John Goodwin was born 1824 in Sligo, Ireland. He was baptized in St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Montreal City, Quebec, Canada in July 1828. He married Sarah Smith 11 April 1848 in St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Montreal City, Quebec, Canada. Their first three of fourteen children were born in Hamilton, Ontario, while the other children were born in Minnesota. John was a farmer much of his life. His granddaughter, Pearl Hugunin MacHenry, #57797803, wrote in her 1930 journal that he would take his grain to the old Dutch Grist Mill [Seppmann Mill] to be ground. In 1860 John received 71 acres of land in Blue Earth County from the BLM. In the 1870 census he was living in Judson, Blue Earth County, Minnesota and his occupation was listed as "running ferry." John died of apoplexy. (Information by Nancy Lang.)

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John Goodwin, one of the earliest settlers of this county, died about two o'clock on Friday, April 8, 1898 at his home in Mankato, after an illness of some weeks.

He was born of English parentage, at Sligo, Ireland, on September 3, 1824. His father was a captain in the English army and was stationed in Ireland at the time. Mr. Goodwin came to Montreal, Canada as a child. He married Sarah Smith on April 11, 1848 in Montreal.

The Goodwin's left Canada in 1853 and moved to St. Paul. In the spring of 1854, Mr. Goodwin and his brother-in-law, Robert Patterson, preempted land. They laid out the town site of Judson and it was annexed in December, 1856. Mr. Goodwin was postmaster at Judson, and when the township was organized, was made one of the first justices of the peace. A few years after the Indian uprising and massacre of 1862, Goodwin left Judson and moved his family to Mankato, and except for a short time spent in St. Paul, made Mankato his residence.

Mr. Goodwin was a modest, unpretentious man, of good abilities, and excellent character, highly respected by all who knew him. He is survived by his wife, Sarah, seven daughters and three sons: Susan (Charles) O'Connor, of St. Clair; Anna (Richard) Hugunin, of Northport, Wash.; Emma (Alvin) Larrabee, of Verndale; Ida (Christopher) Hopperstead and Mary (Herbert) Clements, of Minneapolis; Belle and Lulu of Mankato; William and Edward Goodwin of Minneapolis, and Charles Goodwin of Chicago.

Funeral services were held at the Baptist church at two o'clock Sunday afternoon. Interment was in the Glenwood cemetery.

(Information from Mankato, Minnesota newspapers and family research.)