Mini-Bios for CAMPBELLs, LUGGs, & BLACKWELLs of Nelson, PA

Frances GOODRICH Hoyt (1871 - 1958)

Frances "Frank" Viola Goodrich was born Aug. 1, 1871, in Howard Co., IA, reportedly in a covered wagon on the way back to IL after a drought ended her Civil War veteran father's attempt at homesteading. She died 1958, in Binghamton, NY. Married Dec. 12, 1890 in Nelson, Tioga Co., PA to Joseph DeForest Hoyt, b. Dec. 14, 1860 in Farmington Twp., Tioga Co., PA; d. Mar. 14, 1903 in Nelson. Joe's parents were William Hoyt born in 1832 PA, and Phebe Campbell, born in 1832 in Nelson.

Frances' parents were Rev. Henry David Goodrich (called "H.D."), b. 1844 in Davenport, Delaware Co., NY, and Elizabeth Batterham (pronounced "bat-trum"), b. 1847 in IL.

Joseph and Frances Goodrich Hoyt had 3 children, all born in Nelson:

1. Jessica Phoebe Hoyt, b. Aug. 14, 1892, m. Walter Frederick Thompson;
2. Elizabeth Hoyt, b. Oct. 17, 1894, m. Lucian Roy Walker; &
3. Isabelle Merrill Hoyt, b. Sep. 17, 1897, m. Thomas Lazelle Field.

When Joe Hoyt dropped dead of "apoplexy" (a heart attack?) while working in fields he rented near the Nelson school, the family lost their own farm, which adjoined that of Joe's sister, Inez HOYT Boller, and were destitute. Frances and her daughters moved in with her parents. But Rev. Goodrich was retired and the space and his finances were strained. Inez eased the strain by taking the eldest daughter, Jessica, and raising her. Frances was able to support herself and her children, because her brother, David Z. Goodrich, came to the rescue by sending her to NY to be trained as a seamstress.

It's a sad story. Dave worked for Campbell Cousin Mark Seely and was engaged to his daughter, Lena. The expense of Frances' training required Dave and Lena postponing their wedding for a year. Dave and Lena did marry, but Dave died within a year.

But the training he paid for enabled Frances to get a job as a seamstress for Izard's department store in Elmira, NY and support herself and her two youngest daughters.

After her daughters all married, she had no home of her own, but rotated staying with each daughter part of the year.

She had a number of strange superstitions. When playing cards (which she loved to do), if she wanted to change her luck, her last resort was to get up, walk around the table three times, and then sit on her handkerchief.