Meanwhile............................

            In asheville, North Carolina in the mid-1800's,  Henry and Miriah Goodrum (1822) are living somewhere on a farm.  This union produced 5 children.  In 1863 Sandy ( Samuel) is born.  It is said that the Goodrum lineage traces back to Scotland but my research still has me in Asheville at the moment.

    Sandy met and married Julia Tanner in 1890.  Julia gave up teaching to raise her family.  Sandy prospered as an undertaker.  They lived at 141 Poplar Street.  Julia loved her family very much.  She was a very strong-willed person; a people person.  It is believed that the strength of the Goodrum famliy comes from this side.
 

On a lighter side, it is said that Julia often called her husband "Mr. Goodrum" and he referred to her as "Duck".  Sandy was more of a low-keyed person.  Very reserved.  He never raised his hand to any of his children, of which he had seven.

Julia and Sandy lived quite happily in Asheville until the untimely death of Sandy on 12-21-1913 of apoplexy.  At the time, Julia was pregnant with her last child, Ruby. She stayed in Asheville 3 more years then followed brother Walter and Thomas to Boston.

        The union of Sandy and Julia produced the following offspring:

 Paul Moore was Julia’s son from a previous marriage.  He worked at the Parker
House as a waiter.  Never married.

 Mozelle(1898)  the oldest of Julia and Sandy was Walter’s favorite neice.  She
never married.

 Willie May(Billie---1903-).  Willie May was a carefree spirit.  She was very
independent and proud person.  She was a beautician, twice married,  three girls.  Jane and
Dolores Diggs and Judy Bonner.

 Blanche(1907--).  Blanche was next to the youngest child.  She always seemed to
be on the defensive.  As a child,  she had an accident where  her nose was bitten off by a
rooster.  Blanche was twice married.  She so desperately wanted children but neither
union produced any.

 In 1914 Ruby was born.  Ruby would never get to know her father or her
grandfather’s life on a farm in Asheville.

Ruby was a very outgoing person.  She  had a zest for life.  Ruby was always very  fashion
conscious.  Ruby was  very down to earth.  she was married twice.  The first union
produced two children, a son and daughter. (1933-1951)   The Second marriage  was to
“Long John” a Boston Officer who left the force and became a gemologist with his own
shop on Humbolt Avenue.  Later, both retired to Martha’s Vineyard.

 Ruby was very active in community affairs,  i.e. Vice President of  the Board of
Directors of Urban League, Membership Chairman in the  NAACP, hospital auxiliary.
Also active in politics.

 Eugene(1904-1973)  was the only son from this union.  He was one with a very
strong personality.  He was truly a leader.  He was an entertainer in his early days with his
own orchestra,  “ Gene Goodrum and the silver Kings.”  He played all over the coast and
had the first Black Orchestra to play on the Boston radio station WEEI.  Gene had an
appreciation for the arts, loved music especially ballads and love songs.  His love for the
arts was what probably drew him to  May Alice Brown.
 He and Mae married when she was 14 and he 17.  They apparently had the
blessings of  Mr and Mrs Browne but Julia did not want her baby son getting married.
Especially at 17.

Alice was in extremely lovable and easy going type.  Very family oriented and caring. Sh
was a house person.  This union prodced seven children and  all would drew from her
compassionate charactert. For not being a worldly person, Mae had a tremendous
understanding of people.  She was a pianist and tried to pass her love of arts onto her
children which she seemed to do very well. Mae was a very patient lady and always stood
by her husband no matter what.
 
 Mae died at the young age of forty-nine from malignant hypertension in 1958.   Eugene remarried:  underwent numerous surgeries for poor circulation and ultimately succumbed.  He died of a heart attack at Deaconned Hospital  in 1973.

The offspring of that union are as follows:    Eugene (1925-1976) was the oldest son.  He had a compassionate side to him.  He always played with his younger brother and sisters.  An example of his caring personality is shown when as a boy he carried his younger brother, Freddy, in a blizzard from a local theater to the train station---on his back!  Another example; his sister Patsy loved to ride the bicycle and he rented one for her for the whole day.

He had many talents but it seems that some of his weaknesses tend to overpower his strengths.  Gene just plain enjoyed life.  He was a Sargent in the Army (1941-1943) in Guam.  He once told me how he learned how to swim.  He was in the army and while on a ship his buddies found out that he really didn't know how to swim.  Well,  at that time there was one fast way to learn.  They threw him in and he almost drowned.  He made sure I (his son) learned.  Gene contracted Maleria while in the service.  He was the first Black man to come back from WWII in Boston.  He attended Boston College.  Married Dorothy (Dollie) Harris who was a Physical Therapist.  That union produced two children, Mark and Carol.   Gene died in 1976; Dollie had lived with Multiple Sclerosis early in her life.   Click here to read Dolly's Story   

Son number two;  William Browne(1927--) was the "educator" in the family.  He was always very philosophilcal.  He was more serious than his other siblings.  William was blessed with great wisdom at a very early age.  He is tenacious and steadfast.  A person of great fortitude and stamina.  He is very spiritualistic and sees only the good in us and has the ability to make us see deep within ourselves.  William was drafted into the Marines (1941-1943).  Went to Suffolk University.  His first marriage was to Carmen Diaz; that union produced 3 children, Lourdes( from Camen's first marriage), David and Freddy.

William later in life converted to Muslim and took the name Muharib.  He is prently married to Margueritte and has three children from this union.  Anthony, Sheba and Wisam A.  He is now retired with his family and living in Cleveland.