Name: Absolom Goode
Birth Place: Blackheath, Birmingham
Residence: Coventry, Warwicks
Death Date: 19 Jul 1916
Rank: Corporal
Regiment: Royal Warwickshire Regiment
Battalion: 2/7th Battalion.
Number: 3930
Type of Casualty: Killed in action

There is no additional CWGC information. I have a fix for a marriage to either Mary Ann Hewitt or Mary Shaw in Dudley 1901 but the only birth seems to be Bedwelty 1874 - and no sign in the census data.

Thanks

Mel

On the Coventry Roll
Born 19.5.1891
Worked as an artificial silk spinner
Lived at 609, Foleshill Road, Coventry

Alan

Thanks - that knocks out the Bedwelty man and the 1901 marriage.

Mel

There is an Arthur born in Birchmoore and living in the parish of Polesworth who was three months old at the time of the 1891 census. I wonder if this is the same person?

Mel

Mel

There is an Absalom Goode marrying a Mary Evans Sep Qtr 1914 Coventry RD.

Also the following birth:

Clifford Goode Sep Qtr 1916 Coventry RD (Mothers Maiden Name Evans)

Pam

see my webpage at www.warmemorialpark.co.uk/fromelles.pdf for coventry men

Trevor

I can't seem to get the link to work.

I have dropped you a PM.

Mel

Trevor

Thanks for making the link work.

There is no genealogical information on your site about Absalom. Do you have any further information on his parentage now that Pam has identified his wife and child?

Mel

Mel,
I'm 99.9% certain that this is your man:

1901
Long Lane, Hill, Halesowen, Worcs
HOMER Albert, Head 35, Labourer in Brickyard, b Blackheath, Staffs
HOMER Rebecca, Wife, 29, b Blackheath, Staffs
HOMER Absalom, Son, 9, b Blackheath, Staffs
HOMER Ezra, Son, 1, b Halesowen, Worcs
HOMER Benjamin, Son, 1, b Halesowen, Worcs

He was born Absalom GOULD in Dudley district (covers Blackheath) in Q2 1891, the illegitimate son of Rebecca GOULD - who didn't marry Albert HOMER until Q1 1898 (in Stourbridge district).
No idea if Albert was his real father, but in 1891 Rebecca (just 18 and presumably heavily pregnant) is lodging just a few doors away from Albert's family in Oldbury Road, Rowley Regis, where his father ran the Bull's Head Inn at No.83.

Rebecca was the daughter of Benjamin and Mary Ann GOODE/GOULD/GOOLD/GOOD of Blackheath. The surname changes with each census and birth record! Benjamin was one of nine brothers, and each seems to have taken his own interpretation of the name on leaving home. Of the 6 brothers married by 1881, 3 are GOODE (including Benjamin) and 3 are GOULD. Tracing the dynasty backwards, they are GOOLD in 1871, GOODE in 1861, GOULD in 1851 and GOOD in 1841!

Rebecca is GOODE in 1881 at home with the family, and GOULD in 1891 when lodging alone.

This is the HOMER household in 1911, but Absalom is not there - or anywhere else! In the army already? He must have enlisted under a version of his birth name.

HOUSEHOLD HOMER ALBERT M 1866 45 Stourbridge Worcestershire
HOUSEHOLD HOMER REBECCA F 1873 38 Stourbridge Worcestershire
HOUSEHOLD HOMER BENJAMIN M 1900 11 Stourbridge Worcestershire
HOUSEHOLD HOMER EZRA M 1900 11 Stourbridge Worcestershire
HOUSEHOLD HOMER MARY F 1902 9 Stourbridge Worcestershire
HOUSEHOLD HOMER FRED M 1904 7 Stourbridge Worcestershire
HOUSEHOLD HOMER EMMA F 1906 5 Stourbridge Worcestershire
HOUSEHOLD HOMER ANNIE F 1907 4 Stourbridge Worcestershire
HOUSEHOLD HOMER FLORENCE GLADYS F 1911 2 MONTH Stourbridge Worcestershire

Adrian

Adrian

Absolutely astonishing!

Ahem ..... may I be slightly critical about your research?

The key piece of information that is missing is whether the act of coitus occurred in the hayloft or at the back of the cowshed.

Once more, many, many thanks!

Mel

Thanks to sterling work by MelPack who contacted my wife through her family tree on Ancestry.com if the remains of Absolom are found at Fromelles he should be able to receive a named burial. He is part of her lineage. In fact my mother-in-law is still alive and I guess a stronger DNA link so she will undertake the mouth swab.
I can fill in a few more of the missing details.
In 1911 he was living at 32, Birch Grove Terrace, Tirphill, Merthyr Tydfil, and his occupation was a Timberman. He was lodging with Thomas and Florence Jones. A David Parsons also from Blackheath was at the same house and at 22 years just 3 years older than Absolom. Friends? probably and I wonder if they joined up together?
You already have a marriage recorded to Mary Evans in Coventry in 1914, and the birth of a son Clifford. We have also found the death of a Clifford Goode in Coventry as a young child.
You have noted the inconsistecy with the spelling of the name, it has caused us a great many problems with our family research.
You also have recorded his mother as Rebecca 'Goode' she also had a brother called Absolom so I guess the name was from him.

Would you perhaps have a picture of Absolom i am rewritng the coventry roll of the fallen and adding in pictures with the 3600 men, thanks

Chalkie

Thanks for your kind comment but the laurels on this one are definitely for Adrian (apwright) in unravelling one of the most difficult of the genealogies.

Mel

Sorry, but we do not have any photographs.

Great work, Thats another I can knock off my list.

Best,

Tjapaltjarri

Tjapaltjarri, welcome to the Forum.

You seem to have quite an interest in this aspect of the Project as you’ve posted on a number of related threads this morning. We’ve had an experienced team of volunteer researchers working on this for quite some time. Can I ask where your involvement/interest lies?

V.

Hi Victoria,

My interest lies in the hunt! I have just completed a successful couple of colaborative searches, that lasted over six months of tooing and froing of emails and many hours of searching BMD's, Directories etc. with the Swedish National Archivists in Malmo on a couple of British men they were interested in and have developed a number of skills that could be helpful in this work of seeking suitable candidates to support the identification process.


I also helped the Aus MOD to find suitable relatives in the maternal line for Lt. Robert Ridout HMAS Sydney d 1940 - it ruled him out as it turned out, but the process is the same.

My grandfather fought on the Somme - not far from Fromelles and was gassed - He died in the Blitz. My greatuncle is buried in Basra war cemetery. My father was at the Sittang River when they blew the bridge up. My late RAF father-in-law was shot down in 1943 and has no resting place.

This one factor and the anguish that it brought to my wife's family down more than 60 years convinces me that the effort of identifying the dead, if we can somehow, even when those to whom they were dear are no longer here to care, provides a dignity and closure that are worthwhile for their own sake.

Best,

Tjapaltjarri

Tjapaltjarri, thank you for such a detailed explanation. However, in an earlier post you stated:



Are you also researching the British men missing at Fromelles after the action of 1916 and, if so, may I ask what results you’ve achieved? I should warn you that the “official” British Working List contains the names of 23 men who were nowhere near Fromelles when they were killed, much less buried at Pheasant Wood. The families of at least three of these men have agreed to participate in DNA testing, safe in the knowledge that their relative died at Fromelles (as this is what they’ve been told by the JCCC).

It would seem silly for you to be working in parallel on the same material when we have an experienced team of researchers already working on this. I’m sure that the help of another experienced researcher would be more than welcome.

V.