Goodwin, Wayne O. (Wayne Oliver), 1916-

The ancestors of Wayne Goodwin can be traced back to the 1600's in Ellington, Alconbury, and Stanground, England. The Goodwin family joined the LDS Church in 1850 and traveled to the United States, later settling in Logan, Utah.

From the description of Wayne O. Goodwin family papers, 1600-1900. (Utah State University). WorldCat record id: 71645671

James Goodwin and his family, as new converts to the Mormon church, emigrated from England to America in 1850. They lived in New Orleans and St. Louis before reaching Utah in 1859. Goodwin's five sons (William, Frederick, Charles Isaac, George, and Henry James) eventually settled in the Cache Valley area and three of the five brothers married daughters of LDS apostle Ezra T. Benson. The brothers, and William in particular, were entrepeneurs in the valley, opening a dry-good store and a mercantile shop called Goodwin Brothers store and establishing a family ranch. By 1874, due to disagreements over business practices with local Church leaders, each of the brothers had left the LDS Church and three of them joined the local Episcopal Church. By 1890, however, only two of the brothers, William and Charles Isaac, remained in Cache Valley. William was named as the Probate Court Judge of Cache County in 1888; serving until shortly before his death in 1894. He also chose the present location of the Agricultural College of Utah (now Utah State University) and Charles Issac's wife Sarah Godwin Brown Goodwin served as the institution's first librarian.

From the guide to the Goodwin family photograph collection, 1840-1988, 1880-1988, (Utah State University. Special Collections and Archives)

James Goodwin and his family, new converts to the Mormon church, emigrated from England to America in 1850. They lived in New Orleans and St. Louis before reaching Utah in 1859. Goodwin's five sons (William, Frederick, Charles Isaac, George, and Henry James) eventually settled in the Cache Valley area and three of the five brothers married daughters of LDS apostle Ezra T. Benson. The Goodwin brothers, William in particular, were entrepreneurs in the valley, opening a dry-good store and a mercantile shop called Goodwin Brothers store and establishing a family ranch. By 1874, due to disagreements over business practices with local Church leaders, each of the brothers had left the LDS Church and three of them joined the local Episcopal Church. By 1890, however, only two of the brothers, William and Charles Isaac, remained in Cache Valley. William was named as the Probate Court Judge of Cache County in 1888; serving until shortly before his death in 1894. He also chose the present location of the Agricultural College of Utah (now Utah State University). Charles Isaac's wife, Sarah Godwin Brown Goodwin, served as the college's first librarian.

From the description of Goodwin family photograph collection, 1840-1988 (bulk 1880-1988). (Utah State University). WorldCat record id: 52466160

The ancestors of Wayne Goodwin can be traced back to the 1600's in Ellington, Alconbury, and Stanground, England. His great grandfather, James Goodwin, was a Mormon convert who emigrated to America in 1850. James Goodwin's family first arrived and settled in New Orleans for two years. In 1852, the family moved to St. Louis, Missouri for one year, only to relocate to Council Bluffs, Iowa. This remained the family's residence until 1859 when they moved again, this time to Salt Lake City. The family moved from Salt Lake to Brigham City until their permanent home in Logan was finished in 1861.

Once the Goodwin family settled in Logan, James Goodwin's sons soon became influential within the town, especially William James Goodwin (Wayne Goodwin's grandfather). In 1871, the sons set up a dry goods store called the Goodwin Brothers Ranch. This store was the main competitor for the L.C.M.I., which was later renamed Z.C.M.I, Logan branch.

James Goodwin's family was active in the LDS Church until 1874. The family became disenchanted with the Church and left, but still were held in high esteem among Church members. William James Goodwin served as a probate judge in Cache County for six years, until his death in 1894. He was also an unsuccessful Republican candidate for Delegate to the Constitutional Convention, but passed away before the election results announced his defeat.

Other patrilineal families researched by Wayne Goodwin include the Van Pelts. The Van Pelts emigrated to American from the Netherlands. They resided in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Several of the Van Pelts served in the Revolutionary War. One family member, John Van Pelt, camped at Valley Forge with George Washington. In addition, other branches of Wayne Goodwin's family come from Denmark (the Hansen and Jacobsen families), Kentucky (the Logan family), and Virginia ( the Cleveland family).

Wayne Goodwin was born (1916) and raised in Salt Lake City. He is the son of William Charles Goodwin. He worked for forty years with the Union Pacific Rail Road Company. After his retirement in 1981, he began working on his family genealogy.

Sources: The Goodwin Family History, 1600-1900, Wayne O. Goodwin. (1990).

From the guide to the Wayne O. Goodwin family papers, 1600-1900, (Utah State University. Special Collections and Archives)