Unravelling John GOODMANs life story is quite a challenge. We do know that he lived in Shearsby between 1696, when his daughter Anna was baptized, and January 1750/51 when he was buried. His wife, who died in 1734/35, was called Anna.
There are some mysteries though:
- Mary GOODMAN, the daughter of a John and Mary GOODMAN, was baptized in Shearsby in December 1693. This is 3 years before John and Anna start baptizing their children. Was Mary an earlier wife of John? No burial of an earlier wife called Mary GOODMAN has been found Dec 1693-1695 near Shearsby, but its not impossible that the record is yet to become available. But even if that could be explained away then why is there no record of John marrying Anna during the same period? Or was this a contemporaneous copying error, the only evidence being that all these particular entries are neat and in the same hand and the same pen and ink suggesting a later transcript or fair copy was taken.
- After looking at various available baptismal, marriage and death records, it appears that there were multiple families headed by John GOODMANs in the area. Were one or more of these families headed by this John before he settled in Shearsby?
Possible earlier families include:
- A Countesthorpe family: a John GOUDMAN, of Countesthorpe, married Ann MORTON/MARTON, of Mously, on 20 Sep 1682. John and Ann baptized at least two children in Countesthorpe: John in 1687 and Mary in Feb 1693/94, and buried a daughter Ann in 1688. Ann may have been baptized in Bruntingthorpe which is just 1.5 miles from Shearsby
- This could have been John's family - its only 4 miles away - and a marriage for John and Anna explains why no later marriage has been found, but the mystery of Mary's baptism is unresolved.
- A Market Harborough area couple: John GOODMAN of Great Easton and Mrs Mary GREEN in Shangton (9 miles from Shearsby) married in Shangton in April 1690.
- They could be the parents of Mary GOODMAN, but why baptize their only child in Shearsby?
- Another Market Harborough area couple: a John GOODMAN, 30, bachelor of Arthingworth, Northampton, married Mary SPENCER, 24, of Kimcote, in Leicester in October 1693 under a licence. Mary was likely born in Braybrooke, close to Arthingworth.
- Again they could (just about - the dates are very tight) be the parents of Mary GOODMAN bap 1693, but why baptize her in Shearsby?
On balance the simplest explanation is that John and Anna married in Countesthorpe, and then, after starting their family, relocated nearer to her family in Bruntingford. There are still problems though so this should still be treated with caution:
- There are a few too man Mary's baptized without subsequent burials (i.e 1 in Countesthorpe, 1 in Shearsby by John/Ann and the mystery John/Mary baptism, unless it was a record keeping error)
- If Anna MARTON was born in 1655 then she would have been 50 when her last child was born in 1705/06. Not impossible, but to also have children in 4 children in 6 years in your late 40's is not so likely.
While I have left the Countesthorpe marriage and children remain, I wouldn't put too much faith in them being the same family.
John may have been baptized in 1663 in Lubbenham, near Market Harborough, but also only 6 miles from Shearsby. If so his parents would have been Edward and Elizabeth GOODMAN. The general location (near Market Harborough) and date fit with the age of John GOODMAN marriage licence, but the evidence is not conclusive. If John's family were from nearer Countesthorpe then another baptism may now look better.
