I have had the above photos in my genealogy files for several years, but had never managed to connect the people in the photos to our family. Not knowing any family stories about Leo Goodine and having been unable to find him in any historical records, I couldn’t confirm exactly how the Leo W. Goodine in this photo was related, although I was working on the assumption that he was a descendant of George Winfield Goodine, Alfred ‘Shorty’ Goodine’s elder brother. New records have come online since my last search for Leo W. Goodine. At FamilySearch.org, I was able to find military records1 indicating that he enlisted in the United States Army in West Virginia in 1941, along with death records showing that he died in West Virginia in 1954 (see death certificate at end of document). I was confused by the enlistment records indicating that he was single and without dependents, because of the nearly grown children in the photo, but I kept looking, assuming it would eventually make sense. Searching West Virginia records located his marriage certificate to Edith Sprinkle (see image on next page), who had two children from a previous marriage: Eugene & Helen, finally allowing me to identify the full family in these photos. Having confirmed that I had the right Leo Goodine, I knew that his father George Winfield Goodine, listed on his marriage certificate, was indeed the same George Winfield Goodine, brother to Alfred ‘Shorty’ Goodine, son of Reuben & Amelia Goodine.

1 Enlisted on January 6, 1941 at Martinsburg, West Virginia. Born 1905 in Maine; Education level: Grammar school; Civilian occupation: Carpenter; Marital status: Single, without dependents; Military rank: Private; Army branch: Infantry; Army component: National Guard; Serial number: 20545458; Affiliate publication title: Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946; Affiliate ARC identifier: 1263923; Box film number: 03513.73. "United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K8GG-YYY : accessed 05 Jan 2014), Leo W Goodine, 06 Jan 1941.

Photo 1: “Leo and family and my outbuildings, hen house and shop. Leo x Ethel x Genn x Helen.”

Photo 2: "When I got home from the army. Leo W. Goodine."

Who was the man in these photos? The search for Leo W. Goodine…

Knowing that Leo was born in Maine in 1905 and now having his mother’s name (Elizabeth), I searched birth records & census records. The Maine archives have many vital records online and I was able to find a record of Leo Goodine’s birth on March 10, 1905, with the full names of both parents: George Winfield Goodine & Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ McIntyre (see birth record at end of document). So far, I have yet to find Leo Goodine on any census except for the 1940 census when he was living as a lodger with his soon-to-be wife, where his name was written as Leo Goodwin (see image below). While this may lend credence to a family theory that Alfred’s brother George changed

his surname to Goodwin, I believe it is more likely to be an error on the part of the census taker. Part of my rationale is that Leo’s birth certificate clearly gives the family name as Goodine, but I also believe I found Leo’s parents on the 1900 Maine census, and their name was Goodine at that time (see image on next page).

In 1900, George and Elizabeth Goodine were boarding with Charity Bulmer… a name I vaguely recognized. Searching my records, I realized that Charity Bulmer's daughter, Rachel, had married Alfred Murphy, Amelia (Murphy / McDonald2) Goodine's brother, which means that George Goodine was living with his uncle's mother-in-law. The census indicated that George and Elizabeth Goodine had been married for 6 years, pre-dating their arrival in the United States. I have checked the New Brunswick archives and but found no record of their marriage. I also checked Maine archives, just in case, but had no luck there either. Another missing piece of the puzzle…

2 Depending on the census year, the children’s surnames were sometimes listed as Murphy and sometimes as McDonald. This is from errors by the census takers due to the confusing dynamic of the family. Amelia’s mother was Elizabeth Robinson, whose first husband, Jonathon McDonald, died at some point before the 1861 New Brunswick census. Elizabeth’s second husband was Denis Murphy. Amelia’s older brother Charles was a McDonald (b. 1853) and her younger brother Alfred was a Murphy (b. 1859). Not having the dates of John McDonald’s death or Elizabeth’s marriage to Denis Murphy, I’m not sure which man is Amelia’s father.

Leo Winfield Goodine

Relationship: Charity Bulmer to Leo Winfield Goodine

Leo Winfield Goodine is the grand nephew of son-in-law of Charity Bulmer

Self

Charity Bulmer

b: 1829

d:

Daughter

Rachel Ida Bulmer

b: 1858New Brunswick

d: 04 Mar 1944Carleton County, New

Son-in-law

Alfred Robinson Murphy

b: 08 Dec 1859Jacksonville, Carleton,

d: 10 Jan 1926Woodstock, Carleton, New

Sister of son-in-law

Amelia Melissa Murphy

b: 1855Woodstock, Carleton, New

d: 05 Feb 1880Woodstock, Carleton, New

Nephew of son-in-law

George Winfield Goodine

b: 1874New Brunswick

d:

Grand nephew of son-in-law

Leo Winfield Goodine

b: 10 Mar 1905Houlton, Maine

d: 10 Nov 1954Berkeley, West Virginia

6

I am also still missing information regarding when and where George Winfield Goodine and his wife died. Hopefully, I’ll track down all of that information eventually. In the meantime, here is that section of the family tree, with the information I have to date:

Addendum: Interestingly, on the 1900 Maine census, in the house next door to George Goodine & Charity Bulmer, lived a Frank Goodine, also from Canada. I've traced his marriage to Edith Burpee in Burton, Sunbury County, New Brunswick. Frank Goodine is also on the census in Burton, NB after his marriage. Prior to his marriage, he lived near “the other Reuben Goodine,” which is how I refer to the Reuben Goodine born 10 years after “our Reuben Goodine” (and married to Margaret Hanscombe, with a son also named Reuben Goodine), whose genealogy has already been well researched.

Questions: Is Frank Goodine a red herring or a new lead? Where were George and Elizabeth married? Where are they on the census after Leo was born, where did they die, and where are they buried? These are some of the questions I'm hoping to answer next for that branch of the family.

Next instalment: James Murphy

Before Alfred ‘Shorty’ Goodine met Madeline Thomas, he lived for a few years in Minnesota with his uncle James Murphy and James' wife Annie Smith, a member of the White Earth Ojibwe Nation.

Reuben Goodine

1851 - Unknown

Amelia Melissa Murphy1855 - 1880

George Winfield Goodine

1874 -

Elizabeth (Lizzie)

McIntyre1878 -

Alfred Robert

Goodine1878 - 1967

Leo Winfield Goodine1905 - 1954

Ethel Virginia Siler1902 -

Helen Sprinkle

1927 -

Eugene Mayberry Sprinkle

1924 -

Marie Eleanor Allen1924 -

Hourglass Chart for George Winfield Goodine

Appendix A: Leo Goodine, Record of Birth

Appendix B: Leo Goodine, Certificate of Death