Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of John Conway

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Descendants of John Conway - June 24, 2003

226. ISAAC THOMAS⁶ GOODNIGHT (ISAAC SHELBY⁵, MARY⁴ GROUND, RHODA CONWAY³ LONG, MARY² CONWAY, JOHN¹) was born 12 Apr 1858 in Tarrant Co, TX, and died 21 Aug 1944 in Wellington, Collinsworth Co, TX. He married PAMELIA GRACE COWANS 01 Jun 1880 in Tarrant Co, TX; Book 2, p. 107. She was born 1860 in "Grace" b. Texas (some accts say Edinburgh, Scotland), and died 1936 in Wellington, Collinsworth Co, TX.

Notes for ISAAC THOMAS GOODNIGHT:
Additional information on this family (other than noted at Isaac & Mary Ground) was obtained from Josephine E. Portwood.

Wellington Leader
Wellington, Texas
Thursday, August 24, 1944

I. T. Goodnight, 86, beloved pioneer who helped develpment of this county's road system, its education and religious life as well as agriculture and stock raising, died at his home Monday night August 21. Death came in his sleep and was unexpected, although he had been feeling badly since Sunday afternoon.

His death marked passing of a man who came here with the opening of this section, who prospered as the county prospered and who lived to see the splendid results of those early years of hard work on his part and the part of his neighbors and friends. Tangible results are seen in his work as a county commmissioner during 12 years prior to 1916, which resulted in vast improvement of county roads and the beginning of the fine system that now covers the county.

The funeral was held Wednesday afternoon at First Baptist Church of Wellington with Elder L. J. Crawford in charge, assisted by Elder W. S. Crawford and Elder J. O. Richardson. Business houses were closed during the service. Ellis Funeral Home was in charge.

I. T. Goodnight was born in Tarrant County near Mansfield April 10, 1858, the son of Isaac Shelby and Jane Curry Goodnight who came to Texas before the Civil War. His father's family was among early settlers of Kentucky and his grandfather, Isaac Goodnight, is regarded as the first white child born in Kentucky. Mr. Goodnight grew up around Mansfield and received what education the pioneer schools of that day could offer.

On June 1, 1880, Mr. Goodnight married Grace Cowan who came to Texas from Scotland. For 10 years they continued to live in Mansfield, and in 1890 they moved to Collingsworth County to take up the life of pioneers. Mr. Goodnight filed a section of land 10 miles west of Wellington where his daughter Mr. Palo Cummings now lives. For the first 5 years, the family lived in a dugout, but their hope was open to all who came their way. During those early years, Mr. Goodnight travelled to (Quoah?) to have his milling done and got his once-a-week mail at Salsbury and later at Clifford in this county.

His first crop was wheat, but this proved disappointing and he turned to the raising of raffia corn and cotton. A few years later he added stock farming. His children recall that before any churches were organized he held prayer meeting in his home and later he drove the 10 miles to Wellington for church services. He and Mrs. Goodnight were charter members of Friendship Baptist Church at Buck Creek. During this time, Mr. Goodnight helped to organize the Buck Creek School District.

About the turn of the century, he was elected County Commissioner and again a few years later returned to office for six terms. Mr. Goodnight was one of the stockholders of the Wellington Leader during its early years. He retired from active farming in 1916 and moved to Wellington to make his home. Mrs. Goodnight preceeded him in death in 1936. His health began to fail in 1940 after a serious illness, but he remained active until the time of his death. He was always interested in the welfare of his friends and showed an alertness and cheerfulness that belied his years.

(Children were listed, 13 great-grandchildren survived).
Reconstructed by (?) from notes taken by Josephine Portwood

Children of ISAAC GOODNIGHT and PAMELIA COWANS are:

	i.	LOU ANN⁷ GOODNIGHT, b. 07 Mar 1881, Tarrant Co, TX; d. Unknown, res Lance Creek WY, no children; m. ELBERT L. RANKIN, Abt. 1925; b. Abt. 1880; d. Unknown.
	ii.	MARY LEA GOODNIGHT, b. 1884, Tarrant Co, TX; d. Unknown, died an infant.
459.	iii.	ROBERT HENRY GOODNIGHT, b. 1886, Tarrant Co, TX; res Wellington, TX; d. 29 Mar 1971, Tarrant Co, TX; bd Ft. Worth, TX.
460.	iv.	ISAAC THOMAS GOODNIGHT, JR., b. 1887, Tarrant Co, TX; d. 1975, Collinsworth Co, TX; res near Mobeetie, TX.
461.	v.	CHRISTINE JANE GOODNIGHT, b. 1890, Tarrant Co, TX; d. Bet. 1920 - 1923, Texas.
462.	vi.	JOHN BENJAMIN GOODNIGHT, b. 1893, Tarrant Co, TX; d. 1967, (Texas?).
463.	vii.	GRACE EDITH GOODNIGHT, b. 1895, Tarrant Co, TX; d. Aft. 1983, Texas; res Wellington, TX.
	viii.	VIOLA GOODNIGHT, b. 1898, Tarrant Co, TX; d. Unknown, Res Shamrock or Mobeetie, TX; m. .. TRIPPETT, Unknown, had children; b. Unknown; d. Unknown.
464.	ix.	WALTER HAYDEN GOODNIGHT, b. 1899, Tarrant Co, TX; d. Unknown, res Memphis, TN.

227. SARAH CORNELIA⁶ GOODNIGHT (ISAAC SHELBY⁵, MARY⁴ GROUND, RHODA CONWAY³ LONG, MARY² CONWAY, JOHN¹) was born 22 May 1861 in Tarrant Co, TX, and died 04 Apr 1917 in Mansfield, Tarrant Co, TX. She married ELIJAH SIMEON EMMONS 01 Feb 1879 in or 11th; Tarrant Co, TX ⁴³, son of ELIAS EMMONS and MILDRED NEWMAN. He was born 12 Mar 1851 in "Sim" b. Fulton, Calloway Co, MO, and died 01 Jan 1919 in Maypearl, TX.

Notes for SARAH CORNELIA GOODNIGHT:
Tarrant County, Texas, 13 Apr 1917

Death of Good Woman Occurs After Lingering Many Months

After weary weeks of intense suffering, Mrs. Sallie Emmons quietly breathed her last at her home here on Wednesday, April 4th.

She was the daugher of Isaac and P. J. Goodnight, was born and reared in Tarrant County.

On February 11, 1879, she was united in marriage to E. S. Emmons, and to them were born five children, three of whom are living.

Mrs. Emmons had passed the 55th milestone of her life, which was always filled with charitable deeds. She was converted in '76 and united with the M. E. church, then two years later she united with the Baptist church and lived as a consistent member until her death.

Through all her suffering she never ceased to praise her Heavenly Father and when the pain seemed unbearable she would clasp her hands and pray aloud. This example of patience and Christian faith will be treasured by all who knew her.

Too much cannot be said in praise of this good woman or of the faithful daughter and husband who ministered so kindly to every need and wish throughout her illness. Every citizen of our town joins in offering words of condolence to this bereaved family and especially to the husband whose life has been hanging in the balance for more than a week.

The three children who survive are: Mrs. Jennie Mings, Mineola, Texas, Elias Emmons, of Ardmore, Okla., and Miss Mattie Emmons, Mansfield, Texas. Two brothers, I. T. Goodnight, of Wellington, Texas, and B. F. Boodnight, of Roscoe, Texas, were present in her last illness.

Each death is a link that binds us to the beyond, so let us live that when our time comes we will be found a good link in the endless chain of the plan of nature.

(Note: Josephine Emmons Portwood adds: "Grandpa had a stroke as Grandma lay dying in the next room." She also adds that Grandma had red hair.))

Notes for ELIJAH SIMEON EMMONS:
Additional information on this family was obtained from
Tarrant County, Texas marriage records
Obituary of Sallie G. Emmons
History of Mansfield, Texas, 1996

Elijan S. Emmons cane to Texas from Missouri with his family when he was eight years old, about 1859. He was the youngest in the family.

He and wife Sarah Goodnight Emmons raised five children. Sim was the farmer most responsible for developing peanuts as a major crop in southeast Tarrant County, Texas. The Southland Cotton Oil Company apparently built a cottonseed oil mill in Mansfield, and at one time added a peanut shelling unit. The mill was located two or three blocks north of the Emmons home.

Emmons had a gift for communicating with horses, something he felt anyone could do, "as smart as horses are."

Children of SARAH GOODNIGHT and ELIJAH EMMONS are:

465.	i.	MINNIE OLIVIA⁷ EMMONS, b. 15 Nov 1879, Mansfield, Tarrant Co, TX; d. 08 Nov 1908, Mansfield, Tarrant Co, TX.
466.	ii.	ELIAS SIMEON EMMONS, b. 23 Nov 1881, Mansfield, Tarrant Co, TX; d. 25 Apr 1960, Ft. Worth, Tarrant Co, TX.
467.	iii.	JANIE MYRTLE EMMONS, b. 09 Jan 1889, "Jennie" b. Mansfield, Tarrant Co, TX; d. 1970, San Diego, CA.
	iv.	WILLIAM FRANKLIN EMMONS, b. 16 Jul 1891, "Frank" b. Mansfield, Tarrant Co, TX; d. 16 Oct 1909, (Typhoid fever); Mansfield, Tarrant Co, TX.
	v.	MARTHA LENA EMMONS, b. 21 Jan 1894, "Mattie" b. Mansfield, Tarrant Co, TX; d. 22 Feb 1990, Waco, TX.

Notes for MARTHA LENA EMMONS:
Martha Lena Emmons lived in Mansfield, Texas, in 1917, later in eastern Oklahoma, and in 1984 lived in Waco, Texas. She was unmarried. She graduated from Mansfield High School in 1911 and continued her educatino at Baylor University and the University of Texas at Austin. She did graduate work at Columbia University in New York and attended classes at University College in Dublin, Ireland.

She retired in 1959 from a long teaching career in the Waco School District, and returned to Baylor, this time as part of the faculty. She worked at Baylor 12 years in the English Department, until she retired and worked in Moody Memorial Library at Baylor, where she worked until the time of her death.

Miss Emmons was known as the "First Lady of Texas Folklore," having written her first book at age 75. Considered one of the foremost masters of the Negro dialect, she is also known for her books, "Deep Runs the River," and "I Come Running."

228. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN⁶ GOODNIGHT (ISAAC SHELBY⁵, MARY⁴ GROUND, RHODA CONWAY³ LONG, MARY² CONWAY, JOHN¹) was born 10 Mar 1870 in Tarrant Co, TX, and died 27 Aug 1960 in Roscoe, Nolan Co, TX. He married MARY PARZETTE PORTER 03 Dec 1891 in Roscoe, Nolan Co, TX, daughter of .. PORTER. She was born Unknown in "Mollie", and died 30 Sep 1946 in Roscoe, Nolan Co, TX.

Notes for BENJAMIN FRANKLIN GOODNIGHT:
Extracts from a letter from Ben F. Goodnight, Roscoe, Texas, to Mamie Ground Hays, Louisville, Kentucky, 15 Oct 1939

"Here I will say that my father never received a cent of his father's property. No very satisfactory reason was ever given for not giving him his part...I do not know just what kind of title those folks made for the land, but about thirty two years ago I received a release blank...with a request that I sign it and thereby would get my part of the estate...I afterwards received something over $3.00...some of our family refuse to sign as I remember it.

"...When I was a very young man, being raised in a wide open country where wild cattle and horses were plentiful, I naturally took to cow punching, as we call it, and when the range closed up I settled down on the farm but it seemed a very dull life. In the meantime, I served four years as deputy sheriff. After I came west I again took up the cattle business, but as before, the country settled up and the cattle business here did not pay. I was then elected Public Weigher, whose duties it was to weigh anything that was brought to him to be sold by weight, cattle, hogs, all sorts of farm products especially cotton, and I run a cotton yard in connection, I was elected for eight terms (sixteen years) and retired voluntarially (sic) as my hearing bothered me some, but was immediately drafted to manage a ginning plant which I kept for three years. Since then I farm some and look after my farms and my wife (Mollie) and myself live at our home in this little town but having lead such an active life in public business, my farm life seems somewhat humdrum and I feel like getting back into action but bad hearing is a serious handicap in public business."

11 Feb 1940:

"I received your interesting letter and also the nice family record tree and thank you for both. The tree is very beautiful and nicely arranged and I am going to get our daughter (Gillie) to finish out our branch of it. Then I will get it properly framed. I want to take it down to our old home when warm weather comes, if we can get off, and shot it to my sisters down there. It took lots of work to trace this out and I appreciate very much. I know my sisters and my brother will enjoy seeing it." He goes on to comment on different people in the family and on photos Mamie has sent him.

Notes for MARY PARZETTE PORTER:
At least one of the cousins who survived Mary Porter's daughter, Mary Gillian, was Neta Gunn, who is a niece of Mary Porter. Other cousins, parents unknown, were listed in Mary Gillian's obituary as: Morgan and Luther Ray Wright, Foy Dooly of Roscoe, Texas; Elizabeth Landis of Spring Valley, California; Harvey Porter of Tucson, Arizona, and Artrey Pence of Monahans, Texas.

Children of BENJAMIN GOODNIGHT and MARY PORTER are:

MARY GILLIAN⁷ GOODNIGHT, b. 02 Jul 1898, "Gillie Girl" b. Mansfield, Tarrant Co, TX; d. 10 Jul 1988, Sweetwater TX; age 90; m. JAMES LEHMAN DRAPER, 01 Jun 1927, no children; b. 28 Oct 1901; d. 06 Apr 1979.

Notes for MARY GILLIAN GOODNIGHT:
Mary Gillian Goodnight Draper was born in Mansfield, Txas, and moved with her parents to Roscoe, Texas in 1907. She graduated from Roscoe High School in 1918 and taught kindergarten for several years. She lived in Sweetwater, Texas for 54 years.

ii.

WILFORD BENJAMIN GOODNIGHT, b. 06 Aug 1903, Texas; d. 03 May 1916.

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