The Portland daily press., 1871-12-09

uren, SO that his citizenship exceeding half
century, is coeval with the existence of the
State. Coming to stay, he at once opened al
importing house of hardware business which
he had learned of the late William Schimm n
o. Boston, and in which he had been success
fully engaged for some thirteen years in his ma
tive town of Portsmouth. Soon after his arriv
al he selected for the site of his future home
the lot on the corner of Free and Centre streets
where he built the brick house, into which h
removed May l, 1924, where his youngest child
was born and whence Mr.. Goddard was called
away yesterday noon at the age OF Sc years and
10 days, after confinement of thirteen days by
a severe cold which terminated in congestion
of the lungs. --
His ancestor in the fifth remove William
Goddard, grocer, came to Massachusetts, from
London in 1865, with three young children. The
next year all his property was swept away by
the great fire of London, and he was compelled
to begin life anew in America as a farmer His
son Joseph, eleven years of age when he came
over, on attaining manhood bought tract Of
land in Brookline, near Boston, where he built
the house which has never gone out of the fami-
ly and which is now occupied by a cousin of
Mr.. Henry Goddard.
The father of the deceased, Dr. John God
dard, graduating at Harvard College in IVY,
entered on the practice of his profession in
Portsmouth, after two successive captures by
British privateers while on his voyages between
America and Europe, where he had gone to
pursue his medical studies.
In 1918 DR.. John Goddard was chosen o. S.
Senator from New Hampshire for six years,
but declined the honor, the only instance on
our national records, according to Senator
Seward. For the memory of his parent, Mr..
! Henry Goddard manifested the most unbounded
respect and reference, seldom mentioning him.
to his latest years, except as "my honored
father
March H. 1910, Mr.. Goddard married Eliza
L., youngest daughter of Jonathan Payson,
| Esq, Postmaster of Portsmouth, who bore him
five children, and who was spared to bless and
cheer his household for 81 years. dying here
Feb. 49, 1864, at the age of 76
During that long period the angel of death
never crossed the family threshold, neither son,
daughter, visitor or servant died in their family
or went away sick, to die.
After ten or twelve years of successful bust
ness, during the LIST of which he was in part
nership with his former clerk, Daniel I. EN-
cry, Esq, in the old store of Emery & Water
house, on Middle street, 1.-THE sole survivor in
that neighborhood of the fire of 1860, he retir-
ed from active business.
Like many other of our then leading mer-
chants, his property was seriously reduced by
the disastrous land speculations of 1887, but his
fortunes We're slowly retrieved by judicious in
vestments in real estate in Portland and vicin-
ity, of which kind of property he was an excel
lent judge, and in regard to which many of our
citizens of moderate means found him willing
and safe adviser.
He took warm interest in the welfare pros
perity and progress of his adopted city and was
an early, ardent and active advocate of the
A. & st. L. r. R., and of its extension to the
Canadian frontier at the critical time when the
Directors hestated about pushing beyond
South Paris, urging his views in public meet
ings and in the columns of the press.
In politics he was Wing of the Henry Clay
school, and decided and outspoken opponent
of what he deemed the usurpations of President
johnson, and after the dissolution of the Whig
party, in 1855, he was theroughgoing Repub-
lican, always at the polls, almost without ex-
ception supporting the regular ticket, but sym
pathiziug with the more radical wing of the
party.
In religion he was Trinitarian Congregation
alist of the old Pilgrim stamp, never prevented
from attendance with his whole household on
public worship, and never failing in the per-
Torrance of family worship and the recognition
of the Divine presence at his table.
He governed his life and sought 70 direct his
children by the precepts of the Bible which
was his constant companion and guide.
Soon after his marriage he united with the
church of Dr. Buckmnster and in Portland he
sat under the preaching of Drs Payson and
Tyler, in the Second Parish, until the organiza-
ton of High Street Church, of which he was
one of the Building Committee, and where he
might always be seen in punctual attendance
until the second Sunday before his death, when
his absence gave sure token of serious illness
He was frequent contributor to the newspa
pers on the various topics of the day, and had
a vein of poetic talent which he employed main
ly on sacred subjects
He was a.. kind and indulgent father and
husband, man of decided convictions
and remarkable sense of justice but with
al of great delicacy AND refinement of feel
ing Too conscientious to fiatter, he never
gave offence, and what is rarer and higher
virtue, never spoke evil of any.
doubt whether any one ever heard Henry
Goddard even in the privacy of his family, ut
ter an unkind word against human being,
while of his friends he always spoke in terms of
affection and praise.
Modest, but possessed of great independence
of character, amiable but infexible on matters
of principle, unable to bear the sight of physi-
cal or mental distress in his fellow-men or
pain among the brute creation, hewas as brave
as steel. OF high degree of moral courage, |
think he was literally born insensble to physical
fear.
He was an honest man, of absolute integrity
and spotless morals, pure conversation and blame
less life, a Christian gentleman of the old
school without fear and without reproach.'
| His memory of dates, ages and events was
remarkable, covering period of eighty years;
his interest in everything connected with the
weather was wonderful, and his recollection of
the seasons from 1898 to the present, amazingly
minute and acurate- He delighted to relate to
his descendants the precise day of the week and
month of the successive years when he and
his comrades at Exeter Academy of whom
General Cass was one, first found ice strong
| enough to skate on and when first they con-
| trived to find snow enough to slide down hill
| on their sleds.
| Mr.. Goddard has left four children, Elizabeth
| White, wife of Hon. w. W. Thomas, Mary
Pickering, Henry Warren, now residing at
China, Me-, and Hon. Charles William, the
present Postmaster of Portland. His Oldest
son. Col. John Goddard, died at Cape Elizabeth
in March, 1870 at the age of 50 years. Twelve
| grandchildren and six great-grand-children
complete the number of Henry Goddard's lv-
ing descendants. .r.
His death, like his life, was peaceful, serene
and happy; willing to stay, but like the great
/ Apostle preferring, if it were the Divine will
to depart and meet his Saviour and his loved
companion and the friends of his YOUTH with
no enemies to forgive or of whom to ask forgiv-
ness, with his children about his bedside, he
passed away without pain or regret in the firm
and full hope of Christian, retaining his con-
seriousness almost to the last.
During his last sickness he said in the hear
ing of one of his children, soliloquizing, 81
don't care about the length of life, but do care
about the kind of life" And on the night but
one before his death, 81 want to lay my plans
else less He Is all hope or want.
He has come to his "grave in full age, like
as a shock of corn cometh in his season.
THE GRAND ARMY FAIR.-The Fair at Me-