Fifer William Goodenow

Fifer William Goodenow (1759 - 1838), of English heritage, was born in Natick, the son of Elijah and Deborah. He married Phebe (Man) in 1782, and had at least 4 children. Seven people are recorded as living in his household in the 1790 Natick census. In his pension application filed in 1832, Goodenow made the following declaration regarding his service (recorded by the probate judge):

“....he [William Goodenow] served as fifer in the army of the revolution in 1776 in Captain Hezekiah Broad’s company. That he marched with said company to New York and New Jersey by the way of Rhode Island and through Hartford in Connecticut. That he was gone on this expedition three and half months…In 1778 the said Goodenow further states that he enlisted and marched as fifer to Rhode Island in Captain Amos Perry’s company in the later part of July or near the first of August and served on this tour six weeks… In 1779 I was again called out on two alarms to Rhode Island under Captain Joshua Fisk and I served on a fifer in both of these tours, twenty days according to my recollection. I had scarcely become acquainted with my officers in so short a tour I cannot say who they were. In April 1775 I marched from Natick to Roxbury as a fifer in Captain Joseph Morse’s company.”

The Goodenow family home was located in the area of Natick called the Needham Leg. The Needham Leg is marked on the 1750 Livermore Map. It was part of Needham during the war.

He is buried in the North Cemetery.