Charles Adams Sionhoff Goodman (1894 - 1959)

Born 15 Jun 1894 in Medina, Bandera County, Texas, USA

Ancestors

Husband of Jewel Dorsey (Bilbrey) Goodman — married 6 Apr 1929 in Coleman, Coleman, Texas

Husband of Grace B. (Lee) Goodman — married 4 Sep 1950 (to 11 Nov 1950) in New Mexico, United States

Husband of Atha Beatrice (Crye) Goodman — married 27 Apr 1952 (to 5 May 1959) in Coleman, Coleman, Texas, United States

Descendants

Died 5 May 1959 at age 64 in Coleman, Coleman, Texas, USA

Biography

Charles Goodman served in the United States Army in World War I
Service started: 1917
Unit(s): Second Division, American Expeditionary Force
Service ended: 1919

BIRTH THROUGH YOUNG ADULTHOOD

Charles Adams Goodman, the youngest of seven children, was born on 15 June 1894 to Mattie Hoffman Massey and Samuel Henry Goodman at home on his father's ranch just outside Medina in Bandera County, Texas. Charles' baby brother Jonas Shell had already died in 1890 when he was just 20 months old. I like to think the family was very pleased to welcome a new baby. However, 11 months later Charles' mother would be dead leaving Samuel the care of the infant Charles and three other minor children. Samuel Henry Goodman had donated sufficient land to the town of Medina to be used for a cemetery. So now Mattie Goodman joined her baby, Jonas, in the new Goodman cemetery.

Seven months after Mattie's death Samuel brought home a new stepmother for Charles and his other children. Her name was Hattie Cooper. During Samuel's lifetime she appeared to care for her stepchildren adequately, but when he died in 1905 Charles' life took a definite turn for the worse. Hattie liquidated what she could and moved to San Antonio, taking with her only her stepdaughter Artie and her son Virgil, the only child she had with Samuel. Charles was placed with a Bandera County family named Banealien as a servant. From that time Charles never again used his middle name Adams. In its place he adopted and used the name Sionhoff; His Children always felt he did this to honor his mother whose maiden name was Hoffman.

After Charles reached his majority and could no longer be held against his will, he joined the Texas Border Patrol. See the second picture posted today. It may have been as a civilian scout. His children remember the times he would tell stories of his Border Patrol days of riding with General John J. "Blackjack" Pershing in his attempts to catch Pancho Villa from March 1916 through February 1917. (Pershing-6) They remember especially him talking about provisions running low and having to eat corn intended for the horses and then having to eat some of the horses. Even with the hardships, military life must have agreed with him because he enlisted in the US Army on 5 June 1917.

Charles Goodman is a Military Veteran.
Served in the United States Army 1917-1919
Fought in all five of the major battles of World War I

WORLD WAR I

US Army enlistment records show Charles entered the Army on 7 June 1917 at San Angelo, Texas and was then directly assigned to the Second Division at El Paso, Texas. He completed his basic training and was sent to France on 29 July 1917 with the American Expeditionary Force (AEF). He probably received additional training in France and then he and the AEF entered the conflict. The Americans fought five major battles in World War I.

Battle of Cantigny (28 May 1918)

Battle of Belleau Wood (1-26 June 1918)

Battle Chateau-Thierry (18 July 1918)

Battle of Saint-Mihiel (12-15 September 1918)

Battle of Meuse-Argonne (26 September 1918 to 10 November 1918)

Charles Goodman was Wounded in Action during World War I.

Charles fought in all of these. He was badly wounded by machine gun fire and was gassed. He received the Bronze Victory Button for his service. He also served as a part of the Army of Occupation from December 1918 to July 1919. Charles left France on 23 July 1919 and arrived back in the United States on 3 August 1919. He received an Honorable Discharge at Camp Travis, Texas on 20 August 1919.

AFTER THE WAR

Feeling rather at loose ends after his discharge Charles drifted to Santa Anna, Texas in Coleman County where his brother Sam now lived with his wife and four daughters. It was now 1920. Charles moved in with Sam and his family and leased space for a shop on Nueces Street. Sometime later Sam's daughters Leona and Ruby introduced Charles to a young woman named Jewel Dorsey Bilbrey. They became engaged and subsequently married on 6 April 1929. Charles and Jewel had two sons and one daughter.

CHARLES' LATER YEARS AND DEATH

The Charles Goodman family lived a happy lower middle class life until one morning in January 1948 when Jewel Goodman walked around the corner to her husband's Radiator Repair Shop to tell him that his lunch was ready. Somehow she accidentally splashed some gasoline on her clothes, then backed up abruptly to get out of the way and stumbled into an open space heater. She was rushed to the hospital but died that same evening of 3d degree burns. It was a bit ironic that Charles was left in somewhat the same position his own father had found himself in so many years before. Charles' oldest son, Donnie, at 18 had already joined the Air Force and moved away from home. His son Bobby, now 15 could manage at home with his father. The problem was his 3 year-old daughter, Judy. Charles thought it best to send her away to live with one of Jewel's sisters, Leota Shaw, who lived in San Saba, Texas. But as the years went by Charles missed his daughter and so he brought her home at age seven. He married twice more in an attempt to provide a mother for his child, much as his own father had done. The first ended in divorce after just a few weeks. His second attempt was no more successful as his wife suffered a breakdown shortly after their marriage and required hospitalization for the remainder of her life. By that time Charles decided that he and his daughter, now almost 10, could muddle along without a woman in the house, which they did. Finally on the night of 5 May 1959 Charles died peacefully in his sleep. After a life of struggle he must have been glad to go.

Charles' children had always been proud of his military service but he had never talked much about any medals he had won. So his daughter, Judy, decided to apply for a duplicate set of her father's awards. Within a few weeks she received the following letter from the National Personal Records Center (NPRC) and duplicate awards for those awards that could be verified. Unfortunately a fire had occurred in July 1973 which destroyed a good many army files and Charles' complete records could not be reconstructed. Still his daughter received most of his medals.

In late August or early September 2011 Judy was notified that Charles Sionhoff Goodman would be presented posthumously with the Cross of Military Service Award for his service in WWI by the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) (http://www.hqudc.org/medals/). The UDC approved his eligibility for the award based on the Confederate service of his father, Captain Samuel Henry Goodman (Goodman-2141). The award was subsequently presented in a formal ceremony by the Bell County Chapter 101 of the UDC on 11 September 2011. Both of Charles' sons and his daughter were in attendance.

It should be noted that the Cross of Military Service Award for service in WWI is no longer awarded by the UDC.

 

Sources

• Goodman Family Bible
• 1910 Federal Census, Justice Precinct 3, Bandera, Texas
• Charles Goodman World War I Registration Card
• Marriage Certificate Charles Goodman and Jewel Dorsey Bilbrey
• Death Certificate Jewel Dorsey Bilbrey
• Marriage Certificate Charles Sionhoff Goodman and Grace B. Lee
• Divorce Decree Charles Sionhoff Goodman and Grace B. Lee
• Marriage Certificate Charles Sionhoff Goodman and Atha Harper
• Death Certificate Charles Sionhoff Goodman
• NPRC WWI Medals List
• WWI Cross of Military Service Award (Certificate and Medal)