William Austin Gooding (1806-1856)

I. The Plantagenet lineage

II. Wedding of Mr. William Austin Gooding and Mlle. Augustine Vogel.

III. The Pilgrim Fathers and early settlers of Dighton, a former part of Taunton, formerly Plymouth Colony, presently Bristol County, MA

IV. Gooding Coat of Arms / Family Crest

V. Excerpts from The Royal Lineages by Wendell Wilson

VI. "Murder in the Cathedral": A Tragedy in the Family ?

I. The Plantagenet lineage

Henri 'Curtmantle' Plantagenêt, Roi d'Angleterre, autrement dit: Henry II, King of England, was the son of Geoffroy V, Comte d'Anjou et Maine and Matilda of England. Both his birth and death happened in France just like the birth and death of his great grandfather, William the Conqueror, despite the fact they were both Kings of England.

In fact, William the Conqueror, was born at Château ducal, Falaise, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France, on October 14th, 1024, and died at the Prieuré de Saint-Gervais, Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France, September 9th, 1087, while his great grandson, Henry II, was born in Le Mans, Sarthe, Pays de la Loire, France, March 5th,1133 and died at Chinon Castle, near Tours, France, July 6th, 1189.

Regardless of those French birth and death places, however, Henry II actually began the Plantagenet dinasty in England, which comprises the entire lineage of medieval English kings as from 1154 (coronation of Henry II) until 1485 (death of Richard III, last king of the House of York in Bosworth Field, "Killed in Battle").

Aside from the above, Henry II, King of England, happens to be also Mr. William Austin Gooding's 19th great grandfather while William the Conqueror is his homonymous 21st great grandfather. Indeed, Mr. Gooding's direct descent from Henry II and William the Conqueror may be traced back through not less than five different routes of parentage.

II. Wedding of Mr. William Austin Gooding and Mlle. Augustine Vogel.

While Mr. William Austin Gooding was born in Dighton, Bristol County, Massachusetts, February 9th, 1806, and Mlle. Augustine Vogel was born in Sedan, Champagne-Ardenne, May 23rd, 1817, they are said to have met at the sea on their way to Cartagena de Indias and to end up getting married in Bogotá, then capital of the República de la Nueva Granada, in 1835, when she was just 17 or at most 18 years old.

The fact their wedding took place at the Catholic Cathedral in Bogotá is somewhat intriguing since, because of their origin, none of them should have been catholic at the time. In fact, it is known Mrs. Gooding, born Vogel, just converted to Catholicism when she was baptized 32 years later, in 1867, that is, eleven years after her husband's death on August 1st, 1856. Incidentally, some of his descendants suspect Mr. Wm. A. Gooding was then buried in the British Cemetery of Bogotá.

In contrast, Mrs. Gooding's sister, Ms. Henriette Celeste Vogel, born in Porto in 1820, married an English diplomat, Mr. James Druce (whose surname by the way derives from the town of Dreux in France) not in a church but at the British Legation in Bogotá on January 14, 1836, that is, roughly one year after her sister's alleged catholic wedding took place at the Cathedral. At the time of her wedding Ms. Henriette Celeste Vogel was just 15 or 16 years old.

Source: Apuntes genealógicos inéditos de don Enrique Peñalosa Camargo, December 1997.

III. Pilgrim Fathers and early settlers of the Town of Dighton, a former part of Taunton, Bristol County, MA

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilgrim_Fathers

Some ancestors of William Austin Gooding in New England:

Frances Williams

Frances Williams, born Dighton (1610-1702) is William Austin Gooding's fourth great grandmother on his father's side..

William Phillips, of Taunton

William Phillips, of Taunton (1588-1654) is William Austin Gooding's fourth great grandfather on his father's side.

Richard Williams, Immigrant

Richard Williams (immigrant), 1607-1693, is William Austin Gooding's fourth great grandfather on his father's side.

George Gooding (immigrant)

George Gooding (immigrant) 1633-1712, is William Austin Gooding's second great grandfather on his father's side.

Thomas Rogers, "Mayflower" Passenger

William Austin Gooding is Thomas Rogers(1571-1621) "Mayflower" Passenger's, fifth great grandson on his father's side.

Dighton was originally part of Taunton's South Purchase and other surrounding towns. It was separated from Taunton in 1672, officially incorporated in 1712 and named as such after Ms. Frances Dighton Williams, wife of Richard Williams, a town elder (and William Austin Gooding's 4th great grandfather). [*].

"The Gooding family were prominent clockmakers in Dighton."

As aforesaid: "The Town of Dighton was originally part of Taunton, known as the Taunton South Purchase. It was deeded as a separate town to a company of Taunton men in 1672. On May 20, 1712, it became incorporated and was called Dighton in honor of Frances Dighton, the wife of Richard Williams. In 1799, the portion across the Taunton River including Assonet Neck was annexed by the Town of Berkley.

"Early settlers were farmers, raising animals and growing crops for themselves or trading their products for food. In the early 1900’s the family farm developed into vegetable farms and farmers began taking their products to market.

"Shipbuilding started in the South Purchase while it was still a part of Taunton as early as 1693, and flourished in the early 1700’s. Ships from Dighton traveled to the West Indies, South America, and European ports with cargoes of cured fish, lumber, grain, staves and hoops and returned with rum, molasses, salt and general merchandise. In 1789, Dighton was made a port of entry. Dighton later became the natural distributing point for central and southern New England. At the time, ships of any size could not navigate the Taunton River beyond Dighton. As a result, goods were forwarded by horse or oxen teams beyond this point.

"Other settlers worked in the fields of manufacturing, cotton mills, clock making, strawberry growing and herring fishing. The Anchor Color and Gum Works, built in1861, first manufactured furniture, then oil paint and watercolors. About 1830 the silk industry was started when Mrs. Sarah Hart of Hunter’s Hill began to raise silk worms and taught others in the area how it was done. An iron factory and a forge and gristmill were built about 1700. Several cotton mills operated in Dighton in the early 1800’s, the largest of which was the Mt. Hope Cotton Co. Joseph K. Milliken purchased the plant in 1900 for the Mt. Hope Finishing Co. The Gooding family were prominent clockmakers in Dighton. In the early 1860’s the strawberry industry was a lucrative business for the farmers here. Many greenhouses were constructed around the turn of the century. Herring fishing in the Taunton River and its tributaries became a lucrative business, as the fish were cured and exported.

"Today, Dighton is mostly a residential suburb of Providence and Boston. Though some farms still remain, many of them are being sold to developers. The old Mt. Hope Finishing Co., which became the Raytheon Co. in 1958, now houses several manufacturing businesses and warehouses. Only one building remains of the Anchor Color and Gum Works, which was last known as Zeneca, Inc. Other large businesses that flourished after 1950 are since gone. Our newest major business in town is the Dighton Power Plant owned and operated by Calpine, Inc"

[*] "Previous historians and genealogists have shown royal descent for the Richard Williams family, either through Richard Williams or his wife Frances Deighton, who is traced to Charlemagne by the medieval historian von Redlich, (NEHG 97:342-343). In his 'Descent of General Douglas McArthur,' von Redlich produced an ancestry chart leading from Richard and Frances to "Charlemagne, King of the Franks and Emperor of the West, born 2, Apr 747, died 28 Jan. 814; married in 771 the Swabian Princess Hildegard, died 30 Apr. 783."

In fact, both Mrs. Frances Williams (née Deighton), 4th great grandmother of Mr. William Austin Gooding, and her mother, Mrs. Jane Deighton (née Basset), 5th great grandmother of Mr. Gooding, belong to those few people born before 1800 who are listed as Americans of Royal Descent: (Browning):

http://www.constitution.org/primarysources/royal.html

Source: www.dighton-ma.gov/

IV."Gooding Coat of Arms/ Gooding Family Crest

"The surname of GOODING was a baptismal name 'the son of Godwin' an early font name, although now long forgotten. The name was derived from the Old English word GODWINE, meaning a good friend and protector. The name was probably brought into England in the wake of the Norman Invasion of 1066. The name could possibly have meant one living near or in the same small community. Goduini (without surname) who was recorded in 1086, appears to be the first of the name on record, and Walter Godwin was recorded in the year 1219.

"Other records of the name mention Godin de Bech, 1273 County Cambridge. William Godwine of Yorkshire, was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379. William Goden, 1379, ibid. Gaudinus de Aseby, County Lincolnshire, during the reign of Edward III (1327-1377). The peak of the Himalayas (28,250 ft) high; believed to be the second highest in the world is known as Godwin Austen.

"Surnames as we know them today were first assumed in Europe from the 11th to the 15th century. They were not in use in England, or Scotland before the Norman Conquest of 1066, and were first found in the Domesday Book of 1086. The employment in the use of a second name was a custom that was first introduced from the Normans. They themselves had not long before adopted them. It became, in course of time, a mark of gentler blood, and it was deemed a disgrace for gentlemen to have but one single name, as the meaner sort had. It was not until the reign of Edward II (1307-1327) it became general practice amongst all people.

"Most of the European surnames in countries such as England, Scotland and France were formed in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The process had started somewhat earlier and had continued in some places into the 19th century, but the norm is that in the tenth and eleventh centuries people did not have surnames, whereas by the fifteenth century most of the population had acquired a second name. The associated arms are recorded in Sir Bernard Burkes General Armory. Ulster King of Arms in 1884.

"In the Middle Ages heraldry came into use as a practical matter. It originated in the devices used to distinguish the armoured warriors in tournament and war, and was also placed on seals as marks of identity. As far as records show, true heraldry began in the middle of the 12th century, and appeared almost simultaneously in several countries of Western Europe.

"Arms registered in County Dorset"

Source: http://www.4crests.com/gooding-coat-of-arms.html

https://www.houseofnames.com/gooding-family-crest

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin,_Earl_of_Wessex#Family

https://www.houseofnames.com/godwin-family-crest

V. Excerpts from The Royal Lineages by Wendell Wilson

Wendell Wilson, who incidentally is William Austin Gooding's 13th cousin twice removed on his father's side, writes * : "It has been said that, if accurate genealogies were universally available, just about everyone of white skin and European extraction could trace a direct line of ancestry back to the Emperor Charlemagne (747-814). The centuries of intermarriage have, one way or another, tied everyone together. Consequently, one cannot really feel privileged by virtue of having traced a personal line of royal lineage. This may be disappointing to those with aristocratic or classist pretensions, whose only motivation for genealogical research is to find a documented excuse to feel superior. However, there are ample other fascinations in distant genealogy to hold our interest, personal aggrandizement aside. The main virtue is that it helps us to feel a part of history, to really (literally) relate to times past and to the people who lived their lives in those times.

"Most people not involved in historical or genealogical research are quite surprised (and somewhat skeptical) to learn that so much is known about medieval genealogies, even going back to Roman times. It must be remembered that, in those days, personal lineage was one of the few things considered worth recording and preserving. Many potential rewards and advantages were bestowed on the basis of birthright, sometimes many generations removed. The possibility of a hereditary windfall involving titles, lands, privileges, and even occupations existed only for those who could substantiate their hereditary claims through an accurate genealogical record which could survive the challenges of competing claimants. This situation is a bit difficult for modern Americans to understand, because heredity here is considered insignificant in comparison to personal qualities, skills and achievements; an American must earn respect and position on his own, and can aspire to a higher class or socioeconomic position with relatively little discrimination as a result of his ancestry. "Anyone can grow up to be President," as we like to say. Such an outlook, however, was totally unknown throughout most of European history.

"In any case, a vast amount of this ancient genealogical data, especially regarding the aristocratic classes and royalty, has survived in the archives of European libraries and monasteries, especially in the form of ancient wills, land grants, decrees, peerage records, and other miscellaneous documents, including especially the "Domesday Book," a census of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in the 11th century.

According to Wendell Wilson, this shows " ... just a sampling of what is available regarding the recorded ancestry of aristocratic and royal British (and, through them, French and other European) families.

"To give some idea, the 15-generation ancestry of Ursula Scott's great-great-great grandfather, John Pashley (1406-1453) occupies some 313 full-page charts, each chart giving three generations of ancestry [the parents, grandparents and great-grandparents] of one individual on his family tree, going back to the 10th and 11th centuries. And it doesn't end there; additional one-page charts sufficient to cover just the next three generations back from there are known for a least 750 individuals, many of whom can be traced much farther than that! That is, over a thousand pages of charts are available on 18 generations of the ancestry of just one of our ancestors from the 15th century! "

Source: The Royal Lineages by Wendell Wilson, Wilson Family History HOME PAGE: http://mineralogicalrecord.com/wilson/family.asp

El texto transcrito explica en parte la abundancia de personajes notables o de cierta trascendencia histórica entre los ascendientes directos de don William Austin Gooding, que van desde su novena abuela, la Condesa de Bedford, Margaret Saint John, hasta los emperadores romano germánicos Federico Barbarroja y Carlomagno, sin olvidar al emperador romano Constantino I, el Grande, y pasando por don Juan de Gante, Primer Duque de Lancaster, Sir Henry Stradling, armado caballero en el Santo Sepulcro en 1477 y muerto poco después en Famagosta, doña Leonor de Aquitania, los reyes Juan Sin Tierra (John Lackland), Eduardo II, Eduardo III, entre no pocos de Inglaterra, doña Leonor de Castilla, reina consorte de Inglaterra, don Fernando III El Santo, rey de Castilla, don Alfonso IX El Baboso, rey de León y Galicia, así como San Luis IX y otros reyes de Francia.

Para Wilson este aspecto del fenómeno genealógico se explica así: "Because the privilege of monarchy was almost exclusively hereditary, it proceeded down lines for many successive generations of kings; and the other offspring of those kings tended to marry into other highborn families as well. To discover one king in a genealogy is therefore to discover a multitude of kings in earlier generations. The royalty of Europe were proud of their ancestry, and preserved it with utmost care. They intermarried among themselves with great exclusivity, weaving a web of relationships that came to include many royal houses." (op.cit)

VI. Murder in the Cathedral: A Tragedy in the Family

Saint Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time and now our 1st cousin 23 times removed (1118-1170 ), was murdered in the Cathedral of his Archdiocese on December 29th, 1170, pursuant to alleged orders from our 23rd great grandfather, the king Henry II of England (1133-1189) as illustrated in the play Murder in the Cathedral written by T.S. Elliot, our 15th cousin once removed on my father's side, as well as the film Becket where the role of the Archbishop is played by Mr. Richard Burton, CBE [2] a gentleman somehow related to my first wife's family through the Prince of Hanover.

The king Henry II Plantagenet [3] was married to another forebear of ours, our 23rd great grandmother [4], Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204 ) who had also been previously married to our 24th great grandfather, Louis VII le Jeune, roi de France (1120-1180) inasmuch as she was Queen of England and France.

Archbishop Thomas Becket, our dear 1st cousin, was murdered by four so called "knights" whose names are listed as follows:

- William de Tracey, our 26th great grandfather (1133-1189) was related to Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, since the Archbishop was Sir William de Tracy , Knight of Gloucestershire's first cousin twice removed's wife's brother's wife's nephew. - Reginald FitzUrse, our 24th great uncle (1145-1173) - Hugh de Morville [5], our 25th great uncle (1128-1174) and

- Richard le Breton, our 12th cousin 15 times removed, whose birth and death dates keep unrecorded and whose sword was broken against the archbishop's head.

[2] http://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000025890528332

[3] Henry II, King of England (monologue): http://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000025890450278

[4] Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of England and France: http://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000025888372711

[5] "Sir Hugh de Morville (d. 1173/4), one of the murderers of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1170, was the son of an elder Hugh de Morville (d. 1162) and Beatrice de Beauchamp. He was a member of a notable Anglo-Scottish baronial family, and, according to Benedict of Peterborough, was the most eminent of the four knights who played the principal roles in Becket's murder, although at the time of the crime itself, he did not strike a blow. He had no known wife or children." See Hugh de Morville Geni Family Tree's Profile.

Source: Geni Family Tree as well as family tradition.

William Austin Gooding is Sir William de Tracy , Knight of Gloucestershire's 22nd great grandson.

William Austin Gooding is George Canning Crane (Aylesford, Nova Scotia 1827 - Bogotá 1878) U.S. Consul in Bogotá's 11th cousin once removed. on his father's side.

MyHeritage Family Trees Wright Web Site, managed by Dianne Wright (Contact)

Birth: Feb 9 1806

Death: Aug 1 1856

Parents: Joseph Gooding Jr., Betsey Gooding (born Austin)

Siblings: Abigail Gooding, Albert Gooding, Joseph Gooding, Betsy Gooding

Wife: Augustine Fevrier Gooding (born Vogel)

Daughter: Abgail Vogel Gooding