Dear Deborah,
...First let me start with my father and mother. My father was a very strict person and I know absolute nothing of his family, or his background. I do know that he was born in South Carolina, I am not sure of the town or county. He worked in some cotton mills and went into repairing shoes, and did that the rest of his working life. We left Augusta when I was about eight (8) years old and moved to Rome, GA. We lived in Rome until I was about fourteen (14) years old, and moved to Atlanta, GA. He had a shoe repair shop in Atlanta for a number of years, to be more specific until he retired. He was also a Church of God minister, and preached until just a few years before he died. Papa lived to be 95 or 97 I am not sure which. I am sorry I cannot tell you much about my father but he was not the kind of man that would talk to people about his life, or he did not talk to me about his past life when I was growing up. This I can say he was a good man and loved his family in his strange way. He lived for his church and family. I am sorry I don't have any pictures or certificates of any kind of my father or mother. I have never seen anything of that nature.
My mother was born in South Carolina or Augusta I don't know which. I do know that my mother was half indian and that she had a very hard life. You have told me more about my mother than I ever knew more about her than anyone else did. I do know that she had a brother who lived in Hephzibah, Ga. His name was John Goodin. I also know my mothers father was Watts Barker, and that is all I know about him. I have been told that she was kidnapped and brought to live with Watts Barker. That is where her early life stopped as far as I was concerned. My mother was not physically handicapped in any way. My mother had no formal education and that is one of the reasons she had such a hard life. But like my father she lived for her family and loved her children wiht all her heart, and was the best mother anyone could ever have.
My father and mother had a large family I don't know all the names of the children, I can only remember my three (3) sisters and two brothers. I assume that you know the names of them. But I will tell you the names anyway. The oldest girl was Carrie (Goings) Thurmon, Eula (Goings) Bailey, Beulah (Goings) Murphy, Doiles Goings, Fay Warren Goings.
Carrie had two (2) sons they both lived in Augusta. Their names was Archie and Melton Thurmon. Archie died in the 1960's, Melton is still living in Augusta somewhere, I don't have his address. You have the names of Eula's children so I won't go into naming them. Beulah had no children, she died in the early seventys and is buried in Westview Cemtery in Atlanta. All of my family is buried in Westview Cemetery exept Carrie who is buried in Augusta, and Eula who is buried in LaFayette, GA.
When Eula married Bill Burns' father I was very young and when he died I was only seven years old and don't know anything about him also I don't know where he is buried. When I was around 15 or 16 years old I lived with Eula and your grandfather Jim Kithens, but only for a short time. Jim Kitchens was a hard man to get to know he was very quite and kept to him self. I can't ever remember him coming to our house so I can't tell you anything about him.
My brother was born in Augusta and lived there until he was 17 years old and then he moved to Rome GA. He married Nettie Proctor and had two children, one son Doiles Jr. one daughter Mary. Doiles was in the radio business and built one of the first radio stations in Georgia. the Call letters of the station was W.F.D.V. He sold the radio station in 1932 and moved to Atlanta where he went into the appliance business. He died in the early sixties. Doiles Jr. marrried and had one son and one daughter, he lived in Roswell, GA. His son and daughter still live in Roswell, I don't have an address for them. My brothers daughter Mary (Goings) Peak or Peek lives in Atlanta, I have no address for her.
My brother, Fay Warren, was married for a short time and I never knew his wife very well. He lived with my mother and father until he died in the late fifties, at the age of 33, He had no children from his marriage. That leaves only me to account for. I married October 26, 1930 to the most beautiful girl in the world (and still is) Byrice LaFrances Rodeheaver, we have seven (7) children five boys and two girls. I will list them by age and where they live.
Alfred Donald Goings 8/25/31 Greenville, SC
Richard Franklin Goings 10/20/33 Warner Robbins GA
Virginia Marie Carroll 12/25/35 Byron, GA
Kenneth Allen Goins 4/9/39 Macon, GA
Thomas Alvin Goings 5/19/41 Macon, GA
Grady Edward Goings 9/2/44 Daytona Beach, FL
Debra Susan Dennis 6/14/57 Macon, Ga
I lived in Atlanta until 1951 when we moved to Macon. I went to work for the sheriff's office and stayed there until 1963 and then went into the construction business building houses and commercial buildings. Then started building nursing homes and hospitals. I suppose I built more nursing homes than anyone else in Georgia.
About the pin for a dress that Eula gave to you. it was a pin my wife Byrice gave to Eula if was a pin she brought from Jerusalem. Debra Susan and Byrice went to the Holy Land twice and brought back a number of beautiful things.
Well this is enough about me so I will close with wishing you a lot of luck in your endeavor to put together our heritage, Please keep in touch and let me know how you are doing and if you are ever down this way get in touch and come to see us.
Sincerely,
Signed Ollie
Note: As is turned out when Ollie Goings and his wife downsized and were in the process of moving, Richard found the scrapbook belonging to Mozell Goings and that book has led to a number of discovers and clues regarding the Goings, Goodin Families.