Goudie Family His-Story
The original spelling of our name was "Gade" and is of Norse
decent, appearing in writings as early as 780 AD. Another theory offered by
"Jim Goudey" of Newcastle Upon Tyne, England is that, the Norsemen
gave the name of "Godi or Hof-Godi" to their Temple Priest, who was
for the most part also Chieftain. The Icelandic Saga 'The Burnt Njal'
states" his was the only Civil and Religious Authority. Members of the
Gade, Goude and Gauden's arrived with "William the Conqueror" at
"Hastings" England to defeat the Saxons in 1066. The Gawdy name was
first defined by the Norse people as "Yard" which meant "
enclosure" to them. Later it was understood by the Scots to mean
"clip" or "fist".
The first recognized head of our family in Great Breton was the former
Norman Knight, Sir Breuse Gawdy, who had been captured by the British at the
battle of Gascon in 1352. After his release from prison he was naturalized and
stayed at Suffolk England. Another Famous ancestor around this time was Sir
Francis Gawdy, born in 1532, who while acting as the Queen Sergeant opened the
case against Mary Queen of Scots. This trial was held at Fotheringay Castle in
1586. Sir Francis eventually went on to become Chief Justice.
Among the first known to have come to New England in North America were the
Goudey's who settled about Dover, Newcastle, and the Isle shoals in New
Hampshire, whose names appear as early as 1710 and 1715. Amos Goudey, probably
from the Newcastle family, appeared in the town York, in Maine, as a landowner
in 1722. A James Goudey of New Hampshire was a married man at the time of the
French War and was killed at the siege of Louisburg, (Nova Scotia). The
records of Boston, Medford, Medfield, Marblehead, Taunton and Lynn show
families of the name were in the town as early as 1712. Simon Gowdy a resident
of Boston, must have been born before the dawn of the nineteenth century.
James Gowdy and Hill Gowdy were contemporary with this Simon Gowdy and were
eventually his kindred. Some of these people were married and had children
born in the towns mentioned, but finally moved to Connecticut and became heads
of numerous families there.
"George Goudey" (1) was the first known descendent of ours living
in North America that I can trace most of the off spring of James and Philip
Goudey to . He had settled in Marblehead Massachusetts but was originally from
Northern Ireland. He was married to Elizabeth Morgan in 1736. Two of his three
sons James and Phillip moved to Forchu (Yarmouth N.S.) in 1775, to start our
Canadian link. Even though one would think the two would have been pro British
because of their migration at the beginning of the American Revolution, they
were in fact sympathetic to the American cause ! I discovered this fact in a
book called " Annals of Yarmouth and Barrington in the Revolutionary
War". It notes that both James and Phillip helped American privateers
escape from a British prison in Halifax. Because of this fact, they were given
clear sea passage from American forces to the port of Boston from Yarmouth N.S.
during the hostilities.
1842 was the year of birth of one of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia's most famous
sons and our ancestor, Captain Aaron Goudey. He eventually went on to become a
Master Mariner and Ship owner. He was Director of the Yarmouth Exchange bank,
Director of Arcadian Insurance Co in 1860 and Director of the Yarmouth Marine
Railway. Most of Aaron's Goudey fortune was lost in the early 1920's through
bad investments. No doubt, it was shortly after this that the words " In
Goudey We Trust" all others pay cash, was first muttered by our Clan !
Two member's of our Nova Scotia branch were also American Civil War
participants . They were Charles Goudey, who while fighting for the 1st
Massachusetts heavy artillery, was killed at the battle of Spottsylvania Court
house in 1864. The second was Thomas Goudey, who while serving with the
Northern Navy was made prisoner by the Confederacy and eventually died at Camp
Tumplers prison , Georgia.
To wrap up, most of the "Goudey" families who settling around the
Maritimes of Canada have done very well. From their unique walk and sense of
humour, to their love of children and family, they were, and are special
people.
Our original name was spelled "Gade" and is of Norse decent appearing in
writings as early as 780 AD. The Scandinavians or Vikings under Rollo, the
"Ganger", afterwards the Duke of Normandy, entered the River Seine in France
in 876 with as many as 700 galleys and 40,000 followers. He compelled the king
to deed to him what is now the whole province of Normandy. Rollo divided the
lands among his followers. They intermarried with the French. The Breuses
(Bruise, Bruce) were connected by marriage to the Gaudas and were together in
the conquest of England 1066 under William the Conquer and had grants of land
in England. Sir Breuse Gawdey was a knight in 1352. Both the Gawdey and Breuse
families went to Scotland. It was Francis Gawdy as Judge of the Queen's Bench
who on Oct. 14, 1586 at Fotheringham Castle read the charges against Mary,
Queen of Scots and gave judgment against her in the Star Chamber in London.
The Gawdy-Goudie family and the Bruise-Bruce family were in Ayreshire,
Scotland as early as Henry VI reign. The Goudies had a mill (Cragie Mill) and
lived in that section for 400 years. They were Covenanters and suffered the
persecutions of the times, as King Charles I who was a bigoted Catholic tried
to force the Episcopal Service Book upon the Protestant population of
Scotland.
In 1603 King James commenced the undertaking of planting 6 counties in
Ulster in the north of Ireland with his Scottish subjects. He had crushed the
Irish Rebellion and had confiscated more than 2,000,000 acres of land. Leases
were to be for not less than 21 years and the Scotch tenants were to be
prevented from marrying with the Irish natives. Among the emigrants were
members of the Ayreshire family of Goudie. John Gowdy was a schoolmaster there
in 168l. Rev. John Goudy was Presbyterian minister.
The country was plagued by wolves and the dispossessed Irish who hid in the
hills and descended to kill people and stock and set fire to the houses. They
were called Woodkern. in 1640 they killed 40,000 of the Scots. Cromwell
crushed the rebellion. When Charles II became king in 1660 he persecuted the
Protestants in Scotland so that many more fled to Ireland. They were
persecuted there and Charles sent armies against them until William of Orange
sent 2 ships with men and provisions. After this thousands fled from Northern
Ireland to America. The early Goudey's in New England probably came to America
around 1719, although there is some evidence to suggest they may have come
earlier than that.
"George
Goudey" was the first known descendant in North America living at Marblehead
Massachusetts. He was married to Elizabeth Morgan in 1736. His 2
sons James
Goudey and Phillip Goudey
moved to Forchu (Yarmouth N.S.) in 1775 to start the Canadian link. Even though
one would think they would have been Pro-British to move to Canada during
the start of the American Revolution, they were in fact Pro-American. Steve
Goudey discovered this fact in a book called "Annals of Yarmouth and
Barrington in Revolutionary war". It notes that both James and Phillip helped
American Privateers escape from a Halifax, British prison. Because of this
fact they were given clear sea passage from American forces to the port of
Boston during the hostilities.
(Kenneth R.
Goudey) is a 7th Generation descendant of George and Elizabeth Goudey. K.
R. Goudey is also a descendant of Thomas Hatfield
who was born in Yorkshire England in 1600 and came to America in the mid
1600's.
P. Dennice Goudie is a
6th Generation descendant
of James Goudie
christened: September 18, 1808; Stromness, Orkney Islands, Scotland. In 1828, aged 19, he was on a whaling vessel in the Davis Strait. In May of 1829, he joined the Hudson�s Bay Company. A
blacksmith and grist mill operator he retired April 1852 and decided to move his wife and children to Victoria, British Columbia where he lived out his remaining days Many members of the Goudie family also remained in the Sooke and Otter
Point area, while several moved to connect with other relations throughout the
northwestern U.S.A.
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