Kinship | Analysis | Documents | Contributors | Descendants
Who is John Goldsmith?
John Goldsmith was born 1761 in Camden District (possibly present day Kershaw County), South Carolina. He served in the Revolutionary War in the South Carolina militia. About 1790 (possibly in Georgia) he married Lovie Caswell, daughter of Matthew Caswell III and Elizabeth _____________. They had several children, probably all born in Georgia. From the documents currently available, they lived in Putnam County, Georgia from 1807-1820, and were in Coweta County, Georgia about 1833-1835. Shortly after that, they moved to Chambers County, Alabama. John Goldsmith died in 1841 in Chambers County, Alabama. Lovie Caswell Goldsmith died in May, 1850, also in Chambers County. The children we know of are: Elizabeth b. ca. 1791 m. William Presley Nancy b. ca. 1793 m. Pleasant Statum John T. b. ca. 1795 m. 1st Sarah Collins William Hale b. ca. 1797 m. 1st Zilpha Kornegay Allen (A.?) b. ca. 1803/05 m. 1st Emily Campbell, 2nd. Mary Jeter Martha b. ca. 1805/09 m. Henry W. Emfinger Matthew Caswell b. ca. 1815 m. Elizabeth Huggins George Madison b. ca. 1815 m. Elizabeth Goodwin There may be other children. For more information, navigate to the Analysis page.Purpose
The purpose of the official John Goldsmith Foundation site is to make available to interested researchers an extensive "public library" of authoritative documents relating to the life of John Goldsmith. By so doing, we hope to unravel the mystery of his ancestry, lost for so many years. The format of this site will, by its nature, evolve and expand.How this site is put together
This site is composed of several pages, including Documents, Analysis, Contributors, and Descendants. Others may be added later including images of pertinant documents or others. To navigate to a new page, go to the top and click the Site Map popup menu. Here is a description of each page:Analysis
The Analysis page contains commentary and analysis of the documents that shed light on the different life events of John Goldsmith and Lovie Caswell. The goal is to find the paresnts of John Goldsmith. By establishing the dates and places for each event in their lives (which is simply performing responsible and accurate research), hopefully we can discover clues that will take us to his parents. Since very few primary source documents exist from this time period, the dates and places will most likely be determined from groups of secondary source documents, such as pensions, obituaries, land records, census records, etc . . .Documents
The Documents page contains the list of the documents that have been discovered and that are relevant to the research question. A short physical description of the document will be included including whether the John Goldsmith Foundation is in possession of a copy of an original document, a transcribed copy, or no copy at all, but simply knows of its existence. Where a transcribed document exists on the internet, a link will be provided.Contributors
Another major purpose of this site is to get researchers interested in this problem together. Anyone interested may have their name and as much information as they like posted on this page. Simply send an e-mail with the information you would like to show. Give you research interest also, and tell me of any documents or analysis you can share.Descendants
Just for fun, we have a list of many of the descendants of John Goldsmith. Contributions to this list are also welcome. If you would like to make a submission, a GEDCOM file is the best format. I can take text files too if you can't create a GEDCOM.How it works
Researchers will contribute copies of documents to the John Goldsmith Foundation that will help establish each of the important parts of John Goldsmith's life, from his birth, throughout the significant events of his life, to his death.How to contribute
In attempting to solve this problem, the Foundation solicits submissions of documents and annotations (comments about the documents). If you wish to contribute documents, you can do this in two ways: 1. (Preferred) Mail a copy of the document(s) that you wish to share with the "library." This is important so that if other researchers write requesting a copy, they can request them from one single source. It also saves you the hassle of dealing with multiple requests for the same documents. With the document, you may optionally include annotation or annotations describing how these documents contribute to the research question. Scan the research page to see some examples. Photocopies of the original document are ALWAYS preferred. 2. (The other way) E-mail an annotation and a thorough description of the document(s) you wish to share. The site will note documents that I don't have original copies for (and therefore cannot verify or copy for other researchers). This is of course easily remedied. Simply mail me a copy of the documents. Other researchers will be grateful. In either case, please let me know whether you would like your name listed and if you would like to be listed on the list of contributors. I am also looking to expand the list of descendants. In general, we won't list descendants born within the last 110 years for the sake of privacy. Older descendants, of any surname (not just Goldsmith descendants) however, are welcome.How to be listed as a contributor or researcher
A whole page is dedicated to contributors and researchers. If you wish to be listed on this page as a researcher into this question, a simple e-mail will do. Simply tell me what information you would like to post. The only thing that is required is a name (can't post much without at least a name!). You can optionally list your home address, e-mail address(es), phone number and relation to John Goldsmith (including, hopefully, from which of his children you descend). I won't post any information about anyone without written (or e-mailed) permission, so yes, you can submit documents and information and remain anonymous if you prefer.Where do I send documents and questions?
The webmaster for this site is James D. Meyer. You can send questions or documents to: James D. Meyer c/o School of Abraham PO Box 587 Hamilton, GA 31811
Does this cost anything?
My intention is to provide this service for free. I am very interested in solving this problem. Hopefully, the cost of postage and/or copies won't be prohibitive after a while.All Goldsmith pages copyright ©1999-2006 School of Abraham. All rights reserved.