Meet The Goffs

I rode my bike through Woodlands Cemetery today and came across the family plot of the Goff family, which was Richard W. P. Goff (1834-1906), his wife Eliza Elliott Goff (1834-1896), and their daughters Gertrude, Ethel (whose stone has no year of death), and Louise.

The plot is completely covered by a yew bush, but a sort of cavern had already been carved under it, with just enough cleared that one could stand and read the stones. Someone had camped there, perhaps a few months ago, leaving two articles of clothing, a plastic bag, and a beer can.

I happened to have, in my pack, my pair of pruners (secateurs) that were given to me by the great blipster Ceridwen. I spent a while cutting branches from the bush so that the Sun could again shine on the Goffs. I succeeded only for this fine Celtic cross bearing the parents' names.

There were two more daughters, Katie and Leah, but I don't know what became of them. Richard was a manufacturer of "art furniture." He was born in New Jersey, spent much of his life in Philadelphia, and finally settled with his family in Lower Merion, an affluent suburb. At least some of the Goff daughters were educated at Bryn Mawr College.