Individual Details

Harry was born Sept. 8th, 1914 at 3408 South Moffet in Joplin, Mo. He was the fourth child born to Nannie [1880/1950] and Robert Ray Goheen [1879 /1953]. Oleta was the first at 15 pounds, then Ray at 14 1/2 pounds, then Roy at 14 pounds, then Harry at 13 1/2 pounds and John Harold was last at 13 pounds. Harry was one of the first babies delivered by Dr. Moody who became a very well known and liked "baby doctor". They weren't called pediatricians in those days. Oleta was probably born in 1900 and the others at 4 fn 5 years apart. When Nannie and Robert were first married, they lived in Murphysburg which we now call East town and Robert worked as a stage hand at the Joplin Theater located on the Southwest comer of 7th and Joplin Streets. He told of walking to work across the railroad tracks and carrying a gun for protection. That was in the days when Joplin had a reputation for being a very rough town and it lived up to it's reputation. That was also when the business district was centered around First and Main. The theater where he worked showed stage productions only. This
was long before there were movies. Robert was also skilled in masonry and worked on the Newman building at Sixth and Main and many other construction jobs. Later they moved to 3408 South Moffet street where Harry was born. He started school at Stapleton but during his first year some boys burned the building so he finished the first grade in a church building. He was very sick that year with pneumonia and Dr. Moody. said "take him to the country and turn him loose" which was goad advice for he grew up to be a big string man. His folks bought a ten acre tract of land in the Oak Grove community and they cleared the land and built two houses.
Oleta was married by this time to Bart Wellington and one house with five
acres was for them. The well was drilled on the boundary line to service both
houses. Harry learned to hunt, trap and fish. He had two dogs and one would chase a squirrel while the other one circled around in front and Harry would kill the animal with a sling shot. This was before he was old enough to have a gun. Any game that he brought home was eaten for this was in the early twenties sad people made do with what they had. They had big gardens, raised their own chickens, hogs and of course had a cow for milk. Robert would never let them eat the tenderloin when they butchered. He wanted lots of sausage! Since they had no way of preserving meat except with salt, they ate the meat in this order to keep from losing any from spoilage. First they ate the liver and heart then the side meat (which is bacon when cured) then the sausage and the shoulders and finally the ham (which had been salted]. This may sound like a hard life, but the food was better tasting than any we have now with all the "additives". But for Harry it was what the doctor ordered. The family attended church in Oak Grove at a small church where his father vas superintendent of Sunday School. He
was also on the School Board. Sunday was a big day for the Goheens.
Robert always put a roast with potatoes, carrots and onions in the oven
before they left for Sunday School.
Nannie baked at least two pies and a take. She also made a Idle dessert. In
the summertime there was fried chicken instead of roast. Sometimes a preacher from Joplin accompanied by his family would tome out and give the sermon. They stayed for dinner with Hotel's family and spent the afternoon playing croquet Harry went to school al Oak Grove until Ins eighth grade, Then, because he had to come to Joplin to South High at Twenty Second and Wall, he moved in
with Oleta and Bart, He had to ride to town with Bart and since Bart got up early to go to work at the Interstate Grocery at Tenth and Main, it was easier for Harry to live with them. Bert was very good to Harry. He allowed him to take the car to school after dropping Bart off at work and after school Harry would drive up and down Main Street with a carload of friends, which must have made him very popular. When he was in the Ninth grade Harry was introduced to football. He was big for his age end the coach put him in the game before he even knew what it was all about. But he soon learned and played tackle at first and later played fullback The next year he went to Neosho to school because he had no ride to Joplin. A Neosho teacher gave him a ride and since he could not stay after school, he did not get to play. But he did help coach the younger boys during school hours. He went to Galena, Kansas high school for the eleventh grade and his last year school. Bart and Oleta had moved to Galena and he lived with them. He did gel to play football that last year.
Harry doesn't nave much to say about his mother, SO we can assume that she was a home maker and probably worked very hard. We know that she was a good cook and she was exceptionally fond of "sweets". She was diabetic and the disease finally caused her death. During the thirties, every Saturday night the family would come to Joplin and while Robert did the weekly grocery shopping, Nannie ate a pint of ice cream at Weideman's Ice Cream Parlor. It was always a special treat when one had ice cream at Weideman's. Harry does tell one little story about his mother which shows that she had a of humor. It was while they still lived in Joplin. the church was to have a Halloween party and Robert wanted to go but Nannie said she didn't, but for him to go anyway He went on and a woman in a costume and mask came and nobody knew who she was. Robert tried very hard to see who she was, but not until everyone removed their masks did he learn that it was Nannie! She Week first place far the best costume.

Birth	4 Mar 1879	Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas
Census	7 Jun 1880	Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas
Marriage	25 Dec 1899	Joplin, Jasper County, Missouri - Nannie May Yoder
Census	17 May 1910	Shoal Creek Township, Newton County, Missouri
Death	30 Jul 1953	Osborne Memorial Cemetery, Joplin, Jasper County, Missouri

Spouse	Nannie May Yoder (1880 - 1950)
Child	Emma Oleta Goheen (1900 - 1984)
Child	Joseph Ray Goheen (1904 - 1973)
Child	Roy Robert Goheen (1906 - 1983)
Child	Harry Yoder Goheen (1916 - 2004)
Child	John Harold Goheen (1920 - 1978)

Father	Joseph Rittenhouse Goheen (1841 - 1929)
Mother	Emma Amdenisoila Watterson (1849 - 1904)
Sibling	John Watterson Goheen (1867 - )
Sibling	Frank Busby Goheen (1869 - 1935)
Sibling	Charles Carpenter Goheen (1872 - 1964)
Sibling	Allie Elizabeth Goheen (1874 - 1932)
Sibling	Odia L. Goheen (1886 - )
Sibling	Harry Goheen (1888 - 1896)

Notes