Information supplied by Kym Edwards
John Goodall was born circa 1808 in England. His father is recorded as having been John Goodall, Labourer. John married Anna Hillier on 4th June 1839 in the church of St. Nicholas, Parish of Cholderton, Wiltshire, England. At the time of his marriage John Goodall was a Gardener and Schoolmaster at Cholderton.
On the 24th June, only 3 weeks after their marriage, John and Anna applied for and were granted Free Passage to the Colony of South Australia as Emigrant Labourers. Presumably their marriage and this emigration had been planned for some time, but had probably been delayed due to the ill health of Anna’s father, John Hillier who had died only the month before.
John and Anna arrived in South Australia in December 1839 aboard the ‘Moffat’. The Moffat was quite old, being a 134 foot 3 masted Barque that had been built in 1807 in Bengal. She had been previously used as a Convict Transport Ship 1834, 1836, 1838, and subsequently in 1842.
Initially John followed Agricultural pursuits. At the baptism of his first child in 1840 hi occupation was given as a Sawyer, abode S.A.C. Tiers. He would have probably been engaged in cutting timber in the Mount Lofty Ranges on land owned by the South Australian Company.
Subsequently John and his family moved to Tasmania (Van Diemen’s Land) where he was employed as a Post Messenger.
Probably this move was made because wages in the colony of Van Diemen’s Land were higher at the time.
After residing in Tasmania for a few years, John, his wife Anna and their 4 children returned to South Australia from Launceston on the brig “Henry” on the 10th March 1848.
In March 1849, John purched part of Lot 173, Richard Street, Hindmarsh, from Edward Lea Palmer for 60 pounds. This property was 146 feet in depth with a 37 foot frontage to Richard Street. Twelve months later John expanded the Richard Street frontage by 23 feet with the purchase of an adjoining property from John Boundy for 20 pounds. It was in the house there on these properties that John and his family made their home
Around 1850 John conducted a small school in this house, teaching his own as well as some local children, there being no State schools in those days.Evidently a Miss Fairbank was his Assistant.
From 1848 t0 1854 John Goodall was recorded as a Storekeeper/Grocer at Hindmarsh.
In 1853 John purchased a farm “BROOKLYN VILLA” at Dry Creek, (Click here to see Early Farms) Section2143 comprising 79 acres, from Simon Boase for 1200 pounds. The purchase also included access rights to the taking of water from a well on an adjoining section of land owned by Simon Boase. The farm was in the area where Golden Grove has been developed. Golden Grove Road and Surrey Farm Road are believed to have been its respective Eastern and southern boundaries. John took out a mortgage of 200 pounds on this property in October 1855 from John Barwick Porter, Gentleman of Adelaide. The mortgage was subsequently repaid in December 1857.
John Goodall was Councillor for Ward No.1 of District Council of Tea Tree Gully (previously the District Council of Highercombe) in 1858.
Anna died of Typhoid Fever on 19th February 1859, presumably on the family farm. She was buried on 24th February 1859 in the Hindmarsh Cemetery.
From about 1860 John resided at Hindmarsh, leading the life of a retired gentleman. From at least 1867 he resided at Lot No 177,corner of Richard Street and Manton Street, Hindmarsh. In 1871 John sold his farm at Dry Creek to William Gregory for the sum of 500 pounds, this appears to have been extremely low compared to its original purchase price, but the Gregory’s are known to have been friends and his family.( In 1860 Thomas Gregory of Dry Creek died, and nominated his friends, John Goodall og Hindmarsh and John Hillier of North Adelaide, storekeepers, as joint executors of his will and guardian of his young son)
John died on the 6th August 1888 at Hindmarsh aged 80 years. He was buried on the 8th August in the Hindmarsh Cemetery. The grave has unfortunately been cleared, however John’s and Anna’s headstone still exists, it having been moved and placed against the cemetery’s northern fence.
The Estate included Lot No 177 Hindmarsh 500 pounds, Shares in S.A. Ins Co Ltd 534 pounds and SA Gas Co 672 pounds.