Individual Details

Occupation

By Frances Hofler
1364 Hurley Mtn. Rd.
Hurley, NY 12443
February 2000

Joseph McGinnes Goheen ? Bessie May Martin
1889?1972 1885?1957

Joseph McGinnes Goheen was born May 7, 1889 in Kolhapur, India to Joseph Milliken and Amanda McGinnes Goheen, missionaries for the Presbyterian Church Foreign Missions. He had three older brothers, Robert, John, and Richard and a younger sister, Frances. His health was good but when he was four years old he became very ill with high fever and wasting. He survived and in thanks his parents dedicated his life to God. In a letter dated September 13, 1893 to the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions his father stated "... we feel He has spared our child for some wise purpose, indeed we asked Him only to do so if it would be for His own glory."

At the turn of the 20th century when missionary children reached school age they were sent to the United States for their education. Thus, at about age seven Joseph sailed from India to live with Alice Y. McGinnes, his mother's sister in Wooster, Ohio. She raised all five of Joseph and Amanda's children. These children only saw their parents once every seven years when missionaries had a sabbatical in the United States.

He was schooled in Wooster and then attended Wooster College. At the request of his mother he transferred to Franklin College in Indiana where his older brother, John, was a coach because she felt his brother would be a good influence on him. He preferred agriculture and next transferred to Ohio State University. In his senior year he was offered a position with the Ohio State Agricultural Extension Program.. He left the University without receiving his degree and entered into the work he loved.

Joseph often told the story that he and a friend tossed a coin to decide whether they would settle on the east coast or west coast. Apparently the east coast won because when he left the Extension Program he had a position as foreman on a Newark, Delaware fruit farm owned by Dr. Thomas F. Manns. WWI broke out and he was drafted into the army. According to a newspaper article of the time, he was named by the draft board as "the leader of the first contingent" from the Newark, Delaware district. His discharge papers show that he was inducted into the army on September 4, 1917 and was discharged on October 14, 1918 in order to accept a commission as 1 st Lieutenant. He received his final discharge from the army March 25, 1919.

Although he was offered a position as an agriculturist by a Maharajah in India, he preferred to stay in the United States. To the best of our knowledge, on discharge from the army he went to Newark, NJ and there worked for Atwater Kent in the early days of radio. While there he met Bessie May Martin, a beautician at Bamburgers, a department store in Newark. Bessie, born in Williamsport, PA August 3, 1885, was educated in public schools to the 8th grade. She left school to work in a factory to help support the family. Her sister and brother?in?law, Sadie and Eugene Foresman settled in Newark and Bessie lived with them. Joseph and Bessie were married October 12, 1922.

After marriage, the couple moved to Williamsport, PA. Joseph worked as a custodian at the YMCA where his brother?in?law, Gordon W. Avison, was Secretary. Their first child, Frances Elizabeth, was born December 4, 1923. Shortly after this they moved to Ancram, NY where Joseph and a partner, Howard Dwy, cut and hauled ties for the rapidly expanding railroad industry. A worker stole one of their trucks causing the business to fail. Joseph then sold insurance and worked in the Ancram Paper Mill. A second daughter, Ruth Martin, was born August 22, 1926.

On December 3, 1929, at the onset of the depression, Joseph, Bessie and their little family moved to Pine Plains, NY where Joseph worked in Peck's Grocery store. The working hours were long in those days and Joseph worked five days a week from 6:OOAM to 6:OOPM and Saturdays from 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM.. Bessie opened a beauty shop in their home which she continued until 1950.

In 1940, after receiving an inheritance, Joseph built a building and started his own business raising chickens in battery cages, selling the eggs. WWII, for America, started on December 7th, 1941. Since everything went to the war effort, he was unable to purchase chicken feed and the fledgling business failed. Joseph then went to work in Hartford, Connecticut in a Pratt & Whitney aircraft factory and was there until 1945, commuting weekly.

After the war, Joseph rented the chicken building to a succession of clothing manufacturers. Bessie retired from the beauty shop and worked in the factory until 1953. Bessie died June 21, 1957. Joseph lived in Pine Plains until 1968 when he moved in with his daughter Frances and her family. He died June 3, 1972.

Throughout his life he was very active in community affairs. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church in Pine Plains, a member of the American Legion and the Lions Club. He was very active in organizing Little League baseball teams, umpiring for town teams, and was an avid golfer. He was a moving force in the development of a town swimming facility at Stissing Lake and the development of town baseball fields.

Bessie was also a member of the Presbyterian Church, American Legion Auxiliary, and the Eastern Star. Bessie and Joseph lived a calm, quiet, contented life in Pine Plains for 40 years, leaving a heritage of self?reliance, hard work, integrity, and responsibility.

Note

Joseph was color blind, with brown eyes

Census-shared

Alice Mcginnis born Oct 1851 single Pennsylvania paents Pennsylvania, own home free of mortgage
Mrs Anna Hull sister born Mar 1849 widow 5 children all alive Pennsylvania parents Pennsylvania
Arthur G nephew July 1879 born Pennsylvania father Ohio mother Pennsylvania
Robert H Goheen nephew Jul 1879 single born India parents Pennsylvania immigrated 1886 at school
John L Goheen nephew Dec 1883 born India immigrated 1841
Richard C nephew July 1885 Indian immigrated 1896
Joseph M nephew May 1889 India immigrated 1896

Census

Living with Alice McGinnis and brothers.

Residence

Located at Winona Lake, Indiana at time of fathers death.

Census

Amanda M. Goheen household, age 63, widow, has had 6 children and 5 are living, Born in PA, son Richard C age 24, born India, Joseph M age 30 born India, Frances A daughter age 19, born India. Next to the Livingstone Home for Children of Missionaries of the Presbyterian Church, USA.

Military

WWI Selective Service Registration in New Castle, Delaware.
born 7 May 1889, Kolhoper, India, farmer, single, tall slim tall slim, brown hair and eyes

Military

Discarged in order to get commission as "the leader of the first contigent", in order to accept a commission as 1st lieutenant.

Military

Final discarge from Army

Residence

After marriage they moved to Williamsport where Joseph worked as a costodian at the YMCA, and brother-in-law Gordon W. Avison was Secretary.

Marriage

Name: Bessie M . Martin, residence Newark
Marriage Age: 37
Event Type: Marriage
Marriage Date: 12 Oct 1922, Marriage Place: Newark, New Jersey
Father: Richard B. Martin
Mother: Louisa Smale
Spouse: Joseph M. Goheen,residence Newark
Father Joseph M Goheen, Mother Amanda Maginnis
Witness Elizabeth Goheen and Mary D Wasson

Upon discharged from the Army, Joseph went to Newark, NJ where he met Bessie Martin.

Residence

Joseph worked in Peck's Grocery store.

Residence

Joseph and partner Howard Dwy, cut and hauled ties for the rapidly expanding railroad industry. A worker stole one of their trucks causing the business to fail. Joseph then sold insurance and worked in the Ancram Paper Mill.

Census

Joseph M Goheen family lived in dwelling with another family and he paid $25 per month rent. The family did not have a radio. Joseph was 40 years old and was married at the age of 32. He was born in India and parents born in Pennsylvania, he came to the United States in 1897. In 1930 he was a clerk in a grocery store. His wife Bessie M is 44 years old and was married at the age of 37. She was born in Pennsylvania and parents born in Pennsylvania. Francis E a daughter age 6 and Ruth M. a daughter age 3 years and 8 months.

Residence

Moved in with daughters family, Frances Hofler.

Burial

Birth: unknown
Death: Jun. 3, 1972
Joseph M. Goheen of Hurley, NY, died June 3 at Mt. Holly, NJ. He was 83 years old. He was born in Kolhapur, India, and lived in Pine Plains since 1929. Veteran of WWI. Survived by 2 daus, Mrs. Francis Hopler of Hurley and Mrs. Ruth Nelson of Willingboro, NJ; 11 grandchildren, 1 great grandchild. Burial Pine Plains.
Pine Plains Register Herald, 7 June 1972