James Madison “Old Uncle Matt” Goad

From
A Brief History of Alexander Goad
An Early Settler of Madison County Arkansas
By Douglas Wilson - presented with permission

James Madison Goad was the seventh child of James and Margaret Goad. He was born in White County, Tennessee about 1817.  He married a Miss Rebecca Fisher of Illinois about 1842.  They lived in Franklin County, Arkansas in 1839.  In 1850 this family was living in Sugarloaf Township of Crawford County, Arkansas.  We refer to this James Madison Goad as “O1d Uncle Matt" to distinguish him from his newphew Matt, the son of Alexander and Jane Goad.  We have had numerous discussions on whether Matt Goad was the brother of Alexander or Alexander’s son.  So you see he was both.  There were two Matt Goads.

The children of Matt and Rebecca Goad are:

(1) Salley Goad who was born about 1843 in Arkansas.

(2) Mary Margaret Goad was born 24 January 1846 in Crawford County, Arkansas.  She married Lucian II. Young on 15 October 1871.  She died on 22 January 1914 at Christian County, Illinois.  A known relative is Mrs. Thelma Gardner, 624 West Poplar, Taylorville, Illinois  62568.

(3) King Goad was born 12 February 1848 in Crawford County, Arkansas.

(4) Moses D. Goad was born in Crawford County on 18 February 1850. He never married.  He died on 14 August 1878.

(5) Isabelle Goad (called Belle) was born 27 January 1852 in Crawford County, Arkansas.  She married Mr. Williams and nothing else is known.

I have been told that old Uncle Matt and his wife Rebecca were killed by Civil War guerrillas (bushwhackers) about 1863.  The children were taken from Crawford County and raised in an orphanage in Christian County, Illinois.

Notes: 

Rebbecca died in childbirth before the war and “Old Uncle Matt” was killed near the end of the war in 1865.  Evidence of this is found in the records of the orphanage the Goad children were taken to, the Home for the Friendless, in Springfield, Illinois.

The Civil War in the mountains of Arkansas was a terrible time, a lawless time.  Much of the region was virtually empty of people.  Impact of the Civil  War on Farmers of the  Arkansas River Valley  and Northwest Arkansas describes some aspects of this time.

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