Henry S. Goodner
Henry S. Goodner, general merchant and farmer, residing near Mount Ida, Ark., is justly conceded a place among the enterprising, influential men of worth in his community.
He was born in Wayne County, Tenn., in 1827, to John C. and Susanna (Smith) Goodner, who were born in Tennessee in 1801 and 1804, respectively, and until the subject of this sketch was twelve or thirteen years of age they resided in different parts of West Tennessee, moving then to Tippah County, Miss., where they made there home until 1851. They then became residents of Montgomery County, Ark., settling near where Oden now is, at which place they spent the rest of their lives, Mr. Goodner dying in 1872 and his wife in 1863, the former being a member of the Primitive Baptist Church, and a farmer by occupation.
His father, Henry Goodner, was born in Germany, and when a young man came to the United States, and was probably married in Maryland, his death occurring in Alabama, a tiller of the soil, having been a soldier in the War of 1812. The maternal grandfather, John Smith, was in all probability born in the Old North State, and died in Wayne County, Tenn., a worthy agriculturist.
The immediate subject of this sketch is the second in a family of five sons and one daughter, and his youth was spent in laboring on his father's home place. He was given the advantages of the common schools, near his home, and in the State of Mississippi was married in 1848 to Miss Miriam [Laurena], daughter of George and Nancy Willhite, who died in Tippah County, Miss., Mr. Willhite also being a farmer.
Mrs. Goodner was born in Alabama, and has become the mother of fourteen children, five sons and seven daughters living. In 1851, Mr. Goodner came to Montgomery County., Ark., and has been a resident of Polk Township, where he owns a fine farm of 300 acres, 90 acres under cultivation. For the past six years he has been engaged in merchandising also, and is accounted one of the substantial business men in this section of the country.
In June, 1862, he joined Company I, Grimstead's regiment of Arkansas troops, and was in the engagements at Prairie Grove and at the evacuation of Little Rock. He was furloughed home, where he was captured in December, 1863, but after being released, was again captured in September, 1864, at Fort Gibson, Ind. Ty., and was kept in the stockade at Tyler, Tex., until after the war. Since then he has been with his family in Arkansas. He served some years as justice of the peace, and in 1876 was elected sheriff of Montgomery County, being re-elected in 1878 and again in 1880. Since then he has given his attention to his own business affairs, with the above mentioned results. Socially he is a member of the Mount Ida Lodge No. 140 of the A.F. & A.M.
Source: "The Goodspeed Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Western Arkansas." Published by Southern Publishing Company 1891. Chicago and Nashville. page 480-481. (Goodspeed does not use paragraphs, I've added those to make the article easier to read.)
Source: 1860, 1870, 1880 Census, & Mont. Co. Cemetery Book