Mary Katharine Goddard (1738 - 1816)

Born 16 Jun 1738 in Connecticut Colony

Ancestors

Died 12 Aug 1816 at age 78 in Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Jennifer Wood [send private message]

Biography

Mary Goddard is Notable.

Mary Goddard performed Patriotic Service in Maryland in the American Revolution.

Mary Katharine Goddard was an American printer, newspaper publisher and the first known woman to serve as Postmaster in the United Colonies (now the United States). ^{[1] [2]} She died at the age of 78 in Baltimore, Maryland on 12 August 1816 and was buried in the graveyard of St. Paul’s Parish. ^[3]

Family and Early Life

Mary Katharine Goddard was born on 16 June 1738 in Connecticut. ^{[4] [5]} She was the daughter of Giles Goddard. He was a prominent member of New London, Connecticut, serving as a physician, printer, and postmaster. ^[6] After his death in 1762, her mother, Sarah Updike, moved the family to Providence, Rhode Island where her brother, William Goddard opened his first printing business. ^[7] When he pursued other business interests, Mary Katharine and her mother took over for him and ran his business. ^{[8] [9]} Ward Miner notes in his book that, "William Goddard was the postmaster of Providence, but his mother and sister had done the actual postal work." ^[10]

Career

Mary Katharine Goddard came from what could be called a "postal family." Her father, Giles Goddard, was a Postmaster in New London, Connecticut and her brother, William Goddard, served as Postmaster of Providence, Rhode Island. ^[11] They were both also newspaper publishers. Mary Katharine Goddard learned the printing trade while helping her brother, William, in Rhode Island. ^[12] William Goddard moved to Baltimore, Maryland in the early 1770's where he started Baltimore's first newspaper, The Maryland journal" and the "Baltimore Advertiser. He began to travel extensively, to promote his plan for a postal system independent of the British system. Mary Katharine Goddard moved to Baltimore in 1774 to run his print shop during his absences. ^{[13] [14]} She published the newspaper he established from 1774 to 1784. ^[15]

"... Mary Katharine Goddard, was sister to Wm. Goddard of Rhode Island, who established the Maryland Journal. Coming from a State where free toleration was allowed, he was apt to write rather harshly. He was several times mobbed, and had finally to quit the State and return to Providence. His sister Mary conducted the paper for eight years, took in job work and acted as postmaster until 1784. She was spirited in her writings, and nothing but her sex saved her from frequent flagelations..." ^[16]

In 1775, Mary Katharine Goddard was appointed Postmaster of Baltimore under the first Postmaster General, Benjamin Franklin. ^{[17] [18] [19]} This meant that not only was she an accomplished printer and publisher, she was now in charge of the post office of a major commercial city. ^[20] At the time, Postmaster was not a salaried position. Postmasters made a commission on the postage that they collected; it was frequently a losing venture. ^[21] Mary Katharine Goddard used her own money to not only pay the post rider, but also to rent the office space. ^{[22] [23]}

While running her brother's print shop in Baltimore, Mary Katharine Goddard printed broadsides, books, and almanacs, some of which are now held by the Maryland Historcal Society. ^[24] These she sold in her shop along with stationery and dry goods. ^[25] During the Revolutionary War, she continued her service to the community, believeing in the "American cause" and in self-sacrifice for the good of the newly forming country. ^[26] The burgeoning United States Congress recognized the excellence of her newspaper and in 1777 granted her the honor of publishing the first copy of the Declaration of Independence, including the names of all its signatories. ^{[27] [28] [29]} It should be noted that Mary Katherine Goddard is the only woman who's name appears on that document.

Despite Mary Katharine Goddard's contributions to the new nation, after serving in her post for 14 years, in 1789, the new Postmaster General, Samuel Osgood, replaced Mary Katharine Goddard with a new postmaster, John White, his political ally. ^{[30] [31]} More than 200 of the leading businessmen of Baltimore petitioned him to keep her. ^{[32] [33]}Samuel Osgood claimed the right to choose his own judgement and it was customary at the time for incoming political administrations to replace former appointees with their own selections. He also asserted that since Baltimore was becoming a new regional headquarters for the Southern department, its postmaster would need to frequently travel long distances, and such conditions would be unmanageable for a woman postmaster. ^{[34] [35]} Mary Katharine Goddard wrote to both President George Washington and the United States Senate for reinstatement, but neither intervened on her behalf. ^{[36] [37]}

Previous to this, Mary Katharine's brother William Goddard returned to Baltimore and seeing her success with his newspaper, The Journal, he ousted her and resumed control of the publication. ^[38] This resulted in a "bitter quarrel" between the siblings. ^[39] She then ran a bookshop in Baltimore until her retirement about 1810. ^{[40] [41]}

NOTE: Mary Katharine Goddard upon her death 12 August 1816, manumitted her one enslaved person, Belinda. She also bequeathed Belinda all her possessions and property. ^[42]

Find A Grave: Memorial #51484099 Note: According to Contributor: Joanne Decker W (47799733), all the pictures posted as of 21 Jul 2021 are NOT of Mary Katherine Goddard. After looking into this I have found that even the picture that has her name printed on it is in fact not her but that of "actress Anne Brunton Merry (1769-1808) whose picture was for some reason glued into a book published by Goddard." The Find a Grave Profile Manager says Find A Grave doesn't give me the power to delete pictures others have posted so I am posting a disclaimer here.

Sources

1. ↑ United States Postal Service
2. ↑ Maryland State Archives
3. ↑ Arnold
4. ↑ White
5. ↑ Maryland State Archives
6. ↑ Smithsonian
7. ↑ Smithsonian
8. ↑ Smithsonian
9. ↑ Maryland State Archives
10. ↑ Smithsonian; citing Ward L. Miner, William Goddard, Newspaperman (Durham: Duke University Press, 1962), pg. 113.
11. ↑ United States Postal Service
12. ↑ United States Postal Service
13. ↑ United States Postal Service
14. ↑ Maryland State Archives
15. ↑ Smithsonian
16. ↑ Follett
17. ↑ United States Postal Service
18. ↑ Smithsonian
19. ↑ Maryland State Archives
20. ↑ Smithsonian
21. ↑ United States Postal Service
22. ↑ United States Postal Service
23. ↑ Smithsonian; citing Christopher Young, "Mary K. Goddard: A Classical Republican in a Revolutionary Age" in Maryland Historical Magazine, Vol. 96, No. 1 (Spring 2001), pg. 4.
24. ↑ Maryland State Archives
25. ↑ United States Postal Service
26. ↑ Smithsonian; citing Christopher Young.
27. ↑ United States Postal Service
28. ↑ Smithsonian
29. ↑ Maryland State Archives
30. ↑ Smithsonian
31. ↑ Maryland State Archives
32. ↑ United States Postal Service
33. ↑ Maryland State Archives
34. ↑ Smithsonian; citing Ward L. Miner.
35. ↑ Maryland State Archives
36. ↑ United States Postal Service
37. ↑ Smithsonian
38. ↑ Smithsonian; citing Ward L. Miner.
39. ↑ Smithsonian
40. ↑ Maryland State Archives
41. ↑ Avero
42. ↑ Smithsonian

• Wikidata: Item Q3850479
• White, Lorraine Cook, editor. The Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town Vital Records. Vol. 1-55. Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Publishing Co., 1994-2002; database and digital images, "Connecticut Town Birth Records, pre-1870 (Barbour Collection)," Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2006 (https://www.ancestry.com: accessed 30 May 2020); Groton Vital Records 1704-1853, pg. 134; citing Vol. 1, pg. 151.
• United States Postal Service. The United States Postal Service: An American History; Publication 100, Washington, District of Columbia : United States Postal Service, 2020, pg. 86, 87.
• "Mary Katherine Goddard," "Women in the U.S. Postal System," Smithsonian; National Postal Museum
• Maryland State Archives. "Mary Katherine Goddard (1736-1816)," Maryland Women's Hall of Fame, online publication (https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/educ/exhibits/womenshall/html/whflist.html : accessed 30 May 2020).
• Wikipedia contributors, "Mary Katherine Goddard," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Katherine_Goddard&oldid=947674844 (accessed May 30, 2020).
• http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/educ/exhibits/womenshall/html/goddard.html
• Follett, Frederick. History of the Press of Western New York, Rochester, New York : Jerome & Brother, Daily American Office, 1847 (https://books.google.com : accessed 30 May 2020), pg. 33, 34.
• The Washington Post (Washington, District of Columbia), article, 3 Jul 2017
• Maloney, Wendi A. "Rare Book of the Month: A Revolutionary Woman and the Declaration of Independence.'" Rare Book of the Month: A Revolutionary Woman and the Declaration of Independence | Library of Congress Blog. March 19, 2018. Accessed April 10, 2018. https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2018/03/rare-book-of-the-month-a-revolutionary-woman-and-the-declaration-of-independence/.
• Arnold, James Newell. Rhode Island Vital Extracts, 1636–1850. 21 volumes. Providence, Rhode Island: Narragansett Historical Publishing Company, 1891–1912. Digitized images from New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts; database and digital images, "Rhode Island, Vital Extracts, 1636-1899," Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014 (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 May 2020), pg. 202.
• Avero Publications. Biography Database, 1680-1830. Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England: Avero Publications, 1998; database and digital images, "U.K. and U.S. Directories, 1680-1830," Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2003 (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 May 2020); citing Baltimore Director, and Citizens' register, for various years.

Name: Mary Catherine Goddard

Dates: 1801-1825

Location: Town - Baltimore, Maryland

Occupation(s): store keeper

Gender: Female

Address(es): Chatham street; Town: Baltimore; American County: Maryland

Source Date: 1796, 1800, 1802, 1803, 1807, 1808

• "United States Census, 1800," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XH5R-GBS : accessed 30 July 2020), Mary Goddard, Baltimore City, Baltimore, Maryland, United States; citing p. 217, NARA microfilm publication M32, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 9; FHL microfilm 193,662.

• "Mary Katherine Goddard Writes to George Washington to Get Her Job Back," The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, blog (https://www.gilderlehrman.org/ : accessed 30 May 2020). NOTE: This page has a copy of the letter Mary Katharine wrote to President George Washington.
• "Mary Goddard," "Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art", contined in the Brooklyn Museum, blog (https://www.brooklynmuseum.org : accessed 30 May 2020). NOTE: This page displays a letter written by Mary Katharine to the Senate.
• King, Brittany. "Mary Katherine Goddard, Forgotten Patriot," History, Bitches, blog (https://historybitches.blogspot.com : accessed 30 May 2020), hosted by Blogger, Monday, 8 July 2013.
• Petsko. Emily. "Remembering Mary Katharine Goddard, the Only Woman Whose Name Appeared on the Declaration of Independence," Mental Floss, online publication (https://www.mentalfloss.com : accessed 30 May 2020), 1 January 2019; updated 2 July 2019.
• Redmond, Shirley-Ray. Patriots in Petticoats, New York : Random House, 2004, pg. 18-21. (This is a children's book; Goddard is not included in the preview, but limited search is available)
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Acknowledgements

Thank you to Ken Broughton for creating this profile.