THE GOBLE FAMILY NEWSLETTER
By Evelyn Goble Steen
Volume 7, Issue 1, April 2000
Copyright (c) 2000 by Evelyn Goble Steen all rights reserved.
Formated for quick loading.
Hello all,
I hope you've had a wonderful bright and healthy winter! This is the first issue of our newsletter for year 2000. As you know there will be only 2 issues both this year and next. There will be an additional reunion mailing next year for those interested in attending. This issue kicks off our fourth year of association sponsorship.
The Goble Family Association's primary interest and main focus has been to discover all the descendants of Thomas Goble (1590/91-1657) of West Sussex, England and the Massachusetts Bay Colony. That database now contains over 20,000 individuals. We continue to welcome all who are interested in the history of the Goble name.
We also have 6 other databases containing an additional 20,000 names. These are in files of unconnected Goble lines, German, English and Irish lines. Each of our databases grows weekly as new connections are made. We are continuing to make a difference in the search for Goble families everywhere.
If you would like to provide a story about one of your ancestors to be published in this newsletter or on the homepage, or if you have a question for me or our readers, please send them to: Evelyn Goble Steen, 4121 Nantucket Drive, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055, or e-mail: GobleNews@aol.com
INSIDE
Note: The number in parenthesis within the name of an individual indicates the generation of descendant in America in the Thomas (1) Goble tree. Others will be identified by the name of their tree.
QUOTE
"If it weren't for electricity we'd all be watching television by candlelight." Comedian "Lonesome George Gobel"
REUNION NEWS
2001 GOBLE Reunion MILLENNIUM reunion to be held in RENO NEVADA.
The first meeting of the Goble Reunion Committee has taken place in California. Committee members have determined that the second weekend in August in year 2001 would be the best time for our family to meet. Reno, Nevada has been selected as our host city for many reasons. Not only will our reunion have excellent facilities but they will be very affordable. This will be a wonderful opportunity to meet your cousins face to face! There are many extra curricula activities available in the area as well. You have time to learn about Reno and all it has to offer and we will help! There will be golf, shows, sightseeing, casinos, and much more to look forward to.
We have added a reservation form to the homepage! Go to REUNION FORM
Please let us know if you are interested in attending. It's important for the committee to get an idea of the numbers of people to expect for planning purposes.
A program of events is beginning to take shape. We will have a photograph session, displays, books and speakers. More to come!
If you're interested in attending the reunion and do not have access to a computer, please drop a note to our reunion committee chairperson:
Patricia Weaver,
2633 Pine Knoll Dr. #6,
Walnut Creek, CA 94595
GOBLE GENEALOGY WEB SITE
Please visit the GOBLE GENEALOGY HOME PAGE. As of March 28th we had received over 18,000 visits to the homepage, many from newly discovered cousins! In honor of the 2000 census requirement I have added a new CENSUS feature to our homepage. We are looking for volunteers to collect, type and submit census data by state, which should include variant spellings of the GOBLE name. The information will then be formatted and posted on the homepage. This is an experimental project and it will take some time to determine whether the information provided will be beneficial to our readers. I have also recently added a SEARCH feature to our homepage. Visit and search for yourself or others. Please let me know if you find errors or missing data.
You can access the homepage at: http://members.aol.com/goblenews/homepage/index.htm or http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~goble/homepage/index.htmCENSUS 2000
Article I, section 2, of the U.S. Constitution requires that a decennial population census, a nationwide enumeration or count of the population, be taken every 10 years. Congress uses the census figures to apportion seats in the House of Representatives. The census also determines each state's number of votes in the Electoral College, which selects the President and Vice President; and affects apportionment in state and local legislatures.
The United States Government has taken a "census" of its inhabitants every 10 years since 1790. If you have ever tried to locate an ancestor at any library or archive you have without doubt searched the CENSUS records. I have always been so grateful for those records. They have filled in the missing information so many times in my search for family and given me numerous clues, such as Revolutionary War pensioners, Civil War veterans, regional and local history, immigration, and naturalization.
To ensure the privacy of individuals, Congress provided for a 72-year restriction to access of Federal census schedules. The 1920 census was released in 1992; the 1930 census will be opened in 2002. *1
We have an opportunity to leave clues for our descendants who will be able to read all about us in year 2072. Be sure to fill out your census form this April. Our great greats will be grateful!
More information about the Federal Census records on-line
JUNIOR FIGURE-SKATING CHAMPION, TIMOTHY GOEBEL
Timothy Goebel, Championship Men's silver medalist, electrified his hometown crowd in Cleveland where he cleanly landed three quadruple jumps in the free skate. Goebel is the first American man to execute a four-revolution jump and made the history books twice on March 7, 1998, in Switzerland. *2 Timothy is the only skater in the world to have landed three quads cleanly in a competitive program. Timothy landed three quadruple jumps at Skate America in October and he became the first skater in the world to land a quadruple Salchow.
Timothy was born September 10, 1980 in Evanston, Illinois. *3
During the 1995 National Championships, he was the only American male, other than senior champion Rudy Galindo to successfully land a triple-triple jump. In 1997 he won the silver medal in Men's Singles at the Junior World Championships, he became the first American skater to land a triple-triple-triple jump combination. Timothy began figure skating in his hometown of Rolling Meadows, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. As a child he excelled in skating. At age 12, he began training in Denver, Colorado with Don Laws, former coach of Olympic champion Scott Hamilton. Timothy's coaches are in awe at his talent and energy. He is focused on the ultimate prize: a National, World and eventually, an Olympic championship. *4 Timothy is currently participating in the World Championships in Nice, France.
Sources and more information:
Blades On Ice - Figure Skating News Briefs & Results
The Tim Goebel Unofficial Web Page (not longer functioning)
The Official web sit of Timothy Goebel
GOBLE LANDMARKS
It's been a while since I listed our Goble landmarks. The list has grown! If you know of a landmark not mentioned below, please send us the information so it can be added to the list.
STEPHEN PORTER GOBLE
The following story was told to Jean E. (Coddington) Bogart by her mother Marguerite (Frey) Coddington and her Aunt Dorothy E. (Frey) Lanter.
PHOTOGRAPH of Stephen Porter Goble
"Stephen Porter Goble died May 30, 1866. He and a farm hand were going through his farm on the lane when they saw a stranger walking through the wheat field. This would cause the wheat to be mashed down so that it could not be harvested. They called to the stranger who turned and shot Stephen P. Goble. The farm hand took Stephen on the farm sled to the house and a doctor was sent for. Stephen P. Goble died, leaving a wife, Frances S. (Ashburn) Goble, and three young children and a farm. His widow struggled to maintain the farm."
Stephen P. Goble left $6000 in debts and no will. The farm was left 1/3 to his widow according to the law, and the other 2/3 was left to the three children. Their son Richard died at age 25 of tuberculosis, so the farm was then owned by their two daughters, Mary Elizabeth who never married, and Lenna Cassett, who, with her husband, Ludwig Frey, farmed the land and lived in the house until her husband's death in 1927. The farm was then rented out and Lenna C. (Goble) Frey and her daughter Dorothy lived in the nearby town of Amelia. After Lenna's sister, Mary Elizabeth, died (1940) the farm was sold. The house was still standing in 1967. *5
PHOTOS:
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Stephen Porter (8), Stephen (7), William (6), Stephen (5), Daniel (4), Daniel/David (3), Daniel (2), Thomas (1), Willmi (William) Goble.
WAR HERO HONORED IN BLOOMINGTON
World War II veteran Hugh Goble receives seven medals, with unexpected Bronze Star
By Jackie Sheckler, Herald-Times Staff Writer (reprinted with permission) Staff photo by Jeremy Hogan
A fading photograph shows a young Hugh Goble earnestly pedaling his tricycle around a yard. Fast-forward several photos and years to a teen-age Goble posing proudly in his Army uniform. Move onward more than 50 years to this chilly December Tuesday. A 76-year-old Goble stands in a crowded meeting room in downtown Bloomington to receive medals from heroic actions in World War II.
"I was just in there trying to do my job," Goble said. "Most of all I was trying to keep from getting shot." Seven medals were presented to Goble - including one prestigious medal he didn't even know the government had awarded to him.
"Hugh Goble nearly paid the ultimate sacrifice and we can never thank him enough," said Congressman John Hostettler, R-8th District. After Goble's medals were lost years ago in a move, Hostettler decided to reassemble the awards. In doing so, the U.S. government realized that Goble also had been awarded the Bronze Star and never received it. When he was in the midst of battle, Goble said, "I wasn't worried about honors. I was just worried about saving my skin." He also "saved the skin" of his fellow soldiers, along with capturing a man who may have changed the future of America.
In a video clip shot on a snowy day in Austria in 1945, a young Goble is shown standing in a doorway guarding another man. Part of a television documentary, the World War II footage detailed an event that had a great effect on Goble's country and the world. Goble and a unit of about 20 other soldiers had been sent to the foothills of the Alps to round up "die-hards" - German soldiers who didn't know the war was over. Along the way, they found about a half-dozen men hiding on an upper floor of a small hotel. The group turned out to be some engineers, including one of the world's foremost rocket engineers and a leading authority on space travel - Wernher von Braun.
"We had an idea who he was," Goble recalled. "He surrendered easily, just said, "You got me ... Do with me what you want to do." Fluent in English, von Braun seemed resigned to being captured by either the Americans or the Russians. And he also seemed pleased it was the former. "He said, 'Why do I want to fight? There are more important things to do than fighting and killing each other.'"
For almost a week, Goble and his group guarded von Braun and the other prisoners until arrangements could be made to remove them. "He wasn't any trouble at all. He was a very nice man."
Von Braun and the engineers probably had been sent to Austria because it was considered safe. "I think there were probably Germans protecting them but they took off when we came," Goble said. The group seemed to have no weapons and had been working on an airplane conducting stress-related tests. Von Braun was finally transferred. Goble returned to his young wife in Bloomington. And the rest is history.
Considered the father of the American space program, von Braun directed teams that built the rockets that sent the first American into space and landed the first astronauts on the moon.
Born in Germany in 1912, von Braun had been jailed in 1944 by Heinrich Himmler when the chief of the Nazi secret police tried to take over the German rocket program. Von Braun had refused to cooperate. Hitler freed von Braun later that year. After his capture, von Braun went on to develop the first large U.S. ballistic missile. He became a U.S. citizen in 1955 and died in 1977.
Over the years, Goble has wondered how he made it through the war when so many of his buddies didn't. Back then, Goble was 19 years old and a newlywed to his sweetheart Thelma. He was making ice cream at the old Johnson Creamery when he was drafted.
On Labor Day of 1944, Goble was shipped to France. He spent Thanksgiving in a foxhole at the front. Christmas was the same. Goble was part of the famous 44th Infantry Division that fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Of the 1,500 men in his division, only 105 came back. Goble was one of the lucky ones. But it came with a terrible cost. Goble saw his friends die and his own life on the line for months at a time. He won a Silver Star for "taking care of" three Germans who had part of his squad cornered in a railroad house. One of the "hardest things I've ever faced," Goble recalled, was capturing a German built bunker that was raining machine gun fire on his troop. "We had an order to kill everyone that moved," Goble said. One of the first people to emerge from the bunker was a woman with a white flag on the end of her gun. While the Americans withheld their gunfire, "the woman dropped her gun down ... I don't want to carry it any further," Goble said. "We were on edge 24 hours a day."
Another time, while trying to patch up one of his buddies, Goble heard a fellow soldier ask why he was toting around such a beat-up rifle. When he looked down, Goble saw that his rifle had been bent almost into a U shape from shrapnel. His two pairs of heavy pants, long underwear and three pairs of shorts had been cut through to the last pair of shorts by shrapnel. "If it hadn't been for that, I would probably be without my right leg now," he said.
When the war ended, Goble returned home and tried to get on with his life. "You lived on the edge of a nervous breakdown all the time over there," Goble said.
"There are things I have never told anyone, not even my wife. Things I will carry to my grave," Goble concluded. "I appreciate the fact that I did come home ... the Lord was good to me."
Reporter Jackie Sheckler can be reached at e-mail: sheckler@heraldt.com
Medals earned by Hugh Goble: Combat Infantryman Badge, World War II Victory Medal, European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three Bronze Stars, American Campaign Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Bronze Star, and the Silver Star.
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Hugh Goble, William A. Goble, John Goble, Martin Goble, Corban Goble, John Goble (Southern Goble Tree)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GREETINGS FROM THE WHITE HOUSE
If you know a special someone turning 80 or older, the White House Greetings Office will send him or her a birthday card on behalf of the President. Submit your request in writing 4 to 6 weeks before the birthday. Include the name, salutation (Mr., Mrs., etc.), age, birth date and complete address of the recipient, and the phone number of the person requesting the card. Mail request to: White House Greetings Office, OEOB, Room 39, Washington, DC 20500 or fax it to: 202-395-1232. If you would like the request to come from the Goble Association, please provide the information to me: Evelyn Goble Steen, 4121 Nantucket Drive, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055. I will prepare the request on behalf of the birthday boy or girl! *6
LAST WILL OF THOMAS (1) GOBLE
The last will of Thomas (1) Goble is not easy to read, but that doesn't stop us from making an attempt. I have been trying to decipher the will for several years and have decided to include a scanned copy and my interpretation to date. If anyone can add or correct any of the verbiage please let me know! *7 The lines of the will have been numbered on the interpretation. Please refer to the line number when offering a correction. Once we have a reasonably good rendition I will post it on our homepage.
THOMAS (1) GOBLE WILL (This is a large file. Give it time to load.)
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WILL INTERPRETATION:
No9235
The will of Thomas Goble
Thomas Gobel - Concord
Recorded
29 (10) 57
Dec 29, 1657
Vol. 1, Page 130
The 30th day of the 9th month 1657
1. The last will of Thomas Goble of Concord, being invalid in
2. body but of memory and understanding able sufficiently to dispose
3. of my affairs as followeth
4. __ I give & bequeath to Alice my wife fair profit of all my stock
5. so long as she liveth a widow, & my house in Charlestowne with
6. all belongings unto for term of life & if my wife shall proffer of her
7. self in marriage ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ shall be it all be inventory to my
8. children as follows. my ___ poub to pas__ for ___ ___ originally
9. individual & my ___ daughter(s) ___ __ ____ and _____ __ __ ______
10. gauge ___as it to pay and foundy __ of my _ _____ ___ in ____ & for my
11. son(s) at Charlestowne my will is to ___ my minor son thus wife will be
12. originally _____ __ wife of my ___ ___ _ a improved my daughter
13. Sarah __ ___ to be ___ in marriage my will is ___ if __ __ gauge
14. for _______ in marriage before age ___ is to be depend upon my wife
15. ____ ____ ___ to take out ___ ____ or have out of ___ ___ __ is to
16. Mary & ____ my ____ on ___ now in judgement and my wife 16 yrs to
17. some not time left for ___ __tions, upon my _____ __ ___ __ __
18. original Inbi___ between ____ & if wife ___ my bred ___ __ mare.
19. In ___ marriage upon ___ ___ _tion_ all be originally ____ known as
20. _____ of my children ___ living, & to conclude my will __ ___ __ ____
21. of my children ____ be ____ wife my will, __ __ to make distributes
22. by futile law by on my mind & will it be ___ shall ___ but from
23. ____ for ___ ____ & by: ___ to be evident as aforesaid & for my hou__
24. leave my wife & all gain be as for __ ___ as for life & ___ it _ ___ by ____ as
25. ___ __ between my children, & my will is ___ my son Thomas ___ his children.
26. Thomas & Stephen __ all land ___ of ___ our calfe of __ ____ two ___
27. by ___ mak my wife __ _____ to __ my will.
With my own hand
Thomas Gobel
At the County Court Held at Charlestown
Decem 29 1657
Major Simon Whillard & John Hall above __
upon oath that the above named Thomas Goble
Dose above being of a sound judgmt & Dign ofomit
mind made signed & Declared this above written
instrument to be his last will and testament
Thomas Danforth Dorer
Entered & Recorded Decemb 29th 1657
Lib 1, part 137, As attest Thomas Danforth Dorer
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Thomas's will was signed by him "the 30th day of the 9th month, 1657" (November 30, 1657 by the Georgian calendar) and probated December 29, 1657. Alice was still living at the time of Thomas' death, as she was mentioned in his will - "I give and bequeath to Alice my wife fair profit of all my stock so long as she liveth a widow...". Also mentioned were daughters Sarah (2) and Mary (2) as well as his son Thomas (2) and his sons Thomas (3) and Stephen (3). Son Daniel does not seem to be mentioned by name but may be who is referred to as "my minor son." He was 16 at the time.
The inventory of Thomas' estate at the time the will was written listed some items which were only owned by the very wealthy, i.e.: "one featherbed, two feather pillows, & wool blankets, one small featherbed, two bolsters, two blankets, and one trundle bed, 40 pounds of paraffin, two iron pots." Bedding and linens were a mark of wealth, most people didn't have them. Paraffin would have been for candles of the highest quality, a real luxury item. Iron pots were manufactured items imported from England.
Additionally, the mere fact that Thomas Goble could write his own inventory to the will and sign his name put him in a special class. Literacy was higher in New England than elsewhere because of the Puritan emphasis on reading the Bible, but still those who could both read and write were in the minority. *8
GOBLE GOSPEL LEGEND
Lily Fern Goble Weatherford has been described as one of the greatest Gospel singers of all-time *9. Lily Fern is best known for songs such as "What a Precious Friend Is He," "He's The Lily Of the Valley," "Tenderly" and "Footprints of Jesus." She has had a long career in the Southern Gospel music industry and has been awarded many honors. The Great Plains Southern Gospel Association named her Female Entertainer of the Year in consecutive years (1993 and 1994). She received the Living Legacy Award from the Women's International Center and she was given an Honorary Doctorate degree in Music from Oakland City University in Indiana in 1999.
Lily Fern's late husband Earl founded the Weatherfords Quartet, which she joined in 1948. They received many accolades together. Those honors included a Hall of Fame membership and Achievement Awards from the Great Plains Southern Gospel Association, and Living Legend Awards from the Grand Ole Gospel Reunion. Lily Fern continues to use her beautiful voice along with her son, Steve as the Weatherfords Trio.
Lily Fern was born in Oklahoma and moved to California when she was four year sold. Her father was a Nazarene pastor in California where Lily Fern was living when she met her husband, Earl Weatherford. Lily Fern's parents were Alonzo Elmer Goble and Lillie Alice Summers. This line of Gobles is in our "Unconnected" file.
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Lily Fern Goble Weatherford, Alonzo Elmer Goble, George Thomas Goble, William Aaron Goble, Andrew Goble, Robert Goble, Robert Goble, Sr.
HAPPY (OVER 80) GOBLE BIRTHDAYS
January: both Fredie Lee Goble (age 86) and wife Lucy Goble (age 85) had birthdays and Charles Milton Moffat (age 82).
February: Howard Clarence Larson (age 82) and Norma S. Boykiw (age 82).
March: Jess Stidd (age 80)
April: Robert Goble, Jr. (age 83), and Herman J. Goble (age 83)
June: Theodore William "Dude" Goble (age 82)
July: Julian Sale Goble (age 97) and Eileen Goble (age 80)
EZRA TIMOTHY GOBLE, DR. *10
Dr. Ezra Timothy GOBLE was the son of pioneer settlers Timothy GOBLE and Elizabeth AYERS. He was born October 6, 1850 in a log cabin in Paw Paw, Illinois. He attended Paw Paw schools, State Normal schools and graduated from Rush Medical School in Chicago in 1874. He started out to be a schoolteacher, but his urge to serve humanity more directly prompted him to enter Medical school. He grew to be one of the best loved and distinguished medical men in the country and was active in his community serving as Mayor of Earlville for three terms. He was elected mayor in 1876, the youngest man to serve as mayor. He was elected again in 1899 and a third time in 1923. He also served on the city council several terms. He was president of the Earlville Board of Education for 15 years and president of the board of Trustees of the Earl Township Public Library for many years after its organization. He served as alderman, was president of the board of education and chairman of the Earl Public Library Board, which built and equipped one of the finest small town libraries in Illinois. *11
"One of the organizers of the Earlville National Bank, Dr. Goble served as its president from 1906 to 1920. He was also a past noble grandmaster of the Shabbona Lodge No 294 of Odd Fellows." *12 "He was the local surgeon for NW Railroads, was President of Lasalle County Medical Association in 1889. He was always devoted to the welfare of Earlville and his means and influence were used unsparingly."
On April 19,1877 Dr. Goble married Miss Anna Elizabeth Pulver, a native of New York State who migrated to Lee County with her parents in the early 1860's. Ezra and Anna had three children: Arthur Steen Goble (1881) an executive of the Baldwin Locomotive Works; Katherine (1878) a teacher in the Earlville public school system; and Adele Collman (1887) wife of Frederick Albertus Collman.
Dr. Goble was a typical "country doctor" imbued with the spirit of his profession. When he began his career, he made his rounds on horseback and never permitted weather to interfere with his call. His experiences in early days were comparable to the hardships by missionaries and pioneers. He served his community for 61 years, until his retirement from active practice in 1935.
Dr. Ezra Timothy Goble died at the age of 87 on March 3, 1938 and is buried in the South Paw Paw Cemetery near his parents and grandparents. *13
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Ezra Timothy (8) Goble, Timothy (7), Ezekiel (6), Ezekiel (5), Jonas (4), Daniel/David (3), Daniel (2), Thomas (1), Willmi (William) Goble
Sources:
William Radley. Extracts from a typewritten book by William Radley Dated Nov. 4th 1916. Entitled "A Genealogical Record of the Radley Family". Much of the information was obtained from the works of J. Peason Entitled "First Settlers of Albany County" and "First Settlers of Schenectady." Another source was Munsell's "Annals of Albany." Obituaries from newspaper articles>
ROBERT EARL (10) GOBLE (a tribute written by his son, Wayne Eugene Goble)
Robert Earl Goble was born May 4, 1924 in Union Co., Indiana the son of Hollis Glen (9) Goble and Clara Cathrine Widau.
Robert (10) Goble joined the Army in about 1942. He went into the service as a private and by the end of the war had attained the rank of technical sergeant. He made a career of the army, and in 1950 was promoted from the rank of master sergeant to second lieutenant. In those days a rank of master sergeant was the highest attainable by an enlisted soldier. This was a high accomplishment. He had never graduated from high school and rarely were enlisted men offered commissions during peacetime. Commissions were earned only after advancing through OCS (officer candidate school). His was a meritorious promotion, and quite a distinction at the time being one of eight having been so honored out of millions.
Robert went through basic training in the south, and volunteered for airborne. He completed jump school at Fort Benning, Georgia, and became a member of the relatively new 101st airborne division. The "screaming eagles" had already seen action in North Africa by the time he joined the unit, and his early months with them were spent in England in preparation of the invasion of Europe. One of the more famous pictures coming out of World War II, was one of President Eisenhower inspecting the troops just before d-day. In it, he was talking to a trooper from the 101st airborne. The soldier had his face smeared with black paint and as Ike would later admit, he knew the unit would suffer a probable 70 percent casualty rate, and felt the heavy burden of guilt for sending so many young men to their probable deaths. D-day was June 6, 1944. The 101st, along with the 82nd airborne division, parachuted into Normandy the night before, on June 5. Some units met immediate, stiff resistance from the Nazis, others did not. When asked what it was like to land in the middle of Germans. Robert laughed and told his children, he had landed smack in the middle of a herd of dairy cattle; no Germans in sight. He went on to explain that they had a hard time linking up with other units; it had been a windy night and some of the paratroopers came in as far as 20 miles from the landing zones. Further, there were protracted gunfights between the hedgerows in the days that followed. The 101st went on to make another jump into a combat situation in Holland. That particular jump was associated with the allied advance on the bridge at Remagen, Germany. A movie was later made about that operation, and was entitled "A Bridge Too Far."
The 101st is perhaps best known for its singular stand at Bastogne during the infamous Battle of the Bulge. In December 1944, the Nazi's mounted a major offensive against the allies. Weather and the element of surprise on their side, they whipped the British and American troops and, racing pell-mell through the Ardennes forest, bypassed the 101st altogether, which was then garrisoned at Bastogne, Belgium, and effectively surrounded the entire division. The Germans demanded surrender, and the American commanding general responded: "nuts." For days on end the Germans shelled the 101st with artillery and made numerous assaults on its lines, but the Americans held. Robert was a corporal by then and a squad leader of about eight infantrymen. Their outpost was in a small village on the outskirts of Bastogne and it was there a young Robert Goble was wounded by shrapnel and had to kill a German soldier charging his foxhole. As Robert later explained to his son, "there was nothing I could do about it. It was either him or me. So I just took aim, and shot him. I remember him falling. That's about all."
Robert Earl Goble earned 2 bronze stars, a Purple Heart, European/African campaign with 4 stars (each represents participation in a major offensive) and 1 arrow (beachhead invasion). His ribbons included American campaign, National defense, World War II victory, Good conduct (awarded only to enlisted men), He also received an unknown Belgium medal awarded all members of the 101st, a Presidential unit citation (twice), Combat infantryman's badge, Glider badge, Senior parachutist badge with 2 gold stars (each signifying a jump into combat - One for Normandy, the other for Holland).
Robert re-enlisted in the army after World War II, and after marrying Mary Elizabeth Tipton, joined the 82nd airborne at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In 1950, he was transferred to the 1st infantry division, which at the time was located in post-war Germany. After Germany (and promotion to first lieutenant), it was back to Fort Benning, Georgia, for career infantry school. That was followed by a tour with the 4th infantry division at Fort Carson, Colorado. After Colorado came Korea. Leaving behind his family of a wife and three sons in Greendale, Indiana, he arrived in Korea after the peace agreement had been signed. His duty station, however, was the DMZ, which must have seemed like war, but officially, there was no hostile action during his tenure in Korea. Upon return after to Fort Benning as a newly promoted captain, Robert became principal instructor with the Rangers. He was then put on the promotion list to major, and was transferred to the 1st brigade (airborne) of the 8th infantry division in Mainz, Germany. He soon made major (field grade officer), and became installation coordinator of Robert E. Lee barracks in Mainz. That was during the cold war, and he and his family were on foreign soil the night the Berlin wall went up, and when the Russians were assembling missiles in Cuba. These were frightening times and at one point he was forced to evacuate his family in three hours for immediate departure for the states. The 8th division soon departed for Fulda, Germany, to fight back the sure-to-come onslaught of Russian divisions that would soon be invading Western Germany. The encounter would probably have been nuclear, and there would be no survivors. Tensions soon broke, and normalcy returned. Vietnam was on the horizon. Robert was anxious to go because he had already made the promotion list for light colonel. If he went to Vietnam, he would make full bird. But he became seriously wounded during a routine nighttime jump on maneuvers in Germany, and shrapnel still left in his legs from Bastogne caused his veins to become inflamed. He was on the critical list in Wiesbaden hospital, and was soon given a medical retirement. Doctors said he would never be able to walk for protracted periods of time. But he did. He got a job with the U.S. post office and had a walking route of his own.
Robert died of cancer November 23, 1981 in Columbus, Georgia leaving his wife, Mary Elizabeth (Tipton) Goble, sons: Wayne Eugene, Bruce Edwin, and Myron Earl; and daughters Loave Elaine (Goble) Todd and Paula Eileen Goble. *14
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Robert Earl (10) Goble, Hollis Glen (9), Lawrence E. (8), Henry Washington (7), Abner (6), Henry (5), Jonas (4), Daniel/David (3), Daniel (2), Thomas (1), Willmi (William) Goble.
GOBLE BBQ
If you've searched the web very much looking for Goble information you've no doubt found the website of George Goble of Purdue University. He is a professor there and has attempted some fairly strange barbecue lightings. Columnist Dave Berry has written about his antics and George has even received an award for this feat. From the "Annals of Improbable Research" (AIR) The 1996 Ig Nobel Prize Winner (a spoof of the Nobel Prize - ignoble) in Chemistry was George Goble of Purdue University, for his blistering world record time for igniting a barbecue grill in three seconds, using charcoal and liquid oxygen.
Excerpts from the Dave Berry article:
"Each year George Goble, a computer person in the Purdue University engineering department, and a bunch of other engineers hold a picnic in West Lafayette, Indiana, at which they cook hamburgers on a big grill. Being engineers, they began looking for practical ways to speed up the charcoal-lighting process.
"We started by blowing the charcoal with a hair dryer," Goble told me in a telephone interview. "Then we figured out that it would light faster if we used a vacuum cleaner."
If you know anything about engineers and guys in general, you know what happened: The purpose of the charcoal lighting shifted from cooking hamburgers to seeing how fast they could light the charcoal.
From the vacuum cleaner, they escalated to using a propane torch, then an acetylene torch. Then Goble started using compressed pure oxygen, which caused the charcoal to burn much faster.
Goble hit upon the idea of using liquid oxygen. This is the form of oxygen used in rocket engines; it's 295 degrees below zero and 600 times as dense as regular oxygen.
You can see actual photographs and a video of Goble using a bucket attached to a 10-foot-long wooden handle to dump 3 gallons of liquid oxygen onto a grill containing 60 pounds of charcoal and a lit cigarette for ignition."
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George Harry (11) Goble, George Washington (10), George Washington (9), Samuel Harper (8), Henry Washington (7), Abner (6), Henry (5), Jonas (4), Daniel/David (3), Daniel (2), Thomas (1), Willmi (William) Goble.
ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP AND NEWSLETTER
If you haven't joined us yet you can at any time. Either notify me by snail mail or e-mail (GobleNews@aol.com) that you would like to have the newsletters. E-mailed membership and copies are free. Our subscription rate has been reduced to 2 years for $10.00 to cover materials and postage.
HEALTH WATCH
Esther Goble underwent hip replacement surgery in February. She is recovering wonderfully.
Don Klem has been under the weather from time to time during this last winter and could use our prayers.
Paul Volker recently had cancer surgery and is recovering well with a healthy prognosis for complete recovery.
Vicki Schultz broke her ankle in February and is still recovering.
Please remember our cousins in your prayers this Easter season.
ANOTHER GOBLE MYSTERY
In the book "Appalachia Crossroads" by Clayton Cox there is an intriguing story about Christopher Goble. Christopher is in our German tree and was the son of Jacob and Kitty (Ward) Goble. He married Arilla Ellender "Ellen" Sellards (1834-1889) on May 15, 1853 in Floyd County Kentucky. They owned a farm there and raised 7 children. After Arilla's death Christopher married Eliza Thompson. According to Clayton Cox, Eliza along with Will Skeens were charged in court for the murder of Christopher by poisoning. *15
I have been searching for a court record or news report of the event in hopes of finding the details. I have verified that a William Skeen lived in Floyd County, Kentucky in 1880. He was listed as a 63-year-old widower with 7 children. I also located a marriage record in Floyd County of William Skeans and Eliza Goble dated May 2, 1903. The search continues!
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Christopher Gobble/Goble, Jacob Gobble, Christian Gabel/Goble, Johann Friedrich Gabel, Hans (Johann) Jacob Gabel.
REWARD OFFERED! *16
In Volume 3, Issue 3, September 1996 of the Goble Family Newsletter we had a story about the murder of William "Ivan" (11) Goble. In recent news articles published in the Fresno Bee and other California newspapers a $70,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. Ivan Goble was killed July 15, 1996 after four men entered his Fowler, California home, shot him and pistol -whipped his wife, Ruth. He was 81 years old. Governor Davis has offered $50,000 toward this fund. Fresno County Sheriff, Richard Pierce says a billboard erected south of Chestnut Avenue, announces the reward and is sponsored by friends, family and the group Citizens Against Homicide. For more information on how you can help. Contact Barbara Volker (bgvolker@worldnet.att.net) or Ron Goble (Rigoble@aol.com).
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William Ivan (11) Goble, Floy Ivan (10), John (9), William (8), Daniel (7), Benjamin (6), Daniel (5), Daniel (4), Daniel/David (3), Daniel (2), Thomas (1), Willmi (William) Goble
OBITUARIES
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. ECCLESIASTICS 3:1
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Carolyn Washington Gobble Menges In our December 1999 newsletter, Volume 6, Issue 4, page 7 we had an article about Carolyn Washington Gobble Menges who turned 100 years old on October 6th. She died January 14, 2000 in the Brooksville, Florida Hospital after coming down with pneumonia and congestive heart failure.
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Jean Goble, widow of Harold Wolverton (10) Goble, died on January 12, 2000 at age 88 in Guelph Ontario, Canada. Jean was very interested in the Goble history and had communicated with us for years. She enjoyed knitting and watching hockey games on television. In addition to knitting mittens she made hats, scarves, baby sets, sweaters and afghans, most of which were donated to the Red Cross in Guelph where she volunteered many hours doing window displays and acting as a cashier. Her hands were always busy.
PERSONAL NOTE & THANK YOU
Dear Family,
I hope this finds you all well and happy. My thanks to all who have contributed information, photographs, articles and money in support of the Goble Family Association and this newsletter. Our Association continues to grow and it is heartwarming to be able to be part of this wonderful family.
This February I spent 2 weeks in Kansas City caring for my mother after hip replacement surgery. She's getting along great and will be back to her many gardening and mowing chores by spring. I was able to fly through Charlotte, North Carolina and had a short layover, which allowed me to have time to meet with cousin Eldon Goble, who lives there. I've known Eldon for years, but only on the telephone and through letters, so it was a real treat to get a face to face visit. I'm looking forward to having more opportunities to meet more of my cousins.
Warren and I are both doing well and looking forward to our trip to Thailand. Our son, Robert is in the Air Force and is stationed there. He has met a lovely girl, Nong Maem, and has fallen in love. They are planning a wedding in Korat, on August 5th.
We've been staying busy and working hard. I've been enjoying my art lessons, but will likely not become rich and famous painting pictures! I am painting an English garden on the walls of our patio room just for fun. Also for fun Warren and I begin golf lessons next week.
Thank you all again for sending stories, information and funds. All is appreciated. Have a Happy Easter and a wonderful summer
Love,
Footnotes/Sources: (use your back arrow to return to previous text)
*1 National Archives and Records Administration
*2 Associated Press article by Barry Wilner (provided by Corbin Goble)
*3 Blades On Ice Magazine Online Newsbriefs
*4 Photograph by J. Barry Mittan (reprinted with permission)
*5 Provided by Jean Bogart - Hacienda Heights, CA
*6 Provided by Corban Goble
*7 Copy provided by Jonathan Goble
*8 Will interpretation assisted by Tryna Zeedyk.
*9 Article written by Time Gardner for the "Singing News," March 2000. Provided by Harold G. Gobbell.
*10 Provided by Robert Christie Collman (chris_collman@yahoo.com)
*11 From the Chicago Herald "Hobbies of Illinois Mayors" on October 1, 1924
*12 From a newpaper obituary, provided by Robert Collman.
*13 By Robert Collman (chris_collman@yahoo.com)
*14 From a tribute written by Wayne Eugene Goble.
*15 Ralph Honaker, Huntington, WV.
*16 Information provided by Pamela Traylor Williams
