Families then as today moved for reasons of economics; or (in rare instances) for a change of scenery or adventure. Our Goad family moved from Virginia into Tennessee where other
relatives had probably come earlier and sent back reports of opportunities in this unsettled wilderness area. Our ancestors were farmers and hunters and were a very hardy breed, quite able to take care of themselves in this
primitive region.This part of our nation was a wilderness inhabited by Indians and only occasionally visited by trappers, adventurers and explorers until after the British gained control of the area after the French
and Indian War. After some exploration by scouts such as Daniel Boone, permanent settlement of Tennessee began about 1869. The settlers came mainly from the back country of Virginia and North Carolina.
Most
of these remote settlements were on land legally owned by Indians. Part of the area was governed as part of Virginia, but the remainder of the settlers, who were on Indian lands, set up their own government, called the
Watauga Association. They leased land from the Indians, mainly the Cherokees. The western part of Tennessee was not opened to settlement until the Chickasaw title was extinguished in 1818. The southeastern part of
the state was not legally opened to white settlers until the Cherokees were forcibly removed to the West in 1838. On June 1, 1796, Tennessee became the sixteenth state with John Sevier as its first governor. John
Sevier’s mother was Joanna Goad.
Hearsay, based on family stories handed down through the generations, is that James Goad was possessed of the desire to travel. It is possible that when a young man he traveled
from Virginia to regions of the Tennessee wilderness. I do not know if James Goad ever served in the military. There were several skirmishes with the Indians and much of the War of 1812 with the British was fought both
with and against the Indians.
It should be understood that during James Goad’s adult life and by living in Virginia and Tennessee, it would have been nearly impossible to avoid contact with the Indians. On
all of my other family lines, if there was the slightest trace of Indian ancestry, then it was always mentioned (usually with pride). This has never been mentioned by a fellow Goad researcher and I must assume that James Goad
was not of Indian blood.
I do not believe that James Goad took his family from Virginia into Tennessee without a first hand look at this new land before moving. Of course, the motivation for migrating was the
opportunity for a better way of life. That the grass is always greener is not a new thought. Tennessee, a brand new state, could have sounded like a California gold rush to James. Virginia had become somewhat
crowded by 1800 and cheap land (land was opportunity) was not abundant.
About 1808, James Goad, with his wife Margaret, and their three small children, left Virginia and started for White County, Tennessee. They
traveled in a wagon pulled by oxen and were accompanied by other friends and relatives from Virginia. When they arrived in the eastern part of Tennessee, they may have joined with a few other families moving westward.
They traveled in a group for the simple reason of safety.
James Goad left nothing behind in the way of possessions in his Native Virginia. I doubt that James ever owned land in Virginia and nor record of a sale
has been found. They took with them all the essentials necessary for sustaining a livelihood at their new home. Items likely consisted of tools, some bedding, cooking utensils, food staples, maybe one or two pieces of
furniture, a Bible, a gun and some livestock.
They left late in winter and the trip, being about 500 miles took about a month. The trails were rough and a good days travel was about 20 miles. They camped
by the trail at night. They probably rested, had some sort of religious service and did not travel on Sundays. Fresh meat was easily provided by wild game killed by the “scout” who checked the trail ahead. Some of
the men had traveled this way before and knew the trail. The trip was rough. This area of our nation is hilly, heavily wooded and criss-crossed by dozens of small mountain streams. The trails always took the path
of least resistance and one had to travel two miles to make one. Children got tired and restless from riding in the wagons, the diet was monotonous, wagons broke, and there were days when the weather would limit their
progress severely, but there was the hope and promise of what their new life would bring. There was no desire to turn back.
After several weeks on the trail, it was a tired and ragged group that arrived in White
County that early spring. They camped near acquaintances and relatives until they could erect their own log cabin or dwelling. Their first home was quickly constructed and temporary, for comfort was not the issue at
this point. The critical first business was to either homestead or lease a piece of fertile ground, clear it of underbrush and get it ready for a crop. Larger trees were used either for firewood or for
construction. After the tree was chopped down, the limbs were cut off and burned, then the log was skidded to a location where it would be used later. The stump was left to rot or be removed later. When plowing,
they went around the stump. Unless it was a multiple family undertaking or cooperative effort, not more than ten acres or so was put into cultivation that first year.
First year crops were primarily corn and
vegetables, with wild game and fish providing most or all of the meat. Seeds were probably brought from Virginia and borrowed from a neighbor on a pay back later arrangement. The spirit of cooperation among our people
prevailed on a level that does not exist today. This is a sad fact, for without the "all for one and one for all" attitude so prevalent in early America, we could not have developed into the world's most prosperous nation.
Records confirm that James and Margaret Goad were religious. They were Protestant (more specifically Baptist) and are listed on the rolls of Rock Creek Baptist Church in Warren County in 1828.
James Goad probably leased land
for the first few years that he lived in White County. Although he is listed on the tax lists as early as 1811 (earlier lists do not exist), he is not taxed for land until 1814 (10 acres on Smith's Cove) It is probable that he
moved a few times in the 20 or so years that he lived in White County. In 1827 James Goad is listed as being taxed on 53 acres. In 1832 the heirs of James Goad are taxed on 50 acres.
The best accounting of pioneer life and the
history of early White County is given in a small book by Rev. Monroe Seals (1867-1935) titled "History of White County, Tennessee". Although no Goad families are mentioned, it is an excellent source of information for
this area. (Library of Congress Card #74-13633)
James and Margaret Goad had at least eight children that lived to be adults:
- Robert P. Goad was born about 1805 in Virginia. He died about 1830 in either Tennessee or Arkansas. He had married and there were three sons.
