Brief Life History of Rufus
When Rufus Godfrey Sr was born on 8 July 1761, in Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States, his father, Brig General George Godfrey, was 42 and his mother, Bethiah Hodges, was 37. He married Wealthy Crossman on 9 March 1785, in Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States. They were the parents of at least 3 sons and 6 daughters. He registered for military service in 1831. He died on 31 March 1836, at the age of 74, and was buried in Oakland Cemetery, Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States.
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Family Time Line
Sources (25)
- Rufus Godfrey, "Find a Grave Index"
- Rufus in entry for Wealthy Godfrey, "United States Revolutionary War Pension Payment Ledgers, 1818-1872"
- Rufus Godfrey, "Find A Grave Index"
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Children (9)
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World Events (8)
1776
Thomas Jefferson's American Declaration of Independence endorsed by Congress. Colonies declare independence.
1776 · The Declaration to the King
"At the end of the Second Continental Congress the 13 colonies came together to petition independence from King George III. With no opposing votes, the Declaration of Independence was drafted and ready for all delegates to sign on the Fourth of July 1776. While many think the Declaration was to tell the King that they were becoming independent, its true purpose was to be a formal explanation of why the Congress voted together to declare their independence from Britain. The Declaration also is home to one of the best-known sentences in the English language, stating, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."""
1781 · The First Constitution
Serving the newly created United States of America as the first constitution, the Articles of Confederation were an agreement among the 13 original states preserving the independence and sovereignty of the states. But with a limited central government, the Constitutional Convention came together to replace the Articles of Confederation with a more established Constitution and central government on where the states can be represented and voice their concerns and comments to build up the nation.
Name Meaning
English (of Norman origin): from the Norman personal name Godefrei, Godefroi(s), composed of the ancient Germanic elements god, got ‘god’ + frid(u), fred ‘peace’. See also Jeffrey .
Irish: shortened and Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Gothraidh or Ó Gothraidh, ‘descendant of Gothfrith’, an Old Norse personal name often Anglicized as Godfrey. Compare McGorry , McCaffrey .
History: An Irish family of the name Godfrey originated in Romney, Kent. The first of them to settle in Ireland was Colonel John Godfrey, who was rewarded with lands in Kerry for his services in the 1641 rebellion. Godefroy, Lord of Normanville, from Normandy, was married in Trois-Rivières, QC, in 1636. He was captured by the Iroquois in 1652. His brother, Lord of Linctot, from Rouen, was also married in 1636 in Trois-Rivières, and lived from 1629 to 1632 among the Hurons. Another Godefroy, from Paris, was a trader and interpreter from 1623.
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
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