to Margarie and William, children of his brother Henry Gooderich, and to the three youngest children of his sister Susan, by her first husband Lock, 40 shillings each at age 24.
• He gave to "my poore spinners of Drinckston" 20 shillings to be distributed amongst them.
• All the rest of his goods, chattels, wares, stock, plate, household stuff, and movables to wife Margerie, who he made sole executrix.
• Thomas Chaplyne, mercer; Clement Chaplyne, grocer, brother of said Thomas; Jeremy Stafford, mercer; and cousin Robert Gooderich, all of Bury St. Edmunds, were appointed supervisors of the will.
• If his wife died before the Will was fully performed and she had not nominated & put in trust anyone for the performance of his will, then the supervisors were to act in her place to manage and employ all portions due his children, to employ the same to and for the use and benefit of the children until they reached the age of 21, then to be accountable to the children for the same.
• Witnessed by Richard Cooper, Robert Brightall and Phillip Crow.
• On May 16, 1632, Thomas Chaplyn and Clement Chaplyn, two of the "executors" named in the will, appeared at probate, the Executrix named having died before executing the will, and on the same date Jeremy Stafford and Robert Gooderich renounced their charge under the will. [Archdeaconry Court of Sudbury, Colman, Bk. 52, fol. 127.)
A consistent thread between the two wills is that William Goodrich of Hessett willed all of his real estate at Hessett to his son John, who willed his property at Hessett to his son John. By normal old English protocol, in 1631 John Goodrich, clothier of Bury St. Edmund, was the oldest living son of his father William, and in 1632 John, son of John Goodrich of Bury St. Edmunds, clothier, was his father's eldest son.
How many children John Goodrich and wife Margerie had is unsettled, but three of their sons are pertinent to this presentation. Although the present writer agrees with Stevens-Miller that John's son John was the eldest son, the writer does not endorse the conclusion that John was possibly the child of his father's wife before Margerie How, there being no trace or hint of a first wife. Prior to the existence of modern contraceptives, a couple's first child was typically born within eleven months of the wedding night. This would suggest that John and Margery Goodrich's first child would have been born by the Spring to early Summer of 1616.
In addition, a person's age in that era was not stated in chronological years, but according to the Latin term "Ætatis, meaning the person was one year older than their actual chronological age. John and Margery's son Rev. William Goodrich matriculated at Cambridge Apr. 15, 1634, "aged" 17, the word "aged" one of the anglicized forms of Ætatis. This indicates William was only 16 years old when he entered Cambridge, born in or after Apr. 1617 not less than 20 months after John & wife Margery married. This clearly gives room for a first child to have been born prior to the summer of 1616, which the present writer believes was eldest son John.
• i. John Goodrich, Jr., eldest son and the Wethersfield, Conn. settler, b. at Bury St. Edmunds circa 1616 and d. testate before Apr. 6, 1680. He m. 1) circa 1645 an Elizabeth, whose parentage is unknown and by whom he had seven children at Wethersfield. She d. July 5, 1670. He m. 2) on or soon after Apr. 4, 1674, the widow Mary Stoddard, dau. of Nathaniel Foote & Elizabeth Deming, and widow of John Stoddard of Wethersfield. There were no children by this second marriage. Following John Goodrich's death, the widow Mary (Foote)(Stoddard) Goodrich m. Lieut. Thomas Tracy of Norwich, Conn., and d. before Nov. 1685, probably in Norwich.
• ii. Rev. William Goodrich, the elder of the two sons named William, b. circa 1617. On April 15, 1634 he matriculated as a sizar at Cambridge University (the meaning of the term sizar is explained in Rev. William's memorial). He d. testate at Hessett and was buried there June 17, 1678. He m. an unknown Rebecca who was buried at Hessett Nov. 18, 1698. They had no children. Rev. William Goodrich's will is very important in understanding the family of his two brothers at Wethersfield, Conn.
• iii. Ens. William Goodrich, the younger of the two sons named William and the Wethersfield, Conn. settler, bapt. Feb. 13, 1621/2 at St. Mary's church at Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England. He d. intestate before Nov. 14, 1676 at Wethersfield, Conn., the date his estate inventory was presented for probate. He m. Oct. 4, 1648 at Hartford, Conn., Sarah Marvin, dau. of Matthew & Elizabeth Marvin, bapt. Dec 27, 1631 at St. Mary's Church in Great Bentley, Essex, England. She d. before Jan. 16, 1702/3 probably at Stratford, Conn. She m. 2) as his 2nd wife, Capt. William Curtis, s. of John Curtis & Elizabeth Hutchins, bapt. June 21, 1618 at Nazeing in Essex, England and d. in Stratford, Conn. on Dec. 21, 1702.
A final note. That John Goodrich and wife Margery had two sons named William was a function of the old English custom of how manorial land was leased, generally on 99 year terms as "copyhold" land. That is, the land was held under lease by copy from the manor that held the land. At the outset of the lease, the tenant had to declare to the manorial court who was to inherit the lease upon his or her death. Thus, it was not unusual for a father to give multiple sons the same first name. The intent was to assure that one of the similar named sons would be alive to inherit the lease when the father died. One will remember that in the will of John Goodrich's father William, the elder Goodrich's land included "copyhold" (leased) property.
A good example of multiple sons with the same first name is the Wright family into which the descendants of brothers John and William Goodrich married. The ancient patriarch of the Wethersfield, Conn. Wright family was Sir John Wright of Kelvedon Hall in Essex, England. He had four sons, named and assumed to have been born in the following order: John Wright called the elder John, Robert Wright, John Wright called the middle John, and John Wright called the younger John. Three sons named John, all living at the same time and distinguished as such in their father's will.
In New England and elsewhere in North America after title to land was obtained from the Native Americans, the land was held in fee simple and later sold in fee simple. Thus, in America it was not necessary to have two or more living sons with the same given name due to the difference in how land was owned in America versus England.
Slightly re-edited 9/25/2017
John Goodrich, father of New England immigrants John and William Goodrich, d. testate betw. Apr. 14 1632 (the date of his will) and Apr. 21, 1632, latter the date he was buried at St. Mary's Parish in Bury St. Edmonds, Suffolk, England ["Mr Jn Gooderich clothier."]
According to Mary Lovering Holman in her 1953 published Stevens-Miller genealogy, the absence of a recorded baptism for John was equated to "he was probably born in his mother's parish and if so, the law compelled his baptism there." The inference being that Holman failed to uncover where John's mother was born, thus John's baptism place was also unknown. As stated in his father's memorial, this is not a correct understanding of the then Anglican Church law regarding baptism. The reason for the absence of a baptism record is not finding where John's parents were residing when he was born, if such records now exist.
On Aug. 7, 1615 at St. James Chh. in Bury St. Edmunds, John Goodrich m. Margery (q.v. Margerie) How, or Howes, who d. betw. Apr. 14 and May 16, 1632. The record of where Margery d. and interred is not provided.
In the will of John "Goderich," clothier of Bury St. Edmunds, dated Apr. 14, 1632, proved May 10, 1632, the most important portions follow, as abstracted from Stevens-Miller, which includes portions and keywords not included by Case in 1889:
• To Margerie his wife, the house & tenement where he then lived in Bury, and his land in Horningsherth, in Suffolk, for her life, and on her death to descend to his four sons, William Gooderiche the elder, William Gooderiche the younger, John Gooderich, and Jeremie Gooderich, to be equally divided between them, or the survivors of them.
• To his son John Gooderich, his house or tenement and lands in Hessett, in Suffolk, his wife to have the profits till son John was twenty-one. If John died without lawful issue before the age of 21, then the property was to descend to William Gooderich the elder, Wm. Gooderich the younger, and Jeremy Gooderich, and to be equally divided between them, or the survivors of them.
• To his three sons William Gooderich the elder, William Gooderich the younger, and Jeremy Gooderich, one hundred pounds apiece at age 21. His wife to have the managing of their portions during their minority, and the increase and benefit arising from their portions for their education and maintenance, and for binding of any of them as apprentices, provided his wife paid all the legacies contained in his father's will, which had not yet been paid.
• Legacies of £5 each to Margarie and William, children of his brother Henry Gooderich, and to the three youngest children of his sister Susan, by her first husband Lock, 40 shillings each at age 24.
• He gave to "my poore spinners of Drinckston" 20 shillings to be distributed amongst them.
• All the rest of his goods, chattels, wares, stock, plate, household stuff, and movables to wife Margerie, who he made sole executrix.
• Thomas Chaplyne, mercer; Clement Chaplyne, grocer, brother of said Thomas; Jeremy Stafford, mercer; and cousin Robert Gooderich, all of Bury St. Edmunds, were appointed supervisors of the will.
• If his wife died before the Will was fully performed and she had not nominated & put in trust anyone for the performance of his will, then the supervisors were to act in her place to manage and employ all portions due his children, to employ the same to and for the use and benefit of the children until they reached the age of 21, then to be accountable to the children for the same.
• Witnessed by Richard Cooper, Robert Brightall and Phillip Crow.
• On May 16, 1632, Thomas Chaplyn and Clement Chaplyn, two of the "executors" named in the will, appeared at probate, the Executrix named having died before executing the will, and on the same date Jeremy Stafford and Robert Gooderich renounced their charge under the will. [Archdeaconry Court of Sudbury, Colman, Bk. 52, fol. 127.)
A consistent thread between the two wills is that William Goodrich of Hessett willed all of his real estate at Hessett to his son John, who willed his property at Hessett to his son John. By normal old English protocol, in 1631 John Goodrich, clothier of Bury St. Edmund, was the oldest living son of his father William, and in 1632 John, son of John Goodrich of Bury St. Edmunds, clothier, was his father's eldest son.
How many children John Goodrich and wife Margerie had is unsettled, but three of their sons are pertinent to this presentation. Although the present writer agrees with Stevens-Miller that John's son John was the eldest son, the writer does not endorse the conclusion that John was possibly the child of his father's wife before Margerie How, there being no trace or hint of a first wife. Prior to the existence of modern contraceptives, a couple's first child was typically born within eleven months of the wedding night. This would suggest that John and Margery Goodrich's first child would have been born by the Spring to early Summer of 1616.
In addition, a person's age in that era was not stated in chronological years, but according to the Latin term "Ætatis, meaning the person was one year older than their actual chronological age. John and Margery's son Rev. William Goodrich matriculated at Cambridge Apr. 15, 1634, "aged" 17, the word "aged" one of the anglicized forms of Ætatis. This indicates William was only 16 years old when he entered Cambridge, born in or after Apr. 1617 not less than 20 months after John & wife Margery married. This clearly gives room for a first child to have been born prior to the summer of 1616, which the present writer believes was eldest son John.
• i. John Goodrich, Jr., eldest son and the Wethersfield, Conn. settler, b. at Bury St. Edmunds circa 1616 and d. testate before Apr. 6, 1680. He m. 1) circa 1645 an Elizabeth, whose parentage is unknown and by whom he had seven children at Wethersfield. She d. July 5, 1670. He m. 2) on or soon after Apr. 4, 1674, the widow Mary Stoddard, dau. of Nathaniel Foote & Elizabeth Deming, and widow of John Stoddard of Wethersfield. There were no children by this second marriage. Following John Goodrich's death, the widow Mary (Foote)(Stoddard) Goodrich m. Lieut. Thomas Tracy of Norwich, Conn., and d. before Nov. 1685, probably in Norwich.
• ii. Rev. William Goodrich, the elder of the two sons named William, b. circa 1617. On April 15, 1634 he matriculated as a sizar at Cambridge University (the meaning of the term sizar is explained in Rev. William's memorial). He d. testate at Hessett and was buried there June 17, 1678. He m. an unknown Rebecca who was buried at Hessett Nov. 18, 1698. They had no children. Rev. William Goodrich's will is very important in understanding the family of his two brothers at Wethersfield, Conn.
• iii. Ens. William Goodrich, the younger of the two sons named William and the Wethersfield, Conn. settler, bapt. Feb. 13, 1621/2 at St. Mary's church at Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England. He d. intestate before Nov. 14, 1676 at Wethersfield, Conn., the date his estate inventory was presented for probate. He m. Oct. 4, 1648 at Hartford, Conn., Sarah Marvin, dau. of Matthew & Elizabeth Marvin, bapt. Dec 27, 1631 at St. Mary's Church in Great Bentley, Essex, England. She d. before Jan. 16, 1702/3 probably at Stratford, Conn. She m. 2) as his 2nd wife, Capt. William Curtis, s. of John Curtis & Elizabeth Hutchins, bapt. June 21, 1618 at Nazeing in Essex, England and d. in Stratford, Conn. on Dec. 21, 1702.
A final note. That John Goodrich and wife Margery had two sons named William was a function of the old English custom of how manorial land was leased, generally on 99 year terms as "copyhold" land. That is, the land was held under lease by copy from the manor that held the land. At the outset of the lease, the tenant had to declare to the manorial court who was to inherit the lease upon his or her death. Thus, it was not unusual for a father to give multiple sons the same first name. The intent was to assure that one of the similar named sons would be alive to inherit the lease when the father died. One will remember that in the will of John Goodrich's father William, the elder Goodrich's land included "copyhold" (leased) property.
A good example of multiple sons with the same first name is the Wright family into which the descendants of brothers John and William Goodrich married. The ancient patriarch of the Wethersfield, Conn. Wright family was Sir John Wright of Kelvedon Hall in Essex, England. He had four sons, named and assumed to have been born in the following order: John Wright called the elder John, Robert Wright, John Wright called the middle John, and John Wright called the younger John. Three sons named John, all living at the same time and distinguished as such in their father's will.
In New England and elsewhere in North America after title to land was obtained from the Native Americans, the land was held in fee simple and later sold in fee simple. Thus, in America it was not necessary to have two or more living sons with the same given name due to the difference in how land was owned in America versus England.
Slightly re-edited 9/25/2017
According to Mary Lovering Holman in her 1953 published Stevens-Miller genealogy, the absence of a recorded baptism for John was equated to "he was probably born in his mother's parish and if so, the law compelled his baptism there." The inference being that Holman failed to uncover where John's mother was born, thus John's baptism place was also unknown. As stated in his father's memorial, this is not a correct understanding of the then Anglican Church law regarding baptism. The reason for the absence of a baptism record is not finding where John's parents were residing when he was born, if such records now exist.
On Aug. 7, 1615 at St. James Chh. in Bury St. Edmunds, John Goodrich m. Margery (q.v. Margerie) How, or Howes, who d. betw. Apr. 14 and May 16, 1632. The record of where Margery d. and interred is not provided.
In the will of John "Goderich," clothier of Bury St. Edmunds, dated Apr. 14, 1632, proved May 10, 1632, the most important portions follow, as abstracted from Stevens-Miller, which includes portions and keywords not included by Case in 1889:
• To Margerie his wife, the house & tenement where he then lived in Bury, and his land in Horningsherth, in Suffolk, for her life, and on her death to descend to his four sons, William Gooderiche the elder, William Gooderiche the younger, John Gooderich, and Jeremie Gooderich, to be equally divided between them, or the survivors of them.
• To his son John Gooderich, his house or tenement and lands in Hessett, in Suffolk, his wife to have the profits till son John was twenty-one. If John died without lawful issue before the age of 21, then the property was to descend to William Gooderich the elder, Wm. Gooderich the younger, and Jeremy Gooderich, and to be equally divided between them, or the survivors of them.
• To his three sons William Gooderich the elder, William Gooderich the younger, and Jeremy Gooderich, one hundred pounds apiece at age 21. His wife to have the managing of their portions during their minority, and the increase and benefit arising from their portions for their education and maintenance, and for binding of any of them as apprentices, provided his wife paid all the legacies contained in his father's will, which had not yet been paid.
• Legacies of £5 each to Margarie and William, children of his brother Henry Gooderich, and to the three youngest children of his sister Susan, by her first husband Lock, 40 shillings each at age 24.
• He gave to "my poore spinners of Drinckston" 20 shillings to be distributed amongst them.
• All the rest of his goods, chattels, wares, stock, plate, household stuff, and movables to wife Margerie, who he made sole executrix.
• Thomas Chaplyne, mercer; Clement Chaplyne, grocer, brother of said Thomas; Jeremy Stafford, mercer; and cousin Robert Gooderich, all of Bury St. Edmunds, were appointed supervisors of the will.
• If his wife died before the Will was fully performed and she had not nominated & put in trust anyone for the performance of his will, then the supervisors were to act in her place to manage and employ all portions due his children, to employ the same to and for the use and benefit of the children until they reached the age of 21, then to be accountable to the children for the same.
• Witnessed by Richard Cooper, Robert Brightall and Phillip Crow.
• On May 16, 1632, Thomas Chaplyn and Clement Chaplyn, two of the "executors" named in the will, appeared at probate, the Executrix named having died before executing the will, and on the same date Jeremy Stafford and Robert Gooderich renounced their charge under the will. [Archdeaconry Court of Sudbury, Colman, Bk. 52, fol. 127.)
A consistent thread between the two wills is that William Goodrich of Hessett willed all of his real estate at Hessett to his son John, who willed his property at Hessett to his son John. By normal old English protocol, in 1631 John Goodrich, clothier of Bury St. Edmund, was the oldest living son of his father William, and in 1632 John, son of John Goodrich of Bury St. Edmunds, clothier, was his father's eldest son.
How many children John Goodrich and wife Margerie had is unsettled, but three of their sons are pertinent to this presentation. Although the present writer agrees with Stevens-Miller that John's son John was the eldest son, the writer does not endorse the conclusion that John was possibly the child of his father's wife before Margerie How, there being no trace or hint of a first wife. Prior to the existence of modern contraceptives, a couple's first child was typically born within eleven months of the wedding night. This would suggest that John and Margery Goodrich's first child would have been born by the Spring to early Summer of 1616.
In addition, a person's age in that era was not stated in chronological years, but according to the Latin term "Ætatis, meaning the person was one year older than their actual chronological age. John and Margery's son Rev. William Goodrich matriculated at Cambridge Apr. 15, 1634, "aged" 17, the word "aged" one of the anglicized forms of Ætatis. This indicates William was only 16 years old when he entered Cambridge, born in or after Apr. 1617 not less than 20 months after John & wife Margery married. This clearly gives room for a first child to have been born prior to the summer of 1616, which the present writer believes was eldest son John.
• i. John Goodrich, Jr., eldest son and the Wethersfield, Conn. settler, b. at Bury St. Edmunds circa 1616 and d. testate before Apr. 6, 1680. He m. 1) circa 1645 an Elizabeth, whose parentage is unknown and by whom he had seven children at Wethersfield. She d. July 5, 1670. He m. 2) on or soon after Apr. 4, 1674, the widow Mary Stoddard, dau. of Nathaniel Foote & Elizabeth Deming, and widow of John Stoddard of Wethersfield. There were no children by this second marriage. Following John Goodrich's death, the widow Mary (Foote)(Stoddard) Goodrich m. Lieut. Thomas Tracy of Norwich, Conn., and d. before Nov. 1685, probably in Norwich.
• ii. Rev. William Goodrich, the elder of the two sons named William, b. circa 1617. On April 15, 1634 he matriculated as a sizar at Cambridge University (the meaning of the term sizar is explained in Rev. William's memorial). He d. testate at Hessett and was buried there June 17, 1678. He m. an unknown Rebecca who was buried at Hessett Nov. 18, 1698. They had no children. Rev. William Goodrich's will is very important in understanding the family of his two brothers at Wethersfield, Conn.
• iii. Ens. William Goodrich, the younger of the two sons named William and the Wethersfield, Conn. settler, bapt. Feb. 13, 1621/2 at St. Mary's church at Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England. He d. intestate before Nov. 14, 1676 at Wethersfield, Conn., the date his estate inventory was presented for probate. He m. Oct. 4, 1648 at Hartford, Conn., Sarah Marvin, dau. of Matthew & Elizabeth Marvin, bapt. Dec 27, 1631 at St. Mary's Church in Great Bentley, Essex, England. She d. before Jan. 16, 1702/3 probably at Stratford, Conn. She m. 2) as his 2nd wife, Capt. William Curtis, s. of John Curtis & Elizabeth Hutchins, bapt. June 21, 1618 at Nazeing in Essex, England and d. in Stratford, Conn. on Dec. 21, 1702.
A final note. That John Goodrich and wife Margery had two sons named William was a function of the old English custom of how manorial land was leased, generally on 99 year terms as "copyhold" land. That is, the land was held under lease by copy from the manor that held the land. At the outset of the lease, the tenant had to declare to the manorial court who was to inherit the lease upon his or her death. Thus, it was not unusual for a father to give multiple sons the same first name. The intent was to assure that one of the similar named sons would be alive to inherit the lease when the father died. One will remember that in the will of John Goodrich's father William, the elder Goodrich's land included "copyhold" (leased) property.
A good example of multiple sons with the same first name is the Wright family into which the descendants of brothers John and William Goodrich married. The ancient patriarch of the Wethersfield, Conn. Wright family was Sir John Wright of Kelvedon Hall in Essex, England. He had four sons, named and assumed to have been born in the following order: John Wright called the elder John, Robert Wright, John Wright called the middle John, and John Wright called the younger John. Three sons named John, all living at the same time and distinguished as such in their father's will.
In New England and elsewhere in North America after title to land was obtained from the Native Americans, the land was held in fee simple and later sold in fee simple. Thus, in America it was not necessary to have two or more living sons with the same given name due to the difference in how land was owned in America versus England.
Slightly re-edited 9/25/2017
