John Goffe
Encyclopedia
John Goffe was a Colonial America
n soldier. His name is preserved in the name of Goffstown, New Hampshire
and the Goffe's Falls neighborhood of Manchester, New Hampshire
.
, and Hannah Parrish of Nashua, New Hampshire
. His grandfather, also named John Goffe, emigrated to New England
in 1662 or 1663. Goffe was born in Boston in 1701 and baptized in the Old North Church
under the ministry of Increase Mather
. As a young man, he was a hunter and trapper in the woods of New Hampshire
. He married Hannah Griggs of Roxbury, Massachusetts
on October 16, 1722, with whom he had a family of eight daughters and one son.
on his third and final expedition against the Abenaki during Dummer's War
. He was left with a small garrison at a fort built at Ossipee
before the climactic fight and death of Capt. Lovewell on May 8 near the Abenaki village of Pequewket now Fryeburg, Maine.
In 1734, Goffe and his family moved to Derryfield, New Hampshire, now named Goffstown in his memory. In 1744, during King George's War
, he became a captain of scouts (snowshoe men) and led a company protecting the frontier of New Hampshire from Indian attack. In 1744, he built a saw mill and a grist mill in Bedford, New Hampshire
.
At the outbreak of the French and Indian War
in 1754, Goffe rejoined the New Hampshire Militia
and served in Joseph Blanchard
's Regiment. He saw action at the battles of Lake George
, Fort William Henry
, Carillon
, Ticonderoga
and Montreal
, during which time he rose to the rank of Colonel
and became the commander of the New Hampshire Provincial Regiment
. In 1759, the regiment helped to build the Crown Point Military Road from Fort at Number 4
to Fort Crown Point
. After the war, Goffe became the commander the Ninth New Hampshire Militia Regiment
.
to take command of troops in the field – he was seventy-four – Goffe was an avid revolutionary, serving in the provincial legislature and becoming the first probate
judge for Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
. Before dying, he also witnessed the creation of the United States.
Goffe is buried at the old graveyard in Bedford, New Hampshire.
episode of the television series, The West Wing
.
Colonial America
The colonial history of the United States covers the history from the start of European settlement and especially the history of the thirteen colonies of Britain until they declared independence in 1776. In the late 16th century, England, France, Spain and the Netherlands launched major...
n soldier. His name is preserved in the name of Goffstown, New Hampshire
Goffstown, New Hampshire
Goffstown is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 17,651 at the 2010 census. The compact center of town, where 3,196 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Goffstown census-designated place and is located at the...
and the Goffe's Falls neighborhood of Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
.
Biography
Goffe was the son of John Goffe, the town clerk of Londonderry, New HampshireLondonderry, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,236 people, 7,623 households, and 6,319 families residing in the town. The population density was 555.8 people per square mile . There were 7,718 housing units at an average density of 184.6 per square mile...
, and Hannah Parrish of Nashua, New Hampshire
Nashua, New Hampshire
-Climate:-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 86,494 people, 35,044 households, and 21,876 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,719.9 people per square mile . There were 37,168 housing units at an average density of 1,202.8 per square mile...
. His grandfather, also named John Goffe, emigrated to New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
in 1662 or 1663. Goffe was born in Boston in 1701 and baptized in the Old North Church
Old North Church
Old North Church , at 193 Salem Street, in the North End of Boston, is the location from which the famous "One if by land, and two if by sea" signal is said to have been sent...
under the ministry of Increase Mather
Increase Mather
Increase Mather was a major figure in the early history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Province of Massachusetts Bay . He was a Puritan minister who was involved with the government of the colony, the administration of Harvard College, and most notoriously, the Salem witch trials...
. As a young man, he was a hunter and trapper in the woods of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. He married Hannah Griggs of Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was one of the first towns founded in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, and became a city in 1846 until annexed to Boston on January 5, 1868...
on October 16, 1722, with whom he had a family of eight daughters and one son.
Service in the Colonial Wars
On April 16, 1725, Goffe was with Captain John LovewellJohn Lovewell (Junior)
John Lovewell was a famous Ranger in the 18th century who fought during Dummer's War . He lived in present-day Nashua, New Hampshire...
on his third and final expedition against the Abenaki during Dummer's War
Dummer's War
Dummer's War , also known as Lovewell's War, Father Rale's War, Greylock's War, the Three Years War, the 4th Indian War or the Wabanaki-New England War of 1722–1725, was a series of battles between British settlers of the three northernmost British colonies of North America of the time and the...
. He was left with a small garrison at a fort built at Ossipee
Ossipee, New Hampshire
Ossipee is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,345 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Carroll County...
before the climactic fight and death of Capt. Lovewell on May 8 near the Abenaki village of Pequewket now Fryeburg, Maine.
In 1734, Goffe and his family moved to Derryfield, New Hampshire, now named Goffstown in his memory. In 1744, during King George's War
King George's War
King George's War is the name given to the operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession . It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in the British provinces of New York, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and Nova Scotia...
, he became a captain of scouts (snowshoe men) and led a company protecting the frontier of New Hampshire from Indian attack. In 1744, he built a saw mill and a grist mill in Bedford, New Hampshire
Bedford, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the Census of 2000, there were 18,274 people, 6,251 households, and 5,125 families residing in the town. The population density was 556.6 people per square mile . There were 6,401 housing units at an average density of 195.0 per square mile...
.
At the outbreak of the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
in 1754, Goffe rejoined the New Hampshire Militia
New Hampshire Militia
The New Hampshire Militia was first organized in March 1680, by New Hampshire Colonial President John Cutt. The King of England authorized the Provincial President to give commissions to persons who shall be best qualified for regulating and discipline of the militia. President Cutt placed Major...
and served in Joseph Blanchard
Joseph Blanchard
Joseph Blanchard was born in Dunstable, New Hampshire on February 11, 1704 to Capt. Joseph Blanchard and his wife Abiah Hassell. In 1724 he joined the New Hampshire Militia as a lieutenant and served in Capt. Eleazer Tyng's Company. On September 26, 1728 he married Rebecca Hubbard of Groton,...
's Regiment. He saw action at the battles of Lake George
Battle of Lake George
The Battle of Lake George was fought on 8 September 1755, in the north of the Province of New York. The battle was part of a campaign by the British to expel the French from North America in the French and Indian War....
, Fort William Henry
Battle of Fort William Henry
The Siege of Fort William Henry was conducted in August 1757 by French General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm against the British-held Fort William Henry...
, Carillon
Battle of Carillon
The Battle of Carillon, also known as the 1758 Battle of Ticonderoga, was fought on July 8, 1758, during the French and Indian War...
, Ticonderoga
Battle of Ticonderoga (1759)
The 1759 Battle of Ticonderoga was a minor confrontation at Fort Carillon on July 26 and 27, 1759, during the French and Indian War...
and Montreal
Battle of Montreal
Montreal, Quebec was the objective and site of several historical battles:*Schuylerpedition and Battle of La Prairie – failed English colonial expeditions against Montreal during King William's War...
, during which time he rose to the rank of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
and became the commander of the New Hampshire Provincial Regiment
New Hampshire Provincial Regiment
The New Hampshire Provincial Regiment was a composite regiment made up of units of the New Hampshire Militia during the French and Indian War for service with the British Army in North America. It was first formed in 1754 with the start of hostilities with France.-1755:In 1755 Col...
. In 1759, the regiment helped to build the Crown Point Military Road from Fort at Number 4
Fort at Number 4
The Fort at Number 4 was the northernmost British settlement along the Connecticut River in New Hampshire until after the French and Indian War. Now known as Charlestown, it was more than from the nearest other British settlement at Fort Dummer. Construction began in 1740 by brothers Stephen,...
to Fort Crown Point
Fort Crown Point
Crown Point, was a British fort built by the combined efforts of both British and Provincial troops in North America in 1759 at narrows on Lake Champlain on the border between modern New York State and Vermont...
. After the war, Goffe became the commander the Ninth New Hampshire Militia Regiment
Moore's Regiment of Militia
Moore's Regiment of Militia also known as the 9th New Hampshire Militia Regiment was called up at Lyndeborough, New Hampshire on September 29, 1777 as reinforcements for the Continental Army during the Saratoga Campaign. The regiment marched quickly to join the gathering forces of Gen. Horatio...
.
American Revolution
Though too old at the outbreak of the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
to take command of troops in the field – he was seventy-four – Goffe was an avid revolutionary, serving in the provincial legislature and becoming the first probate
Probate
Probate is the legal process of administering the estate of a deceased person by resolving all claims and distributing the deceased person's property under the valid will. A probate court decides the validity of a testator's will...
judge for Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 380,841 people, 144,455 households, and 98,807 families residing in the county. The population density was 435 people per square mile . There were 149,961 housing units at an average density of 171 per square mile...
. Before dying, he also witnessed the creation of the United States.
Goffe is buried at the old graveyard in Bedford, New Hampshire.
Popular culture
Goffe and his mill are mentioned in the Manchester Part IManchester Part I and Part II
These episodes of The West Wing deal with President Bartlet's decision to run for re-election, and the activities of the weeks leading up to his official announcement. Written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Thomas Schlamme, the episodes contain the first appearances by Ron Silver, Evan Handler and...
episode of the television series, The West Wing
The West Wing (TV series)
The West Wing is an American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999 to May 14, 2006...
.
Sources
- Colonel John Goffe: A Sketch by his Great-Grandson by Gordon Woodbury, Manchester, NH 1899
- Colonel John Goffe: 18th Century New Hampshire by William Howard Brown, Lew A Cummings Co. Manchester, NH 1950
- Capt. John Goffe's muster roll 1748