John Goodman arrived on the Mayflower and signed the Mayflower Compact in 1620, along with other Pilgrims.
His time in the Old and New World is a mystery as there is virtually no record of his family, children, wife, or any other family member. It seems as if he traveled alone, and the only evidence of his existence is his signature and a story that took place during Governor John Carver's tenure in Plymouth Colony.
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Nothing is known about John Goodman before coming to the New World.
Outside of his signature, the only story of him is what took place in the woods shortly after arriving in Plymouth.
This story comes from the book Mourt's Relation A Journey of the Pilgrims at Plymouth. The following excerpt is located on American Ancestors:
On 12 January 1620/1, John Goodman and Peter Brown, while cutting thatch, became lost in the woods, spent a night in the open, and found their way back to the rest on the 13th. Goodman's feet were damaged, and "it was a long while after here he was able to go," and on the 19th, he "went abroad to use his lame feet
It seems as if when John returned, he had another encounter with a wolf while nursing his feet back to health when a wolf approached a spaniel, and the dog found comfort with Goodman. He threw a rock to run the wolf off.
In his memoirs, William Bradford mentions him as one of the first to die in the first winter.
There is some speculation as to whether he survived passed that since his name appears again in the 1623 Division of Land. There are theories that perhaps he had a son or another relative with a different last name that claimed the land.
Regardless, his name does not appear in the 1627 Division of Land, which meant he was dead prior to 1627.
Most likely, he died in that first winter.
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Parents: Unknown
Spouse: Unknown
Children: Unknown
Siblings: Unknown