3 - Clarence Quarterman Goodrich, Sr.

Clarence Quarterman Goodrich, Sr. 

This week's ancestor is my paternal grandfather, Clarence Quarterman Goodrich, Sr. 

Grandpa Goodrich and Jennifer Goodrich Bonamo (me) in 1954

I chose Grandpa Goodrich because it seems like yesterday that we just spent time together.  The reason it feels this way is because I have just watched his 99th birthday celebration from 1991, on DVD.  My mom has been going through old videos, that were saved on VHS, and is converting them to DVD.  What an amazing treat it is to go back in time and watch our precious family time! Camcorders were a novelty then; the raw video has background noise, a constant tune of a Christmas decoration (since his birthday was the day after Christmas), and an occasional train in the distance, but is priceless because each person there is celebrating the special day and Grandpa's mind is as sharp as a tack.  He is witty and enjoying the celebration.  The only thing you might notice is he is a bit hard of hearing... but when asked if he could use a hearing aide, he promptly stated, if given one, it would be thrown in the trash. 

Clarence Quarterman Goodrich, Sr. was born December 26, 1892 to Axson Quarterman Goodrich and Annie Cleopatra Wilson Goodrich, in Oak Hill, Volusia County, Florida, USA.  He had two sisters, Lula and Annie, and three brothers, Samuel, Jefferson, and Elmer. 

The 1900 Census information, shown above,  listed an incorrect birthdate of April 1888 for Clarence Goodrich. The birth month, birth year, and age, were all incorrect.  However, the correct information listed was the names of his parents, Axson and Annie with their children in 1900, Lula, Samuel, Clarence, Jefferson, and Annie.  

In the 1910 Census, the ages were correct and Elmer was added to the list of children.  

On June 5, 1917, Clarence Goodrich registered for the World War 1 Draft. 

He served in World War I and was proud to be a United States Veteran. 

Clarence Quarterman Goodrich, Sr., on the left, with Glen Montgomery, Ankor Damgaard,  and  an alligator.

Clarence Sr., walking in front of Goodrich's store near the railroad tracks in Oak Hill. 

Clarence Q. Goodrich, Sr., married Eula Mae Worth, on August, 17, 1924. 

He was 31 years old. There was 17 years difference in their ages. 

Clarence and Eula Mae had six children within ten years.  Their first child, a boy, died shortly after birth in 1925.  My grandmother said he was a "blue" baby. She lost her first child at the age of 15.  The following year, at age 16, she had my father, Clarence Quarterman Goodrich, Jr., in 1926. Doris was born in 1928, then Earl in 1930, Ray in 1932, and Jean, the baby, in 1935. 

Clarence Goodrich grew up on the river and was a commercial fisherman.  He completed school through the eighth grade in Oak Hill and he explained to my dad on video that he had the choice afterward of working in the citrus groves or going out on the river as a fisherman and he chose the river.  He said he worked on the river with the exception of the time he spent in WWI.  He and his brother, Jefferson, started Goodrich Brothers Fish Company around 1910 in Oak Hill, FL. He also shared that their fish business was the only one that remained open during the Depression. They ran the business together until their retirement in the 1950s. 

Fish Houses in Oak Hill, FL in 1962 - Goodrich's Fish house in back

Clarence's future daughter in law, Ida Simmons Goodrich, is standing near the platform of the depot where the fish were packed in ice and shipped to Fulton's Fish Market in New York City, NY. 

In a portion of a letter, written by Clarence Q. Goodrich, Sr. to his son, Clarence Jr., in 1945, as he was getting close to returning home from his two years in US Army in World War II, a sentiment is shared of the excitement of a father as he awaits for his son to arrive home from war. 

Clarence and Eula Mae spent several months every summer in their summer home in Hendersonville, North Carolina.  Grandpa said his father told his children to "always have something growing while you are sleeping."  For this reason, he always had a garden in Oak Hill and in the mountains of North Carolina.  As a child, I remember my father and grandfather having a large garden in Oak Hill, along side of citrus trees.  In the mountains, you could look out the back door, over the porch railing, and see rows of corn, beef stake tomatoes, and many other summer vegetables growing in the red clay.  

Grandpa was very proud of his experiences growing up and raising his family in Oak Hill. He shared that his family were local pioneers in Oak Hill and his grandfather was originally from Pennsylvania. He was full of stories about the river, fishing experiences, and life during horse and buggy times with his parents.  How I wish we had all of these stories written down. On his 99th birthday, he even quoted a five verse poem that he recited when he was in school.  As he was approaching 100, several reporters came to interview this Oak Hill Pioneer. 

The following article was written by a local writer for the Daytona Beach News Journal, during the 1990s, John Carter. Rather than quoting excerpts from the article, I decided to include it so you could read it yourself.  Grandpa was proud to share his fishing experience and life growing up in Oak Hill, FL.  

In a video interview that my dad taped with his father, Clarence Q. Goodrich, Sr. and Mary Anderson, the two oldest citizens of Oak Hill living at that time, Grandpa Goodrich shared the memory of seeing his first car driven by its owner from New Smyrna Beach to Oak Hill.  It was a 2 cylinder Cadillac, he recalled, and the owner was driving it down the shell road and up to the Oak Hill school house. The teacher told the students to stay in their seats, but he said every one ran to the window to see the car.  He said it would have been impossible to keep the children in their seats.   

Screenshot of the video interview of Mary Anderson and Clarence Goodrich, Sr. by his son, Clarence, Jr.

Clarence Q. Goodrich, Sr. lost his wife on April 8, 1986.  They had been married for 61 years.

During the last year of his life, he would ask my dad, his son,  "How much longer until I turn 100 years old, son?"   Sadly, he fell shy of his goal of turning 100 years old by less than 2 months and passed away on October 29, 1992, at Fish Memorial Hospital in New Smyrna Beach, FL. 

Clarence Quarterman Goodrich, Sr. was 99 years old. He is buried at the Oak Hill Cemetery, Oak Hill, FL, less than a mile from his family home. 

Last updated: 08/30/17

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