The Goodwin family moved from Massachusetts and members settled in Virginia and Maryland. Three generations of Goodwin men served as Episcopal ministers. Frederick Deane Goodwin served parishes in Virginia. Edwin Lewis Goodwin was born in Nelson County, Va. and studied at the University of Virginia and at the Virginia Theological Seminary. He served parishes in Virginia and South Carolina, was historiographer of the Diocese of Virginia and author of The Colonial Church in Virginia. His son, Frederick D. Goodwin was Bishop of Virginia, 1944-1961. Further information about this individual or organization may be available in the Special Collections Research Center Wiki:
Gifts; one box, 08/03/1978; one box, 10/10/1978; one box, 10/20/1978. Acquisition information for material received after 7/13/2009 is available by consulting a Special Collections Research Center staff member.
Acc. 2013.114 accessioned and minimally described by Steven Bookman, University Archives Specialist, in June 2013. Acc. 2013.114 was interfiled with the original accession and the series were rearranged in August 2014 by Anne Johnson.
Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.
Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.
Goodwin Family Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.
The collection is divided into Series, mainly by individual family names but also a few topical headings.
Letters, memoirs, journals, sermons, monographs, genealogical material concerning the Goodwin, Archer, Silvester, Ballard and Smith families.
The bulk of the collection is comprised of the papers of Frederick Deane Goodwin, an Episcopal minister. Bishop William Meade is a correspondent. Correspondence between Frederick Deane Goodwin's immediate family is included and papers of his son, Edward Lewis Goodwin, an Episcopal minister and his granddaughter, Mary Frances Goodwin, a researcher for Colonial Williamsburg.
Much of the correspondence, journals and recollections concern the Goodwin Family and/or the Episcopal Church in Virginia and elsewhere. Mary Frances Goodwin's letters are from her time in France at the end of World War I and her discovery of the Bodleian Plate in 1930.
Volumes include diaries, journals and registers of Edward Lewis Goodwin, correspondence between family members and letters to and from Mary Frances Goodwin during World War I while she was working with the YMCA in France as part of the American Expeditionary Force. The Episcopal Church of Virginia is mentioned often in the correspondence by all family members.
Included is a memoir by Mary F. Goodwin on her discovery of the Bodleian Plate, a copper printing plate with buildings of 18th century Williamsburg, and a memoir of Wytheville, Virginia during the Civil War.
Family histories written by members of the Goodwin and Archer families, genealogical charts and family trees, including those of the Smith and Ballard families, and copies of entries in the Goodwin Family Bible.
Copy of a typed manuscript entitled "Goodwin Ancestry & History." Notation on document, "written evidently be the Rev. Edward Lewis Goodwin up to p. 21. Thence, evidently, continued by Miss Mary Frances Goodwin, his daughter. RSB." 34 pp.
Copies of Bible entries from the Goodwin Family Bible for marriages, births and deaths. 6 pp. 1 item.
Manuscript of the book "The Archer and Silvester Families" written and signed by Robert Archer, April 1870. One printed version, with signature of Edward Goodwin Ballard. Printed in April 1937 by William Byrd Press, Inc. 28 pp.
Copies of 2 genealogical charts with some handwritten notes.
Handwritten genealogical chart entitled "Genealogy of Edward Louis (sic) Goodwin and Maria Love Smith. Married 11 January 1881." Includes the families of Goodwin, LeBaron, Briggs, Archer, Smith, Hawkins-Lee, Marshall and Ambler.
Copy of handwritten genealogical chart of the Goodwin Family, "last four generations, continued from Page 14." Copy of handwritten narrative about the Goodwin Family with cover sheet noting "Please leave each section exactly in order - Written (sic) by his son, Edward Lewis Goodwin, 1886, E.G. B. 68 pages.
Typed copies of memoirs, manuscript journals and records of the ministry of Episcopal Minister Edward Lewis Goodwin, 1874-1897; manuscript and printed sermons, 1899-1905 and personal and ecclesiastical correspondence, 1868-1908. Also includes notes for a biography of Edward Lewis Goodwin's wife, Maria Love Smith and other Smith Family material. Edward Lewis Goodwin is the son of Frederick Deane Goodwin.
Copy of a typed manuscript "A Small Boy's Recollections of the War," by Edward L. Goodwin. 29 pp. 1 item.
Copy of a typed manuscript "Recollections of My First Parish, 1880-1885," by E[dward] L[ewis] Goodwin. 17 pp. Photo included. 1 item.
Manuscript Christmas sermon by Edward L. Goodwin.
Letter about family news, dated September 26, 1868. 1 item.
Letter from Maria L. Smith Goodwin to Edward L. Goodwin, dated August 28, 1893.
Friends and fellow ministers about family and friends, scholarship, ministry and the Episcopal Church. Some correspondents are Rev. Robert White, E.A. Penick, Charles Mayo, J.R. Winchester, C.C. Penick, Charles F. Taylor, Francis M. Whittle (Bishop of the Diocese of Virginia) and others. 15 items.
Letters mostly from friends about his ministry. Correspondents include Charles F. Taylor, George Greer, Peter Saunders, Thomas Packard, J. J. Gravatt, James Wheeler Warden, W.M. Clark and others. 14 items.
Letter from M. C. Pelton acknowledging Edward L. Goodwin's resignation as minister of a church in Christiansburg, Va. Other letters concern the death of his wife, Maria Love (Smith) Goodwin. 5 items.
Letters about the Episcopal Church, "The History of Truro Parish," Custis/Washington family history and Virginia History. Correspondents include C.M. Beckwith, Lawrence Washington of the Library of Congress, N. B. Nevitt, P. C. Bagby, Gen. G. W. C. Lee about the Washington Family, C. C. Penick and others. 9 items.
Typed manuscript, "Monographs of the Colonial Church in Virginia, and other Historical Papers," [by Edward L. Goodwin?] 18 pp. 1 item.
Private Journal of Edward Lewis Goodwin. Front cover states "Theological Seminary, Virginia, Sept. 1874 - Oct. 1877." Some pages have been removed, probably by Edward Goodwin. Manuscript volume 1. 1 item.
Private Journal of Edward Lewis Goodwin from October 1877 to January 1, 1881. He notes in a postscript at the end of the journal that since his last entry, he has married "my darling Maria" and he's not sure if he will continue recording his life and "I know not what disposition I shall make of my journals...." Some pages have been removed. Manuscript volume 2. 1 item.
Private Journal of Edward Lewis Goodwin. Newclippings have been pasted into the journal. The clipping on page 7 is about the "Late Rev. Mr. Goodwin [Frederick Deane Goodwin]." Manuscript volume 3. 1 item.
"Private Register of Ministerial Acts" by Edward Lewis Goodwin. Rev. Goodwin notes each activity he has performed as a minister. Some days have the time noted. June 1880-June 1890. Manuscript Volume 4. 1 item.
Private Record of Ministry by Edward Lewis Goodwin. As the journal progresses, Dr. Goodwin begins to expand his daily entries to include the weather, personal reflections and other events. July 1, 1890 - September 30, 1893. Manuscript volume 5. 1 item.
Private Journal and Records of Ministry by Edward Lewis Goodwin. Journal entries are more personal. Goodwin notes his daily schedule with personal reflections on the events of the day and his personal life. October 1, 1893 - July 31, 1897. Manuscript Volume 6. 1 item.
Scope and Contents Three printed sermons and addresses by Rev. Edward L. Goodwin. Baccalaureate Sermon for the Gunston Institute on June 10, 1900, "The Sower of the Seed" given at the Piedmont Convocation, April 26, 1905 and "Historical Address on the Thirtieth Anniversary of the Consecration of St. Mark's Church in Richmond, Virginia," undated.
Scope and Contents Letter from Robert Smith to his sister, Maria L. Smith Goodwin, about her marriage and family news. January 29, 1881.1 item.
Title of handwritten notes, "On the Life of Maria Love Smith" (1848-1892), written probably by Edward Lewis Goodwin (EGB). 6 pp. 1 item.
Copy of a typed transcription of a letter written by Henry Lee Smith to his descendants telling about his life. Baltimore, Md, November 1947.
February 16, 1924 issue of "The Southern Churchman" with picture of "The Late Rev. Edward L. Goodwin, D.D." on the cover and article on page 13.
Mary (Polly) Briggs and Daniel Goodwin were parents of at least 11 children. This series is mostly the papers of their son, Frederick Deane Goodwin, but also letters between the siblings and to their mother. Henry Bradford Goodwin is sometimes called Henry Briggs Goodwin.
Papers of Frederick Deane Goodwin, Episcopal minister. Manuscript sermons, circa 1831-1865, and journal entries, 1838 and October 19, 1853; personal and ecclesiastical correspondence, 1827-1869; reports made to the Diocesan Missionary Society, 1859-1861, 1863; and "Memorials of Our Father (Selections from the journals of the Rev. Goodwin, D. D.)." Papers of Frederick Deane Goodwin's wife, Mary Frances Archer (1817-?), including her reminiscences of her early life, and an account of Wytheville, Va. during the Civil War by their oldest daughter, Fanny Archer Goodwin Ribble.
Carbon copy of a typed manuscript, "Memorials of Our Father."
A copy of "Memorials of Our Father" with a subtitle "(Selections from the journals of the Rev. Frederick Deane Goodwin with commentary by the Rev. Edward Lewis Goodwin, D. D.)" Includes a photograph of The Rev. Frederick Deane Goodwin (1804-1881).
A one page biography of Frederick Deane Goodwin by Mary Frances Goodwin. She mentions the number of Episcopal ministers in the Goodwin Family.
Copy of typed transcription of Frederick D. Goodwin's Diary. 1 item.
Original journal of Frederick D. Goodwin. January - December 1838 and October 19, 1853.
Manuscript sermons and a prayer by Frederick D. Goodwin. Circa 1831-1865. 4 items.
Letter from Kanawha County court giving civil authority to Frederick D. Goodwin to perform marriages in Kanawha County. October 20, 1831. 1 item.
Letters from Frederick Deane Goodwin (1804-1881) to his mother Polly (Briggs) Goodwin (1775-1861) in Norton, Massachusetts. The two 1841 letters are about the death of his sister, Mary, at his home and details of her days before she died. The remaining letters are about family news. 6 items.
Letters to Mary Frances (Archer) Goodwin from her husband, Frederick D. Goodwin. In 1843, he mentions his resignation from the church (in Staunton, Virignia?)
Copies of typed transcripts of letters from Frederick D. Goodwin to his sister Abigail P[atten] Goodwin and his brother Henry B. Goodwin, with extracts from Frederick D. Goodwin's journal. May 13, 1828 and June 17, 1826. One journal entry is about the conflicted feelings that Dr. Goodwin has when punishing a student with the rod and another entry about race after seeing three negro girls in the street, crying, possibly because they are leaving their home. 2 items.
Letters from Frederick D. Goodwin to his sister, Hannah LeBaron Goodwin (1814-1904), about his ministry and family news. 14 items.
Letter to his brother, Daniel LeBaron Goodwin about family news and his appointment as interim Rector of St. Paul's Church in Richmond, Virginia. Incomplete. 1 item.
Two letters and 1 possible draft to Bishop William Meade about the Episcopal Church, both personal and general. 3 items.
Six letters from Mary Frances Archer Goodwin to her husband, Frederick D. Goodwin with news of family, friends and the Episcopal Church. She also expresses her feelings about his activities. A handwritten note on the Oct. 23, 1837 letter says, "Mother's only love letter."
Letters from Henry Bradford Goodwin to his brother, Frederick D. Goodwin. In the December 8, 1842 letter, Henry Goodwin gives genealogical information on the Goodwin Family and his immediate family. In the March 27, 1845 letter and later letters, he gives his reasons for the defense of slavery in the North. Other letters include family news, finances and his thoughts and feelings on a variety of subjects. 9 items.
Letters from Daniel LeBaron Goodwin to his brother, Frederick D. Goodwin. Gives advice on farming while being a minister and news of his ministry and family. January 1, 1856 and August 13, 1866. 2 items.
Two letters from James Bradford Goodwin to his brother, Frederick D. Goodwin about his ministry and family news. March 6, 1849 and August 5, 1852. 2 items.
Letter from Edward Bryam Goodwin to his brother, Frederick D. Goodwin about news of the New England Goodwin family. news. 1 item.
2 items.
5 items.
Also notes from daughters Abigail Patten Goodwin (1798-1886) and Hannah LeBaron Goodwin (1814-?). 8 items.
5 items.
7 items.
Letters to Frederick D. Goodwin from friends and peers. 15 items.
Letters to Frederick D. Goodwin from friends and peers, mostly about ministry. Invitations to various Episcopal Church vestries. 17 items.
Reports by Frederick G. Goodwin to the Diocesan Missionary Society, Virginia. 4 items.
Letter from Frederick LeBaron Goodwin to his father, Frederick D. Goodwin, while at the University of Virginia. October 19, 1857. 1 item.
Scope and Contents Rich. H. Wilmer to Mrs. Frederick D. Goodwin telling her that the reports of her son Frederick's death are false. February 8, 1865. 1 item.
Copy of typed transcript of "Some Recollections of My Early Life" by Mary Frances (Archer) Goodwin, T 37 pp. 1 item.
Manuscript of "Some Recollections of My Early Life," by Mary Frances (Archer) Goodwin. Signed. 123 pp. Includes typed extract, 1 p. 1 item.
Copy of typed transcription of letter from Mary Baldwin Goodwin, daughter of Frederick Deane Goodwin and Mary Frances (Archer) Goodwin about the Golden Wedding Anniversary of their Grandparents, Robert and Frances Archer. March 29, 1866. 1 item.
A note with the comments made by Mr. Boyden of Staunton about Frederick Deane Goodwin.
Original recollection of the Civil War by Fanny Archer Goodwin Ribble, daughter of Frederick Deane Goodwin, entitled "An Account of the Civil War in Wytheville." 10 pp. February 3, 1904. 1 item.
Two copies of an article "The Church's Debt to the Goodwin Family, A Century of Fairthful Service" by J. W. Ware from "Southern Churchmen" November 28, 1831. February 7, 1948 issue of "The Southern Churchman" with cover showing Dr. Rev. Frederick D. Goodwin, D.D. breaking ground for the first new dormitory at the Virginia Theological Seminary.
Copy of an autobiography by Mary Frances (Archer) Goodwin, "Some Recollections of my Early Life." The recollections also include a family sketch by her Father with genealogical data back to his "Great-Great-Grandfather Archer" who emigrated from England in 1665. 71 pp. Original and copy of [1837] letter from M. C. Lee to Mary Frances Archer Goodwin about her surprise in seeing in the paper her marriage to Frederick Deane Goodwin. A later handwritten note on the letter says "Mrs. R.E. Lee."
Personal corespondence between the brothers and sisters of Frederick Deane Goodwin, all of them children of Mary (Polly) Briggs and Daniel Goodiwn. Letters of Henry Bradford Goodwin (Henry Briggs Goodwin) refer to his life as a minister and planter in Maryland and to his views on slavery. The correspondence of brothers Daniel LeBaron Goodwin and James Briggs Goodwin refer to their own activities in the Episcopal ministry. Other correspondents include their mother, Polly (Briggs) Goodwin and Hannah LeBaron Goodwin.
Letter to Daniel LeBaron Goodwin from Jas. Mulchahey about a deathbed conversion. March 3, 1846. 1 item.
Letter from Hannah LeBaron Goodwin to her mother Polly (Briggs) Goodwin about Mary De Wolf Goodwin's death and family news. November 25, 1841. 1 item.
Letter from Hannah LeBaron Goodwin to Mary De Wolfe Goodwin with personal news. June 21, 1841
Letters to Hannah LeBaron Goodwin from her family, but mostly from her sister Mary D.W. Goodwin. 16 items.
Letters from Henry Bradford Goodwin to Polly Briggs Goodwin with family news. 9 items.
Letters from Henry Bradford Goodwin and his wife, Susan A. (Parnham) Goodwin, to Henry's Mother, Polly (Briggs) Goodwin concerning family news. 3 letters.
Letters from Henry Bradford Goodwin and his wife, Susan A. (Parnham) Goodwin to Hannah LeBaron Goodwin and Lewis B. [Benjamin Lewis] Goodwin (1819-1852). 24 items.
Letter from Bishop Alexander Griswold to Henry Bradford Goodwin and Aaron B. Hard in which Bishop Griswold certifies Henry Bradford Goodwin and Aaron B. Hard as candidates for the Holy Order of the Eastern Diocese and their transfer to the Diocese of Virginia. Copied to Bishop Richard Channing Moore (1762-1841). March 26, 1829. 1 item.
Typed transcriptions of the letters of The Rev. Henry Briggs Goodwin entitled "Life and Letters of The Rev. Henry Briggs Goodwin, Port Tobacco, Maryland, 1804-1859, With a brief account of his family in Massachusetts and Maryland." 188 pages plus Appendix 1 and Appendix 2. Note: Henry Briggs Goodwin is sometimes called "Henry Bradford Goodwin" in other references.
Letter from James Briggs Goodwin to Polly (Briggs) Goodwin with news of the death of Mary D.W. Goodwin and comments about his ministry. November 3, 1841. 1 item.
September 9, 1841 letter from James Briggs Goodwin and Frederick Deane Goodwin and an October 20, 1841 letter from Hannah LeBaron Goodwin and Henry B. Goodwina to their Mother, Polly (Briggs) Goodwin with consolation on the death of her daughter (their sister), Mary Goodwin. 2 letters.
Two letters from Lewis [Benjamin Lewis] Goodwin (1819-1852) to his wife, Abby (Whiting) Goodwin during a trip to California. February 12, 1853 letter from Joseph G. Wilson, Salem, Oregon, to Mrs. Lewis Goodwin about the circumstances of the death of her husband. 3 items.
Letters from Mary De Wolf Goodwin to her Mother, Polly (Briggs) Goodwin about family news, her travels and teaching. 3 items.
Scope and Contents Papers of Mary Frances Goodwin, daughter of Rev. Edward Lewis Goodwin and researcher for Colonial Williamsburg. Includes letters to and from her family and friends while working as part of the American Expeditionary Forces for the YMCA in France at the end of World War I. She worked in canteens in internment camps and later as a bookkeeper for the 82nd Division. A few later letters deal mostly with family matters. Transcripts of correspondence between Dr. W. A. R. Goodwin's Office and Mary F. Goodwin during the discovery of the Bodleian Plate in England. Typed rough draft "Researching in England, 1929-1930" describing the history of the Bodleian Plate and the search to find it.
Letters written by Mary F. Goodwin to various family members during World War I. She writes from New York City, England and France. As part of the American Expeditionary Forces under the auspices of the YMCA, she trains in New York City at "conferences" then travels to France to work in different capacities with the American troops and internment camps. She is connected to the 82nd Division. She tells about her trip on a transport ship to England and her experiences in New York, England and France. She describes the places she visits, the countryside, people she meets, her work, the dances and parades, friends she sees and the local people. In her November 24 [1918] letter she notes, "Mr. Bev Tucker is near here and there is to be a U.VA Alumni dinner or meeting here this week." She comments on many of the clergy in her area, particularly the Episcopal ministers and in her December 19, 1918 letter she includes a story "Take This Holy Sacrament to Your Comfort" about a service she attended in a hut. Some of her jobs include bookkeeping for the 82nd Division canteens and helping in the internment camps. She reflects on the emotional toll on the men and their future need for help. She talks of German propoganda and how they are trying to "ingratiate themselves with the Army of Occupation." In later letters, where she gives more details of her experiences, she mentions that the earlier letters went through censors.
Letters written to Mary F. Goodwin by her family and friends when she was in France during World War I working with the YMCA as part of the American Expeditionary Forces. Her Father's letters (Rev. Edward Lewis Goodwin) concern his ministry, his church and the "Southern Churchman" plus news of family, friends and church members. Other correspondents mainly focus on news of friends and family.
Letter from the Treasurer of the Diocese of Virginia sending her Father's salary check for February, 1924 after her Father's death. Request from G. MacLaren Brydon for information on her Father's "List of the Colonial Clergy." March 13, 1924 letter from Rev. W.A.R. Goodwin telling her that, per Dr. Chandler, there are no available jobs in the library. 1951 correspondence with Harnett T. Kane about Miss Goodwin's Grandmother's sketch of her girlhood at Fortress Monroe Sound." 1959 letter from Rev. Ferneyhough of Christ Church Parish, Lancaster County, Virginia about a memorial fund for her sister, Mrs. Conrad Goodwin (Maria Lee Goodwin). 6 items.
Account of, and copies of, letters concerning the history and rediscovery of the Bodleian Plate. January 1, 1930 telegram from Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin to Mary Goodwin: "Woods and Perry here join in congratulations considered greatest find in American Research Pictures Received Today Invaluable." Typed transcripts of January and February 1930 letters between Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin's Office and Mary F. Goodwin about the discovery of the Bodleian Plate. Typed draft of an account by Mary F. Goodwin entitled, "Researching in England, 1929-1930" where she relates the history of the Rawlinson Collection, the history of the beginning of Colonial Williamsburg and the trail of her research that led to the discovery of the Bodleian Plate.
Booklet entitled, "Steps to be taken by A.E.F.-Y.M.C.A Secretaries returning to America." Handwritten are Mary Goodwin's date and place of birth, date of arrival in France, issue date of June 16, 1919 and department, Canteen.
Formal photograph of Ethel Archer Lewis Lacy standing beside a rattan sofa. She was the daughter of Mary Baldwin Goodwin and Thomas Hugo Lacy and granddaughter of Frederick Deane Goodwin.
Copy of a typed manuscript "From our Younger Years" by Margaret [Lewis] Goodwin Ballard. Written in 2 parts. 37 pp. Margaret Lewis Goodwin Ballard is the daughter of Maria Love Smith and Edward Lewis Goodwin.
Copy of typed transcript entitled "Some Notes on the Ballard Family" by Margaret Lewis (Goodwin) Ballard. 6 pp.
Copy of typed transcriptions of letters from James William Ballard (1875-1920) while in the U.S. Army in the Philippines, mostly to his mother, Mary Reid Thrift Ballard (circa 1852-1927). Selection of letters is by Margaret Lewis Goodwin Ballard (1881-1981) his daughter. 12 pp.
Includes the memoirs of Edward Lewis Goodwin's daughter, Margaret (Goodwin) Ballard (1881-?), and her notes on the Ballard family and Mary Frances Goodwin's (1883-1973) correspondence, 1924-1959, and an account of her research in England for Colonial Williamsburg, 1929-1930.
Copies of typed transcriptions of 2 letters from Agnes H. Marshall to John Marshall, 1825 and 1832 and 1 letter from Joseph Story to The Honorable John Marshall, 1833.
Clipping of a photograph of "Incline Plane at Johnstown" and a "Historical Map of the Old Northwest Territory" owned by J. F. Goodwin. 2 items.
2 letter fragments, one to "Dear Brother" dated March 18 and one from "Your Grandfather" with advice for farming. 2 items.
Empty folders that contained the letters in this collection, some with notations of importance, recipient, writer, dates and if copied for others. Empty envelopes.
1917 photograph of Barbara Elizabeth, Age 2 and Verner Goodwin, Jr., age 3. A collage of photographs, some original, of Goodwin family ancestors. Filed in oversize.
This series is a temporary series until it has been interfiled with the rest of the collection. The series contains genealogical material related to the Goodwin family as well as the Ribble family, and includes correspondence, dating back to the American Civil War, certificates, and other material.