Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-06-26
! MEDICINE LODGE BARBER CO. KANs- JUNE &C. 1885
A NoRTHsoRo AMAZON.
Death ut the Age OF Ninety-Three OF Abi-
gall Goodnow, Shoemaker, Farmer,
and Horse Jockey.

Death ut the Age of Ninety-rhree OF Abi-
gall GOodnow, q Shoemaker, Farmsr,
and Horse Jockey.
lNorthboro (Mass) Cor. Boston GiobeI
One Of the most remarkable women that
fyer these parts knew was Abigail Cool
pgeGoodnow who has just died at the
ege OF ninety-.hree years. She was born
Bolton. and moved to this place when
young. My informant's frst recollection
OF Mrs. Goodnow dates back more than
half century, when he was sent to her
by his father to have his measure taken
Tor a pair of custom shoes, she being re-
garded at that time as one of the best OF
khoemakers- Besides doing custom work
she used to take out stock from the shoe
factory of Daniel Newton, of westboro.
There was no part Of the trade but what
she understood thoroughly. Soon after
Miss Coolidge, for she was then single,
bought the joan Green farm, on Ball Hill,
and Luilt house thereon, in which she
lived up to the time of her death. As
farmer she was known far and wide. As
judge of horsefissh she was regarded as
hrst-cla and in horse jockeying she was
pronounced success. Her trading mania
led her to deal in cattle, household goods,
grain; in fact, anything in which
she thought there was a dollar. Hsr
ability to buy more for a dollar than
any one else brought her services into
demand, aud more than ons young mar.
ried couple has been accompanied by her
In their visits to Worcester to procure the
housekeeping utft, when she could buy a
third more for the same amount of money
than the brightest groom.
Miss Coolidge commenced farming with
horse and two cows, her stock soon being
increased to two horses, fifteen cows and
pair OF oxen. As a muscular phenome-
non she was noted, and with her 200 pounds
o. avoirdupois, much of which she had de-
veloped into hardened muscle, few men
cared to follow her lead In manual labor.
Armed with an iron bar she would go into
the field and lay stone wall with the best
O. the sterner sex. As to handling a vicious
horse, holding plow, or swinging a scythe,
she asked no odds of anyone. She wou d
take her dinner and labor in the hay ED
all day with the most sturdy farm hands.
Frank Green, a neighbor, who owned a
good farm, entered into a contract with
her that the prop :rty of which ever should
die first should go to the survivor. She
was shrewd enough to have him deed his
place to her on the conditions namad.
When the property came into her possess
ion, a his decease, she sold the same to
Cyrus Gale for s. 0oO cash. Subsequently
to this Henry Goodnow worked for her a
long time. HIS saved his wages, which
with what he hal before, amounted
TO Sl,2OJ. The woman turned her business
eye toward the hired man and the 81 200,
and thinking, prol ably, that it would be
cheaper to have him for husband than
as an employe, married him, and induced
him to put his 81 ,2J0 into piece of pasture
land, making Sure that it was decided to
her, which it was. He died about fifteen
years ago. In later years her ventures
were not as successful as in former times,
and she died leaving nothing of her former
possessions for relatives to sQuabble over.
although she had enough to carry her
through lie -
This Uncommon woman was not as mas.
culine in her manner as would naturally
b" supposed, while no one ever wanted SYM
pathy or practical aid but what he got it.
Her horse, oxen, or farming implements
were readily lent to help out less pros
porous neiShbor, but on trade she had no
special scruples, and went for the best end
OF the bargain at every chance. Notw.t .th.
sc ma ng her muscular power and long as
sociation with man and mans w,.rk, sho
was excessively ti.nid, and OF death had
an abuoiln fear