Jacob and Frances settle in the Pleasant Valley area of Rockingham Co., VA near the Pike Mennonite Church (9 p8) south of Harrisonburg, VA.

1804 Mar: Jacob buys 120 acres from William Cravens. (18) He pays $1, perhaps to keep the actual amount confidential.

View Larger Map

This location of Jacob and Frances' 120 acres is estimated from their purchase in 1804 (18), Jeremiah Kyle's purchases from Jacob's heirs in 1810-1812 (2-5), and Kyle's 1815 taxes (19).

1805 ca.: Jacob Good (GC22) dies without a will. (3) Where he is buried is not known, but it may be in an unmarked grave at the Early Cemetery near his home. The family names of the in-laws of several of Jacob's children being among those listed as buried here (Whitmire, Rhodes/Rodes, Niswander, Coffman) makes this seem like a reasonable place for Jacob to be buried too.

The Circuit Court appoints "Abraham Peery" and "John Good" as the executors of Jacob's estate. This probably refers to Jacob's son-in-law Abraham Beery and son John. They are required to post a bond of $8,000. (28)

1805 Mar 27: The appraisal of Jacob's movable estate is certified (20), and sometime later his debts are paid. (21) The appraisal gives some insight into life on the Jacob Good farm.

First of all, most of Jacob and Frances' children may still have been living with them when Jacob died, probably in early March. Their oldest son John had just been married on January 22. One source (26 pEGH-11) tells us that son Daniel lived with Jacob until his death. Daniel was 23 when

Jacob died, and the remaining children were Joseph 21, David 18, Elizabeth 16, and Catharine 12. If Daniel was still living with his parents, these younger ones may have been too. Most likely, at least Catharine was.

The livestock on the farm includes at least six horses (and a woman's saddle), nine head of cattle, 12 sheep, and three hives of bees. To feed these animals and themselves they have a windmill, a haystack, and wheat, Indian corn, oats, rye, and dried apples. A branch of Cooks Creek crosses the farm, and they have a net for fishing.

They have hemp seed, flax, four spinning wheels, a loom, and some linen. This gives them a way to make clothes for themselves, and perhaps for others. To this largely uninformed person, four spinning wheels seem like a lot for a family of eight.

The family has a bible and at least 10 other books. Owning books was not nearly as common in 1805 as it is today because they were expensive, and 10 seems like quite a few. One of these books may have been the recently discovered hymnal reported in 2003 as belonging to son David.

On the first line of the appraisal are a clock and case that are valued at £8. That must have been some clock. It is worth more than most of the livestock and half of their best horse, which is valued at £18.

Finally, they have at least 100' of 1/2" plank, 160' of 1" plank, and 1/2 ton of plaster of paris. Does this perhaps tell us a building project was underway when Jacob died?

Jacob's estate documents seem to indicate an active farm and a family that could afford a few luxury items. When one considers, then, that Jacob bought this farm only about a year before he died, and he died without a will, one wonders if his death might have been quite unexpected.

1810-1812: Jeremiah Kyle buys Jacob's 120 acres from his heirs. (2-5) (9 p8)

Frances lives her final years with son Daniel and his wife Magdalene near Singers Glen, VA. (9 p8, 26 pEGH011)

1826 Aug 26: Frances Groh Good dies. She is the first person buried in Singers Glen Cemetery in Rockingham Co., VA. (6 p20) (22,23)