GOODWIN, Corning E.

GOODWIN, LITCHFIELD, REED, PUTNAM, CHAMBERLAIN, RAPLEE, NICHOLS, CHATTERTON, LEPREVOST

Posted By: Volunteer Transcribers
Date: 1/19/2003 at 20:29:55

CORNING E. GOODWIN.

Corning E. Goodwin, one of the oldest men in the service of the Chicago & Northwester Railway, residing in Clinton, Iowa, was born in Littleton, Massachusetts, February 28, 1837, and is a son of Jonathan and Betsy (Litchfield) Goodwin, both representatives of very old New England families. His maternal grandparents lived to be about eighty years of age. The father was born in 1803, in Kennebec, Maine, of which state his father was also a native, but the former spent the greater part of his life in Littleton, Massachusetts, where he died at the advanced age of ninety-six years. By trade he was a blacksmith and an expert machinist. His wife died at the age of sixty-eight years. Thirteen children were born to them, but only two are now living: Corning E., the subject of this sketch; and Emeline A., wife of Morton Reed, of Lexington, Massachusetts. Only one of the children besides our subject, came west. Two sons were soldiers of the Civil war.

Corning E. Goodwin spent the first seventeen years of his life upon a farm, and is indebted to the country schools for his educational privileges. On leaving home he began his railroad career as brakeman on the Fitchburg Railway for two years, and then came west to Chicago and Bloomington, Illinois. For a year he was fireman on the Chicago & Mississippi Railroad, now the Chicago & Alton Railroad, and then returned to Chicago, where he worked in the yards of the union depot for five years. At the end of that time he went to Jackson, Tennessee, and after firing on the Mobile & Ohio Railroad, he was given an engine, pulling construction, freight and passenger trains on that road for some time. While in the service of that company the road was completed to Corinth, and he ran a passenger train between Jackson and Columbus, Kentucky, until operations were abandoned on account of the war. He remained there until the evacuation of Corinth, and then walked back to Jackson, a distance of seventy-five miles. He was employed by General J. B. McPherson to run a train on the Mobile & Ohio Railroad for the accommodation of Union soldiers for seven months. While in the south he was engineer on the General Beauregard, and in that capacity steered his engine not only over that road, but over others which he had never seen before, this being called “wildcatting.” He hauled rebels and Union men over the same road, and had many thrilling experiences during those troublesome times, and was very glad to get back to civilization again.

In 1862 Mr. Goodwin returned to Chicago, and entered the employ of the Illinois Central Railroad as conductor, but soon afterward became connected with the Chicago & Northwestern Railway, running into Fulton, Illinois. After the completion of the bridge across the river, he moved his family to Clinton, in 1868, and has since made this city his home. He has owned several pieces of property here, which he has improved, and since 1891 has resided at 734 Stockholm street. For many years his run was between Clinton and Chicago, and after two years spent in the freight service, he ran a passenger train for about twenty-three years, but since 1885 has had charge of the switch engine in the yards at Clinton. He is one of the oldest men in the service, and had he remained on the east end of the road, he would be No. 1, but is No. 82 on the Iowa division. When he first went upon the road, it was known as the Galena & Chicago Union Railway, and there were only about fifty-six engines in use, while now there are over fifteen hundred. The old wood-burners were then in use, and he has taken considerable interest in the improvement of engines, as well as the many changes that have been made in every department of railroading. For one week he was on the Old Pioneer, exhibited at the World’s Fair in Chicago, in 1893, dredging ditches on the Freeport division.

At Chicago, March 4, 1858, Mr. Goodwin married Miss Hannah E. Putnam, who was born in Orfordville, New Hampshire, in 1840, and traces her ancestry back to a prominent old colonial family, being a descendant of John Putnam, who came from England in 1634 and settled at Danvers, Massachusetts. She is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and as an officer takes great interest in that society. She is also chief of the Ladies’ Auxiliary, G. I. A., of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. At the age of four years she became a resident of Chicago, and was educated in the public schools of that city, and entered the first high school on the first examination held for a high school in Chicago. She is a great reader, and is especially well posted on historical events. During the war she followed her husband all through his travels in the south. Her parents were Samuel and Lydia Putnam. By trade her father was a shoemaker, but after his removal to Chicago he was extensively engaged in the transfer business, running six wagons, and for twelve years was on the police force, and at the time they had the lager beer war he was captain of the day force. He died in that city when forty-six years of age, and his wife passed away at the home of our subject, in Clinton, at the age of seventy-seven. They had nine children, of whom five are living: John, a gateman for the Illinois Central Railroad, in south Chicago, was for many years a conductor on that road; Angelina, wife of R. L. Chamberlain, of Maywood, Illinois; Hannah E., wife of our subject; Harriet, wife of A. L. Raplee, of Colorado; Florence A., wife of George B. Nichols, of San Francisco.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Goodwin were born eight children, of whom two died in infancy the others are as follows: Violet L., born in Jackson, Tennessee, is now the wife of George Chatterton, of Clinton. Estella is a teacher in the Clinton schools, and is the wife of Fred LePrevost, bookkeeper for Walsh Brothers, of Clinton. Frank W, is a brakeman on the Chicago & Northwestern Railway, and has traveled quite extensively. Lillian is a graduate of the public schools of Clinton, and for a time was private secretary to Henry Sabin, superintendent of public instruction, and was also employed in Haywood’s bank, of Clinton, but is now attending college in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Grace L. is at home. John was a member of the Forty-ninth Iowa Volunteer Infantry during the Spanish-American war. He learned the machinist’s trade in the shops of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway, at Clinton, where he is now employed.

The family are members of the Congregational church, and Mrs. Goodwin takes a very active part in its work. Since 1873 our subject has been a member of Clinton division, No, 125, Brotherhood of Locomotive engineers, was it chief engineer for four years, and has filled other offices in the same. During his long residence in Clinton he has made a host of war friends, and is held in the highest regard by all who know him.
Source: The 1901 Biographical Record of Clinton Co., Iowa, Illustrated published: Chicago : S. J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1901.