Maryette Goodwin Mackey, Educator

Maryette Goodwin was born in 1865, the daughter of Sandusky attorney Homer Goodwin and his wife, the former Marietta Cowles. She graduated from Wellesley College in 1888, and married attorney Denver John Mackey in 1892. In the early years of the twentieth century, Maryette Goodwin Mackey served on the Board of Trustees of the Sandusky Library Association. By 1910, Mr. and Mrs. Mackey were residing in Los Angeles County, California with their two young daughters, Florence and Margaret.

In 1908, Maryette Goodwin Mackey and her sister in law Mary Mackey Stuart co-authored the book, The Pronunciation of 10,000 Proper Names. 

In 1924, the Handbook of Proceedings of the California Library Association listed Maryette G. Mackey as the Principal of the Foreign Extension Department of the Los Angeles Public Library. During her tenure, she wrote this article:

Mrs. Maryette Goodwin Mackey passed away in California in 1933. She seems to have been connected to books and libraries for most of her life.

Arthur Phinney, Educator and Lawyer

Arthur Phinney was born in Gorham, Maine on March 28, 1837 to James and Cynthia (Mosher) Phinney. He was educated at Dartmouth and Yale, graduating from Yale in 1864. His first job after graduation was with the statistical division of the U.S. Sanitary Commission. From 1867 to 1870, Mr. Phinney was the principal of Sandusky High School. It was while he was at Sandusky High School as principal that the original high school building (later Adams Junior High School) was constructed. This building served as the main high school building for Sandusky City Schools until 1957.

In Sandusky, Mr. Phinney studied law in the office of Homer Goodwin, later entering the law department of the University of Michigan. In December of 1872, he was admitted to the Ohio Bar. During his long career as a lawyer in Sandusky, Mr. Phinney was associated with several different law partners, including Judge S.F. Taylor, Judge E.B. King, U.T. Curran, and Judge A.E. Merrill.

On July 15, 1868, he married Sara E. Bell. Mr. and Mrs. Phinney had three daughters. Mrs. Sara Bell Phinney died on January 7, 1898. After the death of his wife, his health failed, and he passed away on May 21, 1899. Lengthy obituaries were carried in the Sandusky Register on May 22 and May 25, 1899. Several members of the Erie County Bar Association gave eulogies at the May 23, 1899 meeting of the Erie County Bar. Judge Linn Hull said about Mr. Phinney, “He was a man of the highest character. No one can say that Arthur Phinney ever did a dishonorable act as a man or as a lawyer. He was honorable to his brethren of the profession and always honest and sincere with the court. And what higher tribute can be paid to him than to say that in the evening of a life of 62 years – as a New England boy, as a college student, a college graduate, a teacher, a citizen and a lawyer – there is not a spot upon his character and the reputation that he has left behind.” John F. McCrystal also spoke highly of Mr. Phinney. He said in part, “Whatever he undertook her performed with all his might. He put his whole soul into whatever it was.” Arthur Phinney’s funeral took place at the family residence on May 23, 1899. He was buried at Oakland Cemetery next to his beloved wife.

Memorial Day 1911 with the Boy Scouts

This postcard from the 1911 Memorial Day parade in Sandusky was sent from Lea Marsh to R. Edward Goodwin shortly after the Memorial Day holiday. Sandusky area Boy Scouts are marching in a group near railway tracks.

The message on the post card reads:

Sandusky Boy Scouts, Memorial Day. About 85 boys in line. First time we have had them together for tramp. About 75% of them turned out. Lea

The Boy Scouts in Sandusky were busy that season. On June 17, 1911, the Boy Scouts, newspaper carriers, and Children of the Republic were in a Flag Day parade in Sandusky. Though the day of the parade took place during a downpour of rain, the public praised the participants of the parade.

Judge Lewis H. Goodwin

Judge Lewis H. Goodwin was one of the most honored members of the Erie County Bar. He was born in Geauga County, Ohio, to Dr. and Mrs. Erastus Goodwin on December 29, 1833. Judge Goodwin started his education at Western Reserve University, but he completed his studies in law at Marietta in 1854. He practiced law in Ohio for two years, but moved in Wabash, Indiana in 1858. When the Civil War broke out, Goodwin enlisted as a private in Company B of the 47th Indiana Infantry. In October, 1862 he was elected Captain of his company, and later was promoted to the rank of Major. During the war he took an active part in the campaign around New Madrid, and he also took part in the Vicksburg campaign with General Grant and in the Red River campaign with General Banks. At the battle of Champion’s Hill he was severely wounded. After being furloughed for a time, he rejoined his command at New Orleans. Major Goodwin mustered out in January, 1865. At the close of the Civil War, he returned to Wabash, Indiana where he practiced law for ten years. In 1874 he entered into partnership with his brother Homer Goodwin. By 1892 Mr. Lewis H. Goodwin went into practice for himself. He was elected Probate Judge of Erie County in November 1893, an office he held for two terms. Lewis H. Goodwin is the fourth individual from the right in the row of men standing at the back of the courtroom at the Erie County Courthouse in the 1874 stereographic image created by A.C. Platt.

On March 5, 1906, Judge Lewis H. Goodwin died at his home on South Columbus Avenue, after a lengthy illness. He was survived by his widow, the former Hattie Smith, a daughter Nina, and a son, Walter. Two daughters had preceded him in death. A lengthy obituary appeared in the March 6, 1906 issue of the Sandusky Register. The article read, in part: “Judge Goodwin’s army record was excellent. Twice he received promotion for bravery and merit. In his many years of service at the Erie County Bar he had formed a vast circle of friends who deeply mourn their loss.” Members of the McMeens Post of the G.A.R. attended his funeral. Burial was at the North Ridge section of Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery.

Homer Goodwin, Attorney and Conductor on the Underground Railroad

In 1896, Homer Goodwin was the oldest practicing attorney of the Erie County Bar. He was born on October 15, 1819 in Burton, Ohio in Geauga County, the son of Doctor Erastus Goodwin. Before entering the practice of law, Homer Goodwin was a teacher in the public schools of Sandusky, and was an 1844 graduate of the Western Reserve College. He married Marietta Cowles on October 3, 1849, in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

Rush Sloane wrote in the July 1888 issue of the Firelands Pioneer that Homer Goodwin was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Sandusky. He was among a group of individuals who gave money and personal aid to help fugitive slaves escape to freedom. A brochure which gives details about the Underground Railroad in Sandusky, available from the Lake Erie Shores & Islands Visitors Center, lists the former home of Homer Goodwin, at 327 Hancock Street, as a “safe house” for those individuals seeking freedom via the Underground Railway.

On July 6, 1896, Homer Goodwin died suddenly at his home on Columbus Avenue in Sandusky. A physician was called to his assistance, but nothing could be done, and he died at 6:15 a.m. The funeral for Home Goodwin was held at his residence on July 8, 1896. Burial was in Oakland Cemetery. Mr. Goodwin was survived by his brother Lewis H. Goodwin, a judge of Erie County Probate Court; a sister, Mrs. Ross of Wabash, Indiana, and a daughter, Mrs. Denver J. Mackey.

The Follett House Museum owns a suit that once belonged to Homer Goodwin.