Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1915-06-24
DEATH OF J. ".
GOODRICH, A
COUNTY PIONEER
4 Sketch Of His Long and Active
Life in Jamestown and
Elsewhere.

of the best known residents of
jamestown, died at his home in this
city at 1880 o'clock Friday morning
About three weeks ago Mr.. Goodrich
was confined to his bed with illness
resulting from Bright's disease and
heart trouble. He grew rapidly
worse soon afterwards and his family
and friends at that time were
alarmed at his condition. He seemed
to rally, however, and during the last
week was reported as improving in
health. Thursday night, however,
sudden turn for the worse occurred
and the patient became unconscious,
death ensuing as above stated.
Soon after he was taken sick his
two daughters, Mrs. Frank Miller of
Helena, Mont, and Mrs. George Sea-
bach of Grants Pass, Ore, arrived
and have been at the bedside of their
father during his last sikness. He
leaves besides the above named
daughters his wife, Mrs. Efie Good
rich and daughter, Mrs. James D.
Gray of Jamestown.
The funeral was held under the
auspices of the Knights Templar on
Sunday afternoon at the residence of
the family on Fourth avenue N.
Burial at Highland Home cemetery.
The death of ]. w. Goodrich
marks another of long list of tuts-
man county pioneers, whose men,
bers have met the Grim Reaper with
in the last two or three years. Mr..
Goodrich was among the earliest of
the pioneers of this city and county
and had wide and favorable ac-
quaintance, not only throughout the
county but the state.
A sketch of his life will recall to
many residents here incidents of the
early days that involved the business,
social and political life of the town,
the county and the state, in whose
history and growth Mr.. Goodrich was
always prominent factor.
Mr.. Goodrich was liberal, public
spirited citizen, generous to a fault
and intensely interested in the prog
ress of his county and state. He will
be missed in his daily associations in
the city by hundreds Of people and
many old friends will deeply regret
his departure from our midst.
| Sketch of His Life.
| John W. Goodrich was born in
184S in Pennsylvania, receiving his
earliest schooling in his native vii
lage. He came to the new West in
1856 with his parents, who made the
trip overland in a wagon drawn by
four horses, and in which were their
household goods. There was also a
spring wagon for other members of
the family, used as far as Buffalo,
N. Y, from which place to Milwau-
kee the trip was made by steamboat.
From Milwaukee the family passed
on to Mauston, Wis, where they
spent the winter.
In the spring OF 1857, the family
migration was continued as far west
| as Owatonna, Minn., where the par
ents settled to begin life in the then
new Northwest. There we're few ad-
vantages of schooling in those days
and what education Mr.. Goodrich ac-
quired was in the log schoolhouse
and later in a more advanced course
by private instructor. In early years
he chose the law for profession, but
afterwards returned to the farm.
Among the earlier incidents of his
life was the excitement and dangers
caused by the Indian massacres in
1862 in western Minnesota. In 1870
Mr.. Goodrich moved further west,
spending the summer at Montevidio
in Chippewa county, and afterwards
settled in Renville county, at Beaver
Falls, where he married.
In 1872 he engaged in farming in
the new location, but met with dis
aster to the crops from drought and
grasshoppers. He engaged in trad
ing and hauling -four from the mills
to Benson, Minn., where the Great
Northern road had just been extend
ed, For some time he engaged in the
business of selling flour and trading
horses. He also used in this work
oxen, which were worth as much in
those days as team Of horses. In
the spring of 1873 he decided to
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