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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE ARTICLE ON SETH F. GOODWIN

Seth F. Goodwin, one of the thrifty and successful young farmers of Branch County, is pleasantly located on section 9, in the township of Matteson, where he owns an excellent farm of 240 acres of fertile land, which makes it one of the largest and best farms in Branch County.  Mr. Goodwin was born upon the farm where he now resides, April 11, 1854, and has been its owner for the last fourteen years, during which he has become one of the prominent men of the county, and brought his land to its present high state of cultivation.

The father of our subject, Charles H. Goodwin, was a native of Rochester, N.Y., and a son of Seth Goodwin, a native of the same State, who operated a sawmill and engaged extensively in the lubber trade.  He was thus engaged until 1835, when he came to Michigan, and locating first in Colon, St. Joseph County.  He subsequently sold this property and purchased land in Matteson Township, this county, upon which he resided actively until his demise, Oct. 12, 1859, at the age of sixty-three years.  Seth Goodwin was a native of New Hampshire, and removing to Rensselaer County, N.Y., was married , when a young man, in Albany, in that State, to Miss Sarah Winne, who was born in Brunswick, Rensselaer County, in 1803, and is of York State parentage. 

Charles H. Goodwin while still a boy accompanied his parents to this State, though he had received his education in his native State, and resided with them on their new farm until his marriage, which took place in Matteson Township, with Miss Jane Bennett, a native of York State, who came to Michigan when quite young.  She became the mother of four children, and died when her youngest, our subject, was an infant of six months.  The other children are recorded as follows:  Charles E. married Sarah Hogoboom, who is now deceased, and he resides in Colon Township, St. Joseph County; Sarah E. became the wife of Emery Blossom, a farmer of Sherwood Township; Mary J. became the wife of William Grover, but he is now deceased and she resides in Colon Township.  The father of our subject gave up agricultural pursuits late in life, and engaged as a merchant and hotel-keeper in Colon, where he died in 1880, aged fifty-six years.

The subject of this biographical notice grew to manhood in Colon Township, St. Joseph County, and there received his education at the common schools.  On the 2nd of June, 1874, he was united in marriage in that place, with Miss Eva A. Legg, who was born in Colon Township, Nov. 7, 1852, and is the daughter of Orin Legg, a native of York State and a mechanic and farmer by occupation.  He there married for his first wife Miss Sarah Bangs, and they subsequently came to Michigan, but she died while on a visit in the Empire State, and her only child died in infancy.  Mr. Legg was a second time married, in Colon, to Melissa Webster, who was born in Lorain County, Ohio, in 1823, and was a little less of seven years when she came with her parents to Colon Township, St. Joseph Co., Mich., which they made their home until the decease of her father, Dec. 31, 1870, at the age of fifty-eight years.  Mrs. Legg still survives at the age of sixty-five years, and resides in the same township in which she first settled.

The union of Mr. and Mrs. Goodwin has been blessed by the birth of six children, one of whom, Mahel G., is deceased.  The other are Effie A., Reah A., Carl H., Orin S., and Lorin E.  The parents are members in good standing of the Baptist Church, at Colon.