Transcribed from "An Illustrated History of The Big Bend Country, embracing
Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and Franklin counties, State of Washington",
published by Western Historical Publishing Co., 1904.
PHILIP W. GODWIN, whose residence
is two and a half miles north of Mondovi, was born February 3, 1850, in
Randolph county, Indiana. His father, Nathan Godwin, was a native
of Ohio and a pioneer of Randolph county. Our subject's mother was
Mary (White) Godwin. He has one sister, Mahala J. Godwin, still living
in Indiana, and three brothers; John T., a carpenter of Davenport; Daniel
W., of Guthrie county, Iowa; and James H., of Indiana.
Mr. Godwin in 1854 was taken by his parents
to Guthrie county, Iowa, and five years later to St. Clair county, Missouri.
In 1869 the family returned to the old home in Indiana, where the parents
both died.
In 1876 Philip went to Sutter county, California,
where he found employment on a ranch. In the fall of 1881 he came
by steamer to Portland and thence to the present site of Reardan, where
he purchased a tract of railroad land. He filed on his present homestead
in 1883, since which time he has applied himself to the cultivation of
his land upon which he raises chiefly grain. He came to the state
with little capital, but now is quite well off, and has six hundred and
forty acres, three hundred and fifty acres of which are good grain land,
the remainder pasture and timber.
In fraternal circles Mr. Godwin is identified
with Accacia lodge, A. F. and A. M., of Davenport.
Mr. Godwin was married to Mabel Carpenter,
a native of Springfield, Vermont, February 22, 1889. Mrs. Godwin
is the daughter of C. M. and Elizabeth (Clark) Carpenter, who came to Oregon
in 1881, and to this locality a few years subsequently, and are now living
on Spokane river. Mr. Carpenter served all during the Civil War under
General McClellan, was a participant in many hard fought battles, and at
the close of the war was mustered out with an honorable discharge.
To Mr. and Mrs. Godwin have been born six
children, Mary E., Henry Emil, Lucy Ellen, Lulu Viola, Leona May, and James
Wyman, the first named of whom is now dead.
Mr. Godwin has ever been a hard working and
honorable man. He has seen his share of the misfortunes and reverses
of this life, but by dint of hard toil and perseverance he has placed himself
in a position to enjoy the fruits of his labor and end his busy career
in comfort and ease.
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