A. R. Godsey and Mary Jane Erwin have compiled the
research of several Godsey researchers,
mainly that of Virginia Godsey Kelly, to create a interesting history of the
Godsey Family in the US. You'll notice that it bears many common elements
with Ronald Audet's Origin of Godsey Name.
A. R. Godsey has graciously agreed for me to reprint it here for your enjoyment.
Comments are encouraged and can be sent to
tgrubb@godsey.org
or godseyr@knology.net
GODSEY
FAMILY History
A. R. Godsey and Mary Jane Erwin
GODSEY is not a common surname even today. Almost 250 years after it first
appears in Virginia. Halberts, a Bath, Ohio, firm dealing in heraldic documents,
stated, "Census records available disclose the fact that there are 1175 heads of
households in the United States with the old and distinguished GODSEY surname".
Its origin has yet to be conclusively established. Replying on May 25, 1965, to
a query from Mr. William H. Godsey (of Monterey, California and later of
Brookings, Oregon), the Society of Genealogists in England said, "Difficulty
arose at the outset because we could find no occurrence of the name GODSEY, and
no references to it could be traced in various textbooks on the origin of
British surnames."
"Our Great Card Index gives the name GODSAY in connection with the parish of
North Collingham in Nottinghamshire but even this appears to be a variant form
of GODSAFF, GODSAFFE, etc. that occur in the register in earlier years."
Data enclosed with this letter show that GODSAY first appears in the North
Collingham register in 1724. No exhaustive search of surname sources has been
undertaken, but there are some very interesting traditions about the name's
European beginnings.(Note: A search of England, Scotland, and Ireland phone
books by A.R. Godsey, Jr. in Sept. 1993 found no GODSEY'S listed.)
Among present day members, the two more commonly held versions of Godsey origin
are that of Irish, or Scotch-Irish, and that of French Huguenot. Those holding
the Irish tradition are supported by two printed references. The earliest of
these (1883), a biographical sketch of Edward S. Godsey (b. 6/8/1822 in
Chesterfield Co., Va.) states, "His father was of Irish lineage and his mother
of English origin." (The History of Nodaway County, Missouri, pp. 670- 671) As
his family lived in Chesterfield County, Virginia, until 1837, this reflects a
direct tradition of the Godseys who lived in their first American home.
Then, in 1893, Judge Martin Byrd Wood, a Godsey descendent, lawyer, and local
historian published a Wood family history. He says of his mother, Ann Elizabeth
Godsey, "Upon her father's side she was of Irish extraction, and on her mother's
side (she was a Jett) English." (Martin Byrd Wood, A Brief Account of the Wood
Family, P. 156, hereafter cited as Wood, Family). Judge Wood had two immediate
sources for this statement: his grandfather, John Godsey, who lived into the
years of his grandson's manhood, and his mother who was living when he wrote and
was old enough to have known her Revolutionary War grandfather Augustine
(Austin) Godsey who was born in Chesterfield County, Virginia.
However, the tradition of a French or French Huguenot beginning of Godsey's is
staunchly upheld by several descendants who cite that the name (spelled Gadsi,
Godsee, Godsi, etc., by the French speaking parish clerk) first appears in 1737
in that part of the extant but incomplete records of the Virginia Huguenot
parish of King William given in Prof. R. H. Fife's "The Vestry Book of King
William parish, Va., 1707-1750" (VMHB, vol. 13, pp. 179-181, hereafter cited as
Fife, "Vestry"). Note that the Godseys appear in the vestry records almost forty
years after the founding of the parish. By then about one fourth of its
parishioners had British names.
Some GODSEY descendents believe that the family is of Teutonic Scandinavian
stock. Evidence supporting this view (or an example of the census taker's
difficulty in spelling foreign names) is the two men in the U.S. Census of 1850
for Calhoun County, Texas, who were born in Germany and have names similar to
Godsey; Hans Godsay and ___ Goidse.
In seeking the genesis of the Godseys, it is helpful to remember that French
Huguenots and other European Protestants were driven by religious persecution to
various countries. Among these countries were Ireland, England, Scotland, and
the low countries. The French Huguenot parish of King William in Virginia was
settled by such exiles. In 1700 several hundred French Huguenots came to
Virginia under the auspices of King William whom they had helped to gain the
British throne. Their main settlement was on 10,000 acres at Manakin Town, in
the section of Henrico County that eventually became Powhatan County (1749),
although a small part of the parish remained in Henrico until Chesterfield
County was formed from it in 1749.
On December 3, 1700, the General Assembly of Virginia established the Parish of
King William, granting the Huguenots their own church, freedom of worship and
seven years exemption from any public taxes (William Walter Heming, ed., The
Statutes-at-Large, vol. 3, p. 201, hereafter cited as Heming, Statutes). The
fifth and present building of the congregation stands just over Chesterfield's
western boundary in Powhatan, near the site of earlier buildings. Most of the
parish fell into Chesterfield County when it was formed in 1749 (Robinson,
Morgan P., "Henrico Parish in the Diocese of Virginia," VMHB, XLII, Jan. 1935,
8-40, p. 17).
Virginia dissenters from the Church of England wishing to do so and near enough
to attend other legal places of worship were permitted the privilege (Heming,
Statutes, vol. 3, p. 186). This was one reason for the increasing number of
British surnames on King William's rolls. Some others were intermarriages with
Huguenots, purchase of land by non- Huguenots and the granting of it to other
colonists. Although this diluted the Huguenot nature of the parish, its
influence of religious dissent was felt in nearby areas. In December, 1755, the
Chesterfield court granted the petition of Dudley Brooke, William Lacy, and
Jacob Trabue to set up a Presbyterian place of worship on the lands of Andrew
Ammonet. ("Historical Notes and Queries," WMCQ, ser. 1, vol. 8, pp. 126-129).
(Written by Virginia Godsey Kelly, 1980, member DAR, #599296, transcribed by A.
R. Godsey, in 1991.)
GODFREY
(Edward Godfrey) William H. Godsey claims that the name is English, derived from
GODFREY (William H. Godsey, Goose Eggs, A Godsey Family History, 1969, pp. 1 and
2; hereafter cited as Godsey, History). He states that Thomas Godfrey and his
brother James came to Charles Town, Province of Carolina, aboard the HMS
Richmond in 1680 in the custody of a Huguenot family named Amonnette. Soon
afterwards, the names of Thomas and James Godsey appear on justice of the Peace
documents. He believes that the "fr" in Godfrey was changed to "s". During this
period and for over a hundred years the English "s" was formed like a "f". Bill
Godsey believes that Thomas and James Godfrey/Godsey are the forbears of all the
Godseys in the United States today. All of William Godsey's records were lost
when his home in Brookings, Oregon, burned several years ago. An Amonnet family
was in the Huguenot settlement of Manakintown in the 1700's.
James and Thomas Godfrey could not be sons of Sir Edmondberry Godfrey, as
claimed by William H. Godsey. No wife or children are mentioned in his Will, and
in his funeral sermon the statement is made that he "made his Country his
Family; his Parish his Wife and Children". (From "The Life and Death of Sir
Edmondberry Godfrey", page 17)
An explanation of how Thomas Godsey got from Charleston to the Huguenot
settlement of Manikintown, Virginia, is found in the book, HUGUENOTS of COLONIAL
SOUTH CAROLINA, page 19. The statement is made that "Many of the early Carolina
Huguenots had gone to Virginia between 1690 and 1702 and were naturalized by the
special Act of 1702."
A search of English Parish records by Mr. Raymond Foster, a Genealogist and
Record Agent of 39 Flamborough Road, Ruislip, Middx. HA4 0DN, England, in
September, 1992, found baptism records of James and Thomas Godfrey. The records
were found in the original Baptismal Register of St. Dunstan Stepney of the
London/Middlesex area. They were the sons of Edward Godfrey and his wife, Mary
Miller, both of Lymehouse. Edward was a blacksmith. James was baptized May 2,
1666, and Thomas was baptized January 6, 1668/69, aged 11 days. Thomas' birthday
was December 26, 1668, if he was baptized in 1669. This date agrees with William
Godsey's account in his book (Godsey, History, pp 1 and 2).
It seems likely at this time that all we Godsey's are descended from this
Godfrey family.
(By A. R. Godsey, Jr., 1992.)
THOMAS1 GODSEY
(Edward Godfrey0 ?)
THOMAS1 GODSEY died in Chesterfield County, Virginia, in 1748-1749. He is the
first now known of that name in Virginia and left only scant traces in existing
records. He appears on the extant tithable (tax) rolls of the Huguenot parish of
King William in 1737 and 1738 when he paid a head tax on four males(Fife,
Vestry, pp. 179, 181). Thomas Godsee and wife Betty are in the King William
Parish in June, 1744 (The Douglas Register, An Index of Goochland Wills, Notes
on the French-Huguenots Refugees who lived in Mamakin-Town, by Jones, 1966, page
376).
He may have been living in the Henrico part of the parish or nearby in adjoining
Dale Parish, also in Henrico, to attend King William's church. He was of the
Dale Parish on January 13, 1748, when he made his will (Chesterfield Co., Va.,
WB 1, p. 43).
In 1749 the Dale Parish section and a small part of King William in Henrico were
formed into Chesterfield County. Thomas1 Godsey's will and inventory were
recorded there. The will, witnessed by Huguenots John Chastain and Charles
Ammonet, mentions no wife. She probably predeceased him. However, Mary Godsey
was sworn as administratrix(Chesterfield County, Virginia, Court Orders,
1749-1752, p.13). Mary may have been his wife at that tine. Only token bequests
were left to his son, Thomas2 Godsey, and the heirs of his deceased daughter,
Sarah2. This was a common practice when an heir had already received his
inheritance. Thomas2 Godsey's share possibly was the costs of the 324 acre land
patent granted him by the king on September 5, 1749 (Va. Land Patent Book 27,
pp. 378-379). Thomas1 Godsey's son, John2 Godsey, received the residue of the
estate, not described. The inventory of personal property, taken January 9.
1749, by Thomas Lacy, James Briant, and William Wooldridge, was of equipment
necessary for a modest home and farm of the period (Chesterfield Co., Va., WB 1,
p. 43).
He may be buried in on a farm near Sandston, Virginia. A headstone, badly
deteriorated, appears to read, "Thomas Godsey, born Westminster, England, 1668,
died 1749", no other words are legible (Godsey, History, p. 2).
It is possible, but not proven, that the few Godsey's of the earlier records
were of Thomas1 Godsey's family though they were not named in his will.
Circumstances suggesting this are that Thomas1 Godsey was the only one known old
enough to be their father and that three of the males he paid taxes on in 1737
and 1738 are presumed to be his sons (he did have slaves) although only two sons
are named in the will.
A tentative list of Thomas1 Godsey's children is as follows:
Henry2 Godsey (b. ca 1720, d. post 1744).
Thomas2 Godsey (b. ca 1721, d. post 1/13/1780).
Sarah2 Godsey (d. ante 1/13/1748) who married and left heirs. She probably
married Antoine Bernar, as his and wife Sara's child, Ester, born Sept. 14, 1742
( The Douglas Register, p. 380) had two Godsey godparents (R. A. Brock, ed. and
comp., Documents Chiefly Unpublished Relating to the Huguenot Emigration to
Virginia and to the Settlement of Manakin Town, with an Appendix of Genealogies
Presenting Data of the Fontain, Maury, Dupuy, Trabue, Marye, Chastain, Cocke,
and Other Families, Collections of the Virginia Historical Society, n.s., vol.
5, Richmond, Virginia Historical Society, 1886, p. 102; hereafter cited as
Brock, Documents).
John2 Godsey (d. 1807-1808, Chesterfield Co., Va.)
The Marie Godsey recorded in the King William Parish Register as godmother to
Ester, the daughter of Antoine and Sara Bernar in 1742 (Brock, Documents, p.
102), is not listed as a child of Thomas1 as there is no clue as to her
generation.
(Written by Mrs Virginia Godsey Kelly, 1980)
HENRY2 GODSEY
(THOMAS1)
HENRY2 GODSEY is believed to be a son of Thomas1 Godsey on inferences already
stated plus the fact that his brother Thomas2 named his oldest son Henry (Brock,
Documents, p. 108). Also that Henry2 Godsey, with Marie Godsey and Phoebe Lacy,
was a godparent to Ester Bernar, daughter of Antoine and Sara (Godsey) Bernar
(Brock, Documents, p. 102). Apparently Henry2 had a close association with the
Cocke family of King William Parish. In 1743, he served as godfather to Chastain
Cocke, the son of James Powell and Marie Chastain Cocke (Brock, Documents, p.
104), and in 1744 he was on the parish rolls as a tithable of Mr. Cocke (Brock,
Documents, p. 113). Henry Godsie was in the King William Parish in June 1744
(The Douglas Register, p. 375)
Neither Henry2 nor any heirs are named in his father's will and nothing further
is known about him. There is nothing to show that he was the husband of Milley
Godsey (d. ca. 1792, Montgomery County, Va.), who with Thomas2 and Phoebe Godsey
and Nathaniel Finch, was a witness to a 1763 Lacy/Moseley deed in Chesterfield
County, Va., (Chesterfield Co., Va., DB 5, p. 405), although she was about the
right age. The relationship of Nathaniel Finch to any of the parties has not
been determined. In 1761 Finch bought Chesterfield Co. land adjoining John2
Godsey that he sold in 1763 to John Villion of Cumberland County (Chesterfield
Co., Va., DB 5, p. 16, 191). In 1770-1771 he was on the Botetourt County, Va.,
tithable rolls of William Ingles (Mary B. Kegley, New River Tithables,
1770-1773, Wytheville, Va., by compiler, 1972, pp. 4, 19, 23).
In 1772 formation of Fincastle County from Botetourt placed Nathaniel Finch
there where the Fincastle court granted Milley Finch the administration of his
estate on November 2, 1773 (Lewis Preston Summers, Annals of Southwest Virginia,
1769-1800, Abington, Va., by compiler, 1929, p. 618; hereafter cited as Summers,
Annals). As Milley Godsey moved to Fincastle Co. by 1778 (Summers, Annals, p.
661), Finch's wife was named Milley and that he and Milley Godsey were
co-witnesses to a deed suggests but does not prove that Finch may have been a
close relative of Milley Godsey.
On October 4, 1787, Milley Godsey was granted 80 acres in Montgomery Co., Va.,
below the falls on Little River, probably the same land she settled in 1774
(Summers, Annals, p. 887). She paid tax on it in 1790 and 1791 but was replaced
by William Godsey in 1792 (Montgomery Co., Va., Land Tax Lists).
(Written by Mrs. Virginia Godsey Kelley, 1980)
Thomas2 Godsey
(Thomas1)
THOMAS2 GODSEY was sixteen or older in 1737 when his father Thomas1 Godsey paid
a tithe on him to the King William Parish (Fite, Vestry, p. 179), and he died
after March 13, 1780, when he made oath to the Buckingham County, Va., court
that he had served in the French and Indian War in 1760 under Captain Scott
(French and Indian War Soldiers Index). In 1744 he was a tithable of Rene
Chastain on the King William rolls (Brook, Documents, p. 114), implying that he
was an employee or associate. His marriage took place about this time as the
parish register records the birth of a daughter, Jerusha, to he and his wife,
Phoebe, on April 6, 1746 (Brock, Documents, p. 106). The birth of Jerusha and
Henry Godsey to Thomas and Febe Godsey/Godsy are recorded in The Douglas
Register, p. 382. Several circumstances support the presumption that his wife
was Phoebe Lacy:
The name Phoebe, only one mentioned after 1744 (Brock, Documents, pp. 102, 106).
(2) Phoebe and Thomas2 Godsey were witnesses to a Chesterfield County, Va.,
deed, October 12, 1763, made by Thomas and Nathaniel Lacy to Robert Moseley
(Chesterfield Co., Va., DB 3, p. 405). During this period witnesses were often
relatives of parties to a deed and at probate Phoebe Godsey was described as a
witness for Thomas Lacy of Buckingham Co., Va. (Chesterfield County, Va., WB 3,
p. 466). No chain of title is given but possibly they signed as Lacy heirs,
ceding any possible claim so that a clear title could be made.
(3) A Thomas Lacy was an appraiser of the estate of Thomas1 Godsey (Chesterfield
Co., Va., WB 1, p. 44).
(4) The use of Lacy, Drury Lacy, etc., as given names by Godsey descendents.
A limited search of the Chesterfield Co. records failed to identify the parents
of Phoebe Lacy. Brock's book on the Huguenot Manakin Town Settlement gives some
genealogical information on the Lacy family (Brock, Documents, pp. XV- XVI), and
William Foote's Sketches of Virginia, Historical and Biographical devotes all of
chapter XXI to the Reverend Drury Lacy, Presbyterian minister and vice-
president of Hampden-Sydney College.
Chesterfield County, Virginia, records show that Thomas2
Godsey lived there through 1763. On September 5, 1749, he received a patent from
King George II for 324 acres adjoining the Shatteen (Chastain) and Cary
families, the falling grounds of Tomahawk Creek and the Cumberland (now Pawhatan)
county line (Va. Land Patent BK. 27, pp. 387-389).
In May, 1773, Richard Eppes (a justice of the county court), Blackman Ward,
Thomas2 Godsey and Charles Cheatham were all before the county court for
"profane swearing" (Chesterfield Co., Va., OB 1, p. 340). Thomas2 Godsey refused
to give security for future good behavior and was committed to the sheriff's
care until he did. His later conduct seems to have been proper enough.
In the 1760's Thomas2 Godsey began to sell his Chesterfield lands in preparation
for a move westward. On March 11, 1761, he sold 100 acres to John Landrum
(Chesterfield Co., Va., DB 5, p. 39), on December 4, 1761, he sold 120 acres to
William Smith (Chesterfield Co., Va., DB 5, p. 6), and on April 17, 1762,
conveyed 94 acres to James Harris of Cumberland County, Virginia (Chesterfield
Co., Va., DB 4, p. 592). Finally. on April 23, 1762, Thomas2 Godsey "... for
divers good causes and considerations..." made a deed of gift to his brother
John2 Godsey of 32 acres on which John2 then lived (Chesterfield Co., Va., DB 4,
p. 470). This deed may have settled a disputed property line between them,
mentioned in another deed. The sale of his lands, his disappearance from
Chesterfield records in 1763, and as he was the only Thomas Godsey of the time
seem valid proof that it is this Thomas2 Godsey on the Buckingham County, Va.,
tax list of 1764 (Prince Edward Co., Va., Superior Court Records, 1789-1841,
Miscellaneous Papers, A List of All the Tithes, Lands and Wheel Carriages in
Buckingham County, Virginia, VSL-AD, Item 11, p. 6; hereafter cited as Prince
Edward Co., Va., Superior Court Records).
Buckingham County, Virginia, about sixty miles west of Chesterfield, was formed
from Albemarle. The county has always had the same boundaries as Tillotson
Parish (Charles Francis Cocke, Parish Lines, Diocese of Southern Virginia,
Richmond, Virginia State Library, 1964, pp. 122-3, 136). Some information about
the Thomas2 Godsey family is found in the few early records that survived the
1869 burning of the Buckingham County Court House. These records are now in the
Virginia State Library. The incomplete tax list shows that Thomas2 paid taxes on
400 acres and one white male (Prince Edward Co., Va., Superior Court Records, p.
6).
In the 1773 Tillotson Parish rolls Thomas2 and his son Augustine3 are on two
lists, that of John Johns' and of George Hooper's, an obvious duplication (Tillotson
Parish Tithable Lists of 1773 and 1774). Henry3 Godsey, the older son, was a
tithable of John Moseley in 1773 on the Tillotson Parish rolls.
Thomas2 Godsey does not appear on extant later land tax lists that begin in
1781. However, 156 acres in Buckingham on Sam's Creek, a branch of the Slate
River, was surveyed for him on November 28, 1769 (Buckingham Co., Va., Surveyors
Platt BK., 1762-1814, p. 19). The plat map shows that 89 acres were later owned
by Charles Moseley and the remaining 67 acres were transferred May 5, 1777, by
Thomas2 Godsey "in person" to Thomas Newcome of Cumberland County, Va., who
later transferred it to William Hensley in 1781.
Whether Thomas2 Godsey married more than once and when he died are not known,
nor is it known who was the husband of Judith Godsey who appears in the
Buckingham records a few years after Thomas2 disappears.
Judith Godsey received a Buckingham County land grant on August 22, 1787 (Va.
Land Grant BK. 11, p. 705) for 320 acres adjoining John Moseley, John Hancock
and William Hensley (owner of part of Thomas2 Godsey's survey), described
variously on the tax lists as nine miles west, or southwest, of the court house
on the New Canton (or Murphey's) road.
The land tax lists note that by 1814 Judith had sold all but 70.25 acres to
James Anderson and in 1816 had transferred 39.5 acres to John Godsey. John held
it through 1827. In 1831 and 1832 the estate of Judith Godsey is charged with 42
acres but in 1834 Martha Godsey is listed as the owner, "Given by the last will
of Judith Godsey."
Judith Godsey is only listed in the 1810 U. S. Census of Buckingham County, Va.,
where she was more than 45 years of age. She had eight other females (four under
ten), two slaves and no other males in the household.
Of the unknown number of children of Thomas2 and Pheobe Godsey there is direct
proof of two, rather conclusive evidence for two more and possibly another. This
tentative, doubtless incomplete list of children is:
Jerusha3 Godsey (b. 4/6/1746) of the King William Parish (The Douglas Register,
p. 382)
Henry3 Godsey (b. 2/11/1750) of the King William Parish (The Douglas Register,
p. 382)
Augustine3 "Austin" Godsey (b. ca 1752 in Buckingham Co, Va., d. ca 1818 in
Scott County, Va.)
William3 Godsey (b. ca 1758 in Buckingham Co., Va., d. 12Feb1831 in Sullivan
Co., Tennessee).
Benoni3 Godsey, who served with Augustine and William in Captain Samuel Jordan's
Rifle Detachment of Colonel Daniel Morgan's Rangers in the revolution for
service through November 1, 1777, but is not in later records (Lenora
Higginbotham Sweeny, Amherst County, Virginia, In the Revolution, Including
Extracts from the "Lost Order Book," 1773-1782, Lynchburg, J. P. Bell Co., 1951,
pp. 12, 21; hereafter cited as Sweeny, Amherst County).
(Written by Mrs. Virginia Godsey Kelley, 1980)
Clinton3 Lacy Godsey, b. bet. 1760 and 1765, is believed to be a son of Thomas
and Phoebe Lacy Godsey due to his date of birth and his middle name of "Lacy".
(by A.R. Godsey, Jr. 1994)
Re Phoebe Lacy: The book, "The Legacy of the De Lacy, Lacey, Lacy Families,
1066-1994", by Gerald Lacey, 1994, names Thomas Lacy II and wife, Ann Burnley,
as the parents of Phoebe Lacy. Other children of Thomas II were Stephen, Thomas
III, William, Nathaniel, Elkanah, and Elliott Lacy. Thomas Lacy II's parents
were Thomas I and wife Phoebe Rice, daughter of Thomas Rice. Thomas Lacy I was
born in England about 1680 and came to Virginia in 1680.
(By A.R. Godsey, 9/1994)
HENRY3 GODSEY
(Thomas2, Thomas1)
HENRY3 GODSEY, born February 11, 1750, is in the King William Register (Brock,
Documents, p. 105). He was probably the oldest son of Thomas2 and Phoebe Godsey,
but knowledge of his life is limited. He was on the Tillotson Parish (Buckingham
Co.) list of 1773 as a tithable of John Moseley, indicating an association with
that family. In 1782 he is on both the personal and property tax lists of
Buckingham County, Virginia. He is found on the personal tax lists
intermittently through 1799 and on the land lists through 1803.
A Henry Godsey is on the personal lists of adjoining Prince Edward County,
1788-1793. It is not known if this is the same Henry Godsey.
No revolutionary war service records of Henry3 Godsey exist. There is a data gap
from 1803 to his enrollment in the 1840 census for Goochland County, Va., unless
he is the Henry Godsey of the 1820 census for Prince Edward County who is more
than forty five years old, with a wife (26-45), two sons (under 10) and a
daughter (under 10). The 1840 Goochland County census shows Henry3 Godsey
(80-90), a wife (50-60), two males (20-30), and two females in the home.
There are several Godseys in the areas where Henry3 Godsey lived who are
consistently on the same county rolls as Henry3. Those shown on the personal
lists and usually on the same line of the lists, the date and county of their
appearance were: Henry Godsey (1788, Prince Edward), Stephen Godsey (1790,
Prince Edward), and Daniel Godsey (1798, Buckingham). Daniel is described as a
son of Henry3. It is unusual for any description to be noted on tax lists.
Two others of the same area and period, but not named in the Henry3 household,
were Charles Godsey (1805, Prince Edward) and Joel Godsey (1806, Prince Edward).
Henry3 Godsey had at least the following Children:
Henry4 Godsey (in the home 1788 - 1790).
Stephen4 Godsey
Daniel4 Godsey
(Written by Mrs. Virginia Godsey Kelley, 1980)
STEPHEN4 GODSEY
(Henry3 Thomas2 Thomas1)
STEPHEN4 GODSEY was a member of the Henry3 Godsey household on whom Henry3 paid
tax in Prince Edward County, Virginia, for 1790 and 1791. He was on the personal
property rolls of Buckingham County, Virginia, 1796-1801, and again in Prince
Edward in 1802 and lastly on the rolls of Cumberland County, Virginia, in 1802
through 1805. Stephen4 was not in the U.S. censuses of Virginia of 1810, 1820,
nor 1830. In the census of 1810 for Cumberland County there is a Drucilla Godsey
(25- 45 yrs.) who has in her household three males (1, 10-16, and 2 under 10)
and two females (under 10). Cumberland County records show that Rebecca C.
Godsey, daughter of Drucilla, was married on April 30, 1834, to William
Armistead and Nancy Godsey was married May 27, 1835, to Archer Brown, with
Rebecca Armistead as witness and William Armistead as surety.
(Written by Mrs. Virginia Godsey Kelley, 1980)
DANIEL4 GODSEY
(Henry3 Thomas2 Thomas1)
DANIEL4 GODSEY was in the household of Henry3 Godsey on the 1798 personal
property tax list of Buckingham County, Virginia, where he was described as
Henry3's son. From 1804 through 1810 he lived in Prince Edward County, Virginia,
where he was married on January 8, 1804, to Patsey Shepherd, daughter of Isaac
Shepherd, with Marshall Seay as his security. In the 1810 census, Daniel4 (25-45
yrs.) had three
females (1 under 10, and 2 26-45) and two males (under 10). About 1812 Daniel4
moved to Cumberland County, Virginia, from where in 1814 he served in Captain
Benjamin Allen's company
of the First Regiment of Virginia Militia (Daniel Godsey 1812
Service Record, GSA - NARS). He was in 1820 census for Cumberland County (age
45+), with a wife (45+), three males (1 under 10, 1 16-18, and 1 18-26), and
four females (3 under 10, and 1 10-16). He does not appear in the 1830 or later
censuses.
(Written by Mrs. Virginia Godsey Kelly, 1980)
AUGUSTINE3 (Austin) GODSEY
(Thomas2, Thomas1)
AUGUSTINE3 GODSEY, the son of Thomas2 and Phoebe Godsey, early acquired the
nickname of "Austin". He served under that name in the Revolution (Austin and
Franky Godsey Revolutionary War Pension File, R 21-991; hereafter cited as Rev.
Pens. File R 21-991). He was occasionally listed by it or as Augustus in later
records. In some land and tax rolls he is listed as Augustus or as Augus.
Direct proof of the parentage and some later events in his life cannot be
proved, mainly because of the burning of the Buckingham County Court House and
its records in 1869. The assumption that he is a son of Thomas2 and Phoebe
Godsey is based on strong inferential evidence:
1. Augustine3 Godsey is the only other tithable listed in Thomas2 Godsey's
household and is listed on the same line with him in the 1773 and 1774 Tillotson
Parish rolls.
2. Thomas2 Godsey is the only Godsey in Buckingham County old enough to be
Augustine's father. No other Godsey of this period is known to have had a son
named Augustine.
3. Augustine3 Godsey's descendents used the name, frequently in the form of
Augustus, and occasionally named daughters Phoebe.
The birth date of Augustine3 Godsey is not known but a clue to it is his
appearance on the 1773 tithable rolls, when he was likely to be from sixteen to
twenty one years of age. He died about 1818 in Scott County, Virginia (Rev.
Pens. File R21-991).
In the winter of 1776 Augustine3 Godsey and his brothers William3 and Benoni3
enlisted for two years in the Revolutionary Continental Army. They first fought
July 8-9, 1776, in the battle of Gwynn's Island, Virginia, thereby ridding the
colony of its royal governor, Lord Dunsmore (William Godsey Revolutionary
Pension File 292; hereafter cited as Rev. Pens. File 292). In September, the
Sixth Virginia Regiment, in which Augustine3 and his brothers served in Captain
Samuel Cabell's Rifle Company, joined General George Washington's forces at
Elizabethtown, New Jersey. They were with Gen. Washington that icy Christmas Eve
night of 1776 when he crossed the Delaware River and defeated the British
Hussian forces at Trenton, New Jersey. Cabell's company was one of eight rifle
companies selected to form Colonel Daniel Morgan's Rifle Corps known as Morgan's
Rangers (Sweeny, Amherst, pp. 11-12). Augustine3 and his brothers shared the
Rangers distinguished service in all the battles of the Saratoga campaign
against British General John Burgoyne, the campaign whose victories are
considered by most historians as the turning point of the Revolution. Lenora
Sweeny's Amherst County, Virginia, in the Revolution has a chapter, "The First
Riflemen," on Captain Cabell's company, and North Callahan's Daniel Morgan,
Ranger of the Revolution, tells about Morgan's riflemen. Augustine3 Godsey was
in winter quarters at Valley Forge when he was discharged in 1778 (Sweeny,
Amherst, p. 13). Little is known of his later service other than his
participation in the Yorktown campaign and his presence at the surrender of
British General Cornwallis.
Augustine3 Godsey and Frances "Franky" Hix were married in Buckingham County,
Virginia, in 1779 (Rev. Pens. File R21- 991). Franky Hix's parents are not known
but she may have been a relative of Robert Hix who was married November 23,
1793, in Montogomery County, Virginia, to Susannah Thompson with Austin Godsey
as his bondsman. According to the tax lists, the Augustine3 Godseys lived in
Buckingham County through October of 1790 and moved to Montgomery County late in
the year as he is on the Montgomery County personal property tax list of
December 14, 1790. On October 3, 1796, Augustine Godsey and Robert Hix received
a joint land grant in Montgomery County on Little River (Va. Land Grant Bk. 36,
p. 258). Augustine3 and Franky Godsey sold their 200 acres of the grant on
February 14, 1797, to John Smith Baisden (Montgomery Co., Va., DB C, p. 21).
They are found next on Russell County, Virginia, 1799 personal property tax
lists, having settled in the section of Russell County that became the new
county of Scott in 1815. After Augustine3 Godsey's death in 1818 his widow
Frances "Franky" Godsey (aged 45+) is enumerated in the 1820 Scott County census
with two other females (one under ten, one 16 - 26) in her home. Although she
did not die until November 8, 1853 (Rev. Pens. File R21- 991), the last mention
of her is in the Scott County Court Minutes of March 3, 1828.
In an era of large families, Augustine3 and Franky had a very small one as
attested to by one of their sons (Rev, Pens.
File R21-991). There were three:
Elizabeth4 Godsey (b. 1782, d. young).
John4 Godsey (b. 17Feb1783, d. 6Jan1868, Scott Co.,VA
James4 Godsey (b. 22Aug1791, d. 30May1868 in Scott Co., VA.).
(Written by Mrs. Virginia Godsey Kelley, 1980, DAR #599296)
JOHN4 GODSEY
(Augustine3 Thomas2 Thomas1)
JOHN4 GODSEY, the son of Augustine3 and Frances Hix Godsey, was born February 7,
1783, in Buckingham County, Virginia, (Rev. War Pension File R21-001), and died
January 6, 1868, in Scott County, Virginia (Scott County, VA, Register of
Deaths, 1853-18970, p. 34). After his parents had settled in the section of
Russell County, Virginia, that in 1815 became part of the new county of Scott,
John4 Godsey's name is first found on the 1805 Russell tax list, about a year
after his marriage to JULIET "Julia" JETT (daughter of Stephen and Frances
Howerton Jett of Washington County, Virginia. No record of the marriage has been
found, but several sources attest it (Wood, Family, p.156; C. Mitchell Hall,
Jenny Wiley Country, vol. 2, p.240), and the will of Juliet's father leaves a
bequest to the children of his eldest daughter Juliet (Washington County, VA,
W.B. 6, p.270). Court judgment was necessary to establish the procedure for
handling the bequest to Juliet's children, some of whom were minors, but the
relationship between the families was cordial (Scott Co., VA, Common Law O.B.,
pp. 107, 153, 258). Juliet's brother James Jett gave his personal bond for John4
Godsey's honorable conduct as one of Scott County's commissioners of revenue
(Co. Ct. Min. Bk. 4, p. 186) and John4 was one of the witnesses to the estate
settlement deeds between the heirs of Peter Livingston, of whom James Jett was
one (Scott Co., VA, D.B. 5, p.465).
On March 3, 1806, John Godsey4 bought from David and Nancy Thompson a hundred
acres of land on Big Moccasin Creek, then Russell but now Scott County, Virginia
(Russell Co. D.B. 3, p.710). In 1819 he added a grant of a hundred acres on the
north side of Big Moccasin Creek and in 1840 added another grant of 175 acres on
the south side adjoining his brother James4 (Scott Co., VA, Surveyors Record,
pp. 1, 216). John4 Godsey was involved in other land transactions (Scott Co.,
VA, D.B. 6, p.520; D.B. 7, p.114) but his "home place" was the first 200 acres
he acquired. It was on his original 100 acres that John4 Godsey built a two
story, ell shaped log house.
The Godsey house and land remained in the family about 150 years. John4, by an
arrangement (in his will) with his youngest son Alexander5 and spinster daughter
Julia5 Godsey, bequeathed his real and personal estate to them in return for
their care of himself and his wife in their old age (Scott Co., VA, D.B. 41, p.
582). In 1902 Alexander5 made a similar arrangement with his son Augustus L.6
Godsey who lived there until his death in 1940. One of Augustus l.6 's sons,
William Elmo7 Godsey, made the place his home for several years, and it was
occupied after that by another son, John Monroe7 Godsey, (Data from John Monroe7
Godsey, Rte. 2, Robinson, ILL 62454)
Several hundred yards back and to the right of the home is the old Godsey family
cemetery. In it are several graves marked only by stones and a few graves with
legible markers. It is believed that Augustine3 ,John4 ,Alexander5 , Julia V.5,
and other members of their families are buried here.
John4 Godsey was active in Scott County civic and religious life. He was a
justice of the county court from 1820 to 1848 and he was selected by the court
as tax or revenue commissioner. In 1849 John4 made a gift of land and a building
"suitable for a house of Public Worship and as a school house".
After the death of his wife Julia Jett Godsey John4 married Elizabeth Gardner,
daughter of William and Elizabeth, who was born in 1794 in Virginia and died
January 5, 1869. There were ten children by his first wife and three by his
second (Scott Co., VA, W.B. 5, p. 582).
Stephen Jett5 Godsey (1805-1857)
Clinton L.5 Godsey (1810-1862)
Ann Elizabeth5 Godsey (1812-?)
Frances5 Godsey (1814-?)
Rebecca F.5 Godsey (1815-?)
Phoebe Jane5 Godsey (1817-?)
John J.5 Godsey (1819-?)
Rhoda5 Godsey (1821-?)
James5 Godsey (1823-)
Augustus5 Godsey
And Children by Elizabeth:
Julia V.5 Godsey (1827-1886)
Alexander F.5 Godsey (1832->)
Sarah Catherine5 Godsey (1838-?)
(By Mrs. Virginia Godsey Kelley, 1980, edited by A.R. Godsey,Jr, 1994)
WILLIAM3 GODSEY
(THomas2, Thomas1)
WILLIAM3 GODSEY (b. 1757/8 Chesterfield County., Va., d. February 12, 1831 in
Sullivan County, Tenn.), was the son of Thomas2 and Phoebe (Lacy) Godsey. He
served in the Continental Line and the Virginia Militia in the American
Revolution (William and Ankey Godsey, Revolutionary War Pension Record, W292).
In 1776 he and his brothers, Augustine3 and Benoni3, enlisted in Buckingham
County, Virginia, for two years in the Continental Line, serving first in
Captain Thomas Patte(r)son's company of the Sixth Virginia Regiment. After
Captain Patte(r)son's death, they were transferred to Captain Samuel Jordan
Cabell's company. Cabell's company joined Colonel (later General) Daniel
Morgan's hand picked Regiment of Virginia Riflemen (Sweeny, Amherst, pp. 11-12).
On returning from this two year tour of service William3 Godsey was married to
Agnes (Ankey) Hensley (b. ca 1763 Virginia, d. after December 27, 1843 in
Sullivan County, Tennessee) January 14, 1779, in Buckingham County, Va., by the
Rev. William Peasley.
He is in Buckingham County in 1783, but no William Godsey, other than a cousin
of Franklin County, Virginia, and Rockingham County, North Carolina, is found
until one appears on John McHeary's 1798 list of delinquent Montgomery County
tithables charged with 80 acres. After this William3 Godsey is found on the
1806-1812 Washington County, Virginia, personal property tax lists and the 1810
U.S. Census. Where he lived for most of the years 1784 to 1806 is not known. His
craft as a cooper (barrel maker) was a skill in demand during this period.
William3 Godsey probably lived in several places before coming to Southwest
Virginia and Northeast Tennessee.
By the time he settled in Sullivan County, Tennessee, he had lost the sight of
one eye and had weakened vision in the other. The nearby presence of some of his
children and other relatives probably influenced his decision to move to
Sullivan County. His advancing blindness severely limited his cooperage work, so
he applied on August 20, 1820, in Sullivan County, Tennessee, for a
Revolutionary War Pension. He received a pension of $8.00 per month, commercing
August 22, 1820.
After his death his widow, Ankey, applied for and received a pension of $80.00
per year commercing March 1, 1836. Agnes (Ankey) Hensley Godsey's application
shows that she was a sister of Milley (Hensley) Cornett of Clay County,
Kentucky, and of Fielding Hensley of Scott County, Virginia. Fielding Hensley's
widow made a deposition for Ankey's pension application.
William3 and Ankey Godsey reared at least eleven children. The only direct
information about them is in the Washington County, Virginia, 1810 Census
(M22011 and F11101) and the Sullivan County, Tennessee, 1830 census (M0000200001
And F000000001). By 1810 three children, probably older ones, had left home and
eight younger persons are in the William3 Godsey household. The eight are
believed to be Drury Lacy, Henry, Jeremiah, Martin, Samuel, Elizabeth, Harriet,
and Sarah. The 1830 census lists only two sons, under 30, in the household,
probably Martin4 and Samuel4.
William's children are now (1994) believed to be as follows:
William4 Godsey, (b. Jan. 1780 in Virginia)
Burton4 Godsey, (b. 10Sep1782 in Virginia, d. ca 1862 in Linn Co., Mo.).
Burley4 Godsey, (b. abt 1791 in Virginia, d. 1826, Rhea (Meigs) Co., TN)
Drury Lacy4 Godsey, (b. 6Feb1795 in Virginia or North Carolina, d. 26Feb1873 in
Mills Co.,Iowa)
Harriett4 Godsey, (b. ca 1796 in Virginia)
Jeremiah4 Godsey, (b. Ca 1799, in Virginia, d. aft 1880 in Sullian Co., TN)
Henry4 Howard Godsey, (b. ca 1800 in Tennessee, d. aft 1880 in Sullivan Co.,
Tennessee). (Godsey, Family, pp. 8 and 70)
Martin4 Godsey, (b. Ca 1801, in Virginia)
Samuel4 Godsey, (b. ca 1802 in Virginia)
Elizabeth4 Godsey, (b. ca 1804, in Virginia)
Sarah Hartsock4 Godsey, (b. ca 1806, in Virginia)
Sources: 1. Unpublished manuscript of genealogist Virginia Godsey Kelley, 1980,
member DAR, #599296.
2. GODSEY FAMILY HISTORY, 1969, by William H. Godsey
3. 1810 Washington County, VA, Census.
4. 1830 Sullivan County, TN, Census.
5. Revolutionary pension files of William and Ankey(Agnes) Godsey.
6. AMHERST COUNTY, VIRGINIA, by Lenora Sweeny.
7. And others cited.
8. Julian N. Sorensen letter, 1994, to A. R. Godsey
DRURY4 LACY GODSEY
(William3, Thomas2, Thomas1)
DRURY LACY GODSEY4 is listed as a son of William3 Godsey by William H. Godsey (Godsey,
History, pp. 8, 10). Other reasons for believing him William's3 son are: 1) that
his trade of blacksmith is similar to William's of cooper; 2) his name, Drury
Lacy, was that of a very noted Virginia minister of that period who was of the
same Lacy family as William's3 mother, Pheobe Lacy; 3) he was of the age to be
one of William's3 children in 1810. He was in the 1812 War (substituting for
George Dungans) in Captain George Byers company of the 70th Regiment of Virginia
Militia. The Rev. Robertson Gannaway in his autobiography (The Virginia Magazine
of History and Biography, The Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA, Volume
XXXVII (1929) pp. 316-322; Volume XXXVIII (1930) pp. 137-144) says that Drury
Lacy Godsey was living in Gannaway's home and working as a blacksmith in
Washington County, Virginia, when he was converted to methodism on September 30,
1819, and was licensed to preach about 1823. Perhaps he worked with the Rev.
Gannaway at the Speedwell Iron Works, the located near the present Washington
and Smyth Counties, Virginia, line. Both Godsey and Gannaway families had lived
in Buckingham County before moving to Southwest Virginia.
On December 23, 1824, in Washington County, VA, He was married by the Rev.
William Patton to Sarah Cox, daughter of Samuel and Eleanor Thomas Cox. Samuel
Cox family had migrated from near Baltimore, Maryland, to Southwest Virginia
where they lived several years. In about 1828, the Samuel Cox, Robert Allen,
Urich Denton, John Woods, and Drury Lacy Godsey families moved from Virginia to
what is now Meigs County, TN, the Goodfield Community. Here Drury Lacy probably
continued to practice his craft of blacksmith. He held the office of County
Court Clerk in Meigs County from 1841 to 1849. He continued as a minister,
preaching and marrying many Meigs Countyians. In the 1850's he moved his family
to Putman County, Missouri, and later to Plattville Township of Mills County,
Iowa, in 1864.(The COX Bible, in the possession of A.R. Godsey, Knoxville, TN,
lists the ten children of Drury Lacy and Sarah Cox Godsey).
(Written by Virginia Godsey Kelly, 1980)
HENRY4 HOWARD GODSEY
(William3, Thomas2, Thomas1)
Very little is known of HENRY4 HOWARD GODSEY. He is named as a son of William3
Godsey by William H. Godsey (Godsey, History, pp. 8, 10, 70). He lists Henry4 as
one of the eleven children of William3 and Ankey Godsey. The 1840, 1850, 1860,
1870 and 1880 censuses of Sullivan County, Tennessee, lists Henry4 and his
family. The fact that William3 and Ankey Godsey were living in Sullivan County,
Tennessee, when they applied for and received Revolutionary War pensions, is
further evidence that he was their son. Henry4 named his fourth son William5,
for his father. Henry oldest sons, Jackson5 and Anderson5 also named sons
William. It is reasonable that William3 Godsey would live near his younger
children and other relatives. William H. Godsey states in his book (Godsey,
History, p. 9) that ninety year old (1965) Mary Campbell, Slater, Mo., was the
source of much information of William3. She is the daughter-in-law of Sarah
Godsey Campbell. Sarah is a daughter of Burton4 Godsey and a grand daughter of
William3 Godsey.
Henry4 was a wagon maker, according to the 1850 census and William Godsey's book
(Godsey, History, p. 70). He purchased 30 acres located on the south side of the
Holston River for $150.00 from Benjamin Glover October 28, 1851. The farm was
located in the River Bend Forge area of Sullivan County, between Bluff City and
Bristol,Tennessee.
In the 1860 Sullivan County Census, several GLOVER children are listed as living
in his Household. Abigail is not listed, apparently she died prior to the 1860
census. By 1860, Henry4 had married Mary Glover, and their household included
Mary's children as well as his. Mary was the mother of the two youngest of
Henry,s4 children. Mary is listed with Henry in the 1870 and 1880 census.
His first wife's (Abagail) maiden name is not known. Several queries in
genealogy magazines have all gone unanswered.
Henry 4 enrolled at age 61 as a private in the Sullivan County Tennessee
Reserves (CSA), Capt. James Witcher's Co., The Zollicoffer Mounted Rifles, on
June 13, 1863.
Henry's4 oldest sons, Jackson5, Anderson5 and Crockett5, also fought for the
South in the Civil war. At the end of the war Jackson was a Sergeant and
Anderson a Second Lieutenant.
Crockett was killed in action May 16, 1864 at Drewery's Bluff, Virginia.
Abe Godsey6, a grandson of Henry4, recorded July 22, 1966, on the back of a
picture that Henry4 was a son of William3 Godsey. He also wrote that "Henry
Howard Godsey, the father of Jackson Godsey, operated a grist mill on Posom
Creek from 1850 to about 1880. He was borned in old Kingsport 1800 and from
about 1825 to 1850 operated a wagon shop close to the old tavern that was built
in 1810 and is now standing. Kingsport at this time was a shipping point for
mfg. goods, wool, salt, lumber, logs and grain. The population at this time was
337. This was before new Kingsport was thought of. We are related to the
Carriers, Bluris, Glovers, Jenkins, Jonges (sp), Harklerods, Sayders, Hamilton,
Sharps, Fouchen, Flanogens, and others." (Source: Janie Godsey Landis, 1994
letter to A. R. Godsey, Jr.)
His children are listed on his Family Group Sheet (FGS).
Other Source: Mary Jane Erwin, Kingsport, TN.
(Written by A.R. Godsey, Jr., 1993)
ANDERSON5 GODSEY
(Henry4, William3, Thomas2, Thomas1)
ANDERSON5 GODSEY is on the 1850 Sullivan County, Tennessee, census in the Henry4
Godsey household as Henry's4 second son. He is listed alone on the 1860 Sullivan
County, Tennessee census, the River Bend Forge area. He is listed in the 1870
and 1880 Meigs County, Tennessee, census. He enlisted and fought throughout the
Civil war. The following account of his war record is taken from CSA Muster
Rolls and Pay Accounts obtained from the Tennessee Archives, Nashville,
Tennessee. He enlisted in Co. K, 3rd Mounted Infantry (Lillards), June 6, 1861,
at Lynchburg, Virginia, Capt. Crockett R. Millard commanding. He was on the
regiment muster roll through February 1862. The company was renamed as Company E
of the 63rd Tennessee Infantry, Capt. C.R. Millard's Company. He received pay as
a sergeant after May 14, 1862. The 63rd was formed July 30, 1862 of companies
from other units. He was admitted to the Episcopal Church Hospital,
Williamsburg, Virginia, June 16, 1864, with a wound to th left scalp region. He
was transferred to a Hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina, on June 18. (Believed
wounded at Drewry's Bluff, June 16). The roll of February 29 to June 30, 1864
lists him as a 3rd Lieutenant, and wounded in the hospital at Raleigh, North
Carolina, since June 18, 1864. He was elected 2nd Lieutenant May 5, 1864 by
Special Order 65, signed by Colonel A. Fulkerson, commanding. The November and
December, 1864, Muster Roll shows he was paid for transportation from Richmond,
North Carolina, to Zollicoffer (Bluff City), Tennessee, and back, from July 5 to
September 1, as wounded on furlough. The September, 1864, roster is of the 63rd
Regiment Tennessee Volunteers, Johnson's (old) Brigade, Department of Richmond.
The January, 1865, roster is of the 63rd Regiment Volunteers, Johnson's (old)
Brigade, Maj. Gen. Henry Heth's Division, Maj. Gen. A. P. Hill's (3rd) Corps,
Army of Northern Virginia. His name is on the Roll of Prisoners of War,
belonging to the Army of Northern Virginia, surrendered by General Robert E.
Lee, C.S.A., to Lieut. Gen. U.S. Grant, Commanding Armies of the United States,
at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, April 9, 1865.
The following accounts of the movements and battles of the 3rd Tennessee Mounted
Infantry Regiment and the 63rd Tennessee Infantry Regiment are taken from the
books CONFEDERATES of TENNESSEE; FROM MANASSAS to APPOMATTOX, Memoirs of the
Civil War in America, by James Longstreet, Lieut. Gen., CSA., and HISTORY of
SULLIVAN COUNTY, TN.
The 3rd Tennessee was organized May 29, 1861 at Bristol, Virginia, and mustered
into Confederate Service June 6, 1861, at Lynchburg, Virginia, commanded by Col.
John C. Vaughn. The men from Sullivan County were in Company F, commanded by
Capt. C.R. Millard, and were called the Shelby Grays. The regiment moved from
Lynchburg to Winchester, and from there to Rommey, Virginia, arriving June 17,
1861. It was placed in a brigade commanded by then Colonel A.P. Hill, General
Kirby Smith's Division. It first saw action June 19, 1861 at New Creek,
Virginia. On June 30, 1861, the regiment was in Brig. Gen. Joseph E. Johnson's
Army of the Shenandoah, part of a brigade commanded by Colonel Arnold Elzey. As
part of this brigade, it fought in the first Battle of Manassas (Bull Run) on
July 21, 1861. Gen. Joe Johnson's army joined with Gen. Pierre Beauregard's Army
of Northern Virginia in the first major battle of the war, a Confederate
victory. On February 9, 1862 the regiment was ordered to Knoxville, Tennessee to
report to Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston. The regiment stayed in East Tennessee in
the Army commanded by Gen. Kirby Smith and was in Knoxville June 17, 1862.
The 63rd Tennessee Infantry was organized in July 1862 in Knoxville, Tennessee,
of companies from other units. Company "K" of the 3rd Tennessee transferred to
the 63rd and became Company "E". The 63rd was commanded by Colonel Richard G.
Fain. The regiment was part of Brig. Gen. C.L. Stevenson's Division on August
23, 1862. It moved to Loudon, Tennessee, and on October 9, 1862, moved to
Bridgeport, Alabama. The regiment returned to Knoxville in November, then moved
to Cumberland Gap, arriving on December 8th, to guard against invasion of East
Tennessee and Kentucky through the pass. The regiment reported to Brig. Gen.
Archiball Gracie's Brigade.
On June 19, 1863 the brigade, then a part of Gen. Buckner's Division, left
Cumberland Gap for Knoxville where it moved by rail to Tullahoma, Tennessee, to
reinforce Gen. Braxton Bragg. It retreated with Bragg to Bridgeport, Alabama,
where it moved by rail back to Knoxville, Tennessee. The brigade left
Sweetwater, Tennessee, September 1 to join the Army of Tennessee at LaFayette,
Georgia as part of Gracie's Brigade. It fought at McLemore's Cove before the
battle of Chickamauga. The brigade fought at Chickamauga, Georgia, September 18,
19, and 20, 1863 and was in the final onslaught on Snodgrass Hill on the 20th.
The brigade lost half of its men at Chickamauga, killed, wounded and missing. At
Chickamauga, Gracie's Brigade was in Maj. Gen. Simon B. Buckner's Corps, Brig.
Gen. William Preston's Division. Colonel Abraham Fulkerson, commander of the
63rd, and was severely wounded at Chickamauga.
The regiment remained at Chattanooga until October, 1863. It was then
transferred To Gen. Bushrod Johnson's Brigade, Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Buckner's
Division. The regiment was transferred to Lieut. Gen. James Longstreet's command
in East Tennessee, reaching Knoxville November 28, 1863. It fought at Fort
Loudon November 29th, and at Knoxville until December 4th. The regiment then
marched to Rogersville, arriving December 9th, and fought at Bean's Station
December 14th. The 63rd was a part of Brig. Gen. Bushrod Johnson's Brigade then
and remained with the brigade until the end of the war. The regiment was in
upper East Tennessee through April, 1864, probably the Bristol area.
On May 1, 1864 the regiment began a march from Bristol to Richmond, Virginia, to
join General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, and on to Drewery's
Bluff, south of Richmond. It charged the enemy on June the 16th at Drewery's
Bluff, retired to Petersburg and fought on the 16th and 17th, losing about half
the regiment captured and imprisoned. It fought at Port Walthall Junction on the
19th, then retired to Petersburg again on the 23rd of June. The regiment was on
the front at Petersburg until July 5, 1864.
Note: Anderson Godsey was wounded at Petersburg during a charge against the line
of Grant's Army on the 16th of June. He was in the hospital or on leave from
6/16 to 9/1/1864.
On the move into Virginia, the 63rd was in Major Gen. Robert F. Hoke's Division.
On June 17th the 11th New Hampshire Volunteers captured the colors of the 63rd.
The report for September - October, 1864, is missing. The final report for
November - December states that the regiment was on the lines at Chaffin's Farm
in front of Fort Harrison until December 28th. The regiment, with the brigade,
was transferred to Maj. Gen. Henry Heth's Division, III Corps, Army of Northern
Virginia. The regiment was in no engagements during this period. It was working
on bomb proofs of Lieut. Gen. Richard S. Ewell's lines. On January 31, 1865 the
63rd was commanded by Capt. A. A. Blair; on February 28th it was commanded by
Capt. John W. Robertson. The regiment was in Gen. Lee's Army of Northern
Virginia and fought at Petersburg and Appomattox, March 25 - April 9, 1865. The
regiment surrendered and was paroled at Appomattox Courthouse April 9, 1865 as
part of Lieut. Gen. A. P. Hill's Corps.
Colonel Fulkerson, in his history of the 63rd Regiment in Lindsley's Annals,
said there were only 28 men left on the field from the 63rd. The 63rd was under
the command of Lieut. L.L. Etter, of Company "C". Anderson Godsey was one of the
28. Anderson returned to Tennessee and is said to have traded on the Tennessee
River from a houseboat.
He was married in Roane County, Tennessee, in 1867, to Melinda Ellen Graham. In
1870, he was living on a houseboat on the Hiwassee River near Price's Creek. He
purchased 280 acres on Price's Creek and the Hiwassee River in 1871 from James
Womack. He is buried in the Godsey Family Cemetery located on the farm.
(His family is shown on a Family Sheet)
(Written by A. R. Godsey,Jr.,1992 and 1994)
GODSEY'S IN THE REVOLUTION
Four men with the name GODSEY served from Virginia in the Revolutionary War.
Three, Augustine (Austin)3, William3, and Benoni3, of Buckingham County, were
brothers.d William3. The brothers are believed to be the sons of Thomas2 and
Phoebe Lacy Godsey, of Buckingham County, Virginia. The fourth, William3 Godsey,
was a son of John2 and Ann Elam Godsey, of Chesterfield County, Virginia. He was
a cousin of the three brothers.
The Revolutionary service of the brothers Austin3 and William3 seems to have
been identical. Pension files and company rosters indicate they entered the
service in January, 1776 for two years in the Continental Line and that they
were discharged on February 14 and 16, 1778. Both are known to have enlisted
again and served to the end of the war. They were at the surrender of British
General Cornwallis at Yorktown, as was their cousin William3 Godsey of
Chesterfield County.
Austin3 and William3 served first under Captain Thomas Patterson in the Sixth
Virginia Regiment, commanded by Col. Mordecai Buckner. Following Captain
Patterson's death, Austin3 and William3 were placed in the Captain Samuel Jordan
Cabell's Company of the Sixth Virginia Regiment.
In the Spring (after April 1), 1777, Col. Daniel Morgan selected men for a Rifle
Corps he was forming. Captain Cabell's Company, in which the Godsey brothers
were then serving, was selected. They were on the pay roll of Captain Benjamin
Taliaferro's Company of detached Riflemen commanded by Col. Morgan in December,
1777 and February 1778 when they were discharged from service.
A chronology of the Godsey brother's war service follows:
January, 1776, enlisted under Captain Patterson in Buckingham County, Virginia,
in the 6th Virginia Regiment.
July 8-10, 1776, in the battle of Gwynn's Island, Va.
December 26-26, 1776, Crossing the Delaware River at Trenton with Gen.
Washington.
Spring (after April 1), 1777, joined Col. Morgan's selected riflemen (Morgan's
Riflemen).
September 19, 1777, in the battle of Stillwater or Freeman's Farm, Saratoga, New
York.
September 19, 1777, in the battle of Bemus Heights, Saratoga, New York.
October 13, 1777, British Gen. Burgoyne surrendered at Saratoga.
November 18, 1777, Morgan's Rangers arrive at Whitemarsh, Penn., near
Washington's headquarters.
November 1777, some of Morgan's Riflemen sent with LaFayette to reinforce Fort
Mercer at Red Bank, New Jersey.
December 15, 1777, with Washington at Valley Forge. Morgan's Riflemen were
placed on the West side of the Schuylkill River.
February 16-18, 1778, Godsey's discharged by Major Parker from 2 years service
at the sign of the Whitehorse, Winchester?
March 1, 1781, William Godsey enlisted in the Virginia Militia under Captain
William Jones.
March 15, 1781, in the battle of Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina.
September 1781, other Godsey's enlisted in the Militia.
October 5-19, 1781, at the siege and surrender of Gen. Cornwalis at Yorktown.
December 1781, discharged from service a few days before Christmas. May 12,
1784, a settlement was made by the Virginia Auditors of Public Accounts (who
were directed by an Act of November 1781 to make settlement with men of the
Continental Line who had received certificates for the balance of their pay)
with Austin3 Godsey. He received 16 pounds plus.
References:
1. John H. Gwathmey, Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution, 1938.
2. Lenore Higginbotham Sweeny, Amherst County Virginia in The Revolution,
Including Extracts from the "Lost Order Book", 1773-1782, 1951.
3. Austin and Franky Godsey's pension applications, Pension File R21-991.
4. William and Ankey Godsey's pension record, Pension File W292.
5. The Huguenot, no. 4, 1929, Soldiers of the American Revolution of Manakin
Huguenot Descent, p.54.
(Abstracted from Mrs. Virginia Godsey Kelly Notes)
By A.R. Godsey, Jr., 1992)
SULLIVAN COUNTIANS IN THE CIVIL WAR
This is a look at the involvement of a father and three sons in support of the
Confederacy. Information was obtained from Census records, Complied Service
Records, Pension Applications, and family histories.
GODSEY, HENRY, born ca 1801, Washington County, VA, enrolled at age 61 as a
private in the Sullivan County Tennessee Reserves (CSA), Capt. James WITCHER's
Company, The Zollicoffer Mounted Rifles, on June 13, 1863. He was described as
Henry Godey, being 5ft. 7in. in height, with a dark complexion, black eyes and
grey hair, and was a farmer residing in Sullivan County. As shown in the 1850
Census, Henry and wife, Abagail, had 8 children, 4 boys and 4 girls. By 1860,
Henry had married Mary GLOVER and their household included Mary's children with
Jonathan GLOVER, as well as their own young family and some of Henry's first
family.
GODSEY, JACKSON, Sgt., Co. F, 63rd Tennessee Infantry, enlisted in May 1862 and
was transferred to the government wagon shop in November 1862 upon surgeon's
certificate of disability. He was captured May 16, 1864 at Drewery's Bluff, VA,
deserted December 25, 1864, and was paroled February 25, 1865 at Elmira, New
York. He was the son of Henry and Abagail GODSEY, born May 27, 1832 in Sullivan
County, died July 25, 1914 in Bristol, TN. His first wife was probably a GLOVER;
he married Clementine CARRIER, daughter of William and Sarah CARRIER, September
15, 1861. He was a carpenter and had two children by his first wife and 10 with
Clementine.
GODSEY, ANDERSON, Pvt. Company K, 3rd (Lillard's) Infantry, enlisted May 8,
1861. He was promoted to Sgt. and 2nd Lieut. after the company was reorganized
into Company E, 63rd Tennessee Infantry in July 1862. He fought at New Creek and
Manassas, VA, in 1861. The 63rd fought at McLemore's Cove and Chickamauga, GA,
Fort Loudon and Bean's Station, Tennessee in 1863; and Drewery's Bluff and
Petersburg, VA, in 1864. He was wounded across the left scapular region June 16,
1864, and hospitalized at Williamsburg, VA, and Raleigh, NC. He returned to duty
in November 1864 and was surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse. He was the son of
Henry and Abagail GODSEY, born June 4, 1834, in Sullivan County, died November
7, 1891 in Meigs County, TN and is buried in the Family Cemetery there. He
Married Melinda Ellen GRAHAM, daughter of Robert and Catherine RICHARDS,
November 7, 1867 in Roane County, TN. He farmed in Meigs County, Tn and had 8
children.
GODSEY, CROCKETT R., Pvt., Company K, 3rd (Lillard's) Tennessee Infantry, later
Company E, 63rd Tennessee Infantry, enlisted May 8, 1861 at Bristol, TN. His
rank alternated between private and corporal. He was sick and sent to Dalton
Hospital in October 1863. He was killed in action at Drewery's Bluff, VA, May
16, 1864. He was the son of Henry and Abagail GODSEY, born ca 1838.
Compiled by Mary Jane Erwin, Kingsport, TN for the HOLSTON PATHFINDER SERIES,
1993.
For Thomas Godsey and Phoebe Lacy Family Data see Thomas Lacy
